Durham
Doug Elkins and Friends
Reynolds Industries Theater, Duke CampusDancer Doug Elkins, who first earned fame in the 1990s for his signature fluid and rhythmic choreography, brings a bit of wit, jazz and sarcasm to American Dance Festival this year with Fräulein Maria, a humorous portrayal of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Elkins’ ode to Julie Andrews’ most popular screen work hosts an encyclopedia of dance movesperformers embody sexy club dancers, hip-hop artists, vaudevillians with herky-jerky, grin-inducing witand a loving send-up of the film’s beloved (or reviled) score with inventive reworkings of “Do-Re-Mi,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and a wildly retextured version of “The Lonely Goatherd.” Described by The New York Times as “heavenly to watch” and “even more delicious to perform,” Elkins and Friends are sure to satisfy even the most undemanding of dance palates with tonight’s ode to the film Elkins credits with helping pull him out of depression. Performances are at 8 p.m. nightly through July 15. For more information, visit www.americandancefestival.org. Kathy Justice
