Cleveland Public Theatre Explores New Frontier with Sarah Morrison's Leaping Into the NET!

CLEVELAND, Ohio ­ The Cleveland Public Theatre will kickoff the 1997 -98 season with a daring integration of contemporary dance and new media, via the Internet. The concert will be the first in Cleveland history to be performed for both live and online audiences.

Sarah Morrison's world premier of Leaping Into the NET! will be held at the Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland on Thursday, September 4 through Saturday, September 6 at 8 p.m. and broadcast almost simultaneously over the Internet at www.MorrisonDance.com.

Through the performance, the audience will experience the inspiration of sculptures by Auguste Rodin, groove into the easy atmosphere of a night on the town, peek into the world of computer viruses and much more.

The experience will be enhanced by the use of a projection screen showing mock Internet pages and hyperlinks. These pages and links will serve as a backdrop for an eclectic series of dances choreographed by Sarah Morrison and performed by local dancers.

"Inspired by the freedom to explore information in a nonlinear context on the World Wide Web, I created Leaping Into the NET! as a metaphoric vehicle to connect seemingly disparate themes and moods revealed through modern dance arrangements," said choreographer and director Sarah Morrison.

Tickets for the live show are $12 regular, $8 students and seniors. Thursday's performance is "pay what you can" night. The online performance is free for anybody with Internet access.

Sarah Morrison is a recent graduate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where she received the Creative Achievement Award Scholarship for choreography. She has performed with the Lee Harper & Dancers Company in Atlanta, the Repertory Project in Cleveland and the Theater Arts Department at Case Western Reserve University. Morrison has choreographed more than ten works which have been performed in programs throughout the United States and Europe.

Morrison's interest in the Internet comes from her experiences as a student and researcher at Case Western Reserve University where her exposure to computer technology helped her realize the potential for combining technology and the performing arts.