New dance, theater and music to start off the new year.
January
Line Upon Line Percussion: Matt Teodori, Cullen Faulk and Adam Bedell.Line Upon Line Composer Festival
7 p.m. Jan. 6, 10 and 13, CrashBox, 5305 Bolm Road, lineuponlinepercussion.org
Line Upon Line Percussion brings composers from both coasts, Berlin and Mexico City to debut new music in three different concerts.
FronteraFest. Photo by Bret BrookshireFronteraFest
Jan. 17-Feb. 18, Hyde Park Theatre, 411 W. 43rd St., hydeparktheatre.org
FronteraFest, the long-running new theater marathon, is finally back after a pandemic pause. Its Long Fringe line-up of one-act play is no more, but its Short Fringe showcase continues. Tuesday through Friday nights through Feb. 11 offer an unjuried nightly bill of four to five performances no longer than 25 minutes each. On Saturdays a juried “Best of the Week” is offered. Then for the fest’s last week, Feb. 14-18, it’s the juried “Best of the Fest.”
FronteraFest’s BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) returns. “Flood of Spirits” written and performed by Rebecca Maag will be performed at Hillside Farmacy, Jan. 31-Feb. 4. And “How To Be an Ethical Slut, written and performed by Brooke McCarthy, lands at The Vortex, Jan. 31-Feb. 4.
Malpaso Dance CompanyMalpaso Dance Company
8 p.m. Jan. 18, Dell Hall, Long Center, 701 W. Riverside Dr. thelongcenter.org
This dynamic contemporary dance company from Cuba develops their repertoire using a collaborative creative process.
CullbergCullberg: Works by Deborah Hay featuring music by Graham Reynolds
2 p.m. “The Match,” 7:30 p.m. “Horse, the solos.” Bass Concert Hall, UT campus, texasperformingarts.org
Austin-based Deborah Hay is an internationally renowned choreographer whose unique approach to movement forever changed how the world makes and views dance. At age 80, she continues to create new work. When pandemic-induced closures made the debut of her latest work with renowned Swedish contemporary dance company Cullberg impossible, Hay shifted gears. A series of solos were captured on video from the stage of Texas Performing Arts’ McCullough Theatre to allow the artistic dialog to continue. The resulting work, “Horse, the solos,” is a meditation on the climate crisis and modern survival, with new music by Austin-based composer Graham Reynolds. A performance of Hay’s 2004 masterpiece “The Match” will kick off a day of performance, discussion, and film screenings.
Sweeney Todd. Austin OperaSweeney Todd
7:30 p.m. Jan. 28, Feb. 2, Feb. 4. Long Center, austinopera.org/opera/sweeney-todd/
Austin Opera performs Stephen Sondheim’s multiple-Tony-Award-winning musical, the dark and brooding, yet sharply comic, story of love, revenge, and meat pies.
February
Austin quartet Invoke. From left Nick Montopoli, Zachariah Matteson, Karl Mitze and, in front, Geoff Manyin. Photo by Nathan Russell.Invoke: String Fling
7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Saengerrunde Hall 1607 San Jacinto, eventbrite.com/e/string-fling-tickets
Invoke, the constantly creative Austin bowed and fretted string quartet, is joined by a few guests to perform infrequently-played but incredible works for quintet and sextet.
Dance Theatre of HarlemDance Theatre of Harlem
7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, Bass Concert Hall, UT campus, texasperformingarts.org
The famed dance company performs from a repertoire that includes treasured classics, neoclassical works by George Balanchine and resident choreographer Robert Garland, as well as innovative contemporary works that use the language of ballet to celebrate African American culture.
George Balanchine’s “Serenade. ©The George Balanchine Trust. Photo by Tony SpielbergBallet Austin: Sarah’s Songs
8 p.m. Feb. 10 & 11, 3 p.m. Feb. 12 Long Center, balletaustin.org
Ballet Austin artistic director premieres “I Am The Monument” a short ballet dedicated to philanthropists Sarah and Dr. Ernest Butler in celebration of their love of the arts. Also on the bill: Balanchine’s iconic neoclassical “Serenade” and Jessica Lang’s contemporary “Garden Blue.”
