AWARD-WINNING CHOREOGRAPHER TO PRESENT LATEST WORK

Bessie Award-winning choreographer Merián Soto will present La Máquina del Tiempo, her latest multimedia dance-theater work, at Bryn Mawr on Friday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. The performance, a special offering of the College's Performing Arts Series, will be presented in the intimate space of Pembroke Dance Studio. It is open to the general public, although seating is limited.

In La Máquina del Tiempo (The Time Machine), Soto presents dance and music forms as time machines that provide access to decades of history through popular culture. Described by Dance Insider as a "hot hybrid " of "improvisational contemporary dance and a variety of Latin social dance styles, plus tap, black street dance and strip tease," La Maquina del Tiempo comprises three parts. "The Art of Improvisation," set in a rehearsal studio, explores what Soto terms the "timeless present of improvisation." The second part, "Paradise Revue," is thoroughly informed by Soto's historical research into Latin dance forms and her penchant for fusing styles. The final section, "What’s Heart Got to Do With It?," explores "the inner time of emotionality," Soto says.

Choreographed and directed by Soto, La Máquina del Tiempo features video by Irene Sosa, musical direction and lighting design by Elio Villafranca, set by Roger Hanna and costumes by Christine Darch. The cast of three dancers and two musicians includes Pablo Amores, Noemí Segarra, Marion Ramírez, and Yunior Terry on bass and Villafranca on piano.

Soto has performed to international acclaim and is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships. She is best known for her work in Pepatián, the Bronx-based artists' collective she founded in 1983 along with visual artist Pepón Osorio. Over the past two decades, the husband-and-wife team of Osorio and Soto have produced more than 20 full-length shows, garnering rave reviews from such publications as The New York Times, The Village Voice, The Boston Globe and The Chicago Tribune. In September 2000, Soto received a New York Dance and Performance Award ("Bessie") for sustained choreographic achievement.

Seating for this performance is limited, so those wishing to attend must call ahead for reservations. The event is free to students, faculty and staff of Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges; tickets to the general public are $10 ($5 for non-Tri-Co students). Call 610-526-5210 for more information and to reserve tickets.

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