The Winner of the Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival win a performance hosted by sponsors of the RMCF. Christina Stockdale won with her piece Breathe Between the Lines, which she named her winning show after. She is putting together works from previous festivals, as well as new choreographic works for this show. Here is what she has to say about the performance.
This show has been a long time coming! During this show you will see a variety of pieces, and styles that showcase my journey as a choreographer. What started out as just a fun experiment has become a great passion. I love to push the dancers to try new things and to see how each dancer approaches their steps differently and finding the style of movement that looks the most natural on each one, no matter their age or experience. There was also a lot of experimenting with finding new and interesting ways to make dancers work together and feel the presence of their fellow dancers while onstage and moving as one body. As I said these pieces come from different times in my life and showcase different emotions and I invite you to find whatever meaning behind each piece you feel. This performance is named after the piece of mine that won the Rocky Mountain Choreography Festival and I feel that this piece showcases a lot of what I have been trying to achieve as a choreographer which is the connection between each dancer and between the dancers and the audience. I hope you enjoy this evening, the beauty, the fun, the energy of each piece. – Christina Stockdale
Playing for Christina’s winning piece “Breathe Between the Lines” is cellist Viktor Uzur
“…unbelievable pyrotechnics that bring to mind the virtuosity of David Oistrakh’s recordings…effortlessly à la Rostropovich in his prime…synergistic combination of Casals and du Pré-like fire and Fournier’s elegance.” (Fanfare Magazine)
Viktor Uzur has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician and artist in residence in many countries in Europe, Asia, North America and South America.
His performances, interviews and compositions have been broadcast on television and radio stations in the former Yugoslavia, Russia, and United States. Uzur is regularly featured on NPR’s “Performance Today” with the Richter Uzur Duo. His most recent recordings include “Solo Cello”, “String Theory”, “Viktor Uzur in Recital” and “Entertainers”. Uzur is the cello professor at Weber State University where he is also founder and director of the Bonneville Chamber Music Festival.
Uzur received Bachelor and Masters in Cello Performance with soloist diploma from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and Doctorate from Michigan State University. He is a prize winner and diploma recipient at competitions such as Yugoslavian National Solo Competition, Sarajevo, Jeuness Musicales International Competition, Belgrade and XI International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.