Everything old is new again this weekend, as CityDance Ensemble partners with actors from the Shakespeare Theatre Company to present Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Blending together dance, literature, theater, and music, the pairing of the two groups aims to explore age-old interpretations of Shakespeare’s sonnets as well as look at them with a modern eye.

There's a whole lot of talent joining together to present Shakespeare’s Sonnets, between all of the dancers, actors and musicians involved in the project. It is admirable that CityDance made a strong effort to understand the text of the sonnets fully, bringing in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Stephen Fried as a “text consultant” to provide insight and direction.

Another strong suit of the performance will be live music during some of the evening, which is not always the case for a modern dance performance of this scale. The choreography of CityDance Ensemble’s Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson will feature original music written and performed live by local artists Matt Jones and Amikaeyla Gaston.

Photo by Paul Gordon Emerson

Other Washington-area dance companies have recently taken on the works of Shakespeare and combined them with dance, but Emerson said CityDance's version will be different because the Sonnets are taken on in a series of works instead of in one continuous work.

“We’ve gone more to a pure dance interpretation. And that's the magic of the Sonnets - they can be interpreted endlessly and every time and every interpretation, even of the same works, will be fresh,” said Emerson.

The company will conclude the performance with the first act of a work called On a Train Headed South, inspired by global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps. The piece, accented by the melting of 12 giant ice blocks hovering above the stage, is merely a preview for the company’s full-length look at global warming in its show titled, Bold Steps: Warmer in mid-April.

Performances of Shakespeare’s Sonnets will take place this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening at the Lansburgh Theatre. Tickets are available in person at the Lansburgh Theatre Ticket Office (610 F Street NW, Washington, DC), online, or by phone at 202.547.1122.