this week in dance

NEW YORK CITY BALLET: CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS

Eight dancers explore the Salem Witch Trials in Angelin Preljocaj’s SPECTRAL EVIDENCE (photo by Paul Kolnik)

David H. Koch Theater
20 Lincoln Center Plaza
Tuesday, October 8, 7:30, Thursday, October 10, 7:30, and Saturday, October 12, 2:00, $29-$159,
212-496-0600
www.nycballet.com

The fall edition of the New York City Ballet’s Contemporary Choreographers makes for a splendid evening at the David H. Koch Theater, featuring a trio of works from three immensely talented artists. The program begins with a slightly revised version of forty-year-old English choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s 1998 American School of Ballet piece Soirée Musicale, set to Samuel Barber’s “Souvenirs Ballet Suite, Op. 28” from 1955. Wheeldon, a former NYCB principal who left his company, Morphoses, in 2010 and was named artistic associate of the Royal Ballet in 2012, has fun with ballet tropes and sexual innuendo in Soirée Musicale, the men in tuxedoes, the women in long tutus, proceeding through a waltz, a schottische, a tango, a two-step, and a lovely pas de deux (Lauren Lovette and Zachary Catazaro) before bringing all together for the grand finale. Next, fifty-six-year-old French filmmaker and choreographer Angelin Preljocaj presents the world premiere of the dazzling Spectral Evidence, set to half a dozen previously recorded John Cage works, some with vocals. Preljocaj, who formed Ballet Preljocaj in December 1984 and created La Stravaganza for NYCB in 1997, uses the Salem Witch Trials as inspiration for Spectral Evidence, with four male dancers (Robert Fairchild, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Amar Ramasar, and Taylor Stanley), in priestly black outfits with white collars, and four women dancers (Tiler Peck, Megan Fairchild, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Gretchen Smith), in long off-white dresses with sinful patches of red. The set makes fascinating use of white wedges that transform into various other objects, including angled slides and a coffin. Spectral Evidence is a mesmerizing piece that could have gone on all night.

Robert Fairchild searches for his true love in Alexei Ratmansky’s NAMOUNA, A GRAND DIVERTISSEMENT (photo by Paul Kolnik)

The program concludes with forty-five-year-old Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s 2010 Namouna, A Grand Divertissement, set to nineteenth-century composer Édouard Lalo’s “Namouna.” Ratmansky, the former director of the Bolshoi Ballet and the first artist in residence at American Ballet Theatre, takes on classical ballet clichés in the piece, which features seven primary dancers (Sterling Hyltin, Tyler Angle, Jenifer Ringer, Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild, Daniel Ulbricht, and Abi Stafford) and another two dozen troupe members smoking cigarettes, acting out scenes reminiscent of silent film, and picking on one poor sailor who is trying to find his love. The costumes, by Marc Happel and Rustam Khamdamov, range from long-flowing yellow gowns and wigs that evoke both Cleopatra and Louise Brooks to bronze outfits and tight-fitting hats that recall Fritz Lang’s Metropolis to colorful body-hugging tops and short skirts accompanied by swim caps. The piece does get repetitive and goes on a bit too long, but it’s still vastly entertaining. This Contemporary Choreographers program, which repeats on October 8, 10, and 12, should appeal to both adventurous ballet regulars as well as those predisposed to more modern dance.

FIRST SATURDAYS: ¡VIVA BROOKLYN!

José Campeche, “Doña María de los Dolores Gutiérrez del Mazo y Pérez,” oil on canvas, circa 1796

Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway at Washington St.
Saturday, March 3, free, 5:00 – 11:00 (some events require free tickets distributed in advance at the Visitor Center)
212-864-5400
www.brooklynmuseum.org

After taking September off for the annual West Indian festivities over Labor Day Weekend, the Brooklyn Museum’s free First Saturdays program returns October 5 with ¡Viva Brooklyn!, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The evening will feature live performances by trombonist Chris Washburne and SYOTOS, Sofía Rei, and Cumbiagra; Richard Aste will give a curator talk on “Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492–1898”; there will be a screening of Icíar Bollaín’s 2010 film, También La Lluvia, which deals with Christopher Columbus and the local water supply; an art workshop will teach attendees how to make a home medallion using metal tooling; Marymount Manhattan College’s Blanca E. Vega will lead a talk and audience Q&A with writers about contemporary Latino literature; scenes from the moving play La Ruta, which deals with illegal immigration, will be read, followed by a discussion; the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company will host a participatory workshop; pop-up gallery talks will explore “American Identities: A New Look”; El Puente will present a social justice forum with community activists; and Las Comadres Para Las Americas founder and CEO Nora de Hoyos Comstock and a panel of writers will discuss Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships. In addition, the galleries will be open late, giving visitors plenty of opportunity to check out “Valerie Hegarty: Alternative Histories,” “Käthe Kollwitz: Prints from the ‘War’ and ‘Death’ Portfolios,” “Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt,” “Life, Death, and Transformation in the Americas,” “Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn,” and other exhibits.

