Flying, vaulting, flips, cartwheels and amazing athleticism — no, it's not a night of gymnastics at Rec Hall, but the newest show to make its way across the stage at Eisenhower Auditorium.
AEROS is breaking all the rules of choreography and gymnastics. It is a show unlike anything else — not modern dance, and not typical gymnastics routines.
Peter Wray, press and public relations manager for the Center for the Performing Arts, tried to put into words what the audience will actually see. "It's like they have taken movement on stage and added athletic flair," he said.
The performance is around 90 minutes long, attempts to challenge the laws of gravity and puts the sheer strength and flexibility of the athletes to the test.
Throughout the performance the choreographers attempt to weave movements and tumbling into a perfect harmony.
"It is dynamic in its athleticism," Wray said.
Fifteen former members of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation make up the group of talented athletes.
They range in age from 19 to 26. Five of the gymnasts are world champions in artistic, rhythmic and sports aerobics, while several of the other gymnasts are European champions.
AEROS is the joint effort of three acclaimed choreographers: Daniel Ezralow, David Parsons and Moses Pendleton. However, all three come from very different worlds.
Ezralow, a native of Los Angeles, began to dance when he was a premedicine major at the University of California at Berkeley. He co-founded ISO Dance in 1986 and has toured worldwide with the group. Through his travels, Ezralow was also able to choreograph several dances for numerous companies.
He has been involved in several other ventures such as choreographing music videos for greats like Sting, U2 and David Bowie. In 1996, Ezralow won the Bob Fosse dance award for alternative choreography.
Parsons was raised in Kansas City, Mo. and received his first lead dancer status with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. He began his own dance company in 1987 and has created over 50 programs for his company to perform. Parsons has choreographed several shows for other companies such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and National Ballet of Canada.
He was also the only artist to be featured twice as "Artist of the Week" on A&E's Breakfast With the Arts.
Pendleton was born and raised on a dairy farm in Vermont. His entrance into the world of performance was exhibiting Holstein Friesians at county fairs. In 1971, he received a degree in English Literature and co-founded the Pilobolus Dance Theatre. For the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, Pendleton choreographed the closing ceremonies.
He is also and avid photographer in his spare time. His photos have been exhibited in such cities as London, Milan and Montreal.
The show was also developed with the help and collaboration of STOMP creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.
The music for the show was specially composed by Two Tall Guys Music Lab in Toronto. The young company operates as a compositional team for television, film, videos and multimedia and creates a wide range of sounds through instruments invented and developed by the company.
AEROS is in its first year of touring and has been receiving rave reviews from several critics across the country. Earlier this year the company made an appearance on the Grammy Awards with Destiny's Child and performed one of its programs that will be performed at Eisenhower Auditorium.
Wray said this is a performance not to be missed. The company is brand new and presents a different perspective on the fine arts.
"It's fabulous, it's like nothing you will ever see," Wray said.
Tickets are available at the Eisenhower Auditorium Box Office. The cost for general admission is $25, students/youths $20, Penn State students $10 and children 12 and under $13.
