Ballets With a Twist, a group from New York City that does ballet performances, will be presenting “Cocktail Hour: The Show” at 8 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Plaza Theatre. The original and intoxicating ballet piece brings the viewers into an unforgettable experience.
The performance aims to reach every member of the audience as if they were part of the show.
It features UTEP alumni Michael Dominguez, who studied dance under former dance instructors Andree Harper and Ingeborg Heuser.
“I’m excited to come back to perform at El Paso,” Dominguez said. “This is where my eyes were opened to different styles and levels of dance, the unique culture of the city and its art unlocked opportunities for me that helped me grow. I feel like I am going back home to give a little piece of me back.”
“Cocktail Hour: The Show” features dancers who will be performing for the audience and create the illusion of dancing with the audience.
“We do invite them in, as if they could taste the drinks represented before them,” Dominguez said. “Through our costumes and movements, we want them to recall personal memories, experiences they might have had in the past with this many flavors. If they haven’t savored it before, by watching, they will be able to feel it pouring in the back of their mouths and experience their various sensations.”
Each of the moves, from the toes to tip of the head, have all been thought out and planned as a collaboration of the entire team of talented artists.
“We want to reconstruct the experience of what New York City nightclubs used to be,” said Marilyn Klaus, artistic director of the show. “Bringing back the era of the colorful American nightlife, in which, through energetic dancing, people were able to step out of their skin and actually get to feel. We want everyone to feel part of the ‘Cocktail Hour’.”
The passion and their dedication of the dances comes through in their descriptions of the production.
“For instance, we have Zombie, a drink that gained its popularity as an L.A. cocktail, characterized by its ability to bare humans with the power of Rum,” Klaus said. “After drinking Zombie, people simply aren’t human anymore.”
Klaus said that the character Zombie, an African spirit, represents the fear of death walking on Earth. The associations of each drink and character to its exclusive flavor, its culture and the ideas and history behind them, is part of the performance.
Visit balletswithatwist.com for more information on the artists behind the performances. For ticket information, visit ticketmaster.com.
Jesus Lopez may be reached at [email protected].
