Invitation To Dance

Pineapple Tree explores the creative process

Courtesy Photo The Pineapple Tree Dance Company will present “The Art of Creation” at the Walton Arts Center starting tonight. A silent auction during intermission will directly fund community outreach and will include items related to the show.
Courtesy Photo The Pineapple Tree Dance Company will present “The Art of Creation” at the Walton Arts Center starting tonight. A silent auction during intermission will directly fund community outreach and will include items related to the show.

Pineapple Tree Dance Company may be young, but its performers aren't new at this.

Formed in 2013, the contemporary dance company is the brain child of four traditionally trained ballet dancers -- Tessa Cockrell, Mary Trulock, Sally Ashcraft and Erin Basnett-Kennedy -- and consists of 10 professional dancers and multiple volunteer performers.

FAQ

Pineapple Tree Dance Company:

‘The Art of Creation’

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. today & Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — The Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville

COST — $17-$25

INFO — waltonartscenter.org

The dance company is named for its symbol, the pineapple, which they say represents a feeling of welcome and hospitality as well as "invoking feelings of warmth and fanciful beauty." And audiences throughout the community can expect to feel that warmth through the unique brand of dance presented.

The group finds its inspiration in classical ballet but doesn't stick just to the basics, says Ashcraft.

"The dance we perform is more modern than traditional dance," she says. "When we created the company, we wanted to do something different. We were using art as an outreach to the community and not limiting what we do to just one style. What we're trying to do is to surprise and delight."

As far as traditional dance goes, Pineapple Tree is a unique group, says Ashcraft, and this break from the norm is what makes the group so relatable.

"A lot of what we do is outreach performance, particularly with children," she says. "We are not limited to just dance. We incorporate visual art, spoken word, video -- many different mediums -- into our performances. We try to show kids that art can come to life in different ways. And it's wonderful to see those lights come on in their eyes."

Ashcraft has been dancing since the age of 3 and says she believes that the joyful moments created through dance and performance can help create an inspiration and creativity in young people. "Dance is very special in that it reaches out to people, and for children, this can be particularly important," she says.

The Pineapple Tree Dance Company performs for some of the most at-risk children in the region, she says, including those currently housed at or enrolled in local children's shelters. "Dance has such a healing effect a lot of times," she says. "That why bringing out these joyful moments can be so important. Maybe it will inspire them or at least bring them peace."

The dance company strives to present its "transformational energy of dance" to the older members of the Northwest Arkansas community as well, Ashcraft says. The group performs regularly at Clarity Pointe and Culpepper Place, bringing smiles to the faces of ailing seniors and their caregivers.

"Art just opens the mind," she says. "We came together because we wanted to do something nice for the community. But we have really tried to step it up a little bit this year."

The company's new "The Art of Creation" opens today at the Walton Arts Center and will present the group's unique take on dance and art to a larger audience. The show is an exploration of the artistic process, Ashcraft says, and will include video, spoken word, poetry, contemporary music and paint.

Lots of paint.

"At one point, the dancers will take part in a performance that centers on creativity in a painter's studio," she explains. The dancers will enter the stage dressed entirely in white, only to discover cans of bright, colorful paint around the stage, at which point they begin to paint one another, she says. "It turns into a beautiful mess."

Three more vignettes composed and choreographed by Ashcraft, Mary Trulock and Alaina Sims will feature similar "surprises," Ashcraft says, including aerialist Lanie DeJarnatte, who will perform while hanging in the air.

"We really tried hard to create a show with art that everyone can enjoy," Ashcraft says. "Every piece of the show has been developed to bring a smile, evoke interesting thoughts and inspire the audience to to create something themselves. We like to present art that is interesting and relatable. And, of course, beautiful."

After all, it is in the name.

NAN What's Up on 03/27/2015

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