Performing Arts

Dorrance Dance Comes to DWT

Dancers Michelle Dorrance and Byron Tittle. Photo by Matthew Murphy

By Natasha Anderson

Diana Wortham Theatre presents award-winning New York City-based tap company Dorrance Dance on Thursday and Friday, November 15 and 16, at 8 p.m. The company, founded in 2011 by MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient and artistic director Michelle Dorrance, honors tap’s unique history while working to push the form rhythmically, aesthetically and conceptually.

“I am always thrilled, honored and humbled to perform in my home state,” says Dorrance, who was raised in Chapel Hill. “And specifically Asheville, because of the rich community of artists there.”

Dorrance Dance will feature three works that illustrate the great range the company is known for: the rarely seen, Bessie Award-winning Three to One (2011), combining tap and modern dance; Jungle Blues (2012), which explores and honors the relationship between jazz music and tap; and Myelination (2017), a piece in which each dancer is both an ensemble member and an improvisational soloist challenged to take risks and achieve new heights of technical and musical execution.

“I love these works juxtaposed because they offer very different perspectives within my vision for tap dance,” says Dorrance. “I think this is a great program to show the depth and possibility of the form.”

Audience members are invited to stay after the show for an intimate discussion with Dorrance.

Diana Wortham Theatre is at 18 Biltmore Avenue, in Asheville. Tickets are $20–$48. Dorrance Dance is also presented as part of the Matinee Series for students and families on Friday, November 16, at 10 a.m. Tickets for the 10 a.m. show are $10 for individuals and $9 for groups of 11 or more. Teachers that may need help covering the cost of admission for students can apply for assistance through the Y.E.S. Fund. For more information, to purchase tickets or to access Y.E.S. Fund applications, visit dwtheatre.com or call 828.257.4530.

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