Thursday, March 27, 2014

The University of Iowa Department of Dance will stage Presenting Norma, an MFA thesis concert featuring the work of Lindsay Fisher and Jeremy Blair, at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 3-5, in Space Place Theatre (101 North Hall).

The full performance will include:

  • Blair's piece, Whoa, Man!, an examination of gender performance, with specific attention to performance of masculinity.
  • Fisher's piece, (un)tethered, exploring self-objectification and objectification theory in the female body.
  • A dance film, Meet Norma Tivity, created by Blair, Fisher, and fellow MFA candidate Alex Bush.

Tickets for Presenting Norma are $12 ($6 for seniors, college students, and youth 17 and younger; free for UI students with valid ID), and are available through the Hancher Box Office at 319-335-1160 or 800-426-2437 or online at www.hancher.uiowa.edu/tickets.

Blair is a native of northwest Illinois who spent eight years performing in Chicago prior to moving to Iowa to pursue his master’s degree. For five years, he found a home at Thodos Dance Chicago as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. He toured with Thodos throughout the United States and to South Korea, and he had the opportunity to perform choreography by Melissa Thodos, Lar Lubovitch, Lucas Crandall, Ron de Jesus, Bob Fosse, Ann Reinking, and Brian Enos, among others. In addition to working with Thodos, Blair was a Lucky Plush Productions com­pany member for two seasons where he helped develop and perform Punk Yankees. Additionally, he was a guest artist with Khecari Dance Theatre, Aerial Dance Chicago, Lookingglass Theatre Company, and Chicago Moving Company with whom he toured to Mongolia to teach and perform.

Fisher is a native of Butler, Pa. Prior to coming to Iowa City, she spent 10 years in New York City performing with Helen Simoneau Danse, where she was also the rehearsal director. Her career as both a dancer and choreographer has allowed her to travel throughout both the United States and Europe. Her choreography has been seen at the University of Iowa and numerous venues in Pennsylvania and New York. Her work has also been featured on the front page of the NYC Metro Newspaper in 2006. A versatile artist, she has performed in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s West Side Story and North Shore Music Theater’s Victor/Victoria. Her film credits include Lead Arabian in Robert Lindgren’s Nutcracker (PBS/UNC-TV), Julie Teymor’s feature film Across the Universe with choreography by Danny Ezralow, and as a featured dancer in the music video “Pieces of You” by Brooklyn-based band The Hot Seconds.

This performance contains mature language and content and may not be suitable for younger audiences.

The Department of Dance is a part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact Hancher Accessibility Services in advance at 319-335-1158.