JazzAntiqua Dance Ensemble Premieres "PORTRAITURE…” June 9 at Holden Performing Arts Center

May 10, 2012 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES – The award-winning JazzAntiqua Dance Ensemble joins Brian Swartz & The Gnu Sextet to present PORTRAITURE: Stories in Jazz. This evening of jazz-theatre melds the signature choreography of artistic director Pat Taylor and the spoken word artistry of Gia Scott-Heron (daughter of the late poet/musician Gil Scott-Heron) with the evocative jazz compositions of trumpeter Brian Swartz. Presented in association with Ebony Repertory Theatre, PORTRAITURE: Stories in Jazz kicks off the "Dance@theHolden" performance series on Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center - 4718 West Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Tickets priced at $25 can be purchased online at http://www.ebonyrep.org. Senior, student and group discounts are available. The evening continues post-performance with Cocktails & Conversation with the cast and crew in The Cabaret. For more information, call the Holden box office at (323) 964-9766.

One of a select few companies committed to the presentation of concert jazz dance, JazzAntiqua was founded in 1993 to celebrate jazz as a vital thread in the cultural fabric of African American history and heritage, and a defining element of the American experience. The company has performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ford Amphitheatre, Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, LACMA, Irvine Barclay Theatre, Lehman Performing Arts Center (NY) and other noted venues.

Brian Swartz’s suite of musical portraits is inspired by people that have left an indelible imprint on his life, and thereby his music: from his mother to celebrated pianist and composer Alice Coltrane to jazz industry icon Leroy Downs. A well respected member of the Los Angeles jazz scene, Swartz has recorded and performed with The Dixie Chicks, Michael Bublè, Patti Labelle, Keb’ Mo’, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Gladys Knight, The Luckman Jazz Orchestra and The Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars among many others. The Gnu Sextet includes: Keith Fiddmont (alto/tenor saxes), Phil Ranelin (trombone), Otmaro Ruiz (piano), Trevor Ware (bass) and Jens Kuross (drums).

Spoken word artist Gia Scott-Heron is a member of Los Angeles’ nationally awarded slam team. She brings a contemporary, urban sharpness to the timeless style of JazzAntiqua and creates an unpredictable juxtaposition with the melodic mode of the Gnu Sextet. Interweaving poems “Tightrope,” “Movement,” “What Lies Beneath” and others with the music and movement of PORTRAITURE…, Scott-Heron’s verses complete this ultimate jazz pas de trois.

"Dance@theHolden," a program of Ebony Repertory Theatre at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, presents dance that highlights work rooted in, and inspired by the African Diaspora; with the goal of attracting new audiences to see live dance and to deepen their experience of it. Generous funding for the premiere season of "Dance@theHolden" is provided by The James Irvine Foundation.