James Sewell Ballet, "Bud!" Spring performance

I'm so excited that I'll be going to see the James Sewell Ballet company's spring concert tomorrow! It's the last day of their Spring concert, "Bud! I found a lovely preview at the blog A Sense of Place. The review in the local paper is amateurish. I mourn the way the newspaper implosion has affected our connections to good, thoughtful writing about dance. We have such a rich culture of dance in the Twin Cities, but it's too often a well-kept secret. I hope that the campaign to create a center for dance performance and education at the Schubert Theater in downtown Minneapolis can reach its goals soon because that will create visibility for these companies. There is already a wonderful education program in place.

Here are the program notes:

James Sewell Ballet celebrates spring with " Bud!," a dance program featuring a world premiere collaboration commissioned by the American Composers Forum through a grant from National Endowment for the Arts, with award-winning composer Mary Ellen Childs and nationally-acclaimed male vocal ensemble, Cantus. In addition, the program will include the earthy and beautiful Appalachia Waltz and a James Sewell self-portrait to a musical collage, April 2 through 5 at The O'Shaughnessy at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.

The collaboration between Sewell, Childs and Cantus is a natural. "My background in music composition and Ms. Childs' background in movement and choreography, creates a dynamic synergy. The dance pieces are layered with musical and vocal improvisation," says James Sewell, artistic director, co-founder and choreographer for the company. "The result is an interactive adventure that breathes excitement into dance and music punctuated by innovative vocals."

Simple American themes in Appalachia Waltz, explore relationships as they grow and develop. An original solo by James Sewell caps the program, finishing up a series of dancer portraits commissioned by friends of the company.

There is almost nothing on YouTube, but if you have iTunes, you can watch this "Three-Minute Egg" video-cast, part of a series produced by Scott Pekin, who manages the Walker Art Center blogs.

This is an excerpt from an unrelated performance by the JSB: