WITH SPRING NEARLY over, Houston Contemporary Dance Company is ready to wow audiences with two performances before the summer officially arrives.

On June 4, HCDC teams up with the Institute of Contemporary Dance to present two performances at the Hobby Center of Moving Myths, a family-friendly, theatrical tour de force created by playwright Elizabeth A. M. Keel based on traditional, heroic myths from Chinese, Native American, Norwegian and Ethiopian cultures. The production utilizes props, costumes and set pieces in combination with sound and video design by Houston’s BEND Productions to inspire young audiences to take care of their families, stand up to bullies and show courage in the face of danger.

And fresh from April’s acclaimed Hobby Center premiere of Interplay/Overlay, a new work created by the company’s resident choreographer Robbie Moore in collaboration with multi-instrumentalists Suad Ihsan and Brigette Yawn (better known as the electro-ukulele duo Say Girl Say), HCDC will reprise the piece. Interplay/Overlay will take the stage at the Miller Outdoor Theater on June 17 as part of Proceed, an evening of new and signature works from the past three seasons.

“I saw Say Girl Say perform at Jones Hall for the SPA (now Performing Arts Houston) Houston Artist Commissioning Project and felt like they would be a great fit for the company and Robbie's style of movement,” says HCDC Founder and Executive and Artistic Director Marlana Doyle. “Robbie and I listened to their album, had a phone call with them, and then he started creating the world premiere off the playlist they agreed on.”

Yawn, who moonlights playing viola in Two Star Symphony, was one of the luminous stars of CityBook’s Spring music issue. In performance, Say Girl Say are onstage, fully visible to the audience, performing their alternately haunting and playful songs live on a large platform behind the dancers. The free Miller Theater performance also includes a world premiere by New York-based artist Eoghan Dillon alongside works by Ja’ Malik, Sean Carmon, Amaria Stern and Chip Abbott.

HCDC company photo