this week in dance

CEDAR LAKE CONTEMPORARY BALLET FAREWELL PERFORMANCES

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Peter Jay Sharp Building
230 Lafayette Ave.
June 3-6, $20-$55
718-636-4100
www.bam.org
cedarlakedance.com

For a dozen years, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet has been one of the most innovative and entertaining American dance companies, an immensely talented troupe collaborating with an impressive collection of international choreographers. So it will be more than a little bittersweet when Cedar Lake comes to BAM this week for its final farewell performances, as it was announced earlier this year that the Chelsea-based group was closing its doors for good when its primary donor, Walmart heiress Nancy Laurie, decided to pull the plug on her contributions. Under the leadership of artistic director Alexandra Damiani, Cedar Lake will be at the Howard Gilman Opera House June 3-6, presenting two programs of company favorites and new works. Program A (June 3 & 5) consists of 2008’s Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue, choreographed by Crystal Pite, with costumes by Junghyun Georgia Lee and music from Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack for Steven Soderbergh’s remake of Solaris; the New York premiere of Rain Dogs, with choreography, sets, and costumes by Johan Inger and music by Tom Waits; and the world premiere of My Generation, choreographed by Richard Siegal, with costumes by Bernhard Willhelm and music by Atom™. Program B (June 4 & 6) includes Ten Duets as well, in addition to 2013’s Indigo Rose, with choreography and décor by Jiří Kylián, costumes by Joke Vissar, and music by Robert Ashley, François Couperin, John Cage, and J. S. Bach, and 2012’s Necessity, Again, choreographed by Jo Strømgren, with costumes by Lee, music by Charles Aznavour, text by Jacques Derrida, and additional music by Bergmund Skaslien. It’s worth mentioning each member of this versatile, virtuosic company, several of whom have been with Cedar Lake for quite some time: Jon Bond, Nickemil Concepcion, Navarra Novy-Williams, Matthew Rich, Joaquim de Santana, Vânia Doutel Vaz, Ebony Williams, Rachelle Scott, Ida Saki, Jin Young Won, Joseph Kudra, Guillaume Quéau, Madeline Wong, Raymond Pinto, and apprentices Daphne Fernberger and Patrick Coker.

BROOKLYN SPACES BOOK LAUNCH

brooklyn spaces

Who: Oriana Leckert, Hungry March Band, Morgan O’Kane, Batala NYC, Stefan Zeniuk, DJ Dirtyfinger, the Artist Formerly Known as Anya Sapozhnikova and others from House of YES, Dani Leigh & Demi Fyrce of Big Sky Works
What: Book party celebrating the launch of Brooklyn Spaces: 50 Hubs of Culture and Creativity (Monacelli Press, May 19, $29.95)
Where: Gowanus Ballroom, 55 Ninth St.
When: Saturday, May 30, free (suggested donation $10), 7:00 – late
Why: In her new book expanded from her popular website, Brooklyn Spaces, Oriana Leckert selects fifty of the most unusual and fascinating places in Brooklyn, documenting, as she writes in the introduction, “the Brooklyn I know, the Brooklyn that is mine, the Brooklyn that endlessly inspires me with its passion, innovation, and experimentation.” On May 30, Leckert will host a crazy-mad book party at the Gowanus Ballroom, one of the locations detailed in the book. “One of the most perfect representations of a Brooklyn underground arts space, the Gowanus Ballroom succeeds beautifully at artistic exhibition, cultural advancement, and creative commerce, all within a gorgeously strange historic building,” Leckert writes. (Other spots included in the book are Brooklyn Brainery, Flux Factory, the Invisible Dog, the Morbid Anatomy Museum, the Schoolhouse, Superhero Supply Co., and the Swamp.) The all-night book launch will feature art, music, dance, photography, and lots of unpredictable goings-on, selected from other cultural institutions and artist houses singled out in the book.

