Island Moving Co. presents the 2012 Great Friends Dance Festival

Great Friends Meeting House 

21 Farewell St, Newport, RI   (view map)

A party gets better when you invite a bunch of pals, right? Well, Island Moving Co.’s Great Dance Great Times Great Friends Dance Festival 2012 should provide a wealth of bonhomie. Artistic director Miki Ohlsen has invited five acclaimed troupes to join forces with her Newporters, led by Missouri Contemporary Ballet, IMC’s resident guest company for 2012-’13. MCB’s artistic/executive director, Karen Mareck Grundy, says her “goal is to give dancers a positive yet disciplined space to discover their center core and expand their hearts and minds, while also allowing them to explore the diverse aspects of dance.” That mission is certainly shared by the IMCers. This season’s other friends: Janusphere Dance Company and John Mark Owen Presents (from New York); Daniel McCusker Dance Projects (from Boston); and Providence Ballet Theatre. Lots of ideas and methods of expression will be on display. McCusker says of his work, “Through unusual perspectives on interaction, moments of connection and beauty are revealed where least expected.” The Janusphere troupe notes that it looks “to the past for inspiration from the timeless works and traditions of dance and to the future for opportunities to create a unique artistic expression of our world.” Shows are today and Saturday and the 17th-22nd at 7:30 pm at Great Friends Meeting House, 30 Marlborough St, Newport | $25, $20 students + seniors | 401.847.4470 | islandmovingco.org

with guests Missouri Contemporary Ballet + Janusphere Dance Company + John Mark Owen Presents + Daniel McCusker Dance Projects + Providence Ballet Theatre