Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebration
April 29, 2010
The Abrons Arts Center at Henry Street Settlement is celebrating the centennial of the birth of Alwin Nikolais, a visionary choreographer who has captivated audiences with his use of multimedia technology and mesmerizing use of movement, lighting, and sound.
On April 30th, the Centennial opens with a one-night only performance of From the Horse’s Mouth: Remembering Nik. This celebratory “live dance documentary” will be mounted by over thirty outstanding dancers and choreographers each telling their personal story about this renowned choreographer, and perform movement from his work.
The following two evenings, May 1st and 2nd, are dedicated to Homecoming. The Ririe-Woodbury Company will present the iconic Noumenon (1953), Kaleidoscope (1953), and Imago Suite (1963). Revisiting Nikolais’ legacy as a beloved teacher at the Henry Street Playhouse, students from the Abrons Arts Center Dance Ensemble will perform the audience favorite Tensile Involvement (1955).
The Centennial continues at The Joyce Theater from May 4th through 9th, where the Ririe-Woodbury Company will re-mount Nikolais’ later works in contemporary dance, Liturgies (1983) and Crucible (1985), and “Tower” (1968), the third section from Vaudeville of Elements.
Tickets to performances April 30th through May 2nd at Abrons Arts Center are $15, $10 for students and seniors, and $100 for patron seating. For more information, visit Abrons Arts Center’s website or order tickets by calling 212.352.3101.
Tickets to performances May 4th through 9th at The Joyce Theater start at $10 and can be ordered online or by calling 212.242.0800.
Architecture of Ballet: Men on Top. Women on Stage.
April 26, 2010
Tiler Peck working with choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, photo by Paul Kolnik
New York City Ballet’s spring season, a festival entitled Architecture of Dance, includes an astounding seven new ballets. In fact, the company’s recent print brochures, website, and festival mini-site boasts: “7 new ballets. 4 commissioned scores. 1 renowned architect.” That’s a total of twelve creative voices throughout the eight-week season, not to mention repertory favorites by Balanchine and Robbins. After a winter season of mostly story-length ballets, it’s exciting just thinking about all of the new works that audiences will get to see. But of those twelve creative voices, guess how many are women? Just one. Melissa Barak, a former NYCB dancer, will be choreographing her second work for the company.
Balanchine said “ballet is woman”, and while there are plenty of women on stage at NYCB (they make up 53% of the dancers), the gender imbalance among choreographers, composers, set designers, and artistic directors needs some serious even-ing out. Perhaps the company needs to be more proactive in its search for female artists, but the lack of women is not entirely NYCB’s fault. In fact, it seems to be a widespread problem, with more young women focusing on their careers as ballet dancers rather than anything else.
Christopher Wheeldon rehearsing NYCB dancers, photo by Paul Kolnik
About two years ago I wrote about this issue after learning of a choreography initiative for women at American Ballet Theatre – an admirable effort. In my post I referred to a New York Times article by Claudia La Rocco, “Often on Point but Rarely in Charge”, which investigated the lack of women not only choreographing ballets but also directing ballet companies. While the article factors in the scarcity of men in ballet (making it easier for them to rise through the ranks and explore other interests, such as choreographing), male-female inequalities in executive positions across other industries, and different standards that a board tends to have when judging men and women for artistic leadership positions, it was dismaying to read that even some women prefer to have men do the directing. Barak, however, pointed out, “A lot of girls, especially in ballet, are very shy, very sheltered in a way. I think it has to do with that personality type.”
If choreography were a mandatory class – along with ballet, pointe, partnering, character, etc. – at the School of American Ballet and other schools affiliated with large ballet companies, perhaps it would send a message to young dancers that in addition to being future performers, they can also express themselves and have a voice by creating dance. So many young ballet dancers – and young women, in particular – seem to think that if they can’t make it as a professional dancer, they have no future in the ballet world. Not true. There are other options, like choreographing and directing, that need to be presented as valid careers for both women and men.
Melissa Barak rehearsing NYCB dancers in 2009, photo by Paul Kolnik
Several years ago Dance Magazine started compiling a list of active women choreographers, which continues to grow. While it doesn’t indicate the numbers by genre, I’d guess that the total number working in modern outweighs the number of women who identify as ballet choreographers. Likewise, this graphic shows that in 2002, there were more women than men in artistic or executive director positions at major modern and contemporary dance companies.
No matter how many incredible female dancers are at the top of New York City Ballet and other major ballet companies, it’s still frustrating to see the fields of choreography, composing, and artistic leadership so lacking in women. This is not to say that men in these positions should be criticized, and hopefully this post doesn’t come across as an attack on male choreographers or directors. Rather, my hope is to raise awareness of the gender imbalance. More than fifty years ago, “ballet is woman” probably referred to women performing on stage. In 2010, women’s roles in ballet should be spread evenly across the field, and not be limited to what audiences see on stage.
