this week in dance

MIGUEL GUTIERREZ: SUEÑO

Miguel Gutierrez and others will perform sueño on the High Line next week (photo by Marley Trigg Stewart)

Who: Miguel Gutierrez, Justin Faircloth, Estado Flotante, Johnnie Cruise Mercer Jr, Seta Morton, Angie Pittman, Christopher Ralph, Kim Savarino, Santiago Venegas, Rosana Cabán
What: Live musical performance of sueño
Where: The High Line at Fourteenth St.
When: September 12-14, free with RSVP
Why: Queens-born, Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Miguel Gutierrez brings his newest work, sueño, to the High Line for three special performances September 12 and 14 at 7:00 and September 13 at 6:00. Gutierrez, whose previous pieces include Sabotage, SADONNA, Age & Beauty, I as another, Unsustainable Solutions: Duet with Dead Dad, and Cela nous concerne tous (This concerns all of us), will play keyboards and sing in both English and Spanish, accompanied by dancers Justin Faircloth, Estado Flotante, Johnnie Cruise Mercer Jr, Seta Morton, Angie Pittman, Christopher Ralph, Kim Savarino, and Santiago Venegas. Rosana Cabán joins Gutierrez with the arrangement, production, and sonic transitions; the lighting is by Alexandra Vásquez Dheming.

The dreamy project features churchlike harmonic songs that explore melancholy and longing, with movement inspired by such choreographers as Ted Shawn and Harald Kreutzberg. Gutierrez also hosts the podcast Are You for Sale? and performs music as the Belleville, explaining, “i make sad songs in weird ways.” With sueño, you can expect the unexpected, in a terrific space.

TABLE OF SILENCE PROJECT: A CALL TO ACTION FOR PEACE

Annual “Table of Silence Project” performance ritual of peace returns for twelfth year to Josie Robertson Plaza (photo courtesy Lincoln Center)

TABLE OF SILENCE PROJECT
Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center
65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Sunday, September 11, free, 8:10 – 8:46 am
www.tableofsilence.org
lincolncenter.org

Every September 11, there are many memorial programs held all over the city, paying tribute to those who were lost on that tragic day while also honoring New York’s endless resiliency. One of the most powerful is Buglisi Dance Theatre’s “Table of Silence Project,” a multicultural public performance ritual for peace that annually features more than one hundred dancers on Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center. It had to be reconfigured during the pandemic but is now back in a hybrid format, available to be experienced in person or streaming live here.

On Sunday morning from 8:10 to 8:46, the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center, BDT will present the full piece, around the Revson Fountain. “The strength of the work is found in the gestures, patterns, and repetition that mirrors our daily lives and is accesssible to all. We would not return to the work each year if it were not so universally meaningful as a tool for storytelling through which the audience can recognize itself,” BDT artistic director Jacqulyn Buglisi, who recently received the President’s Medal from Juilliard, said in a statement. “Your passionate belief makes this ritual a powerful testimonial of freedom for all people suffering oppression and is an imperative at this time in our history.”

CROSSING THE LINE FESTIVAL 2022

Fouad Boussouf’s Näss will be performed at the Joyce as part of FIAF fest (photo © Charlotte Audureau)

CROSSING THE LINE FESTIVAL
FIAF and other locations
55 East 59th St. between Madison & Park Aves.
September 9–October 28, free – $75
212-355-6100
fiaf.org

FIAF’s fifteenth annual Crossing the Line Festival is another journey into exciting, challenging, and experimental music, dance, and theater from the French-speaking world. Running September 9 through October 28, the programs take place at such venues as Abrons Arts Center, New York Live Arts, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, the Joyce, and BAM in addition to FIAF’s Gallery, Florence Gould Hall, and Skyroom.

“For our first year curating this festival, we wanted to honor its founding principles: presenting compelling multidisciplinary art forms throughout the city, bringing acclaimed cutting-edge French and Francophone productions to our shores, and nurturing dialogue between international and New York-based artists,” curators Mathilde Augé and Florent Masse write in a program note. “The fifteenth edition of the festival features a diverse group of audacious artists engaging with the most pressing issues of our time — including gender, sexuality, human connection, race, and climate change — and exploring new territories in performing arts.”