RIOULT DANCE NY

CELESTIAL TIDES will be part of RIOULT Dance NY programs at the Queens Theatre and the Manhattan School of Music (photo by Sofia Negron)

Saturday, October 5, 2:00 & 8:00, Sunday, October 6, 3:00, Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. South in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 718-760-0064, $25-$46
Wednesday, October 9, Manhattan School of Music, 120 Claremont Ave., 917-493-4428, $12, 7:30
www.rioult.org

“I have always loved Bach’s music, instinctively and without understanding where the magic came from,” New York-based French choreographer explained to us in a June 2011 twi-ny talk about the Joyce debut of his Bach Dances program. “I also want with my dances to show that Bach’s music, contrary to common belief, is unbelievably rich emotionally.” As part of its twentieth anniversary season, RIOULT Dance NY will be at the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on October 5-6, performing 2010’s City, set to Bach’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano #6 in G major,” 2011’s Celestial Tides (Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major”), 1995’s Wien (Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse”), and 2011’s On Distant Shores (with music by Aaron Jay Kernis). Artistic director and choreographer Rioult, along with his wife, associate artistic director Joyce Herring, will then take the company over to the Manhattan School of Music’s John C. Borden Auditorium on October 9 for the New York City premiere of the Bach Dances program with live music, as the twelve-person troupe will be accompanied by an MSM student orchestra; the evening includes Views of a Fleeting World, set to Bach’s “The Art of Fugue,” along with City and Celestial Tides. Tickets for the Queens Theatre shows range from $25 to $46, while it costs a mere $12 to see the one-night-only MSM performance.

NYFF51 — AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: TANAQUIL LE CLERCQ

The tragic career of dancer Tanaquil Le Clercq is examined in new documentary

AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: TANAQUIL LE CLERCQ (Nancy Buirski, 2013)
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Monday, September 30, 6:00 pm
Howard Gilman Theater, 144 West 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Friday, October 11, 1:00
Francesca Beale Theater, 144 West 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Sunday, October 13, 6:00
Festival runs September 27 – October 13
212-875-5601
www.filmlinc.com

“Tanny’s body created inspiration for choreographers,” one of the interviewees says in Nancy Buirski’s documentary Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq. “They could do things that they hadn’t seen before.” The American Masters presentation examines the life and career of prima ballerina Tanaquil Le Clercq, affectionately known as Tanny, who took the dance world by storm in the 1940s and ’50s before tragically being struck down by polio in 1956 at the age of twenty-seven. Le Clercq served as muse to both Jerome Robbins, who made Afternoon of a Faun for her, and George Balanchine, who created such seminal works as Western Symphony, La Valse, and Symphony in C for Le Clercq — and married Tanny in 1952. In the documentary, Buirski (The Loving Story) speaks with Arthur Mitchell and Jacques D’Amboise, who both danced with Le Clercq, her childhood friend Pat McBride Lousada, and Barbara Horgan, Balanchine’s longtime assistant, while also including an old interview with Robbins, who deeply loved Le Clercq as well. The film features spectacular, rarely seen archival footage of Le Clercq performing many of the New York City Ballet’s classic works, both onstage and even on The Red Skelton Show. The name Tanaquil relates to the word “omen” — in history, Tanaquil, the wife of the fifth king of Rome, was somewhat of a prophetess who believed in omens — and the film details several shocking omens surrounding her contracting polio. The film would benefit from sharing more information about Le Clercq’s life post-1957 — she died on New Year’s Eve in 2000 at the age of seventy-one — but Afternoon of a Faun is still a lovely, compassionate, and heartbreaking look at a one-of-a-kind performer. Afternoon of a Faun is screening at the New York Film Festival on September 30 at the Walter Reade Theater (followed by a Q&A with the director), on October 11 at the Howard Gilman Theater, and on October 13 at the Francesca Beale Theater.

DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL

WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company hosts the thirteenth annual DUMBO Dance Festival this week (photo by Mei Yamanaka)

John Ryan Theatre
25 Jay St.
September 26 gala, $100-$250
September 27-29, free
www.whitewavedance.com

The DUMBO Dance Festival returns for its thirteenth year, helping promote up-and-coming dance companies and choreographers from the United States, Korea, England, and Canada, with a particular focus on New York City, but it almost didn’t happen. The waterfront warehouse that host company WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company transformed into the John Ryan Theater was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy, but a successful GoFundMe campaign made this year’s festival possible, though more donations are needed. Things get under way with a gala fundraiser ($100-$250) on September 26 at the John Ryan Theater featuring performances by Antonio Brown, OUI DANSE/Brice Mousset, Kuperman Brothers, Billy Bell /Lunge Dance Collective, Buglisi Dance Theatre, and WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, along with opening remarks by John Ryan himself. More than fifty companies will then present short works and excerpts September 27-29 for free, including Maya Orchin’s Recipe, gamin’s Metamorphose, Vangeline Theater’s White Fencing, z3movement project’s I hold nothing, though I embrace the world, Catherine Lawrence’s State of Mind, John J Zullo Dance/Raw Movement’s How Brief Eternity, and Bianca Dancers & Company’s The Woodman Project: Untitled 4. There will be family-friendly programs and classes on September 27, with the grand finale Sunday night at 8:00 consisting of Antonio Brown’s Unwritten, Amalgamate Dance Company’s Inside Aphasia, Jacobs Campbell Dance’s The Box, Alyson Laury’s Lurid, Tiffany Rea-Fisher / Elisa Monte Dance Company’s Identity, and an excerpt from WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company’s Eternal Now. The DUMBO Dance Festival runs concurrently with the DUMBO Arts Festival; WHITE WAVE will be back October 23 – November 10 with its annual Wave Rising Series.

TWI-NY TALK: MEGAN V. SPRENGER

Megan Sprenger will premiere her latest evening-length piece, FLUTTER, this week at the Chocolate Factory (photo by Tei Blow)

The Chocolate Factory
5-49 49th Ave., Long Island City
September 18-21, $15, 8:00
718-482-7069
www.chocolatefactorytheater.org
www.mvworks.org

Since 2005, dancer and choreographer Megan V. Sprenger and her MVworks company have been exploring the relationship between audience and performer, individuality and personal identity, and the making of connections in today’s world, drawing on inspiration from such visual artists as Gregory Crewdson and Jacob Landau and such mathematicians as Blaise Pascal and Fibonacci. In her first evening-length piece, 2007’s quietly affecting No where, Sprenger incorporated Pascal’s triangle both thematically and structurally, built around three woman dancers moving within a confined space. Two years later, Sprenger went in a different direction with the immersive, explosive . . . within us., in which four dancers interacted with the audience members first by speaking with them, then charging around them in a flurry of energy. Sprenger, who has also choreographed and performed such solo pieces as One-Shot, While Waiting, and Direction Lost, will be holding the world premiere of her third evening-length piece, Flutter, this week at the Chocolate Factory in Long Island City, examining abstract and non-narrative methods of storytelling through movement and sound. Between preparing for that and working in public relations, the always amiable and charming Sprenger took time out to discuss her creative process and more with twi-ny.

twi-ny: For Flutter, you developed movements that were very particular to the unique personalities of each of the four performers. You’ve worked with Tara O’Con since 2007, while Donna Cicchesi, Michael Ingle, and Anna Adams Stark are new to MVworks. What was that process like, especially because you are much more familiar with one of the dancers than the others?

Megan V. Sprenger: One of the most fascinating and rewarding aspects of making this work has been getting to know all of the dancers better. Regardless of how long I’ve known or worked with each of them, the process of making their “mini movement biographies” was the same. Each of the dancers was asked to improvise for a set amount of time that varied slightly per rehearsal. This process resulted in hours of footage that I culled down into four-to-five-minute solos that became the base for the work.

twi-ny: In most of your pieces, including Flutter, the dancers perform to silence or to avant-garde soundscapes, never to more traditional songs or music. Is that something you consciously set out to do with each new dance? How would you describe the role of music/sound in your creative process?

Megan V. Sprenger: Working with original sound is a critical part of my process. Jason Sebastian and I have worked together since 2007, and with each process we begin by discussing the inspiration and tone of the work and then decide what we think might be the best general direction for the composition. It’s true that both No where and …within us. utilized more of an environmental soundscape; however, for this work we decided that we wanted something more melodic and the result is a composition that is much more instrumental than what you might expect.

MVworks rehearses FLUTTER this past June

twi-ny: For many years you worked in the marketing department of Dance Theater Workshop and then New York Live Arts, specifically promoting dance. You’re now at a company that handles much more than just dance. What has that experience been like?

Megan V. Sprenger: What I love most about working at Polskin Arts & Communications Counselors is how much I am learning about other artistic fields such as music, visual art, and architecture. It has been extremely rewarding to see how what I know about dance is transferable and at the same time to be learning more about other genres.

twi-ny: In 2006, 2008, and 2010 you performed solo pieces, and in 2011 you participated in Bill T. Jones’s Continuous Replay at New York Live Arts. Are you getting the urge to get back on stage yourself? Might you be working on something you will perform in?

