The Eclectic Edge Ensemble: A Woman's Choice

Jazz dance is a hybrid that incorporates everything from Broadway rhythms to balletic maneuvers to funky moves from street and vernacular forms. In "A Woman's Choice," the Eclectic Edge Ensemble gives a feminist slant to syncopation by exploring stereotypical images of women, from ditz to bridezilla. Choreographer Karis Sloss has been a dynamic presence in the local dance scene since her days as a student in the University of Minnesota's dance program. For this show, she's invited JAZZDANCE alumna Judith E. Ries to revive her "Here Before You," with music by local composer Laura Harley. New works feature music by Richard Sloss and Warren Park, former director of the Jazz Composer Series and founder of the West Bank School of Music. Sloss carries on the tradition of Danny Buraczeski, founder and director of the legendary (and late, lamented) JAZZDANCE company, by creating work that brings a fresh perspective to the jazz idiom.
July 17-19, 8 p.m.; Sun., July 20, 2 p.m., 2008