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Innovation. Collaboration. Dedication.

For Co-Founder and Artistic Director Anthony Magliano these three words embody Quixotic Performance Fusion. Fellow Artistic Director Mica Thomas would add integration to the list.  "The integration between all the different elements of the group - that's key," Thomas said.          

Magliano, a musician and graphic designer, explored the idea of incorporating art forms for a long time before acting on it. He and his wife Kimberly Cowen, a professional ballerina with the Kansas City Ballet, talked about the possibility of creating a performance that would equally feature various artistic elements.

"Kim introduced me to Keelan Whitmore from the Kansas City Ballet, who really into wanting to explore and experiment with choreography," Magliano said. "So we got together and basically talked about collaborating and doing something that is pretty unique to dance and utilizing the local talent here - local dancers, local lighting people, costume designers, musicians and composers."

The show that developed out of this concept laid foundation for the future company. 

Quixotic's debut was held at the Boley Art Gallery and was sponsored by the Urban Culture Project, an extension of the Charlotte Street Foundation. The performers succeeded in exploring new dimensions of dance, music and design, but what really made the performance unique is that it was stripped of any distractions. There were no chairs, no fancy ceilings, no stuffy surroundings. It was literally a blank canvas that was transformed before the spectators' eyes.     

"The whole goal was for everything under that roof to be all original, all live and experimental," Magliano said.

The co-founders did not predict that Quixotic would exist after the weekend performances were over, but their experiment turned out to be hugely successful.  "What happened was the response went over really well," Magliano said. "There was a lot of people that showed up and everyone was asking, 'When are you doing the next one?"

They were excited to be received so well but knew they would need some time to brainstorm the workings of another event. They realized that to continue producing such complex, high-quality shows it would require additional funds, resources and planning.

First, they talked. To friends, to family and to local organizations. They attracted enough people and businesses to begin receiving donations and finding other artists interested in participating. This included Thomas who joined Quixotic's artistic team in the second year, primarily as a lighting designer.

Their second show was the following summer - and was equally successful. But it was in the third year that Thomas and Magliano said they really saw the company begin to transform into a single, cohesive unit.

Instead of showcasing a compilation of short, separated segments, the various artists focused on constructing a story in which each section and each element intertwined to create a complete experience. This perspective became Quixotic's objective. 

"We're not just doing a dance performance, we're not just doing a show," Magliano said. "We like to say we're creating experiences for people. We want to step it up to that next level where when people leave, they're inspired all around."

The company's mission fueled Magliano and Thomas to test their limits and push themselves to discover fresh and modern ways to fashion experiences and fuse each aspect. "We wanted to figure out a way to step it up, to make it even more of a multi-sensory experience," Magliano said.

The directors explored new software programs, performance spaces, cutting-edge props and additional lighting techniques. They also hired their first permanent dancer, Laura Jones.

Jones, who has been with the company for more than a year now, came across Quixotic's website while looking for local dance companies. With a strong interest and background in contemporary dance, she was drawn to the company's unique aesthetic. "Its fun exploring all the different kinds of movement and creating completely new ballets instead of just bringing back old stuff," Jones said.

But before she had the chance to pursue the opportunity, Magliano heard about Jones from a mutual friend and called her to come audition.      

"I was really excited about it," Jones said. "We met and he showed me some video footage and photographs from shows they had done, and I was amazed by what they could do - the company - having been around for just a short time."  It did not take Jones long to find her niche in the group. She has become a main image for Quixotic and also has broadened her performance résumé to include aerial work. "It was frustrating at first because there are so many variables in aerial work and I felt like I would never get it," she said.

Now, Jones loves the thrill she gets from the aerial experience, but said the rehearsal process for it is complex, strenuous and dangerous if not done correctly. She performed an aerial section in Quixotic's Lux Esalare show in June where she was attached to a rope on stage and cast member Matt Bennett was attached to the other end of the rope in the wings.

"It was a little scary at times just because the timing had to be perfect because Matt had to go down when I went up and vice versa," she said. "But I learned to trust him a lot." Cooperation and coordination are essential parts of the production process or else the final outcome will not warrant a completely coherent experience.

"I personally think that Quixotic is a group, a multi-disciplinary group, where what's exciting and why it is important is it gives a true opportunity for multiple artists to work together and nothing is more important than the next," Magliano said.

This rare perspective is what truly separates Quixotic from most dance companies who rehearse by themselves and do not see the various elements come together until tech week. With Quixotic, dancers are working with the composers who are collaborating with the lighting designers who work side by side with the graphic designers who team up with the scenic designers who also conceptualize with the costume designers. Each artist has the opportunity to contribute to the other's success and in the meantime learn to respect each element for what it has to offer.

With the wide range of art forms one can experience in a single show, Quixotic has virtually no limit to who they can attract.  "We appeal to the 18-year-old college girl as much as we do to the 60-year-old arts lover," Magliano said. This infinite, mass appeal allows the company to constantly market their mission to new groups of people. Someone might show up for the music but leave with a greater appreciation and interest for dance or fashion.

Magliano and Thomas hope that their edgy commercial appeal will help in their most recent aspiration for the company - to become a full-time, internationally recognized company.  "The goal is to take what we've been working on for the last three years ... and take it outside of Kansas City and gain regional and national and international audiences," Magliano said.

 A new show with big names is already in the works. Along with their local, corps team, Quixotic plans on touring  New York and Boston next August and will feature renowned contemporary dance couple Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk.  Until then they will continue to give back to the city that has helped them get to where they are today.

"Kansas City has really helped us out," Magliano said. "It would have been really, really hard to do a project like this somewhere else. And I think the excitement that nothing else like what we do is going on in Kansas City has helped us to grow here."

Their next performance, Live in the Crossroads, is Friday, October 2^nd at Mid-America Arts Alliance. As usual they plan on incorporating original music, dance and visuals to fill what the space calls for. And, as always, they strive to break boundaries, exceed expectations and remain a pioneer of performance art.

 Quixotic
Live in the Crossroads
Friday, October 2 at 8 p.m.
Mid-America Arts Alliance
2018 Baltimore, Downtown Kansas City, MO
Free admission
For more information visit www.quixoticfusion.com

By Laura Vernaci

Dance Contributor

Laura Vernaci is a Kansas City native who has always been passionate about the arts, particularly dance. She began dance lessons at the young age of five and hasn't stopped since. She trained at the Kansas City Ballet where she became a serious dancer and learned about a professional company. 

She attended Butler University in Indianapolis, IN where she majored in dance. She transferred to Truman State University in Kirksville, MO in 2006 and received a degree in Journalism in May 2008.  Laura spent the 2008-2009 in Duluth, MN dancing professionally for the Minnesota Ballet. She performed in productions such as, "The Nutcracker," "Cinderella" and "Coppelia" as well as world premier ballets created on the company.

She recently moved back to Kansas City and is excited to combine her experience in writing with her passion for dance. In addition to performing and writing, Laura also enjoys teaching dance and choreographing.

Comments(1):

1. Quixotic at the Nelson-Atkins

   The Quixotic performance outside the Nelson-Atkins Gallery was spectacular! The lawn was filled with people in lawn chairs and on blankets, awestruck by the performance. We can't wait to see what they do next.

   Monday, September 28, 2009 Carol