Modern Muses

Passion, conflict, hope and knowledge. A fusion of life's desires.

Modern Muses interconnects life's desires through the movement of modern dance with four women performing the roles of the Muse of Passion, Muse of Conflict, Muse of Hope and Muse of Knowledge. The Muse characters thread as individuals and fuse as a whole representing the emotions and challenges presented in everyday life choices.


Joanie Mix, Jill Hargreaves Murphy, Gretchen Talbot and Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw will perform the roles of the Muses choreographed by Danielle Robinson-Prater.


Modern Muses will be the third premiere work presented in the Minnesota Fringe Festival by DRP Dance Company.


Previous show quotes:


"Elegant and Crafted" by John Munger
"Be transported" by Jill Buckingham
"Precision and beauty abound." by Chris Kidder

Watch a video preview!

The cast

Jill Hargreaves Murphy
Role: Dancer
Jill Hargreaves Murphy has been dancing with DRP Dance since 2005. With DRP Dance she has had the opportunity to perform in various venues in the Twin Cities and Wisconsin. Jill graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in dance in 2004. Jill is currently a teacher at Deuxmensions Dance Theater and School and works for the Bloomington Center for the Arts.

Joanie Mix
Role: Dancer
Joanie Mix graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of MN in 2006. She also studied dance at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point for two years then transferring to the Twin Cities. Since graduating, she has professionally apprenticed with Paula Mann's Time Track Productions and Carl Flink's Black Label Movement, performing most recently in Wreck. Joanie has also shown work at various places and events around the Twin Cities area, including her own production of Making Dolls in last year's MN Fringe Festival, and choreography for Wonderland, in the 2006 MN Fringe Festival. Joanie enjoys horror movies, the great outdoors, and living life to its fullest!

Danielle Robinson-Prater
Role: Artistic Director/Choreographer
Danielle Robinson-Prater Choreographer/dancer- received a BFA from The Ohio State University in 1997. In 2004, she introduce DRP Dance, a professional modern dance company based in Minneapolis, MN. DRP Dance has performed in numerous Twin Cities supportive theaters and in Greater Minnesota.
In Minneapolis Danielle has had the pleasure of performing and studying with multiple local choreographers and companies including; Zenon Dance Company, Megan Flood, John Munger’s Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble and Deuxmensions Dance Theatre. This is her seventh year working as a dance educator at various institutions including Deuxmensions Dance Theatre and School, Zenon Youth School and as a guest artist at multiple Minnesota dance schools.
Danielle is very excited to share the project of Modern Muses with DRP Dance and greatly appreciates the dedication and passion that the dancers have incorporated into the work and company. Personal thanks to all the dancers of the DRP Dance Company, Joel Prater and to her sidekick Isabella Prater.

Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw
Role: Dancer
Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw is a founding member of DRP Dance and has danced with the company since 2005. In the Twin Cities, Sara has performed with John Munger’s Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble, the American-Russian Dance Company, the Minnesota Opera, and many others. This Fringe, Sara is also performing in her own show, "Dance of the Whisky Faerie," together with her husband, Joseph Scrimshaw – right here at the Southern!

Gretchen Talbot
Role: Dancer
Gretchen Talbot started dancing at age 10 with Hopkins Dance Center, a professional classical ballet school, where she also studied jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, and musical theatre. She graduated from the U of WI -- Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Communication. She danced for Megill & Company in Oceanside, California in 2004 and with Megan Flood of Zenon Dance Company in 2007. Gretchen has been a member of DRP Dance since 2007.

Showtimes

Sat., Aug. 2 @ 4:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 3 @ 1:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 4 @ 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 9 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 10 @ 7:00 p.m.

Show details

Venue: Southern Theater

Duration: 60 minutes

Choreographed by Danielle Robinson-Prater

Genres: Dance, World premier

Overall rating

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User reviews

Mesmerizing!
by pam bolsinger Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
8/9/2008 show...
Modern Muses was a mesmerizing journey through the earnestness of Hope, the ponderance of Knowledge, struggle with Conflict, and excitement of Passion! The dancers were beautifully in sync and thrilling with their fuild movement and boundless energy (even at 10 PM)... Bravo ladies for a splendid performance. You took by breath away....

Captivating
by Erin Persons Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Modern Muses is a show I would highly recommend. It begins with peaceful, flowing lines and ends with a passion and energy that leaves you in awe of the talented dancers. Everything from the music to the lighting captivates you from beginning to end. A must see at the Fringe!

A Good Dance Performance
by Richard Heise Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
All-in-all a good performance. Jill Hargreave's solo performance was not overly technically challanging. When Sarah Stevenson-Schrimshaw took the stage for the following number I expected a bit more and I got it but just a bit. The number didn't WOW me. The remainder of the performance was more energetic and adventerous. I think DRP is a little too conservative at times thus the four Kitty rating rather than a five.

50 minutes well spent
by michael murphy Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
My wife and I both enjoyed this performance very much. The 50 minutes seemed to fly by. The music is wonderful and we thought the dancing and choreography were well integrated with the music for a thoroughly pleasing overall effect. Thank you talented ladies!!

Inspirational Muses
by Patrick Pfundstein Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Just a great show in concept and execution. The choreography gives each Muse a distinct personality with thought provoking concepts attached (Inspirational Hope springs from sadness? Knowledge leads you back to where you began? Conflict is powerful but limited by its own nature?). All of the dancers are tremendous in expressing this (Joanie Mix gives Conflict an overt athleticism and Gretchen Talbot’s smooth 4-limbed performance as Passion was fantastic), and the varied moments of solo and muse-fusion build to an exhilarating conclusion. An extra tip of the cap (for the 2nd straight DRP show) to the light design; in particular for the total lack of overhead lighting on Knowledge’s dance, emphasizing the shadowy nature of the Muse, and how it is so different from the emotionally based sources of inspiration. DRP delivers yet again!

Nice dance show
by Dave Larson Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A well done dance show with some decent dancers. The choreography is not ground breaking, but it's well done and ably performed. One of the things that I appreciate in Fringe shows is seeing the work that was put creating it, and Modern Muses shows that work. A good bet for dance lovers.

The One Dance Show to See
by James Vculek Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The Fringe being unjuried (why? I've never figured that out) picking a show by a group you're not familiar with is a real crapshoot. But "Modern Muses" turned out to be thoroughly professional - and throughly enjoyable. Four very talented (and attractive)dancers; seven eclectic pieces of music, from familiar classical to driving electronica; and interesting choreography make for the perfect 45 minutes of modern dance. I know there's a lot of dance at the Fringe this year, but whether you're seeing a lot, or a little, or even if you've never seen a modern dance concert, this show should be on your schedule.

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