'Whispers & Shouts from the House of Ruby'

Kista Tucker is an assistant professor in dance at SHSU. She has presented her work nationally and internationally in performances and workshops in New York City, Rome, Mexico City, Winnipeg, Tokyo and many other cities.

Performers in 'Whispers & Shouts'

Seven dances will be presented in Whispers & Shouts from the House of Ruby, described as "a diverse dynamic scope ranging from vibrant and explosive to subtle and still, capturing a sense of Tucker's unique movement style."

The program consists of: Maga (solo), The Archetypes (duet), Trio (trio), Fire eyes, knowing eyes (quartet), The Thaw (septet), I am, we are (septet), and Les Lieux des Oiseaux (septet).

Seven SHSU dance students, four women and three men, will perform The Thaw. The solo performed by Tucker, Maga, is described as being choreographed from an intuitive yearning to move and exhibit internal feelings and senses.

"Maga is an archetypal piece," said Tucker. "The central figure is a very wise, crone-like woman who is probably hundreds of years old. She is all-knowing and can see into the past to predict the present and the future.

"She is strong. Through her insight and magic she promotes learning and understanding. Maga is to be loved and feared."

Tucker performed Maga as an officially sanctioned cultural performance during the 1996 Olympics. She explained that the performance has been re-named.

"Originally, the title was Whispers from the House of Ruby," said Tucker. "But, the voices are not only whispers; there are many voices such as shouts, stutters, and slurs.

"Here, the term voice represents dynamic range. I use a varied range--or at least I attempt to use a varied range.

"Much of my work is subtler than what is commonly seen in the dance theater. It is, for the most part, about conveying an inner sense, a universal understanding through movement."

Tucker said that through her work she encourage s people to question concepts they normally take for granted.

"My work, I believe, assists toward bringing people to that point, the point of questioning," she said.

Tucker came to Texas from Washington, D. C., and currently co-resides in New York City. In April she travels to Michigan to stage one of her works, and in May she will conduct a one-week KT Intensive workshop at SHSU.

In addition, she is slated to conduct a two-week workshop with Atelier des Arts in Switzerland during the summer of 2003.

Tucker now directs the Kista Tucker Dance Company, an emerging modern dance company formed in 1996. The company is booked to perform in New York City in October 2003.

The company is comprised of seven members of various backgrounds, whom Tucker cast after a fall 2002 audition. All current members are new to the company.

Tickets for the concert are $8 general admission and $5 with SHSU or senior citizen ID. All performances are in the Dance Theater in Academic Building 3, and begin at 8 p.m.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
March 19, 2003
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