Lab offers contemporary dance for the masses

For the past three years, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance has been “pushing the boundaries of movement and storytelling” in Las Cruces via expressive performances, community masterclasses and well-attended digital productions, like the recent Western film, “Ten Gallon.” Now they continue their community work with the Fourth Annual Arts Lab Desert Peaks, billed as a “transformative two-week workshop for aspiring and professional dancers.”

The program brings together professional dancers from such prestigious dance companies as Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Eisenhower Dance Detroit and Newport Contemporary Ballet alongside “pre-professional” dancers from across the contiguous United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

The goal, according to Executive Director Chadi El-Khoury, is to create community. “It’s something that’s very important to (Artistic Director Joshua Peugh) and I, as far as building lifelong networking opportunities within the dance community,” he says. “The dance world is incredibly small, so it’s important to build healthy relationships. Workshops like this help facilitate that process.”

During the workshop, El-Khoury adds, Peugh will “create a new ballet with the dancers that will run 16 to 18 minutes. He will also teach them repertory from some of the most famous popular ballets, as well as works that have been commissioned by him. So, they get the opportunity to learn repertory, but also to take part in this process to create a brand-new work of art.”

All of that work happening behind the scenes culminates in two free performances for the public, Saturday, August 3, on the Plaza de Las Cruces mainstage, during the Saturday Farmers and Crafts Market of Las Cruces. This is made possible partly by a grant from the Devasthali Family Foundation Fund, awarded with assistance from the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. A partnership with the NMSU Department of Kinesiology and Dance additionally supports Arts Lab Desert Peaks.

According to the release, Arts Lab Desert Peaks is not just about art, “it’s about injecting vibrancy into our local economy. The artists reside in Las Cruces for the two-week process, supporting our local businesses. The culminating performances, held in a shared community space, transcend language and cultural barriers, proving the universality of movement. The unifying power of dance will inspire audiences.”

“One of the things we push against is the stuffiness of dance as a formal art form,” El-Khoury explains. “Dance is for everyone, regardless of whether you have training, so our target audience is not a dance audience. Our target audience is people who don’t normally have access to this art form. We want people to hear the music and walk up to have an experience they wouldn’t get otherwise.”

The performance will take place on the Plaza de Las Cruces on Saturday, August 3, when the Arts Lab Desert Peaks dancers will give their world premiere performance at 9 a.m., followed by an encore at 10 a.m.

More information about Arts Lab Desert Peaks and Dark Circles Contemporary Dance,  is available online at DCCDUSA.com.