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Made in NC | June 22, 7:30 p.m. | Duke’s Page Auditorium, Durham
A few years back, Courtney Liu was deciding where in the United States to settle down with her partner after some time abroad dancing for the famed British choreographer Matthew Bourne.
“We were looking at places where I could really thrive as a dance artist,” Liu said.
The choice came down to one classic option and one slightly unexpected one: New York City or Durham. Liu had previously spent time in both cities: In New York, she’d danced in Broadway shows like Phantom of the Opera and in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular; in Durham, she’d earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Duke University.
Liu and her now-husband landed on Durham, thanks in large part to the American Dance Festival (ADF).
“ADF has created a really special community in North Carolina for dance,” she said. “It’s a draw for so many dancers who either did the program or just want to be around dance and say, ‘I could live in this beautiful area that’s not New York or Vegas or LA, and still feel really full as an artist.’”
On June 22, the festival will celebrate the richness of the local dance community it has helped grow with the annual Made in NC program, which is co-presented with Cary, NC. (The event will take place in Durham but an encore experience is slated for September 26 at Downtown Cary Park.)
Made in NC will feature four world premiere works by North Carolina-based choreographers. Liu is one of them.
“It’s always been a big celebration moment to see my friends and colleagues put up work,” she said. “I’m excited to be a part of it after seeing it for all these years.”
Each of the four choreographers on the program—Liu, whose background is in ballet and musical theater; Pretty Ugly Dance Company founder Amanda K. Miller; tap dance artist Jabu Graybeal; and jazz teacher and choreographer Tracey Durbin—will bring both a distinct artistic perspective to the ADF stage and a distinct relationship to the local dance community.
Courtney Liu
For Liu’s ADF commission, she’s going deep. Really deep. Her piece, called The 85 Percent, explores the fact that 85 percent of the ocean remains unexplored.
“Look at what humans have done to the other 15 percent,” she told the INDY. “Maybe we could leave the 85 percent unturned. Maybe we don’t need to keep colonizing and exploring. Maybe we can satiate our curiosity for the unknown in an artistic way. It’s me exploring what the 85 percent could be without going out there and maybe unintentionally harming it.”
I don’t think of flow as good
or bad. I think of it as useful or not useful for the situation.
I’m aware of those dynamics
at play anytime I walk into a dance space.”courtney liu, choreographer
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