Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University, Star dancers from around the world and a “brilliant piece from one of the most iconic choreographers” will be featured on the Sam Houston State University campus when the Dominic Walsh Dance Theater presents a mixed rep program onFriday and Saturday (Feb. 17-18).

The contemporary ballet company will continue its 10th anniversary tour in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater at 8 p.m. on both days.

The program will include a revival of former Nederlands Dans Theater director and chiefchoreographer Ji?™? Kyli?n’s “27’52”.”

“Ji?™?’s work has an aesthetic that simply resonates with me. There is a refined use of classical vocabulary that is combined with an earthy, grounded, and weighted contemporary quality,” said Dominic Walsh, dance theater founder and artistic director. “This gives his work an emotional and psychological significance.”

The piece, a reference to its full 27 minute and 52 second running time, was created in 2002 for three couples and is the most recent Kyli?n work being performed in theU.S. today.

Described as “unmistakably Kyli?n,” full of dazzling detail and deeply moving partner work, the piece is accompanied by poetic texts that blend eastern spirituality with western notions, and the music is also a mix of cultures.

“Dancing ’27’52″‘ last season was an experience that I will always cherish due to the profound physical and psychological levels the duet took me to,” Walsh said. “I am very much looking forward to the company revisiting this wonderful piece and having another opportunity to share the masterful work of Ji?™? Kyli?n with our audiences.”

Walsh’s “Nessuno,” a work he created in 2010 as one of three finalists of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s National Choreographic Competition, is a work that travels through three chapters, each representing the non-sequential states of being when one discovers a place of belonging, according to Dionne Noble, SHSU dance lecturer.

“I think of the first chapter like a sort of divinity of placement in a time and location, and how one would fit into that environment,” Walsh said. “The second represents a kind of joy, youth, and playfulness within that discovered place, and the third continues the journey of maturation, fullness of ones self and this is represented in the elegance and intricacy of the movement and music.”

“Nessuno” premiered in Germany, performed by Hubbard Street 2, to rave reviews.

The company will also perform “Duets” from Walsh’s award-winning “The Trilogy: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart” that features set design by Houston artist Libbie Masterson.

In the piece, company member Domenico Luciano will reprise his role as “Mozart” and perform stunning duets with Italian dancer Stefania Figliossi, who wowed audiences in the company’s season opener, Noble said.

Luciano will also perform a duet from “Wolfgang” with Japanese ballerina Hana Sakai, who is regarded as one of the most prominent and popular ballet dancers in Japan and currently dances with New National Theatre in Tokyo.