Baltimore, MD (September 1, 2001) -- UMBC's Department of Dance presentsClancy Works, a modern dance company, in performance on October 5 and 6 at 8:00 P.M. The concerts will be held in the UMBC Fine Arts Studio 317.

Adrienne Clancy, the artistic director of Clancy Works, describes theprogram, Making the Mystical Modern, as "a choreographic journey ofdefying gravity by walking and running on walls, gliding on enchanted carpets, and transforming mermaids into live, tangible beings." Ten talented performers from Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and New York will come together to create the intricately woven, thought provoking choreographic works to be presented in this performance event. The evening's concert will showcasechoreographic highlights of Ms. Clancy's recent work performed to livemusic composed by David Tyndale.

Clancy has choreographed and performed nationally and internationally forover 13 years, and has had considerable choreographic recognition thispast season. In the fall of 2000 she was awarded the Arts and HumanitiesCouncil of Montgomery County Individual Artist Fellowship for Choreography/SoloPerformance; in December, 2000, she was honored by the University of NewMexico's College of Fine Arts as the recipient of their first AccomplishedGraduate Award; in January, 2001 she received an Individual Artist Awardfor Choreography from the Maryland State Arts Council, and she was recently nominated for two categories of the Metro D.C. Dance Awards (Emerging Choreographer and Emerging Performer). Prior to founding Clancy Works, Adrienne Clancy was a member of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, where she was the Company Rehearsal Director and a Community Arts Project Director. She also has been a member of the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, and hasperformed as a guest artist for Maida Withers' Aurora Project, Doug Hamby Dance, Bill EvansDance, Victoria Marks, and Cathy Paine and Mixed Media. Clancy haspresented her work nationally in Washington, D.C., California, New Mexico,Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and internationally in Poland, Japan, Israel,and Mexico. For fall 2001, Clancy has joined the Department of Dance atUMBC as a guest artist.

The program will include:
Obstacles and Opportunities, a physical theater dance piece that engagesthe audience viscerally and emotionally, as well as visually. The dancersliterally partner with a wall which metaphorically comments on theobstacles with which one contends in any given relationship. From an orgasmic thrust to a resounding support system to the obstacles that come between thedancers, the Wall functions as a two dimensional inanimate being thatcomes alive in this work, and continues to change, evolve, and emote in relationto the dancers who physically interact with the it by walking (noharnesses, just strong partnering), and running (literally). Obstacles andOpportunities is a development of Climbing Mountains, a 14-minute 1999 Clancy Work that received strong reviews in Gdansk, Poland, Richmond,Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Mermaids and Tails of Truth, a performance work that engages the audience in an event that asks questions about the issues of identity with aheightened awareness paid to concerns of visibility and invisibility, perception and passing. This work brings the mystical to the mundane by drawing on aseries of mermaid images. At the onset, the opening image of bare-backedundulating mermaids and mermen propels the audience to question their immediate perceptions. Over arching questions such as: "What is it that you are seeing or believing when you gaze at someone?" and "How much of what you see is connected to your own personal history?" are poignantly asked through the power of the images. Cloaked in a mythic ambiance, this work is designed not only to mesmerize, but also to generate laughter, thought, and questions about self-identity and meta-perception.

Tickets and Reservations
Tickets for the concerts are $10 general admission, $5 students andseniors.
Box office: (410) 455-6240.

Workshop on October 6
Adrienne Clancy will host a Clancy Works Partnering/Choreographic Workshopon October 6, 2001 from 1 ­ 2:30 P.M. in Fine Arts Studio 317. Theworkshopis open to the public and is open to all ages and all levels of movementexperience. A $10 donation is requested; reservations are required. Boxoffice: (410) 455-6240.

Telephone and web
Dance Box Office: (410) 455-6240
UMBC Artsline (24 hour recorded message): (410) 455-ARTS
Media inquiries only: (410) 455-3370
UMBC Arts website: http://www.umbc.edu/arts
Clancy Works website: http://www.clancyworks.org/

Directions
From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. TakeRoute 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine ArtsBuilding.
From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile totheentrance of UMBC at the intersection of Wilkens Avenue and Hilltop Road.Turn left and follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B. TakeRoute 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine ArtsBuilding.

Images for MediaHigh resolution images for media are available online:
http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/
or by email or postal mail.