Closing out their first year as a company, Pedestrian Dance Movement will be moving into the Courtyard Theater in Plano for two shows of their original production, Acceptance.
Pedestrian Dance Movement is a contemporary dance company based in Dallas with the mission to connect with audiences by bringing a human-like quality to contemporary dance--a device that is becoming commonplace among the many similar companies popping up. But what makes Pedestrian different is the desire to make each piece an emotional, soul-captivating experience based in lyrical qualities of movement and storytelling.
Founded in 2013 by choreographer Liz Collinsworth, a graduate of Southern Methodist University's journalism program and a teacher at Plano's Dance Industry Performing Arts Center, Pedestrian is a vehicle for Collinsworth to give back to the community that helped her find her own voice. She says she found freedom and safety in movement, and she wants to pay it forward. This therapeutic nature of movement is at the forefront of Pedestrian's work and she notes that the dancers are hoping to personify an honest and vulnerable approach to performing.
Quickly becoming a sought-after venue for emerging dance companies in North Texas, the Courtyard Theater gives companies freedom to use the space in fresh and unique ways, and is open for a range of performance dates and times. Pedestrian will be trying out a different format than most, by offering a show at 7 p.m. Friday, taking a break on Saturday, and coming back for round two on Sunday, June 1 at 4:00pm. It's an interesting choice: will the day off help them gain a different audience as reviews will more than likely come out on Saturday? We'll have to wait and see, but nevertheless, Acceptance is a bold move for the fledgling company, as it marks their first full-length performance.
Acceptance is billed as a journey, through movement, of the five stages of grief and loss. The narrative follows dancers Haley Trevino and Giovanni Allen as they encounter and face each stage after parting ways. The story travels through the initial moment of loss, the immediate denial, the confrontation of anger, those moments of bargaining that we do to escape, the onset of depression, and then, finally, acceptance.
Find out what how Trevino and Allen get on this weekend. You can preview the company in rehearsal here.
Acceptance by Pedestrian Dance Movement, Friday, May 30 at 7:00pm and Sunday, June 1 at 4:00pm at the Courtyard Theater (1509 H Avenue, Plano, TX). Tickets are $25 and available online.
