From Venetian gondoliers to firefighters, trained dancers to Elvis Impersonators, maintenance men to women over 65, Allison Orr creates award-winning choreography with all kinds of performers. Defying easy description, Orr’s work challenges audiences to expand notions of dance and performer while posing the question: who and what can be presented on stage? Orr finds the raw material for her work among the stories and everyday experiences of ordinary people, spending months researching and immersing herself in the community she is engaging. Uncovering that which is essential to the life of a community but often goes unnoticed is central in Orr’s work, as she seeks to give voice to people who may be marginalized or frequently overlooked.

Orr was named Outstanding Choreographer of 2003 and 2009 by the Austin Critics Table. Her work has been funded by the City of Austin, the Texas Commission on the Arts, The Austin Community Foundation, and the City of Venice, Italy. In 2005 she received a commendation for her work with visually impaired people from the City of Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities.

Orr’s choreography has been featured in documentaries in film and book form, including Braindamadj’d… Take II—a film about a man’s recovering from a disabling car accident; Left to Our Own Devices—a film exploring art-making and disability; Venice Dance, a soon-to-be published photography book showcasing dancers in Venice, Italy; and Dogs with Jobs—a program on the National Geographic Channel showing Orr’s choreographic work with guide dogs.

Orr is on the dance faculty of Austin Community College. She has taught a wide variety of students, including children, adults over 65, and people with disabilities. Before founding Forklift Danceworks, Orr taught dance with MacArthur Award winner Liz Lerman and performed with Robert Moses and Janice Garrett in the Bay Area. Orr received an MFA in Choreography and Performance from Mills College.

Graham Reynolds:

Reynolds is a composer, bandleader, pianist and drummer based in Austin, Texas who works in theater, dance, film, concert halls, and nightclubs. His compositions include four symphonies, two operas, a violin concerto, more than a dozen one movement string quartets and countless chamber music pieces.

FILM scores include five feature films, dozens of short films, animated shorts, and more than 20 silent films. Film collaborators have included Richard Linklater, Steve Collins and Luke Savisky.   PERFORMANCE highlights include a live appearance on NPR’s Talk of the Nation and a night at the Kennedy Center. The eclectic nature of the band has led to double bills ranging from Ken Vandermark to The Sea and the Cake to Merle Haggard guitarist Redd Volkeart.  COMPOSITIONS by Graham Reynolds Include four symphonies, two operas, a violin concerto, more than a dozen one movement string quartets, and countless chamber music pieces. THEATER ranging from recorded incidental music to fully scored musicals with live accompaniment on more than a dozen productions. Awards include the Frederick Lowe Music Theater Award, Austin Critics’ Table, and B. Iden Payne. Graham is the resident composer with Salvage Vanguard Theater and a company member with the Rude Mechs.  DANCE collaborators have included choreographers Yakov Sharir, Ellen Bartel, and Andrea Ariel.