Founder and Artistic Director Miriam Barbosa will unveil South Carolina's newest dance company, the South Carolina Contemporary Dance Company, with Columbia's premiere performance September 17, 2009, at 7 pm at the Koger Center for the Arts.

With 18 dancers on staff, the performance will feature Catharsis, an artistic collaboration between Barbosa and Visual Artist Marcelo Novo in partnership with South Carolina Educational Television, and Maple Leaf Rag, choreographed by Martha Graham and inspired by Scott Joplin's classic masterpiece.

As a former member of the Martha Graham Company, Barbosa received the license to stage the production of

Maple Leaf Rag, a piece inspired by the joggling board, a Colonial plaything discovered by Graham after her company's 1989 performance at Charleston's Spoleto Festival.

The company will host the Martha Graham Dance Company's very own rehearsal director to help prepare for the performance. "Having Denise Vale from the original cast as our guest rehearsal director is critical to the lineage of the dance work and will showcase the choreography in its clear technical and artistic form," Barbosa said. "It is through the dancer's muscle memory that the dance is remembered and taught - how the body moves through space, exact timing, how the energy is released and held…transcending on stage!"

"She captures the intensity and the look of Graham due to her resemblance," said Marvin Chernoff, executive director of the company. "Her ability to expose the magical process of this ballet as it comes together for this performance will absolutely delight the South Carolina

community," he said.

Inspired by the vision of Argentinean artist Marcelo Novo, Barbosa

choreographed Catharsis

to music by Astor Piazzolla. "She has added an upside down tango performance on harness to give a more theatrical and metaphorical meaning to the first act, and used it again to portray the angels descending in act two," said Chuck Lamark, co- executive director of the company. "The piece culminates with a tango danced inside a bath tub as part of Marcelo Novo's installation with his graphite design on the bath curtain as background. It's intense, passionate and dynamic!" he said.

The SC Contemporary Dance Company will also launch the SC School of Contemporary Dance. Located within the same building as the Company, the division will participate in educational programs and outreach performances in the community. After completing their dance education, talented advanced students will be invited to join the company as professionals.

The SC Contemporary Dance Company, originally created by Barbosa in 2007, has now developed into its full form with the addition of Marvin Chernoff and Chuck LaMark in 2009 as associate executive directors. Together they bring the first contemporary dance school to the Southeast which provides students in South Carolina a professional atmosphere to study, learn, and develop artistically. For more information, visit www.scdanceco.com.

Tickets for the performance are $30, $20, and $10 for adults and $25, $15 and $8 for students, military and seniors. Tickets can be purchased through Capitol Tickets online at www.capitoltickets.com, by calling 803.251.2222 or by visiting the box office at the Carolina Coliseum (9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday- Friday).