When:

Saturday, Nov. 10 • 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Where:

Valéncia Arts Center
1164 W. Howard Street (corner of W. Howard and Vila)
Winona, MN 55987

Tickets:

$22

Places Please!

Come along on a zany trip brimming with playfulness and anxiety from life behind the scenes. Set backstage during the final moments before the curtain rises, this cabaret-style performance features a dance fanatic’s dream music score — from Broadway classics to contemporary classical music to ‘80s pop hits — as well as some very special guest performers from the Winona community. The result is a buzz-worthy cocktail of biting satire, quick-witted physical comedy, and gentle moments of deep pathos that celebrates and extends the creative relationship of Nicole Wolcott and Larry Keigwin, co-founders of KEIGWIN + COMPANY.

With cabaret-style seating, a cash bar, and occasional mature content, Places Please! is perfect for date night but may not be suitable for some young audience members. Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will be offering on-site child care during the 7 pm performance.

Approximate running time: 1 hour

Places Please! acts like a love letter to the stage. By basking in the artifice and then taking it to task, Keigwin and Wolcott highlight the absurdity and sublimity that put the show in show business.”

Erin Bomboy

The Dance Enthusiast

“Conceived as a peek into backstage, preshow preparations, the evening charts the ups and downs of making dance and making it in New York’s dance world, told through movement and memories culled from their 16-year collaboration. It’s a campy snapshot of the creative process, and a tribute to a long, entertaining friendship.”

Brian Schaefer

The New York Times

About the Artists

Celebrating community, unity and the sheer joy of live performance, Larry Keigwin and longtime collaborator Nicole Wolcott continue KEIGWIN + COMPANY’s mission of bringing audiences together. Encouraging harmony between uptown and downtown, professional and amateur, high-brow and low-brow through community driven performances that include fan favorite Bolero and the brand new Stage Door. K+C delivers an electrifying brand of show-stopping contemporary dance while embodying its signature theatrical sensibility of wit, style and heart.

Larry Keigwin is a native New Yorker and choreographer who has danced his way from the Metropolitan Opera to downtown clubs to Broadway and back. He founded KEIGWIN + COMPANY in 2003 with Nicole Wolcott, and as artistic director, he has led the company as it has performed at theaters and dance festivals around the world. KEIGWIN + COMPANY has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and New York City Center, among many others venues. Keigwin has created dozens of dances for himself and his dancers, as well as for Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, Royal New Zealand Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Juilliard School, Vail International Dance Festival, and many others. His work in musical theater includes Tales of the City at ACT in San Francisco, the off-Broadway production of Rent, and the 2013 Broadway musical If/Then, starring Idina Menzel.

Nicole Wolcott is a Brooklyn based artist.  Called “One of today’s finest dance comedians and a knockout dancer,” by the New York Times.  She has enjoyed an exciting career with dance companies, rock bands and video artists and been the subject of a feature article in DANCE TEACHER magazine. Wolcott co-founded KEIGWIN + COMPANY with Larry Keigwin in 2003 and was the Associate Artistic Director and a featured dancer until 2013. She continues to assist Keigwin on projects including the Off-Broadway production of Rent and Broadway’s If/Then. Wolcott’s choreography has been performed at venues ranging from The Joyce Theater to CBGB’s. Currently she is touring her evening length solo titled PaperPieces.

Winona Community Performers

Amanda Pohlman is thrilled to be performing with the KEIGWIN + COMPANY production of Places Please! Amanda thrives on the stage, whether that is dancing, singing, acting, or reciting poetry… she loves it all! As a current sophomore at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, she is majoring in Marketing in the Performing Arts. You may have recently seen her in the production of “Proof” at Saint Mary’s, where she played the role of Catherine. Amanda is extremely thankful for this opportunity and would like to thank her family and friends for all of their support throughout her performance career.

Andrea Shearer grew up with music all around me. Her mom instilled a love for music and musical theater in her at a young age. She has been in choirs since she was 3 years old and has always enjoyed participating in school and community plays. Her favorite roles that include Mrs. Mayor of Whoville in Seussical the Musical, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Truly Scrumptious in Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang.

Anne Williams is a Winona native and graduate of the Theatre Arts Management program at St. Mary’s University who spent 12 years actively working in theatre on the East Coast. She has been a member of the Beechwood Theatre Company in Newport RI, a member of The New Haven Players in CT, a long time employee at The Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven CT and a soprano with the New Haven Women’s Chorus. Locally, Anne has performed in the HCO summer musical series, Theatre du Mississippi, and The Winona Oratorio Chorus. She is thrilled to be part of this performance!

Becca Braun is from Stevens Point, WI and has been dancing for 16 years. She is a freshman at Winona State University, majoring in marketing and minoring in dance. Becca has studied in Ballet,  Modern, Tap, Jazz, and Hip Hop, and attended events such as UW-Madison’s Pre-Collegiate Invitational, Showstoppers National Dance Convention, was a member of National Honor Society of Dance Arts, and so much more. Becca is grateful and excited for this opportunity to grow as a dancer, artist, and individual.

Michael Chouanard is looking forward to being part of this “zany” little show! Having some prior performing experience (Egyptian in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Joseph/Wiseman in his church’s annual Live Nativity showings), this style show is new to Michael; and it will be as much of a surprise for him as it will for you!

 

Raina Racki is currently enjoying teaching modern dance classes at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and is an alumnae of Winona’s The Ballet School and Preparatory School of the Performing Arts, MCA’s predecessors, as well as UW-Milwaukee. Raina’s performing career has included a range of work in modern, ballet and hula, musical theatre, theatre, choral singing, French horn tooting, and a touch of aerial strap flying. She is thrilled to perform in Places Please! and gives a big shout out to her amazing family!

PERFORMANCE CENTER

700 Terrace Heights
Winona, MN 55987

BOX OFFICE

507-457-1715

For inquiries, please email eventservices@smumn.edu

 

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This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.


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