Helios Dance Theater

Helios restaged two full story ballets from Helios repertoire, and toured them in Canada. The program was presented by Alberta Ballet: HELIOS DANCE THEATER AN EXTRAORDINARY NIGHT OF LITERATURE COMES TO LIFE. Helios conducted 3 performances at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary Alberta Feb 21st, 22nd & 23rd, and 2 performances at Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton Alberta March 1, & 2nd. These performances were open to the public and each served an audience of 2,500. Description of the program here:Helios Dance Theater presents an evening of dance inspired by literature. Excerpts from About Anne: A Diary in Dance is inspired by the text of Anne Franks: The Diary of a Young Girl. Found in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's incredible diary tells how in 1942 her family fled their home in Nazi occupied Amsterdam, and went into hiding for the next two years, until their whereabouts was betrayed to the Gestapo. This dance drama integrates movement, music, and film to explore and celebrate Annes spirit of self-examination and her will to live. Helios Dance Theaters Artistic Director, Laura Gorenstein Miller, created this piece with the belief that the memory of human potential, both good and evil, should remain alive within each of us. The evenings second riveting ballet, The Lotus Eaters, gives a contemporary perspective to Homers classic The Odyssey. Odysseus and his men become stranded on the island where the lotus-eaters live. Seduced into eating the lotus fruit, the soldiers succumb to a pleasurable state of forgetfulness and apathy from war, family, strife, and fear. Built on themes of masculinity, duty and power, this emotional examination of war, innocence and honour forms a powerfully kinetic testimony to the nature of resistance and temptation. This creation is complemented by costume designs from Project Runway finalist Rami Kashou and music from Rolling Stones 1995 Best Male Vocalist, Grant-Lee Phillips.At both venues Helios also conducted educational outreach for local students, with the piece from About Ann: A Diary in Dance.Helios self presented both pieces as works in progress in Los Angeles at the Broad Stage prior to the tour. Helios conducted ongoing educational outreach to Los Angeles area schools throughout the calendar year, and also conducted two in school dance classes as part of College of the Canyons arts education program for young children.