OwenCox Dance Group - Articles and Reviews

"Production puts a lusty spin on a holiday favorite"

1/23/2017

BY BILL BROWNLEE, The Star

The production of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by the Owen/Cox Dance Group and the People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City is less a heartwarming tale of Christmas than a lusty toy story. A few dozen occasionally fidgety children were among the audience of about 350 at the ensembles’ unconventional translation of the traditional seasonal ballet on Sunday afternoon at Polsky Theatre of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College.

Rhode Island NPR reviews Owen/Cox Dance Group

7/19/2016

Bill Gale, Rhode Island NPR

After a trip half-way around the world to Kazakhstan, Newport's Island Moving Company is home and holding it's annual Great Friends Dance Festival. Companies from New York to Kansas are on the bill. Bill Gale says it's worth seeing.

Each year IMC invites a number of dance troupes to appear at the old and singular Quaker Meeting House in Newport. The visiting companies than bring IMC back to their home towns, all around – well, after Kazakhstan - the world.

See 25 dance troupes on 2 stages this weekend

5/26/2016

By Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Dance is perhaps the most breathtaking of the lively arts. For those who appreciate the art form, its very wordlessness is a blessing in an increasingly noisy world.

But for some folks, dance is a perplexing puzzle. That’s understandable: The movement in modern dance and ballet can be at once exhilarating and indecipherable. But true dance fans would argue that not everything has to be spelled out — especially if it’s spellbinding.

Ensemble Iberica, Owen/Cox and Nathan Granner collaborate on ‘Danza’

4/10/2016

Patrick Neas, The Kansas City Star
Some of Kansas City’s most beloved artists are collaborating for the first time on an original project.
Beau Bledsoe’s Ensemble Iberica and tenor Nathan Granner will provide the music, Jennifer Owen is bringing the choreography, and Owen’s dance company, Owen/Cox Dance, will perform “Danza” Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, at the Polsky Theatre at Johnson County Community College.

Keeping mankind moving forward

10/27/2015

Ashley Miller, KCMetropolis.com

Owen/Cox presented the world premieres of “Fuga Tanguera” and “What Keeps Mankind Alive” at Musical Theater Heritage at Crown Center this past weekend.

Dedicated to creating and performing new music and dance works, Owen/Cox Dance Group hit a high note with its world premiere of What Keeps Mankind Alive over the weekend. Featuring music by Kurt Weill to Bertolt Brecht with arrangements by Brad Cox, the piece highlighted Jennifer Owen’s artistic direction and choreography. An additional world premiere of Fuga Tanguera was also included in the program and incorporated influences of Argentine Tango, Latin dance styles, and contemporary jazz. The Owen/Cox dancers, musicians of Tango Lorca, and vocalist Lucas Pherigo all contributed to what was a successful collaboration and enjoyable showcase of music, theater, and dance by some of Kansas City’s finest artists.

REVIEW: New Dance Partners delivers a trio of exhilarating premieres at Yardley Hall

9/25/2015

Libby Hanssen, Special to the Kansas City Star
New Dance Partners is the type of programming that, while risky, has its reward: a presentation of wholly new art that challenges and inspires.

Commissioned by the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College, there is nothing quite like it on the region’s dance calendar. Three world premieres were presented Friday night in Yardley Hall.

PREVIEW: "New Dance Partners" set the stage

9/23/2015

Lee Hartman, KCMetropolis

Now in its third incarnation, 'New Dance Partners,' hosted by the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College, brings together the talents of Owen/Cox Dance Group, Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, and new this year, the Oklahoma City Ballet, for two performances on September 25 and 26.

For the past two seasons, "New Dance Partners" has offered inspired collaboration between Kansas City’s dance companies. In this third iteration, hosted again by the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College on September 25 and 26, the talents of Owen/Cox Dance Group and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company will be joined by the Oklahoma City Ballet.

Owen/Cox Dance 2015-16 Season

9/6/2015

Patrick Neas, Special to The Kansas City Star

It’s always exciting to find out what ideas are percolating between choreographer Jennifer Owen and her husband, composer Brad Cox.

Owen/Cox Dance, the duo’s contemporary dance company, has just announced its 2015-16 season and it’s as intriguing and mind-expanding as you would expect from these two creative artists.

Owen/Cox: Balancing Profundity and Fun

9/1/2015

Calvin Wilson, KC Studio

The critically acclaimed Owen/Cox Dance Group teams up with leading choreographer Kate Skarpetowska in fall performance at JCCC.

Kansas City’s Owen/Cox Dance Group brings to the stage an intriguing blend of classical and contemporary influences. But perhaps more importantly, the company pursues that approach while striking a balance between profundity and fun.

REVIEW: Owen/Cox Dance Group compares and contrasts Bach and Hindemith, Ludus Tonalis

6/9/2015

Floyd Gingrich, Examiner

The music of Bach and Hindemith and its coordination with the dancers of the Owens/Cox Dance Group

The name of the program, Sunday June 7, was Ludus Tonalis, (tonal play) Paul Hindemith's 1942 crafted work for piano, which is only one of the last century's responses to Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, as well as Chopin's and Scriabin's 24 Preludes in the 19th Century. In each case, one piece in each cycle represents each step in the chromatic scale. J.S. Bach wrote his opus to demonstrate the usefulness of the well tempered scale, which he invented. As far as is known, this performance is the first choreography set to this Hindemith opus.

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OUR MISSION:

Owen/Cox Dance Group's mission is to create new music and dance collaborations, to present high-quality contemporary dance performances with live music, and to engage as wide an audience as possible through affordable live performance, education and outreach programs.

Owen/Cox Dance Group is a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation. Donations made to Owen/Cox Dance Group are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Owen/Cox Dance Group is part of the Combined Federal Campaign, CFC #16312.

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