When it’s time to hit the town and see a show, there are plenty of options — check out a new band, visit a local art gallery, catch a play at one of the Seacoast’s many theaters. One medium that gets lost in the mix is dance, according to Julie Hebb, and she wants that to change.
“I’ve been around here for a few years, and there’s support for (other arts), but for the dance arts, there’s not so much,” she says.
Hebb is doing her part to bring dance front and center on the Seacoast. Her new dance company, Annex Contemporary Dance Company (ACDC) will hold its premiere performance on Friday, Aug. 14 at The Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine.
Hebb is ACDC’s artistic director. She also owns the Dance Annex Studio in Kittery. She moved here from New York City about seven years ago and opened the studio in 2011. As she began connecting with dancers in the region, Hebb started thinking about launching a new professional dance company.
“(I) met dancers who wanted to do more than teach or (perform in) dance recitals or compete,” she says. “There are a whole slew of dancers in the community who want to be performing with each other.”
Above and at top: ACDC dancers Lorelei Marquis and Ian Rodgers. (photo by Joe McKenney)
ACDC formally started a year ago. Since then, Hebb and members of the company have been rehearsing and developing material. After months of work, Hebb says, the company decided “it’s time — we should do our own event.”
The first performance includes a number of contemporary dance pieces developed by the nine-member company. The pieces explore the connections and disconnections that characterize relationships — what brings people together and what drives them apart, Hebb says. Guest artist and choreographer Ariana Champlin, a Maine native and member of the 49th Parallel Dance Company, will also perform as part of the show.
Hebb has been dancing since she was a child. “I enjoyed moving a lot, and always thought of it like a roller coaster — you jump, you spin, you turn upside down. It was a lot of fun for me,” she says.
She made that childhood passion a career, and spent 18 years as a professional dancer in New York City, including 12 years with Rebecca Kelly Ballet. She moved to Maine — first to the Mid Coast region, then to Kittery — to be closer to family. Hebb opened the Dance Annex Studio because she wanted to “create a space for dance arts” in the region.
“For me … working in the studio with other dancers was what I loved about dancing,” she says.
“There’s an undercurrent of a dance community, and it needs a little more support and growth.” — Julie Hebb
She’s found kindred spirits in the region. The Seacoast is home to a number of dancers and dance studios, which Hebb says are “building dancers for the next level.” But there are only a handful of professional dance companies and venues that host regular dance performances.
“There’s an undercurrent of a dance community, and it needs a little more support and growth,” Hebb says. ACDC’s dancers are all from the region, and, according to Hebb, “they’re all looking for performing opportunities and don’t necessarily want to go to Portland or Boston.”
It’s too early to say what’s next for ACDC, but Hebb hopes dance becomes a bigger part of the Seacoast arts community. “We want people to see that dance can be part of those arts that everyone wants to see,” she says.
Annex Contemporary Dance Company performs “Connections” on Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at The Dance Hall, 7 Walker St., Kittery, Maine. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Visit thedancehallkittery.org.