Oslund+Company/Dance this Weekend

A quick cultural shout-out and recommendation before the weekend gets started. Oslund + Company/Dance will be performing this weekend at Imago Theatre, presenting three works choreographed by the talented Mary Oslund:

“Bête Perdue,” which Mary first showed last April, uses a score/soundscape created in collaboration with Obo Addy and Katie Griesar (who acted as sound engineer and “translator”). Barry Johnson's insightful review on Art Scatter describes the work more ably than I ever could.

Oslund+Co. will also premiere “Thirst” -- a duet Mary choreographed for Bonnie Simoa (dance faculty at Lane Community College) and Walter Kennedy (dance faculty at U of O). As described on her website, the piece “is influenced by the film making of Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang and his focus on deadpan humor, pollution/consumption, and the connections between people.” The music is composed by Katie Griesar. (As a talented musician and soundsmith, Katie is the resident composer for Imago and also a member of the Portland band, Durango Park).

Finally, Mary’s troupe will present “Prrr” – a work that was commissioned by Ten Tiny Dances for PICA's TBA 2008 Festival, with music from Aussie composer, Darrin Verhagen, with whom Mary has often worked in the past.

If you care about dance, you should see this show for the simple reason that Mary Oslund is one of Portland’s most important and influential dance artists. If you’re not sure whether you care about dance, you should see it because it is a remarkable deal, with ticket prices about half of where they deserve to be.

Oslund+Co. is performing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (8:00 show times) at Imago (17 SE 8th Avenue -- just off SE Burnside). Tickets are available via Brown Paper Tickets: $16 general/$14 students and seniors. Seriously, this is a deal. Send Oslund+Company/Dance some money too.