aha! dance theatre investigates perceptions

Eight dancers will perform works that investigate the way people perceive the world when Kansas City-based aha! dance theatre presents “Aperture” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

“This concert revolves around the idea of the eye as a camera and the mind as an interpreter of events,” says Susan Rieger, the company’s artistic director. “We will be asking the audience to turn on their cell phones, don prismatic glasses, open and shut their eyelids and observe in a variety of ways as the performance progresses.”

Several new works by Rieger have been created for the performance. “Public Becomes Private” reflects on how use of public space has changed since the introduction of the cell phone. Audience members will be encouraged to turn on their cell phones during the piece and add to the taped sound collage.

In “F-Stop,” dancers adapt their timing as the first movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is played at various speeds. “Prismatica,” performed to a composition by Kansas City composer Mark Lowry, will encourage the audience to wear glasses which create prismatic effects around light sources the dancers will be wearing. “Chiascuro” is a male/female duet with partnering between E.E. Balcos and Jennifer Otto, performed to music by George Crumb. An improvisation titled “Open and Shut” will direct the audience to open and close their eyes at specific musical cues.

Together, “Double Exposure” and “Double Blind” are an experiment in collaboration. In each of these pieces, Rieger collaborated with another choreographer, Balcos or Kambour. Each choreographer was limited to certain areas of the stage. They all worked with the same music and were limited to using three dancers. The layering of these trios will occur in dress rehearsal for the first time and in performance for the first time at the arts center.

Other works on the program include “Keeping Things Whole,” a quintet choreographed by Tina Kambour, inspired by a poem by Mark Strand and performed to the music of Eric Khory; “2146 in a Series,” a trio choreographed by Susan Warden to music by James Mobberley and text from a Harlequin romance novel; and “Display,” a sextet of unusual female characters originally choreographed by all the dancers for a gallery window.

What: “Aperture,” a performance by aha! dance theatreWhen: 8 p.m. SaturdayWhere: Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.Tickets: $8-$15Ticket info: 843-2787

Dancers will be Kimber Andrews, E.E. Balcos, Tracie Davis, Sarah Mermis, Jennifer Otto, Crystal Robins and Ann Shaughnessy, as well as Rieger. Choreography will be by Rieger and guest choreographers E.E. Balcos, Tina Kambour and Susan Warden.