None of the nine live performances — there were supposed to be ten but Caroline Guiela Nguyen’s FRATERNITY, A Fantastic Tale had to be canceled because of visa problems — has ever been seen before in New York, including several North American, US, and world premieres. The mix of dance, theater, art, music, and literature hails from Senegal, France, South Africa, Rwanda, the United States, and Morocco, examining societal change, Vaslav Nijinsky, science, Cheikh Anta Diop, intergenerational culture, the political views of René Char and Frantz Fanon, and a Detroit rave.

In addition, FIAF is hosting the fall open house celebration Fête de la Rentrée, highlighted by an opening reception for Omar Ba’s “Clin d’oeil” art exhibition on September 9 at 6:00 (free with RSVP) and a Sunset Soirée at Le Bain on October 12 at the Standard Hotel (free with RSVP). Below is the full Crossing the Line schedule.

Helena de Laurens stars in Marion Siéfert’s _ jeanne_dark _ at FIAF’s Crossing the Line Festival (photo © Matthieu Bareyre)

September 9 – October 28
Exhibition: “Clin d’oeil,” by Omar Ba, FIAF Gallery, free

Wednesday, September 14, and Thursday, September 15
Theater: _ jeanne_dark _, by Marion Siéfert, starring Helena de Laurens, North American premiere, FIAF Florence Gould Hall, $40, 7:30

Wednesday, September 21
Theater: Traces – Speech to African Nations, by Felwine Sarr and Étienne Minoungou, with Étienne Minoungou and Simon Winsé, New York premiere, Abrons Arts Center, $25, 8:30

Thursday, September 22, through Saturday, September 24
Dance: And so you see… our honourable blue sky and ever enduring sun… can only be consumed slice by slice…, by Robyn Orlin, performed by Albert Ibokwe Khoza, US premiere, New York Live Arts, $15-$35, 7:30

Saturday, September 24
Theater: Freedom, I’ll have lived your dream until the very last day, by Felwine Sarr and Dorcy Rugamba, featuring Marie-Laure Crochant, Majnun, Felwine Sarr, and T.I.E., North American premiere, Florence Gould Hall, $40, 7:30

Bruno Latour and Frédérique Aït-Touati’s Terrestrial Trilogy closes out FIAF fest (photo © zonecritiquecie)

Thursday, September 29, and Friday, September 30
Performance: Fire in the Head, by Christopher Myers, world premiere, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, $20, 7:30

Thursday, October 6, through Saturday, October 8
Dance: The Encounter, by Kimberly Bartosik, performed by Kimberly Bartosik, Claude “CJ” Johnson, Burr Johnson, Joanna Kotze, Ryan Pliss, Kalub Thompson, Mac Twining, River Bartosik-Murray, Logan Farmer, and Ellington Hurd, world premiere, FIAF Skyroom, $30, 7:30

Thursday, October 13, through Saturday, October 15
Dance: CROWD, by Gisèle Vienne, US premiere, BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, $35-$75, 7:30

Tuesday, October 18, through Sunday, October 23
Dance: Näss, by Fouad Boussouf, New York premiere, the Joyce Theater, $20-$55

Thursday, October 27, and Friday, October 28
Theater: The Terrestrial Trilogy, a Performance in Three Parts: Inside, Moving Earths, and Viral, by Bruno Latour and Frédérique Aït-Touati, with special guest Bruno Latour, North American premiere, FIAF Florence Gould Hall, $40

JOHN JASPERSE PROJECTS: VISITATION

Tim Bendernagel and Doug LeCours will perform in John Jasperse’s Visitation at NYU Skriball (photo by Maria Baranova)

VISITATION
NYU Skirball
566 LaGuardia Pl.
September 9-10, $35, 7:30
nyuskirball.org
johnjasperse.org

In a May 2012 twi-ny talk, dance artist John Jasperse said, “I would like to see justice in general in the world. I’d like to think that the work that I make is participating in this greater collective effort. Since money is our primary mutually agreed system of valuation, I would like to see more ethics reflected in how money gets spent in the domain of culture.” For more than thirty years, the Manhattan-based Jasperse, who was born in Rockville, Maryland, and graduated from Sarah Lawrence, where he has been the director of dance since 2016, has been choreographing works that challenge the audience while taking on social issues and exploring personal intimacies. In works such as Misuse Liable to Prosecution, Canyon, Fort Blossom, Truth, Revised Histories, Wishful Thinking, and Flat Out Lies, and Becky, Jodi and John, he walks the fine line between fantasy and reality while delving into the human body and the psyche.

