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Paul Taylor American Modern Dance presents “Company B”
The optimism of the American youths in the early 1940s was soon overshadowed by the realities of the World War, as millions were sent into battle. In “I Can Dream, Can’t I?” Parisa Khobdeh bid goodbye to her sweetheart, uncertain of when (or if) they would reunite.
“Company B”
Choreography: Paul Taylor
Dancers: Parisa Khobdeh and the Paul Taylor Dance Company
Photography: Jason Chuang
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance presents “Company B”
With a touch of Latin American rhythm, Francisco Graciano danced all out — from his handsome entrance to leaps, barrel rolls, and floor slide — to the Brazilian choro “Tico Tico” made popular in America by the Andrews Sisters in 1944.
“Company B”
Choreography: Paul Taylor
Dancers: Francisco Graciano
Photography: Jason Chuang
#lcoutofdoors #paultaylordancecompany#ptdc #ptamd #moderndance
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance presents “Company B” at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival.
Company B is the story of America in the 1940s. Jubilant youths were high in spirit as the nation began to emerge from the Great Depression.
“Company B”
Choreography: Paul Taylor
Dancers: Paul Taylor Dance Compnay
Photography: Jason Chuang
The Paul Taylor Dance Company accompanied by the Duchess at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival on Friday.
With the Duchess performing songs of the Andrews Sisters, the Paul Taylor Dance Company put on “Company B,” a choreography set in the 1940s swing era as the United States emerged from the Great Depression and drawn into World War II.
Comprised of ten parts, each section of “Company B” tells a different story of the nation. Starting with youths jubilantly dancing the lindy hop, jitterbug, and polkas… we were then treated to hit songs of the era (“Tico Tico” and “Rum and Coca-Cola”)… before the storyline moved onto young lovers separated by war (“I Can Dream, Can’t I?”) and the heartbreak of losing a loved one (“There Will Never Be Another You”). As we watched Heather McGinley mourn on stage, we couldn’t help but feel for what the 1940s generation had gone through in a turbulent era.
“Company B – Bei Mir Bist du Schön”
Choreography: Paul Taylor
Dancers: Robert Kleinedorst, James Samson, Parisa Khobdeh, Sean Mahoney, Eran Bugge, Francisco Graciano, Laura Halzack, Michael Apuzzo, Michael Novak, Heather McGinley, George Smallwood, Christina Lynch Markham, Madelyn Ho, Kristin Draucker
Photography: Jason Chuang
The Paul Taylor Dance Company performed at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival on Friday.
“Airs” is a happy, dynamic, and energetic choreography filled with jumps, lifts, and fluid movements meant to represent the air and water. Paul Taylor paints the stage with his dancers as gusts of wind, eddies in the river, clouds in the air. Everything is smooth and ever changing — like spending a day out in the nature, or like nature itself.
“Airs”
Choreography: Paul Taylor
Dancers: Michael Trusnovec, Robert Kleinendorst, George Smallwood, Michelle Fleet, Eran Bugge, Laura Halzack, Parisa Khobdeh
Photography: Jason Chuang
Another weekend in New York City filled with an amazing array of dance activities.
Go see Amy Seiwert’s Imagery at the Joyce Theater if you haven’t already. It’s the best show so far at this year’s Joyce Ballet Festival.
At Lincoln Center’s Out-of-Doors series of free summer events, the Paul Taylor Dance Company is performing tomorrow evening (Friday). TaylorNEXT is also hosting both pre- and post-show parities for dance lovers and supporters. Come join us!
Heidi Latsky Dance is on display on Saturday evening by the reflection pool. I’ll be checking them out before “Taming of the Shrew” by the visiting Bolshoi Ballet.
Hope you all have a great dance-filled weekend too!
Amy Seiwert’s Imagery delivered the best show so far at this year’s Joyce Ballet Festival. Two more chances to see “Wandering” by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. Get your tickets for tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday at the Joyce Theater!
“I won’t listen to the heart’s complaints.
I won’t listen to its fears.
I’m content to wander.
Through the wind and the snow.” – Wilhelm Müller
I love so many aspects of Amy’s work tonight: the story telling, the aesthetics, and the exquisite dancing delivered by Anthony Cannarella, Alysia Chang, James Gilmer, Tina Laforgia Morse, Jackie Nash, Ben Needham-Wood, Gabriel Smith, and Shania Rasmussen. Bravos!!!
I would totally go back and see them again, if I had not already committed myself to seeing Paul Taylor and Bolshoi over the next two evenings.
The evening-length work explores the stories of a lost wanderer. Dancers in the company took turns to represent the wanderer. The stories are rich and emotional. They are as relevant to a traveller on a physical road — as they are to young adults growing up, searching for their place in life.
