Desiderare premiered by Prometheus Dance at CMAC -- May 12 - 14, 2011 May 12, 2011

Prometheus Dance premieres "Desiderare", choreographed by Diane Arvanites & Tommy Neblett; performed by the company, accompanied by Karen Klein (poet) and Ashima Scripp (cellist). Thursday-Saturday, May 12-14, at 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm, with wine bar and chocolates served). A silent auction held on Friday and Saturday evenings. Tickets: $25 general admission, $20 students, seniors, BDA members. Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center (CMAC), 41 Second Street, Cambridge. Wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the Lechmere Station on the Green Line. For advance tickets and information: 617-577-1400 or http://www.cmacusa.org.
"Desiderare" is an evening length dance/theatre piece suggestive of a nineteenth century brothel where seven women are waiting. The chairs that support them in their wait become a part of their story — leverage for change, a representation of inner strength or resignation, a voice in solidarity, a tool of passion, a prison metaphor. The work invokes images of women who are tough, resilient and independent.

"Desiderare" is gender specific because of it’s thematic premise and is, as are many works by Prometheus Dance, a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, the perseverance of a cultural identity, and a reflection of human nature. The women will be portrayed by dancers Naoko Brown, Elena Greenspan, Jennifer Kelble, Callie Chapman Korn, Kate Neal, Nikki Sell, and Lonnie Stanton.

"Desiderare" will be interspersed with spoken word and movement by poet, sculptor, and Prometheus Dance’s The Elders Ensemble member Karen Klein. Written by Ms. Klein, the text will be a narration of sentiment and incident spoken as warning, comfort, destiny, and predetermined events. Live music by cellist Ashima Scripp will accompany parts of the evening.

The set created by Karen Klein and Diane Arvanites will be curtains of hanging chain strung with flowers and bones. The wall is a metaphor representative of sweet perfume, body scent and restraining circumstances.

A silent auction will be held on Friday and Saturday nights, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Prometheus Dance.

As co-Artistic Directors of Prometheus Dance, Diane Arvanites and Tommy Neblett each hold a BFA in dance and create dance/theatre that has been performed throughout the northeastern United States; and internationally in Spain, France, Denmark, Venezuela, Mexico and Ecuador. In the past twenty-three years, they have choreographed fifty works for Prometheus Dance, three unique educational family programs, three productions for Opera Boston; as well as creating The Elders Ensemble, a second company of post-professional dancers ages 60-88, which received a Gold Star Award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). Their work has been produced and/or commissioned by the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, the Joyce Soho, the Celebrity Series, World Music/Crash Arts, Dance Umbrella, First Night, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Opera Boston, The Boston Conservatory, Walnut Hill, Emerson Stage, and The Yard. They have received a Creativity Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowships for Choreography from the MCC. Ms. Arvanites has also been honored as a Distinguished Alumni from The Boston Conservatory. They are long-time members of the dance faculties at The Boston Conservatory, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, Harvard University, Brookline Ballet, and The Dance Complex, teaching contemporary dance technique, partnering and choreography. Visit http://www.prometheusdance.org for more information.

Official Website: http://www.cmacusa.org