Performance Mix Festival at Joyce SoHo
April 19, 2010
Dianna David in Letter to Michael, photo by Luke Moloney
The New Dance Alliance (NDA) took over Joyce SoHo last week for its 24th annual Performance Mix Festival, which brought together over thirty dance, music, video, and interdisciplinary artists from the US and abroad. The festival, produced and curated by NDA Director Karen Bernard, supports emerging artists by providing them with performance opportunities, rehearsal space, and career development residencies. Thursday evening’s lineup offered typical results of the festival format – some good, some bad – but it was an eclectic group of performers who showed an impressive range of styles and themes.
Lucie Vigneault and Frédérick Gravel of Montreal’s Gravel Art Group (GAG) introduced themselves and proceeded to show the audience three dramatic pauses – all of which had been extracted from a piece called Gravel Works. Gravel matter-of-factly explained that they didn’t have time to show the entire work since other artists were waiting to perform, so these pauses would have to suffice. These intriguing excerpts were just a slice of GAG, but enough to spark curiosity.
The other Canadian artist on the program, Dianna David of DubD Productions, presented Letter to Michael – yes, a tribute to the late king of pop. While this one-woman piece included some of Jackson’s best-known moves from “Billie Jean” and “Thriller”, the work also featured a narration by Jacob Richmond in the form of a letter, apologizing on behalf of all of Jackson’s fans for driving him mentally insane, while also revealing the positive, chock-full-of-dance impact he had on David’s childhood. Adding choreography to the narration, David proved to be an exceptionally talented dancer, mime, and actress, portraying all of the youthful angst of a child desperate to attend one of Jackson’s concerts back in 1984. The work was humorous, touching, and an original way to honor a musical idol.
Alexandra Beller in egg, photo by Rachel Roberts
In an excerpt from Detail of Double Escapement, Chicago’s Tif Bullard recited poetry and a song about a drowning girl while appearing to go through a Victorian mourning ritual. The piece was so internalized that it seemed self-indulgent, without showing an interest in conveying anything meaningful to the audience. Alexandra Beller’s egg, however, conveyed a bit too much. The piece – a commentary on the struggles of balancing motherhood and artistic endeavors – seemed like a giant complaint and perhaps even an expression of regret. Beller started alone onstage holding an egg in her mouth, but as more people gradually entered and made demands of her – playing the role of students in the dance classes she teaches or a doctor preparing her for child-rearing – her stress level skyrocketed until she couldn’t bear it. Navigating her way through a sea of eggs, Beller took a literal approach to dealing with a very common problem – balancing work and family.
New York-based performance artist Yozmit presented Yozmit and Her Specimen, a scattered, elusive duet that left me wondering: Is this a parody or not? The answer was unclear. Wearing shiny capes and helmets, Yozmit and Wendell Cooper – both androgynous figures – danced to a techno beat before shedding their capes and revealing futuristic suits and headpieces. Then they cooked spaghetti in a pot on stage and stared dramatically at the audience. We stared right back at them – partly confused, partly amused.
Danspace Project Honors Philip Glass
April 16, 2010
Philip Glass, photo by Raymond Meier
At its annual gala on April 27th, Danspace Project will honor Philip Glass. Considered one of the greatest composers of the late 20th century, Glass will be honored for his significant contributions to American dance and his major impact on international art and culture. Tickets to this exciting evening are limited but still available, so orders should be placed as soon as possible.
“Philip has been and continues to be an amazing collaborative force in dance,” said Judy Hussie-Taylor, Danspace Project Executive Director. “We are fortunate to have a multi-generational group of friends and collaborators to celebrate Philip’s work—from renowned early collaborators like Lucinda Childs and Jon Gibson to the extraordinary Tim Fain.”
The gala will feature performances by acclaimed choreographer and Guggenheim Fellow, Lucinda Childs, dance pioneer Molissa Fenley, and the ten-time BESSIE award-winning Susan Marshall & Company. The evening will also feature composer and founding member of the Philip Glass Ensemble Jon Gibson, American violinist Timothy Fain, fiddler and Canadian icon Ashley MacIsaac, and virtuosic pianist Pedja Muzijevic. Multi-media pioneer Laurie Anderson will deliver a personal introduction of the honoree, and the evening is co-chaired by Chuck Close and Richard Serra.
Danspace Project’s annual gala begins at 6 PM on April 27th and will be held at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, Second Avenue and East Tenth Street, New York City.
Tickets to the gala can be ordered online. For more information, contact Kate Garroway, Development Manager at 212.674.3554 or kate (at) danspaceproject (dot) org.
