Ann Spivak, The Kansas City Star

If the “Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by the Owen/Cox Dance Group and the People’s Liberation Big Band were simply a twisted take on the classic ballet, I doubt there’d be much to savor.

But this production has it all — great jazz reworkings of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky melodies (a delight to listen to), top-notch dancers (Christopher Barksdale makes a splendid and scary Drosselmeier), a suspenseful story and fanciful costumes and designs by Peregrine Honig, Peggy Noland and Mark Southerland, which make the stage at Union Station pop with color and life.

Robert Trussell, The Kansas City Star

The Owen/Cox Dance Group’s interpretation of ancient Jewish folklore is a thoroughly charming mix of elegant dancing, an exciting original score and a dash of bold theatricality.

“The Golem,” produced by the dance company in collaboration with the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and Paul Mesner Puppets, evokes a distant past but feels utterly contemporary.

Libby Hanssen, KCMetropolis.org

Libby Hanssen interviews Brad Cox, one of the recipients of the 2010 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Artist Award. The Owen/Cox Dance Group performs Oct 2nd and 3rd at the Jewish Community Center.

Brad Cox is one of the recipients of the 2010 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Artist Award.  A multi-faceted composer and performer, he co-found and music directs the Owen/Cox Dance Group, leads the People’s Liberation Big Band, and performs with many different artists and musicians in Kansas City.  We spoke about his upcoming performance roster, including the presentation for the Award, which is October 11, 2010 at the Polsky Theatre at Johnson County Community College.

Lee Hartman, KCMetropolis.org

Oh Hoffmann and Tchaikovsky, thank you for writing the basis for the Owen/Cox and People's Liberation Big Band to work their deranged magic upon.

A sell-out crowd at the City Stage Theater on Friday night was treated to an absolute feast for the ears and eyes with The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.  The Owen/Cox Dance Group and the People's Liberation Big Band of Kansas City with guest Mark Southerland proudly let their freak flags fly. Peggy Noland and Peregrine Honig's striking costume design-reminiscent of Wimmer-Ferguson high-contrast baby toys- brought whimsy, sex appeal, and menace to the production. 

Megan Browne Helm, KCMetropolis.org

"Baroque in Motion," the world premiere collaboration of the Bach Aria Soloists and the Owen/Cox Dance Group, fused sound to skin. Allowing the music to inform every aspect of the dance, from the individual motions to the overall design, choreographer Jennifer Owen elegantly interpreted every note.

Baroque music was made for dancing. Inspired by the court dances of the time -- the minuet, gigue, hornpipe and others -- composers filled their music with movement.  "Baroque in Motion," the world premiere collaboration of the Bach Aria Soloists and the Owen/Cox Dance Group, fused sound to skin. Allowing the music to inform every aspect of the dance, from the individual motions to the overall design, choreographer Jennifer Owen elegantly interpreted every note.