Here’s how I interpreted some of the stories. A lost traveller sought to orientate himself and find friendly companions for his trip. Another was sent on her journey reluctantly, but nevertheless braved every challenge along the way. Others wandered emotionally. A lost soul, searching for just one person, one true friend, one love, who would accept him for who he was but never did. Another looked beyond herself, reached out to all those around her, brought everyone together, and became a pillar of the community. Yet, another ran from the harsh realities of the world, before his choices ran out and a path was forced on him.
Artistically, Amy kept the essence of the ballet, its beautiful lines, and extensions, but added her distinct vocabulary with the arms and torsos. The end result was stunningly coordinated movements among her eight dancers, a strong sense of emotional connection amongst the dancers and with the audience.
I love her use of space. Layering to create depth, and small details such the snowfall to create height, and a record player on the side to create a sense of time.
I love her minimalist set involving only a black backdrop, eight lanterns, and the aforementioned record player. Together with a simple (but lovely) costume design, the bulk of the wonderful storytelling was delivered through pure elegant ballet.
I love her use of tempo. Her dancers delivered many a wonderful leap but, more significantly, they also slowed down to emphasize key moments. So slow, in fact, sometimes it took them minutes to cross half a stage. The end result, however, was amazing dance theatre.
I love her use of foreground and background dancers. Every space on stage was always filled but nothing was ever too busy. Instead, the “background” activities subtly enhanced the “foreground.” As a beautiful pas de deux took place, six dancers, three in front of and three behind the couple, walked ever-so-slowly across the stage without any expression. Focussing on the “foreground” duet, I saw a couple finding each other, falling in love, and building a relationship. As I looked at the entire stage, however, I saw a two lovers lost in an ocean of people….
… Would ANYONE ever know of their story? Or, are they JUST another pair of lost wanderers in this world?
Finally saw Gibney Dance and Devin Oshiro perform this afternoon at Union Square.
In addition to being a fabulous dancer, Devin as part of Gibney Dance also runs the Dancers Economic Empowerment Program, a series of free sessions for dancers about affordable housing, healthcare resources, taxes, budgeting, and other economic challenges that dancers face in New York.
Do you have questions about your finances as a dancer? Check out the DEEP program at Gibney Dance.
Congrats to Gemma Bond Dance for two amazing performances and their debut at the Joyce Theater.
I had a lovely time watching the many talented ABT dancers up close at the intimate Joyce Theater. Gemma created some of the most physically intensive choreography at this ballet festival. Of course, her dancers stepped right up to the challenge and delivered two evenings of beautiful ballet. Bravo!!!
(More notes to come)
Don’t miss the Cirio Collective — performing again tomorrow night (Monday) as part of the Ballet Festival at the Joyce Theater!
Energy — If I could use only one word to describe tonight’s performance, I would say Jeffrey introduced an “energy” to all his pieces. Not energetic, though one certainly needs to be bold and powerful to execute Jeffrey’s choreographies. Energy as in the “vital force” that every living is said to possess in the martial arts. Or, energy as in the invisible force that Neo is able to channel at the end of The Matrix.
In Jeffrey’s works, dancers interact with one another as if they could pass along their emotions, their psyches, and their invisible energies onto each other. Partnering is no longer a physical push-and-pull but an exchange of psychological states.
His pieces felt as much (abstract) dance theatre as they were contemporary ballet. Starting in “Fremd” and through “Minim” in Act I, the intensity of the exchanges rose, and the emotional states on stage darkened. Lia Cirio‘s facial expressions, enraged and almost villainous, were unforgettable. Jeffrey Cirio himself joined the dancers in “Minim.” Though the dancing has been great up to this point, Jeffrey took his own choreographies to a whole different level. He was more powerful, faster, and stronger. Whitney Jensen who partnered him was perhaps the only one who matched him in speed and energy.
Theatricality aside, my favorite part was seeing this whole new side of Jeffrey, completely different from his classical ballet roles with ABT, and seeing just how much he loved it.
Whitney opened Act II with “In the Mind: The Other Room” and the most sinister scene yet. Performing a solo on a chair, she evoked simultaneously the images of a prisoner in a psychological ward and a lone heroine in a futuristic sci-fi movie fighting for her survival. She was later joined by Lia as the antagonist, and two other dancers who intervened and accentuated the vicious encounters.
Emotional states turned much warmer and brotherly-like in “Tactility” choreographed by Gregory Dolbashian, and performed by Jeffrey and Blaine Hoven.
Finally, to close the show and featuring live violinists on stage, “Efil Ym Fo Flah (Half of My Life)” showcased yet another creative side of Jeffrey. I love the movements as much as the interactions between the dancers and the musicians.
Many of the works tonight included spoken words in other foreign languages (written words, in the case of his video). I was told by a native speaker that his movements did not match the meaning of the words, which was confusing if not jarring.
Overall, Jeffrey showed both his signature and his versatility as a choreographer tonight. Even though I generally enjoy the more graceful presentation of ballet (such as Emery from last week), I was taken through an emotional journey by his works, and look forward to seeing more!