Nacre Dance Company presents a Premiere of “Stabat Mater” and Jose Limón’s “Dances for Isadora”

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Nacre, Saratoga Springs’ modern dance company, will present a sparkling array of dance and musical accompaniment on Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 2 at 2:30 pm at the Spa Little Theater. This concert will premiere Artistic Director Beth Fecteau’s “Stabat Mater” set to music performed live by Octavo Singers of Schenectady under the Artistic Direction of Curtis Funk. This fifty-piece choir will sing two selections from this larger choral work accompanied by Trevor Kalbaugh on keyboard and Leonard Tobleron on percussion. Fecteau auditioned additional dancers from the community to join Nacre Company members in the making of this newest work. This ensemble of 26 dancers (in Romanesque costumes created by area native and dancer Janessa Cornell) create a dramatic setting with strong movement and complex partnering reflecting the grandeur of the music. Fecteau also worked with area sign language interpreter Christine Neeley to learn the gestural interpretation of the lyrics for inspiration for her choreography. Neeley will be signing sections of the music throughout the piece to add an additional layer to this premiere Fecteau will also present two works recently premiered at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge. “Ny Verden/New World” is a collaboration between Fecteau and area poet Marilyn McCabe. Area singers Joan Taub and Geneva Henderson will join McCabe. The evening begins with Fecteau’s “Chocabell” featuring cello accompaniment by cellist Will Hayes. Fecteau and Hayes selected five movements from prolific German composer J.S. Bach’s “Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello,” written in the early 18th century to accompany the eight dancers costumed in shades of wine created by area costume designer, Katherine Patterson. This year Nacre was given the great honor of producing a former work by Modern Dance pioneer Jose Limón. Nacre will perform Jose Limón’s “Dances for Isadora” (1971), which was staged for Nacre by former Limón dancer Jennifer Scanlon. Limón regarded Isadora Duncan as his “dance mother,” and this series of solos evokes different periods of her life by intertwining aspects of both her artistic and personal lives. Tickets for this concert are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and senior citizens. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit nacredance.com or phone (518) 817-3833.