Megan V. Sprenger: I haven’t decided what will be next for me artistically. Making work for yourself can be a tricky business, though I love performing and I do miss it. Who knows, a short solo for myself isn’t out of the question.

twi-ny: You’ve now been involved in the New York City dance world for ten years. What are some of the most important changes you’ve noticed over the last decade? One thing that strikes me is how the internet has come into play; for example, people can go to your website and follow the progress of Flutter, as you’ve posted videos of a number of rehearsals going back nearly a year.

Megan V. Sprenger: Over the past ten years the internet has definitely played an increased role in the dance industry. In particular, crowdsourcing platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and RocketHub and video sharing websites like Vimeo and YouTube have changed the way dances are made, promoted, and shared. I would also add that popular culture interest in dance through television shows like So You Think You Can Dance have significantly shifted how dance is viewed and appreciated across the country.

twi-ny: In your free time, if you have any, do you try to keep up with what’s going on in the dance world, or do you prefer to see other types of art and live performance?

Megan V. Sprenger: I try to see as many dance performances as possible. That’s honestly one of the things I miss most about working at New York Live Arts, where I was constantly exposed to new work and artistic voices.

twi-ny: Are there any companies that you consider a must-see?

Megan V. Sprenger: Must-sees? That’s a really hard question. I suppose I would just encourage people to try something new. I vary rarely regret going to a show that I know very little about or created by an artist I am not familiar with.

FIAF FALL FSTVL: CROSSING THE LINE

Eliane Radigue and Xavier Veilhan’s SYSTEMA OCCAM kicks off FIAF’s seventh annual Crossing the Line festival

French Institute Alliance Française and other locations
Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th St. between Madison & Park Aves.
Le Skyroom and FIAF Gallery, 22 East 60th St. between Madison & Park Aves.
September 19 – October 13, free – $30
212-355-6160
www.fiaf.org

Curators Lili Chopra, Simon Dove, and Gideon Lester have once again put together an impressive, wide-ranging program for the Crossing the Line festival, now in its seventh year. Sponsored by the French Institute Alliance Française and taking place there as well as at other venues around the city, CTL features cutting-edge art, dance, music, theater, discussion, and more from an international collection of multidisciplinary performers, with many events free and nothing costing more than $30. The twenty-five-day festival begins September 19 with electronic music composer Eliane Radigue and artist Xavier Veilhan collaborating on Systema Occam (Florence Gould Hall, $30), a multimedia performance installation that is part of CTL’s “New Settings” series, a joint venture with Hermès; the fashion company will be hosting Martine Fougeron’s “Teen Tribe” photo exhibition at the Gallery at Hermès from September 20 to November 8. In Capitalism Works for Me! True/False (September 20, October 6-9, free), Steve Lambert will keep score in Times Square as people vote on whether capitalism indeed works for them. The award-winning Nature Theater of Oklahoma presents episodes 4.5 and 5 at FIAF of their massive undertaking, Life and Times (September 20-21, $30), accompanied by the FIAF Gallery show “10fps,” consisting of 1,343 hand-colored drawings (September 21 – November 2, free). For “The Library,” Fanny de Chaillé invites people to FIAF’s Haskell Library on September 24 and 26 and the NYPL’s Jefferson Market Branch on September 27 (free), where they can choose books that are actually men and women who will share their stories verbally one on one.

Boyzie Cekwana and Panaibra Canda look at postcolonial Africa in THE INKOMATI (DIS)CORD

In The Inkomati (dis)cord (September 25-26, New York Live Arts, $20), Boyzie Cekwana and Panaibra Canda use contemporary dance to examine postcolonial Africa. De Chaillé teams up with Philippe Ramette for Passage à l’acte / Acting Out (September 26-28, Invisible Dog, $30), using absurdist human sculpture to “rationalize the irrational.” Dancer and choreographer Nora Chipaumire will perform the CTL-commissioned solo piece rite riot (October 3-5, Le Skyroom, $30), exploring African stereotypes, collaborating with writer Teju Cole and visual artist Wangechi Mutu. Pascal Rembert’s large-scale A (micro) history of world economics, danced (October 11-13, La MaMa, $20) features New Yorkers discussing how the financial crisis impacted their lives. The festival also includes works by Annie Dorsen, Ernesto Pujol and Carol Becker, Bouchra Ouizguen, Tim Etchells, and Kyle deCamp and Joshua Thorson, in addition to a series of talks and conversations.