TU Dance

Comments (0) By Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 4 2011

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Since founding TU Dance in 2004, Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands have been adamant about basing their company in St. Paul. The couple lives in St. Paul. Their troupe, a critical and audience favorite, has new studio digs on University Avenue in St. Paul. And now they will perform, for one night only, in the main hall at the Ordway in St. Paul. Word has it the Ordway's 1,900 seats are nearly sold out. Perhaps that's because the beloved company, with deep roots in the dance and St. Paul communities, is performing a number of repertory favorites: the generous and surprising "For You," the sassy and delicious "High Heel Blues," and Ron K. Brown's luscious solo for the earthy-yet-luminous Pierce-Sands, "Clear as Tear Water." But the program also features the world premiere of "With Love," inspired by the paintings of African-American artist Ernie Barnes (1938-2009). As TU Dance's primary choreographer, Sands (who was recently named City Pages Choreographer of the Year) has an indefatigable wellspring of ideas about art and human experience, which he deftly translates into choreographic portraits via an integration of Africanist, modern, ballet, and vernacular dance techniques. To enliven his choreographic canvas of Barnes, Sands is drawing from the music of soul legend Donny Hathaway (1945-1979). (Photo by Ingrid Wethmann)
Fri., May 6, 7:30 p.m., 2011