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT

(photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The Queen of the Night (Katherine Crockett) greets her loyal subjects in immersive theatrical event (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Diamond Horseshoe, Paramount Hotel
235 West 46th St. between Broadway & Eighth Aves.
Tuesday – Sunday through June 28, $195-$475
212-706-7448
queenofthenightnyc.com
www.diamondhorseshoe.com

“This is the best dinner theater ever,” my companion said to me about halfway through Queen of the Night, the immersive, all-inclusive presentation running at the resurrected Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel. The six-thousand-square-foot nightclub, which was opened by impresario Billy Rose in 1938 and hosted many a celebrity and performer until its closing in 1951, is now home to the decadently delightful Queen of the Night, a three-hour affair inspired by Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the real-life adventures of the Marchesa Luisa Casati, the Italian heiress, patron, muse, and original female dandy who once declared, “I want to be a living work of art.” And that’s exactly what she is in the show, as portrayed by Martha Graham veteran Katherine Crockett in a tantalizing mask and an elegant, dramatic flowing white gown accessorized by two life-size sculptures of caressing gold hands. The abstract narrative ostensibly follows young initiate Pamina (Valerie Benoit-Charbonneau), the Marchesa’s daughter, who is caught between the sorcerer Sarastro (Will Underwood) and her true love, Tamino (Tristan Nielsen). But Queen of the Night is really about lavish spectacle, as minor characters perform dazzling acrobatics, diving through hoops, climbing poles, juggling unusual objects, riding a Cyr wheel, and dangling from the ceiling from aerial silk. (The circus elements come courtesy of Shana Carroll and her Montreal troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main, including Olaf Triebel, Emilie Desvergne, and Zia Zhengqi; members of the company also appear in Diane Paulus’s current revival of Pippin.)

(photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The audience sits around the central stage at the renovated and restored Diamond Horseshoe (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Ultimately, how much you enjoy Queen of the Night is up to you; the more adventurous and open you are to just about anything, the more unpredictable and exciting the experience will be. Upon entering the transformed, glittering nightclub, you are encouraged to explore, and explore you should, checking out every nook and cranny that security allows; you’ll find strange artifacts of a time gone by, perhaps get picked to pay tribute to the queen, and maybe even help shave Pamina’s legs in a bathtub while a man reads from a book about the G-spot. During the show, you are likely to get stroked by various servant-slave butlers or the queen herself and might also be chosen to take part in some of the wild activities going on around the stage. And if you want to taste all of the food — the kitchen serves salmon Wellington, chicken, and lamb you slice yourself, with various accompaniments — you’ll have to get up from your table and trade portions with strangers.

Performers get up close and personal in immersive QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Performers get up close and personal in immersive QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Conceived by Randy Weiner, the producer of the Macbeth-inspired Sleep No More and cocreator (with Paulus, his wife) of the Midsummer Night’s Dream-based The Donkey Show, Queen of the Night is directed by Tony-nominated scenic designer Christine Jones (Spring Awakening, American Idiot), who is also currently helming the very different Theatre for One piece I’m Not the Stranger You Think I Am, a show of minimalist five-minute one-actor plays by famous playwrights for one audience member at a time. QOTN requires somewhat more intensive staging than that: Also deserving praise are lighting designer Austin R. Smith, fashion designer Thom Browne, set (and scent?!) designer Douglas Little, choreographer Lorin Latarro, interior designer Meg Sharpe, creative director Giovanna Battaglia, and executive chef Jason Kallert. As immersive theater goes, Queen of the Night has it all, mixing contemporary dance, acrobatics, fab costumes, magic, audience participation, and good food. There are three ticket levels, Gala ($195), Premium ($275), and Ultimate ($475), each of which comes with dinner but otherwise includes different amenities, seating, and access. If you allow yourself to get swept up in all the titillating pageantry, well, Queen of the Night just might be the best dinner theater ever.

TRAVELOGUES: KIMBERLY BARTOSIK AND DYLAN CROSSMAN

Travelogues

Dylan Crossman and Kimberly Bartosik will present world premieres in Travelogues series at Abrons Arts Center

Who: Kimberly Bartosik and Dylan Crossman
What: Travelogues
Where: Abrons Arts Center Experimental Theater, 466 Grand St. at Pitt St.
When: May 20-23, $20, 8:00
Why: Abrons Arts Center’s new Travelogues series, which debuted earlier this year with a presentation by Daniel Léveillé Danse, continues May 20-23 with a shared program featuring the world premieres of Kimberly Bartosik’s Ecsteriority4 (Part 2) and Dylan Crossman’s Bound. Both works, by former Merce Cunningham dancers, are constructed around borders and boundaries; the former is a trio for Marc Mann, Melissa Toogood, and Crossman in which a wall plays a key component, while the latter is a solo by Crossman, performed while tied to rope, limiting his movement. (The two parts of Ecsteriority4 will come together at the Chocolate Factory in September 2016.) The Travelogues series, which is curated by Laurie Uprichard, continues in the fall with ponydance’s Anybody Waitin’? and Lionel Popkin’s Ruth Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

