This is no Swan Lake redux. When Stephen Petronio Dance Company performs Underland at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts prim, delicate drama will be tossed aside in favor of sharp, severe, and powerful movements accompanied by projected visuals of fires and explosions.
Originally created for the Sydney Dance Company, the modern choreography is a dark undertaking, inspired and soundtracked by the oft-violent, ominous songs of Australian rocker Nick Cave, including “The Carny” and “Stagger Lee.” Dressed in deconstructionist Tara Subkoff costumes, the company intimates Cave’s lyrics without literally interpreting them, sometimes veering into religious allusion and Greek myth.
Arrive early for an informal discussion with Petronio on his creative process at 6:30 p.m. in the nearby SMoCA Lounge. Admission to the talk is complimentary with admission to either the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art or the evening’s performance.
Fri., Nov. 18, 8 p.m., 2011
