Palm: Fly Dance Company 10/2

FLY is an all-male contemporary dance company from Houston, Texas, known for its high-energy performances with clever staging to a variety of music including classical, jazz, pop, hip hop, experimental, drumming, and live sound effects. Labeled an artistic phenomenon, FLY crosses street dance with classical choreographic principles. Their technique is a creative blend of hip hop, gymnastics, and break-dancing juxtaposed with a platform of modern and classical dance techniques.

As the Houston Press reports:

“This ain’t no ordinary lacy-fingered, twinkly-toed dance troupe. These FLY guys are tough, with a streetwise, sideways charm; and they know how to move, too, from their knuckles all the way down to their toenails.”

Fly Dance Company is currently comprised of 10 male dancers under the artistic direction of Jorge Casco and Kathy Musick Wood.

Casco, a natural drummer since the age of four, began his journey as a street dancer in the city of Houston. Winning underground dance battles and making a name for himself in the underground dance circuit wasn’t enough. He saw Fly Dance Company perform at this school and after a year as an understudy, Casco became a principal dancer and toured with FLY, performing in many prestigious theaters and festivals including The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Vail International Dance Festival, Just for Laughs and Jacob’s Pillow.

Kathy Wood has spent all of her professional life in the arts – first as a teacher in public schools, then as a professional director/choreographer for her own dance companies. As a dance teacher, innovative music selection, choreography, props, staging, and costuming brought her recognition as a leader in her field. She was a founding member and president of the Texas Dance Educators Association. Retiring from this first career, she began her work with young street dancers, teaching, mentoring and forming them into dance groups, one of which became the original Fly Dance Company.

Whether dancing to a Nat King Cole classic, a Michael Jackson hit, or movements from a Stravinsky concerto, Fly Dance provides a joyful and exuberant dance performance for families and dance enthusiasts alike. In addition to the evening performance, Fly Dance will conduct a student outreach for Telluride School District students on Friday afternoon, showcasing the street-style, funk savvy, contemporary dance moves and the pure joy evident from the mastery of this physical art form.

Reserved seating tickets for the October 2 evening performance, running $28 for adults and $20 for students and children. Tickets can be purchased online at www.telluridepalm.com, or by calling 970.369.5669.

For a preview of the performance, watch this trailer: