Single tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 11 for the 2023-24 season of performances for the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. The theater announces the upcoming season with the presentation of culturally inspired new artistic works as well as the return of audience favorites, including “Pinocchio!,” “La Llorona” and “The Wild Wild West” at two venues, The Tarkington at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel and The Florence inside the The Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in Carmel.
Entering into GHDT’s 26th season, Executive Artistic Director Gregory Hancock will continue his legacy of eloquent and passionate storytelling through music and dance. Presenting a thread of everyday universal truths told through a selection of mystical and magical tales, the artists of GHDT will provide a backdrop this season for uniting audiences through inspirational and entertaining experiences.
“La Llorona” and “Angels and Djinn” will kick off the season at 7 p.m. Oct. 27-28 at The Tarkington. An audience favorite, it is a work derived from a Mexican legend about love and spirits. It captivates the audience through imagination and layers of theatrical nuance. A new work, “Angels and Djinn,” will use Turkish classical and folk music, stunning costumes movement and lighting to help tell these meaningful stories which will engage audiences and make deep emotional connections.
“The Nutcracker” will be on the weekends from Dec. 1 to 10 at The Florence. This magical student production, performed up-close in the new Florence black box theatre, is a reimagined retelling of GHDT’s contemporary holiday classic. Celebrating the magic that can happen through small acts of kindness.
“The Wild Wild West” is set for Feb. 10 to 24 at The Florence. GHDT brings the American Old West into the black box cabaret setting for a fun theatrical experience giving a nod to the Western movies of old Hollywood. Complete with cowboys, gunslingers, bandits, townsfolk, lawmen and saloon girls, this interactive performance will feature music from popular TV and movie Westerns with costumes of yesteryear.
A show featuring fables and folklore is set for 7 p.m. April 5-6 at The Tarkington. Join GHDT for the highly anticipated return of the popular “Pinocchio!” in Hancock’s adaptation of Pinocchio, the lonely Geppetto, an inventor of “Steampunk” dolls and robots, longs for a real human child, which results in consequential adventure. Two world premieres created by Hancock also will be performed. “Golem,” drawn from Czech folklore, is the story of a clay golem created by a rabbi to protect the Jewish ghetto of Prague from persecution. And the final tale, featuring original music by GHDT collaborator and composer Cory Gabel, “Xochitl and Huitzilin” will tell the Aztec story of young love, separation and reunification.
“Superstitions” is set for 7 p.m. June 7-8 at The Tarkington. A new work in the creative process, “Superstitions” will draw its inspiration from the stories and superstitions of the Roma and other Eastern European cultures resulting in a vibrant celebration. In addition, a to-be-announced new work will close the final concert of GHDT’s 26th season.
For more, visit gregoryhancockdancetheatre.org.
