Portfolio Archives: 2016-17 Season

Powerful, live performance experiences your students will never forget!

Grab a beer and a delicious homemade pretzel while chatting with Chris Lashua, Artistic Director of Cirque Mechanics. Find out about his biking background, which led to a stint with Cirque du Soleil. Hear about his troupe Cirque Mechanics, who will be kicking off our FirstWorks Artistic Icons Series at The Vets on October 29 with their performance Pedal Punk.

You’ve never seen a circus like this! Hailed as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil” by Spectacle magazine, Cirque Mechanics returns to wow FirstWorks audiences with Pedal Punk, a dazzling whirl of acrobats, cyclists, and one-of-a-kind machines.

Arguably the greatest living choreographer across the 20th and 21st centuries, Paul Taylor continues to create works that are vibrant, powerful, and thoroughly new. This season FirstWorks celebrates Mr. Taylor with an expansive project connecting audiences with art, dance, music and American history.

The sensational, world-renowned choreographer Rennie Harris—believed by many to be the best living hip-hop dancer/artist on earth—takes the FirstWorks stage with his namesake company in a 25th anniversary program featuring the most exciting, compelling and acclaimed pieces from their repertoire.

Featuring pipa player Yang Wei of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Rhode Island’s own performance ensemble with a superb string quartet at its heart.