Man Overboard!

On August 23 & 24, 2019, Man Overboard! premiered at The Hobby Center in downtown Houston to sold out crowds. Pushing the boundaries of technology, social themes, and all out athleticism, this evening of dance wowed the audience by taking them on several visual journeys. Learn more about the dances below!

About the dances

A.I. is making art and we are not sure how we feel about that. Prometheus pits A.I. and machine learning agents at odds with the moving body, drawing inspiration from the classic Greek tale of man being given the gift of the gods: fire. Intensely human, Prometheus explores influence, attention, autonomy, awareness, morality, choice, and intuition. The collaborative team is comprised of Jeremy Stewart, media artist and A.I./M.L. researcher; David Deveau, light designer and technology artist; Jared Doster, industrial design artist; and Bryan Ealey, sound designer. “It is our biggest collaboration yet,” states Dionne Noble, “and will be the first time this A.I. system is used in a live performance.” Jeremy Stewart shares, “This ‘A.I. dance video’ participates with human performers in the creation of the work, as both a choreographic spark and as an active performer. This performance instigates a direct encounter between the human and its alien-digital representation in the age of artificial intelligence.”

More about the AI process: In Prometheus, A.I. software generates interactive video in real time in response to performer movement and position. This is achieved through a novel implementation of several artificial intelligence technologies and methodologies with some creative networking solutions in order to push the limits of “real-time” in performance.

Interesting Fact: During our collaboration, Andy and Dionne explored using the A.I. training approach, as well as the output imagery, as the impetus for generating choreographic ideas. This led to some really exciting discoveries as dancers were grappling with new organizational principles based on the A.I. technology while interpreting some of the generated video as choreographic spark.

It’s politics as usual and everyone is taking sides. A looming 14-foot throne dominates the stage in I approve this message. Set in the Renaissance era, with the main character, a Machiavellian majesty, directing the comedy of errors atop his throne. This dark and witty romp asks the perennial question, “How much do we really have a say in our governance?” Humorous and subversive, I approve this message leaves everyone chasing their tails and pointing fingers.

Here comes a storm! Tower, choreographed by Andy Noble in collaboration with Laura Harrell, uses raw athleticism to create the anticipation and energy of a storm front. Inspired by our current environmental challenges and drawing from images of war, Tower features 33 dancers and builds in unrelenting waves until it finally rains on stage. “It’s an exhilarating ride,” states choreographer Noble. “You don’t get to see a big physical dance like this very often and seeing it rain live on stage is mesmerizing. Toweris a cathartic experience!”  Austin dance critic Claire Christine Spera applauds, “Tower was enthralling.” Hot off the heels of standing ovation performances with Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Repertory Dance Theatre, Noble is excited to bring Tower back to Houston.

To the seas, Unsinkable returns after last season’s huge success. Unsinkable employs three large rocking set pieces that resemble ship masts in a storm. Dancers are propelled, tossed, and catapulted through the air as they work together to right the ship. “In these polarizing times I wanted to create a dance that reflects the hope and optimism that this country represents,” states Noble. Set design by Jared Doster and light design by David Deveau shape the world.

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