Nic Gareiss and Allison de Groot
Two of the finest contemporary exponents of banjo and percussive dance draw upon tunes and gestures from Appalachia, Ireland and beyond for a performance Jan. 26 at Emory & Henry College.
Internationally acclaimed touring artists Allison de Groot, banjo, and Nic Gareiss, percussive dancer, present “The Thrill” beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the McGlothlin Center for the Arts. A visual album of sound and movement, the performance is in part an homage to musician, singer and dancer Hobart Smith, who was born in Saltville in 1897.
Michigan-born dancer and musician Nic Gareiss has been described by the Irish Times as “the human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being” and “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald. His choreographic work re-imagines movement as a musical activity, recasting dance as medium that appeals to both eyes and ears.
Gareiss draws from many percussive dance traditions, weaving together a dance technique facilitating his love of improvisation, traditional dance footwork vocabulary and musical collaboration. He has concertized internationally for more than 10 years with many of the luminaries of traditional music, including Frankie Gavin, Dervish, Bill Frisell, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Phil Wiggins, Buille, Solas, Liz Carroll, Martin Hayes, The Gloaming and The Chieftains.
Allison de Groot combines a love and passion for old-time music, technical skill and a creative approach to the banjo forming her own sound – unique and full of personality. Although firmly rooted in old-time and traditional music, she has shown her ability to collaborate and create outside this genre, pushing the boundaries of the clawhammer banjo.
de Groot has toured internationally with The Goodbye Girls, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters (Bruce Molsky and Stash Wyslouch) and various other Canadian and American artists. In 2012, she was awarded the Slaight Family Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she went through the American Roots Program on clawhammer banjo.
For more information, visit www.ehc.edu/mca.
