Yes – those hills really are alive! In the indescribably wondrous performance of Doug Elkins & Friends’ Fräulein Maria, the Swiss Alps are really a graceful, moving wall of dancers covered in colorful fabric. It’s just one example of the magnificently and continuously evolving magic in this inventive choreographic interpretation of “The Sound of Music.”
First performed at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in New York City, Fräulein Maria was created by Doug Elkins after he had repeatedly watched the classic film with his children. His playful staging follows the familiar story, but in a whirlwind of choreographic twists (using the original cast soundtrack), a pop-icon movie is transformed into an artful and irresistible celebration of pop culture.
Doug Elkins did not start as a musical theater choreographer – far from it. He began his career as a “B-boy,” break dancing with a New York City dance group that traveled and performed worldwide. Elkins then formed his own dance company, which has toured internationallly for 15 years, earning him of a roster of awards and commissions that includes the prestigious BESSIE AWARD (New York Dance and Performance Awards, awarded annually for innovative achievement in dance and related performances) for Fräulein Maria.
Elkins earned an MFA in Dance from Hollins University/ADF in 2007. He currently teaches at The Beacon School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His permanent status there is the subject of “Where the Dance Is,” a short film by Marta Renzi.
Roslyn Sulcas of the New York Times raves, “Fräulein Maria is a work of art encompassing everything that is brilliant about Mr. Elkins’s choreography: his skillful craftsmanship; his musicality and timing; the effortless melding of every kind of dance technique you can think of, mediated by his own inimitable, highly coordinated physical style. Elkins and his company have re-imagined a familiar show, making what was once familiar new and exciting into a wondrous celebration.”
The 2010 Ringling International Arts Festival is now a part of the history books. The Festival was over 90% sold-out and audiences local, national and international enjoyed incredible performances by artists from around the world. We want to thank you for supporting the Festival and we look forward to planning for next year. We know that as long we have talented and innovative artists coming to perform here, we have an audience ready to embrace them!
