The Performing Arts Series at the University of Nevada, Reno presents Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in live virtual public performance, workshops and master classes during a two-day residency Oct. 26 and 27.

During their virtual visit, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company will hold master classes with University dance students, workshops with students at Natchez Elementary School, and a series of workshops for veterans and their family members. The residency will culminate with a public performance and conversation  Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. PDT.

During the closing one-of-a-kind live performance and conversation, Artistic Director Daniel Charon and dancers of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company will share how they have adapted and continue to find ways to create and express through dance in 2020.

A highlight of the evening will feature a collaborative dance created moments before the live event, with dancers from the University and Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.  

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“It’s been a great process working together, re-envisioning what a residency can be,” Artistic Director Daniel Charon said. “We’re excited to work with the students at the University teaching a variety of classes which includes the development of a short, online performance event that the students will perform with our company in a digital space… live! What a great opportunity to think outside the box and develop technological capabilities to still be able to perform together.”

Autumn Sun (2020) and special behind-the-scenes footage of this new dance, which recently premiered as part of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s fall season performance, will also be shown. The evening will conclude with a live question-and-answer session where viewers can submit questions in real-time. Panelists will include Artistic Director Daniel Charon, Company Dancers Dominica Greene and Nicholas Jurica, and School of the Arts Program Manager Shoshana Zeldner.

A unique component of this residency involves programming and collaboration with the veteran community. In partnership with the DJD Foundation for Freedom of Expression and the Performing Arts Series, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company will present two free movement-based workshops for veterans and their family members Monday, Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The virtual workshops are designed to bring the healing power of dance to the veteran community. No dance experience is required and all ages are welcome. For more information or to register, visit arthealswarwounds.com.

“We feel so strongly that dance can positively affect one’s mind, body and spirit and in these unusual times, this is more important than ever,” Charon said. “This residency also allows us to continue to develop a new facet of our outreach program geared towards veterans and their families.”

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is known both nationally and internationally for producing innovative, moving and compelling work that challenges audiences’ perceptions of what contemporary dance can be. Their repertory ranges from minimalist to multi-media dances, bringing traditional and non-traditional spaces to life with performances that appeal to the contemporary dance aficionado, to programs created for families to experience together.

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s residency is one of six artists presented during the 60th anniversary of the Performing Arts Series. The fall performances will conclude with M5 Mexican Brass, Latin America’s leading brass ensemble, Thursday, Nov. 12. And, the Series continues in February 2021 with the Irish band Goitse, a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock and jazz vocalist Michael Mayo.

“By attending a virtual event this fall, guests help to support artists across the world while ensuring that the Performing Arts Series traverses this pandemic, ready and fully equipped to deliver an incredible next season,” Zeldner said. 

To purchase tickets for the Performing Arts Series, visit unr.edu/pas or call the School of the Arts at 775-784-4278 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday). Individual event tickets are $15 and free to University of Nevada, Reno students. Each performance will remain available on-demand for 14 days following the live event to ensure adequate time for viewing. 

In addition to the Performing Arts Series, the School of the Arts presents the Reno Jazz Festival and Lake Tahoe Music Camp as well as world-class visual art exhibitions, musical performances, theatre productions, dance concerts and public arts events presented by the departments of Art, Music, and Theatre and Dance. The School’s degree programs provide a strong foundation in a range of artistic disciplines, enabling students to contribute as artists, educators and scholars at the local level and beyond. Finally, the School, as well as the College of Liberal Arts, encourage broad campus and community participation in the arts through its numerous performances, lectures, exhibitions, core courses and outreach activities that explore diverse cultures and encourage lifelong learning. 

The 2020-21 Performing Arts Series is funded in part by WESTAF (the Western States Arts Federation); the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Associated Students of the University of Nevada and the Graduate Student Association. In-kind support is provided by CLM Design, Advertising, Interactive.

For more information about School of the Arts, visit unr.edu/arts, call 775-784-4278, or email arts@unr.edu. Event information, news and photos also are available by following the School of the Arts’ Instagram and Twitter handles: @NVArts365 and Facebook pages.