FREE SUMMER DANCE 2015

A canary torsi’s COURT/GARDEN (photo by Jose Espaillat)

A Canary Torsi’s COURT/GARDEN will be performed at Federal Hall June 19-20 (photo by Jose Espaillat)

The free summer dance season is upon us, with presentations in parks all around the city, including participatory programs in addition to companies from around the world and site-specific projects by local favorites. Bryant Park will be hosting several dance series, while Central Park (and others) has SummerStage and Prospect Park has Celebrate Brooklyn! River to River boasts the most exciting lineup, but you need to reserve your free space in advance. You’ll find other festivals below; more information will be added as it becomes available.

Wednesday, May 20
Dancing in Bryant Park: Swing and Lindy Hop, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Thursday, May 21
Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties: Electro Soul, with Jamie Liddell, Fixed, and Brooklyn United Marching Band, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Wednesday, May 27
Dancing in Bryant Park: Samba e Mais, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Thursday, May 28
Celebrate Brooklyn! Dance Parties: Latin Jazz, with Poncho Sanchez, Bobbito Garcia, and Salsa Salsa Dance, Pier 1, Brooklyn Bridge Park, 7:00

Wednesday, June 3
Dancing in Bryant Park: Tango, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Saturday, June 6
SummerStage: KanKouran West African Dance Company, with Pre-Show Master Class led by Assane Konte, Red Hook Park, 7:00

Sunday, June 7
SummerStage: BattleFest League Dancers and screening of Flex Is Kings (Michael Beach Nichols and Deidre Schoo, 2013), Red Hook Park, 7:00

Wednesday, June 10
Dancing in Bryant Park: Bachata, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Wednesday, June 17
Dancing in Bryant Park: West Coast Swing, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Wednesday, June 17
and
Thursday, June 18
Hudson River Dance Festival, with Paul Taylor Dance Company, Parsons Dance, and Ballet Hispanico, Pier 63, Hudson River Park, Chelsea Piers, 6:30

Friday, June 19
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

SummerStage: Laurie M. Taylor/Soul Movement, with Pre-Show Master Class led by Karisma Jay, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00

Friday, June 19, 8:00
and
Saturday, June 20, 3:00 & 8:00
River to River: Court/Garden, by A Canary Torsi, Federal Hall,

Friday, June 19
Sunday, June 21
Monday, June 22
River to River: Dance My Life, by Souleymane Badolo, Pier 15, advance RSVP required, 3:00

Friday, June 19
through
Sunday, June 28
River to River: Souvenir: Undone, site-specific dance project by Rachel Tess, St. Cornelius Chapel, Governors Island, advance RSVP required, 1:00 and/or 4:00

Twyla Tharp brings back THE ONE HUNDREDS in Rockefeller Park (photo © Tony Russell)

Twyla Tharp brings back THE ONE HUNDREDS in Rockefeller Park (photo © Tony Russell)

Saturday, June 20
SummerStage: Hearts of Men, with Pre-Show Master Class led by members of Hearts of Men, Herbert Von King Park, 7:00

River to River: The One Hundreds, by Twyla Tharp, Rockefeller Park, advance RSVP required, 7:00

Sunday, June 21
River to River: Trisha Brown: In Plain Site, Wagner Park, New York, by Trisha Brown Dance Company, Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, advance RSVP required, 4:00 & 6:00

Monday, June 22, 6:30
Tuesday, June 23, 3:00
Wednesday, June 24, 1:00
River to River: A Body in Places: A Body in a Station, by Eiko Otake, location to be announced

Tuesday, June 23, 9:30
and
Sunday, June 28, 6:00
River to River: R2R Living Rooms with C∆N-D + DRELLA, VBar Seaport, RSVP recommended

Wednesday, June 24
Latin Dancing Festival, Fountain Terrace, Bryant Park

Dancing in Bryant Park: Cuban Salsa, Fountain Terrace, 6:00

Wednesday, June 24, 3:00
Thursday, June 25, 8:30
Friday, June 26, 8:30
River to River: The Set Up: Saya Lei, by Wally Cardona, Jennifer Lacey, and Jonathan Bepler, location to be announced, advance RSVP required

