FACETS contemporary ballet concert set Nov. 15-17

Marlene Skog, an assistant professor of dance, will present the first concert of contemporary ballet at the Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space, Lathrop Hall, Nov. 15-17 at 8 p.m.

FACETS will premiere three nights of new and previous, now recreated works woven together through a collaboration of contemporary movement, spoken word artistry, live original music, and stunning set design.

Among the five dance works, Skog will present three works with original music composed specifically for the pieces, performed live by composer Carol Carlson, with whom she has collaborated for the past two years.

Carlson, a Ph.D. candidate studying musical composition and performance, with a minor in dance, is also a ballet student of Skog’s.

Carlson deconstructed Saint-Saens “Le Cygne” and performed it live for Skog’s “The Swan” which premiered in the Dance Department’s 2010 Faculty Concert “Upswing.” “The Swan” along with “Village,” which premiered in the 2012 Faculty Concert “Latitudes,” and Skog’s new piece “Rock/Paper/Scissors!” will be presented in FACETS featuring Carlson’s original music and live performance.

The performance will also feature a collaboration of contemporary ballet and spoken word. Skog’s pieces “EXIT/NO EXIT” and “Passages” will feature original work and performance from spoken word artist and First Wave scholar LaLa Bolander incorporated into Skog’s choreography.

Skog also commissioned two canvasses from visual artist and designer, Dale Malner to be designed for FACETS.

When asked about her collaborations, Skog says that ballet has historically been a collaborative process.

“Though dance is my work,” she says, “dance is a collaborative and inclusive art form which makes it a rich art form. For me, the work would not be complete without these other expressions.”

Tickets are $18 for the general public and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at http://www.uniontheater.wisc.edu, by phone (608) 265-2787, or in person at the Vilas Theater Box Office, 821 University Ave.

Remaining tickets will be sold at the door at Lathrop Hall beginning one hour before each performance. Seating is reserved.

There will be a post-performance reception Friday, Nov. 16 with the choreographer and performers in the Virginia Harrison Parlor in Lathrop Hall. Refreshments will be served.