Kim Eun Hee Dance Company (Seoul, Korea): A beautiful pas de deux, Burying Together, by choreographer/artistic director Kim Eun Hee, uses a mix of Korean traditional music and contemporary styles. Performing for the first time in Houston, Kim Eun Hee is a celebrated Korean choreographer with her own characteristic moods, intensity and style of movement. Kim founded her dance company in 1996 and has continuously created her fascinating experimental choreography. The most distinctive characteristics of Kim's dance style are speed and explosive strength that has no equal in the Korean dance scene.

BJM_Danse/Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal (Canada): Newly named, the company is expanding its horizons with a new artistic orientation.  Capitalizing on its wealth of skills and experience, BJM_Danse offers an original mix of dance styles that is vibrant, accessible and interfused with elements of the avante-garde.  Premiering in Houston at the 2007 Dance Salad Festival will be selections from Aszure Barton’s uniquely beautiful new choreography, Le Chambers de Jacque, withmusic by Gilles Vigneault, Antonio Vivaldi, and Les Yeux Noirs. At the heart of this piece are the dancers as individual spirits; Barton is interested in creating a projection of the dancers’ internal landscape, and examining the animal that lives within us all. Also premiering in Houston will be selections from Rodrigo Pederneiras’ (director of Brazil’s Grupo Corpo) dynamic choreography, MAPA with music by Marco Antonio Pena Araujo and UAKTI.  He created this choreography as an homage to the fruitful artistic collaboration he developed with this composer.

Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genéve (Switzerland): One of the best-known companies in Europe, now under Artistic Director Philippe Cohen, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genéve performs regularly in Switzerland and abroad and collaborates with some of the best choreographers of our time.  They will be presenting La Pluie, choreographed by Annebelle Lopez Ochoa – a searing pas de deux by two of their principal dancers, with music by Hildegard von Bingen, and J. S Bach.

Thoss-Tanz Kompanie (Germany): German choreographer Stephan Thoss will again this year present a wonderful work for Dance Salad Festival, called Teufel/Engel (Devil/Angel). This playful work shows the temptation of both the Devil and an Angel to be more human like by falling madly in love with each other. Last year choreographer Thoss was the Artistic Director of the Ballet Staatsoper Hannover. He has now been appointed the Artistic Director of Wiesbaden Opera House Ballet Company.NND/Galili Dance (Groningen, Netherlands): Based in the Netherlands, Israeli Itzik Galili delivers powerful and pioneering original works that elicit dramatic expression and skilled movement from his dancers. With more than 55 creations to his credit, he is reaching ever wider European audiences. Dance Salad Festival will present a pas de deux from For Heaven’s Sake, originally presented at the Holland Dance Festival in 2001. The piece speaks out strongly against violence, particularly in his native Israel and throughout the Middle East. Performances in Europe have been accompanied by Palestinian musicians that take a collective bow in arms with the Israeli and European dancers.

During the week of Dance Salad Festival, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Houston International Dance Coalition host a Choreographers’ Forum where audiences have the opportunity to hear from creators of some of the most innovative and popular dance in the world. Wednesday, April 4, 2007 will mark the event for the upcoming season. Also during that week, master classes will be held in various locations throughout the city so that students and professionals alike can learn from these master choreographers.

Dance Salad Festival is a curated international production with performances by companies in the United States and around the world chosen solely for their excellence, an event that can be seen only in Houston.

Classical, modern and contemporary dance share the Dance Salad stage to form a magnificent mélange of styles and traditions. Members of some of the world’s best  dance companies come to Houston to participate in the Festival which also includes a full week of education and outreach activities culminating in three nights of performance. Each night’s production is different yet is designed as a coherent, expressive performance which interweaves with the others to create a compelling whole. Many of the pieces are performed twice in the three-day format.

This multicultural presentation has received international recognition for its quality and innovativeness and has consistently been a source of cultural pride for many foreign communities that are represented in Dance Salad Festival. Community outreach programs include lectures, demonstrations and exhibits. The Festival also invites students from across Texas and the Mexican border to participate in a Master Class Series and lectures presented by the internationally acclaimed artists. The involvement of the artists in the community serves as an introduction to the various countries and cultures, thus fostering understanding and mutual respect. Houston’s Consular Corps is a community partner and many members serve as sponsors and hosts. Director Nancy Henderek strongly believes that through the arts we can build bridges between different cultures.

Dance Salad Festival has been praised by local, national and international publications. Dance Magazine said: "Producer Nancy Henderek’s eye for some of the best international dance is unparalleled….(Dance Salad) could wind up as the premier contemporary dance festival between the East and West coasts." In a recent special section of The Houston Chronicle entitled "Houston’s Ultimate People," Nancy Henderek is described as a "one-woman United Nations."

For up-to-date information and photo gallery visit www.dancesalad.org

Media Contact:
Julie Lambert
713.355.9011 (off)
713.294.9034 (cel)
goodthinker@houston.rr.com