For its first evening-length piece in four years, John Jasperse Projects is making its NYU Skirball debut with the world premiere of Visitation, incorporating spiritualism, the occult, ghosts, and camp. Visitation was created in collaboration with performers Tim Bendernagel, Cynthia Koppe, and Doug LeCours, featuring an original score by Hahn Rowe along with fragments from Richard Wagner. The lighting is by Stan Pressner. Visitation was initially developed over Zoom before in-person rehearsals were deemed safe. In a late 2021 email to supporters, Jasperse explained, “I can’t recall a creative process that has gone through so many twists and turns.” Performances take place September 9 and 10 at 7:30; tickets are $35.

TICKET ALERT: FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL 2022

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform Aszure Barton’s BUSK at Fall for Dance (photo by Paul Kolnik)

FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL
New York City Center
131 West 55th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets go on sale Sunday, August 28, 11:00 am
Festival runs September 21 – October 2, $20
212-581-1212
www.nycitycenter.org

And, they’re off! Sunday morning at 11:00, tickets go on sale for the always hotly anticipated Fall for Dance Festival at City Center. The nineteenth annual event consists of five programs performed twice each over the course of ten days, featuring an international collection of established and emerging companies and choreographers; among the highlights are several live premieres of digital commissions; the festival includes works choreographed by Marius Petipa, Pam Tanowitz, Aszure Barton, Jamar Roberts, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, and Hofesh Shechter, among others. With tickets a mere twenty bucks, the festival sells out extremely quickly, so don’t waste any time and set those alarm clocks. Good luck!

Wednesday, September 21, and Thursday, September 22, 8:00
Program 1
HERVE KOUBI, Boys Don’t Cry, New York premiere, choreography by Hervé Koubi
António Casalinho & Margarita Fernandes, Bavarian State Ballet, Pas de deux from Le Corsaire, choreography by Marius Petipa
Gibney Company, Bliss, North American premiere, choreography by Johan Inger

Friday, September 23, and Saturday, September 24, 8:00
Program 2
Music from the Sole, I Didn’t Come to Stay, choreography and music by Leonardo Sandoval and Gregory Richardson
Melissa Toogood & Herman Cornejo, No Nonsense, New York premiere, choreography by Pam Tanowitz
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, BUSK, choreography by Aszure Barton

Tuesday, September 27, and Wednesday, September 28, 8:00
Program 3
James Gilmer, Morani/Mungu (Black Warrior/Black God), live premiere, choreography by Jamar Roberts
San Francisco Ballet, In the Night, choreography by Jerome Robbins
María Moreno, Tangos & Alegrías, with guest singer María Terremoto, choreography by María Moreno

Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30, 8:00
Program 4
Sara Mearns & Robbie Fairchild, The Two of Us, live New York premiere, choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Indestructible, choreography by Abby Zbikowski
Kyiv City Ballet, Thoughts and Men of Kyiv, New York premiere, choreography by Vladyslav Dobshynskyi, Ivan Kozlov

Saturday, October 1, 8:00, and Sunday, October 2, 3:00
Program 5
Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, in collaboration with Chitrasena Dance Company, Poornāratī, New York premiere, choreography by Surupa Sen
Dutch National Ballet, Variations for Two Couples, choreography by Hans van Manen
Martha Graham Dance Company, CAVE, choreography by Hofesh Shechter

LIVE AT THE ARCHWAY: “iyouuswe III”

White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company will present the denouement of its “iyouuswe” trilogy August 25 at the DUMBO archway (photo courtesy White Wave Dance)

Who: White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company
What: Live at the Archway
Where: DUMBO Archway, 155 Water St. between Anchorage Pl. & Adams St.
When: Thursday, August 25, free (advance RSVP recommended), 6:00
Why: White Wave Young Soon Kim Dance Company, founders/curators of the DUMBO Dance Festival, Wave Rising Series, CoolNY Dance Festival, and SoloDuo Dance Festival, will perform the latest iteration of their longtime work-in-progress “iyouuswe” on August 25 at 6:00 as part of the summer program “Live at the Archway.” The show takes place in the archway under the Manhattan Bridge on Water St.; admission is free but advance RSVP is recommended.