Wednesday, June 24, 5:00
Friday, June 26, 5:30
Saturday, June 27, 7:00
River to River: White, by Michelle Boulé, location to be announced, advance RSVP required

Thursday, June 25
and
Friday, June 26
River to River: 3 After 4, Experiment 4, by Sarah Michelson, location to be announced, advance RSVP required, 7:00

Thursday, June 25, 4:00 (open dress rehearsal)
Friday, June 26, 4:00
Saturday, June 27, 2:00
Sunday, June 28, 2:00
River to River: Love of a Poet, by John Kelly, Arts Center, Governors Island, advance RSVP required

Friday, June 26
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

SummerStage: Hybrid Movement Company, the Incredible Incredible, and IMPACT Repertory Theatre
Crotona Park, 7:00

Friday, June 26, 1:00
Saturday, June 27, 5:00
Sunday, June 28, 5:00
River to River: Fall of the Rebel Angels: X, by Catherine Galasso, Yellow House, Nolan Park, Governors Island, advance RSVP required

Friday, June 26, 3:00
Saturday, June 27, 3:30
Sunday, June 28, 3:30
River to River: Cribles/Governors Island, by Emmanuelle Huynh – Company Mùa, Parade Ground, Governors Island, advance RSVP required

Saturday, June 28
River to River: Open Studios with Eiko & Emmanuelle Huynh, Arts Center, advance RSVP required, Governors Island, 1:00

River to River: Open Studios with Wally Cardona, Jonathan Bepler, and Dr. Chikako Yamauchi, Arts Center, Governors Island, advance RSVP required, 2:00

Thursday, July 2
SummerStage: Un Break à Mozart, the DASH Ensemble, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Friday, July 3
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

Saturday, July 5
SummerStage: Global Family Day, with Shine and the Moonbeams and special guest the Noel Pointer Youth Orchestra, the Red Trouser Show, Batoto Yetu, Ziporah Roney and Collaborative Artists, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 2:00

Friday, July 10
Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, Bryant Park Stage, 6:00

Saturday, July 11
SummerStage — Hip Hop Dance: From the Street to the Stage, with a Master Class led by Brandon “Peace” Albright, St. Mary’s Park, 7:00

Rashida Bumbray & Dance Diaspora Collective will perform RUN, MARY, RUN in Queensbridge Park on July 18 (photo by John Rogers)

Rashida Bumbray & Dance Diaspora Collective will perform RUN, MARY, RUN in Queensbridge Park on July 18 (photo by John Rogers)

Saturday, July 18
SummerStage — Rashida Bumbray & Dance Diaspora Collective: Run, Mary, Run, with Master Class led by Jamel Gaines, Queensbridge Park, 7:00

Friday, July 24
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Dorrance Dance: The Blues Project Revisited with Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30

Saturday, July 25
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day: Heidi Latsky Dance, Josie Robertson Plaza, 3:30

Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day: National Dance Day, Josie Robertson Plaza, 4:00

Saturday, July 25, 12 noon, 5:00, 5:30, 6:00
and
Sunday, July 26, 4:00 – 6:00
Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day — Bridgman|Packer Dance: Truck, Jaffe Drive / Toll Porte-cochère

Sunday, July 26
Lincoln Center Out of Doors — Chinese American Arts Council Dancers: From Chinatown with Love, Hearst Plaza, 3:00

Wednesday, July 29
SummerStage: PHILADANCO! and TU Dance, Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, 7:00

Thursday, July 30
Passport Thursdays – India: Parul Shah Dance Company, Haider (Vishal Bhardwaj, 2014), Queens Museum

Saturday, August 1
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: A Celebration of the Life of Geoffrey Holder, with the panel discussion “The Life and Work of Geoffrey Holder” and screening of documentary Carmen and Geoffrey (Nick Doob, 2005) and rare archival footage, Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 1:00

Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Garth Fagan Dance, Carmen de Lavallade: The Creation, the Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:30

Sunday, August 2
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: Heritage Sunday — Opening Doors: Celebrating Immigrant New York, featuring Abdoulaye Diabaté and Super Manden, Boodoosingh Tassa Drummers, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Csűrdöngölő Folk Ensemble, and Ikhlaq Hussain, Hearst Plaza, 1:00

