Grayling Visitors Bureau

The Kirtland Center for the Performing Arts will be presenting the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble on Friday, February 25^th at 7pm.

The campus of Kirtland Community College will be the stage of another stunning performance by this professional Michigan based dance ensemble.  Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan under the Artistic Direction of Laurie Eisenhower, this fine troupe has performed for students as a part of the Kirtland Youth Theatre and last year as a part of the Performing Artists Series.

Director of the Kirtland Center, Don Wray commented, “They received such a warm and positive reception from our audience last season, it simply made sense to bring them back.  Their energy and procession, as well as their artistic and fun style are certainly something that gives us all a greater appreciation for this art form.  We are glad to have them here again and to be able to “share the experience” with our Patrons.”

Artistic director, Laurie Eisenhower, founded the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, one of the finest professional dance companies in the Midwest, in the summer of 1991.  Since its inception, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has been dedicated to the performance of a diverse range of contemporary dance works.  Along with Ms. Eisenhower’s highly acclaimed choreography, EDE showcases the works of internationally known choreographers, such as David Parsons, Stephen Koester, Michael Foley, Kiesha Lalama-White, Mark Dendy, Shane O’Hara, Joel Hall, Lila York, Colin Connor, and Billy Siegenfeld among others.

Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has received overwhelming critical acclaim along with enthusiastic audience support:  “stunning” (Gloria Shay, Holland Sentinel), “intelligently crafted repertoire”  (Susan Isaacs-Nisbett, Dance Magazine), “dance that touches the soul” (Susan Hall-Balduf, Detroit Free Press), “an eye-popping production” (David Lyman, Detroit Free Press), “a hearty, no-nonsense way of moving (Jack Anderson, New York Times), and “a finely interwoven company (Beverly Hills Outlook-California).  The company’s concert schedule has taken it to theatres throughout the United States and, in 1997, the company made its first international tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. Recently, the company received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to recreate the work “Escargot” by late choreographer, Louis Falco.

Education and outreach projects are an important part of Eisenhower Dance Ensemble’s mission. To this end, EDE dancers have conducted hundreds of school residencies, master classes and workshops.  Most recently, EDE initiated the Healthy Kids educational program, a collaboration with the William Beaumont Hospital which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. This highly successful program uses dance as an intervention in addressing overweight issues in children.

Tickets for this show are $10 – General Admission and can be purchased at the box office on campus the evening of the show or ordered by calling 989-275-6777.  The Children’s Learning Center will be opened and free shuttle service will be available from the parking lot.  This event is sponsored in part by the Kirtland Community College Foundation.

Kirtland Community College

News Release

10775 N. St. Helen Road Roscommon, MI  48653 989-275-5000

www.kirtland.edu

Subject: Eisenhower Dance Ensemble to Perform at the Kirtland Center

Office: PR   Contact: Beth Petrik at 989-275-5000, ext. 397

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011     For Release: Immediately