soldiers-tale-fbOwen/Cox Dance, a professional contemporary dance company from Kansas City, will present “A Soldier’s Tale” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4 in the Potter Theater on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and free for all students college and younger. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.westernplayhouse.com.

Igor Stravinsky’s fanciful tale about a soldier’s Faustian bargain with the devil will be brought to life by Owen/Cox Dance, musicians of NAVO, and actor Robert Gibby Brand. “A Soldier’s Tale” is a performance “to be read, played, and danced” by actors and dancers accompanied by musicians. The piece conceived by Stravinsky and writer C. F. Ramuz based on a Russian folk tale premiered at Lausanne, Switzerland in 1918.

The conductor of NOVO is Shah Sadikov. Featured musicians will include Veronique Mathieu (violin), Michael Averett (trumpet), Kim Krutz (bassoon), Kristin Pisano (clarinet), Gordon Lewis (double bass), and Mark Lowry (percussion).

The piece is choreographed by Jennifer Owen (Russian State Ballet, Kansas City Ballet).Dancers will include Holly DeWitt (Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company), Demetrius McClendon (Deeply Rooted Dance Theater), and Dimitry Trubchanov (Kirov Ballet, Colorado Ballet).

A post-performance Artist Talk and question-and-answer period with the dancers, musicians, actor, and choreographer will follow the performance. This discussion gives audience members an inside view of the creative process behind the work.

“A Soldier’s Tale” will also be performed in Omaha March 17, Overland Park, Kansas March 19, and Ottawa, Kansas March 20.

The performance is supported by ArtsKC, Francis Family Foundation, Missouri Arts Council, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Performance Rehab, Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Seeley Foundation and Vicky Frenkel Studio.

For more information about Owen/Cox Dance, visit their website at www.owencoxdance.org.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.