SMU Dance Students and Dallas Chamber Symphony to Perform Live to Silent Classic Film Metropolis, Oct. 13

Fourteen SMU dance students will perform with the Dallas Chamber Symphony (DCS) at a special showing of Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film classic Metropolis, the first event of the DCS 2015-16 season and part of Dallas VideoFest 28. The symphony will accompany the film with a new score composed by Brian Satterwhite. The SMU students will present an interactive, multi-dimensional dance performance during the film, choreographed by Associate Professor Christopher Dolder. The event takes place at Dallas City Performance Hall on Tuesday, October 13.

Metropolis portrays the often disruptive effects of industrialization and technological innovation and its resultant social class stratification. “Metropolis lends itself to a multi-disciplinary collaboration,” says Dolder. “The trick for us will be to create a cohesive experience, where the new score and the dance element serve and enhance the film without distracting. Ambience and an otherworldly atmosphere will be created not only by the music, film, set and dancers, but also by the strategic projection of video elements from the film, isolated onto the dancers, and set. I intend to bring a certain level of contemporaneity and physicalized reality to the nearly 90-year old silent film with the hope of weaving a humanistic commonality between the ‘then’ and the ‘now.’”

The full release from the Dallas Chamber Symphony, including ticket information, follows:

Dallas Chamber Symphony’s 2015-16 Season Opener on October 13 will be its most Ambitious, Expansive Production-to-date

Triple Collaboration between Dallas Chamber Symphony, Dallas VideoFest 28 and SMU’s Dance Program will feature 1927 silent film ‘Metropolis.’ Performance will fuse dance, film and live orchestral performance. DCSymphony.org

The Dallas Chamber Symphony will kick off its 2015-2016 season on Tuesday, October 13 in conjunction with opening night of Dallas VideoFest 28, with a screening of the ultimate silent, science fiction movie classic “Metropolis,” accompanied by a new film score. The event will also feature live representations of the film’s setting and characters through an interactive, multi-dimensional dance component presented by Southern Methodist University’s Division of Dance, choreographed by Christopher Dolder. Tickets to this one-of-a-kind experience can be purchased here.

“Each year, we try and accomplish something new, and more daring,” says Richard McKay, Artistic Director and Conductor for the Dallas Chamber Symphony. “While we have found success in that endeavor by incorporating visual elements at our concerts, through collaborations with outstanding groups such as VideoFest and The Bruce Wood Dance Company, there are new frontiers we are interested in exploring. It is our ensemble’s adventurous culture that has motivated the DCS to start the season with ‘Metropolis’ – by far, the most complex and expansive production we have ever created.”

“Metropolis” is arguably the most famous silent film ever made, and one of the world’s first science fiction films. In its day, it was extraordinary for its special effects. The film’s themes are timeless, portraying the often disruptive effects of industrialization and technological innovation, resultant social class stratification, and civil liberties, pertaining to free speech, privacy and surveillance. “Metropolis” has the ability to resonate with today’s audience.

The film is also strikingly balletic – the repetitive synchronism of the working poor, as well as the film’s portrayals of dance and artificial intelligence. It is this quality that appealed to Bart Weiss, VideoFest’s Artistic Director, and Christopher Dolder, Associate Professor of Dance at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University.

“Metropolis lends itself to a multi-disciplinary collaboration,” says Dolder. “The trick for us will be to create a cohesive experience, where the new score and the dance element serve and enhance the film without distracting. Ambience, and an otherworldly atmosphere will be created not only by the music, film, set and dancers, but also by the strategic projection of video elements from the film, isolated onto the dancers, and set. I intend to bring a certain level of contemporaneity and physicalized reality to the nearly 90-year old silent film with the hope of weaving a humanistic commonality between the “’then’ and the ‘now’.”

The season opener will also feature a new, original score from renowned film composer Brian Satterwhite. Austin-based Satterwhite has partnered with the DCS in the past with his critically acclaimed compositions for 2012’s “A Sailor Made Man” and 2013’s “The Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari.”

The Dallas Chamber Symphony’s season opener will also serve as the opening night event for Dallas VideoFest 28. With approximately 125 screenings of local, regional and internationally produced media art programs, VideoFest is the oldest and largest video festival in the United States. According to D Magazine, “there is no better, more progressive, longer-running cultural event in Dallas.” VideoFest 28 runs from October 8-18. For detailed information about the event, featured films and festival passes visit videofest.org.

The performance will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at Dallas City Performance Hall (2520 Flora Street, Dallas, Texas 75201). It will start at 8:00 p.m. Individual tickets are available for $19-$55 each, $15 for students. VIP Tickets can be purchased for $75, which will include a pre-event reception backstage with the artists, starting at 7:00 p.m., where complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served. An after party will be hosted by Proof + Pantry, across the street from the theater, with complimentary appetizers for all patrons who would like to meet the composer and performers. For event information or to purchase tickets, visit DCSymphony.org or call 214-449-1294.

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Meadows' Assistant Professor of Dance Christopher Dolder talks with Art & Seek on Metropolis.