Boom Arts Presents “The History of Empires” @ The Armory | A Cheerfully Nihilistic Dance/Theater Piece

From our sponsors:
Boom Arts Presents “The History of Empires”
May 16-19, 2024
7:30PM Thursday-Saturday
2PM Sunday
Adult GA $35
Students/Seniors/Artists $20
More info: boomarts.org

Ellyn Bye Studio at The Armory
128 Northwest 11th AvenuePortland, OR

Maybe things won’t ever be okay and you might need some sort of exorcism, but let’s figure out if we can be happy in the meantime.

This May Boom Arts presents “The History of Empires”, a cheerfully nihilistic dance/theater piece by the acclaimed New York theater company Witness Relocation. Here in Portland for just four days, this exuberant work investigates the rise and fall of empires – historical, contemporary, urban, political, and even our personal domains.

Performed and co-choreographed by Marcus McGregor, “The History of Empires” marks his return to performance after a 15-year hiatus, following a distinguished career as a dancer with Dance Theater of Harlem and Feld Ballet.

“I am thrilled to be able to end our season with this wildly unconventional and thought-provoking work” says Tracy Cameron Francis, Artistic Director of Boom Arts, “and to introduce Portland to Witness Relocation, a company that has been at the forefront of the New York experimental performance scene for many years.”

THE HISTORY OF EMPIRES was originally developed in September 2020 at the height of the pandemic when McGregor, Dan Safer and then composer Christian Frederickson hunkered down together with Chuck Mee’s text BIG LOVE and Frederickson’s score weekly for almost two years in a ‘pod’ at Safer’s home/studio in upstate New York.

“This hour of unconvention sparkles with panache and purpose.” (Dance Enthusiast)