The first section of the work, which as a whole “explores the body’s three dimensions in space” and “the weight of human emotions . . . as chaos propels us to the inevitable collapse of society,” premiered at La MaMa in 2017. The Brooklyn-based troupe presented a virtual version of iyouuswe II in November 2020, filmed on Jones Beach as the tide approaches three dancers. (You can watch it at the sixty-minute mark of this video.) The next iteration occurred this past February at Dixon Place for SoloDuo. For “Live at the Archway,” the denouement of the trilogy will feature Lacey Baroch, Michael Bishop, Sumire Ishige, Casey LaVres, Tess McCharen, Derick McKoy Jr., Jake Nahor, Alexander Sargent, Ellie Swainhart, and John Trunfio, with an original score by Marco Cappelli, additional music by Jim Perkins, Stephan Bodzin, and Angus MacRae, lighting by Yuriy Nayer, dramaturgy by James Leverett, and videography by Sargent.

HARLEM WEEK: A GREAT DAY IN HARLEM AND MORE

Who: Uptown Dance Academy, Unveiled Unlocked, IMPACT Repertory Theatre, Mama Foundation’s Sing Harlem! Choir, the Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! Choir, Lord Nelson, Shemar Levy, Lorenzo Laroc, the Bengsons, Kenny Lattimore, Ray Chew & the Harlem Music Festival All-Star Band
What: Annual Harlem Week celebration
Where: U.S. Grant National Memorial Park, West 122nd St. at Riverside Dr.
When: Sunday, August 14, free, noon – 7:00 pm
Why: One of the centerpieces of Harlem Week is “A Great Day in Harlem,” which takes place Sunday, August 14, as part of the opening weekend of this ten-day summer festival. There will be an international village with booths selling food, clothing, jewelry, and more, as well as live music and dance divided into “Artz, Rootz & Rhythm,” “The Gospel Caravan,” and “the Concert Under the Stars.” Among the performers are the Uptown Dance Academy, Kenny Lattimore, Unveiled Unlocked, IMPACT Repertory Theatre, the Sing Harlem! Choir, the Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! Choir, and electric violinist and composer Lorenzo Laroc. In addition, the Bengsons will play songs from their show Where the Mountains Meet the Sea; there will be a tribute to Tobago-born calypsonian Lord Nelson, with Shemar Levy and Nelson himself; and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album will be honored by Ray Chew & the Harlem Music Festival All-Star Band.

Harlem Week runs August 12-21 with such other events as the Percy Sutton 5K and 1.5-mile Harlem Health Walk (August 13, 8:00 am), Great Jazz on the Great Hill in Central Park with the Jimmy Heath Legacy Band, the Antonio Hart Quartet, and Tammy McCann (August 13, 4:00), the livestreamed Charles B Rangel Systemic Racism Summit (August 16, noon), the ImageNation Outdoor Film Festival (Marcus Garvey Park, August 17, 6:00; St. Nicholas Park, August 20, 6:00), the livestreamed talk “Ta-Nehisi Coates and Dr. Julius Garvey: A Harlem on My Mind Conversation” (August 17, 7:30), the livestreamed Arts & Culture/Broadway Summit (August 18, 3:00), Harlem SummerStage (August 18, 5:30), Summer in the City with the Jeff Foxx Band, Donnell Jones, EPMD, Freddie Jackson, and others (August 20, 1:00), and the grand Harlem Day with Dru Hill, Slick Rick, Doug E Fresh, Levell, Grandmaster Caz & Melle Mel, MJ the Musical, and more. All events are free.