Monday, August 3
through
Saturday, August 8
Dance at Socrates: Week 1, Socrates Sculpture Park

Thursday, August 6
Lincoln Center Out of Doors: We Like It Like That! A Boogaloo Celebration with Joe Bataan; Ray Lugo and the Boogaloo Destroyers with special guest Richie Ray and Pete Rodriguez; ABAKUÁ Afro-Latin Dance Company; DJ Turmix, Damrosch Park Bandshell, 7:00

Celebrate Brooklyn! LeeSaar the Company, Ohad Naharin & Guest Dancers from Batsheva Dance Company, Prospect Park Bandshell, 8:00

Monday, August 10
through
Saturday, August 15
Dance at Socrates: Week 2, Socrates Sculpture Park

Saturday, August 8
SummerStage: Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company, Master Class: Karisma Jay, East River Park, 7:00

Thursday, August 13
Passport Thursdays – South Korea: Korean Traditional Music & Dance Center, Miss Granny (Hwang Dong-hyuk, 2014), Queens Museum

Monday, August 17
through
Saturday, August 22
Dance at Socrates: Week 1, Socrates Sculpture Park

Friday, September 4, 6:00
Saturday, September 5, 5:00
Sunday, September 6, 3:00 & 5:00
Suite Summer Festival, with In-Sight Dance Company, Socrates Sculpture Park

CPR’S ANNUAL BENEFIT PERFORMANCE AND CELEBRATION

Laura Bartczak’s KYM will be shown as part of CPR benefit celebration

Laura Bartczak’s KYM will be shown as part of CPR benefit celebration

CPR — Center for Performance Research
361 Manhattan Ave.
Tuesday, May 19, $25-$50, 6:30
www.cprnyc.org

Cofounded in 2009 by Jonah Bokaer (Chez Bushwick) and John Jasperse (Thin Man Dance), the Center for Performance Research is dedicated to “supporting artistic processes that integrate visual design, installation, and technology.” On May 19, CPR will host its sixth anniversary celebration in its LEED-certified green home in Williamsburg, an evening of food, drink, mingling, and movement. The night begins at 6:30 with a cocktail reception, followed by an hour of film and performance, consisting of Joanna Kotze’s Find Yourself Here — Duet, in which she is joined by Stuart Singer; Niall Jones’s not titled; and Mono No Aware’s Figures of Motion, a collection of 8mm and 16mm dance shorts: Michele Cappello’s I Thought I Knew, Laura Bartczak’s Kym, Daniel Lupo’s Meet Me, Katie Fleming’s Behind the Front Lines, Colby Sadeghi’s Madelyn, and Rachael Abernathy’s POW. Then the festivities kick into high gear with a postshow party.

WHITNEY BLOCK PARTY

The Meatpacking District welcomes the Whitney to the neighborhood at all-day block party on May 2 (photo © Nic Lehoux)

The Meatpacking District welcomes the Whitney to the neighborhood at all-day block party on May 2 (photo © Nic Lehoux)

Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St.
Saturday, May 2, free, 11:00 – 8:00
212-570-3600
whitney.org

The Whitney is celebrating the opening of its new home on Gansevoort St. with a block party on May 2, featuring live performances, interactive installations, workshops, and free admission to the museum, where you can check out the inaugural exhibitions “America Is Hard to See” and, on the roof, “Mary Heilman: Sunset.” At the block party, you can take the mic in Trisha Baga’s “Whitney Idol Karaoke,” catch K8 Hardy and Ryan McNamara’s pop-up, site-specific The Poseurs, a Dance, trade your own smile recipes for canned smiles in Nari Ward’s “Sugar Hill Smiles,” get your groove on at My Barbarian’s “Classical Music Dance Party,” make forts, monsters, and other cool things at Friends of the High Line’s “High Line Builders,” learn about the history of the Meatpacking District from local purveyors Jobbagy Meats, help Lize Mogel construct a scale model of New York in “Crowd-Sourced City,” and hang out at Ei Arakawa and Shimon Minamikawa’s “Cyber Café.” Live performances include Gobby in Bed-Stuy Love Affair’s “Gate,” spoken-word DJ Mark Beasley, the Ethyl Eichelberger cover band the Eichelburglers, Jacolby Satterwhite’s “Ein Plein Air: Diamond Princess” with Camp & Street, Tracie Morris with Mr. Jerome Harris and Jemman, and a Tribe Called Red.