this week in dance

AN EVENING WITH GIBNEY COMPANY: GIBNEY’S 2021 VIRTUAL GALA

Who: Gibney Company
What: Thirtieth anniversary benefit gala
Where: Gibney online
When: Tuesday, June 30, free – $30, 7:30
Why: Founded in 1991 by choreographer Gina Gibney, Gibney Dance will be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary as a socially active company with a virtual gala on June 30 at 7:30. The evening will feature the world premiere of the dance film Dream Scenarium, by choreographic associate Rena Butler and performed by the newly expanded troupe, along with a look at both the history and future of Gibney Dance. Admission is free, although donations of $30 (or any amount) will gladly be accepted.

DANIEL GWIRTZMAN DANCE COMPANY: DANCE WITH US

Who: Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company with special guests Seán Curran, Michael Novak, Dante Puleio, and Tiffany Rea-Fisher
What: New dance films and launch of dance platform
Where: Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company Zoom
When: June 25-27, free with RSVP, 7:00
Why: “Contemporary dance has been seeping more and more into the mainstream culture for decades, enhanced with the advent of shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars,” dancer, choreographer, and educator Daniel Gwirtzman said in a statement. “With the proliferation of dance online, increased exponentially during the pandemic, more people are arguably seeing contemporary dance than ever. And an appetite for innovative choreography is a byproduct of this exposure. The development of Dance with Us was in place years before the pandemic, with resources that have been created over the past two decades, an extension of programming we have offered as a company since our inception in 1998. We have long been committed to conversing about dance, empowering audiences to trust their opinions, and gain more knowledge of dance in pursuit of expanding one’s dance literacy. The ubiquity of dance on film, finding more currency in popular culture, is not going to change. This platform gives everyone, regardless of their exposure to dance, tools to use to speak about dance, encouraging them to understand their viewpoint is as valid as that of an ‘expert.’ At this moment when there is so much dance to see, this platform seeks to serve as a how-to primer.”

The New York-based Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company is launching the educational digital platform Dance with Us with a series of special events June 25-27, all free with RSVP. Gwirtzman will host each evening, joined by Paul Taylor Dance Company artistic director Michael Novak, accompanied by Limón Dance Company artistic director Dante Puleio the first night, Elisa Monte Dance artistic director Tiffany Rea-Fisher the second, and Seán Curran Company artistic director Curran the third. The presentation will begin at 6:45 with an online slideshow, followed at 7:00 with Amuse-Bouche: Parade; screenings of two short dance films recorded last August in Newfield, New York, Willow, set to Scott Joplin’s “Weeping Willow,” and Dollhouse, set to George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” played by pianist Jonny May; a virtual tour of the new website and the Library, which holds DGDC’s archives; a look at the Fantasyland Project; and a sneak peek at such upcoming works as Castillo, Adrift, and Dandelion. There will be an interactive live discussion at 8:00, and the program will conclude at 8:30 with an after-party that includes learning how to do the Bus Stop. “I don’t want to see any more dances of dancers in their living rooms,” Gwirtzman wrote to troupe members last summer about the Fantasyland Project, which also relates to Dance with Us. “I think this moment in time is one in which we all are fantasizing: about life before, and after, the pandemic. To the extent that this project can reflect the urgent events shaping all of our lives — how this theme of utopia and harmony fits against the current climate — is something the company is interested in investigating.”

HARLEM AIR SHAFT

The collaborative Harlem Air Shaft features art, dance, music, spoken word, and activism

Who: James Brandon Lewis, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Kwami Coleman, Todd Bryant Weeks, Bianca Cosentino, Dolores Sanchez, Emily Tellier, Omari Wiles
What: Experimental multidisciplinary street performance ritual exploring links between jazz and memory in Harlem
Where: 126th & 125th Sts. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
When: Thursday, June 24, free, 5:00
Why: Conceived by new media artist Justin Randolph Thompson, choreographer Stefanie Nelson, and visual artist Bradly Dever Treadaway, Harlem Air Shaft takes place on June 24 at 5:00, a forty-minute live performance that recalls the rent parties of the 1930s and 1940s. Melding jazz and memory through ritual, the improvisatory, immersive piece features dancers Bianca Cosentino, Dolores Sanchez, Emily Tellier, and Omari Wiles, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, poet Thomas Sayers Ellis, musicologist Kwami Coleman, and jazz union representative Todd Bryant Weeks, paying tribute to the community and local jazz history, including Duke Ellington (whose 1940 composition lends its name to the work), in the neighborhood where Art Kane took his famous “A Great Day in Harlem” photo.

“With Harlem Air Shaft, I continue the work that started with Friskin’ the Whiskers – a performance project I initiated in 2014 which focuses on bringing together people connected to the jazz community to highlight the economic realities in which jazz musicians have to function,” Thompson said in a statement. “Jazz and economy have a long and complicated history where strategies for developing new systems of community support have always been prevalent. The pandemic made evident to all what many of us already knew. To me, the various forms of cultural production as represented by practitioners from different fields in this piece speaks to the constant need for reminding ourselves about art’s inherent social dimension.” Nelson added, “I have a longstanding interest in the fleeting nature of memory, which I have been exploring in numerous projects with my dance ensemble. Justin, who has been my collaborator over the years, gave me an idea of presenting this concept in the context of jazz and the history of this unique neighborhood. We would like for this piece to inspire the memory of Harlem’s resilient past for a more hopeful, community-driven, creative future.” Admission is free, with no RSVP required.

AILEY VIRTUAL SPRING GALA: HOPE, PROMISE, AND THE FUTURE

Kanji Segawa’s Future is part of Alvin Ailey virtual spring gala (photo by Cherylynn Tsushima)

Who: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lonnie G. Bunch III, James E. Clyburn, Michelle Obama, DJ M.O.S., DJ Kiss
What: Virtual gala
Where: Alvin Ailey online
When: Thursday, June 24, free with RSVP, 7:30 (available for forty-eight hours)
Why: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s virtual spring gala looks ahead with a public celebration of “Hope, Promise and the Future.” On June 24 at 7:30, the company, founded in 1958 and dedicated “to further the pioneering vision of the choreographer, dancer, and cultural leader Alvin Ailey by building an extended cultural community which provides dance performances, training and education, and community programs for all people,” will present a special program of dance and recognizing honorees. The evening features works by Ghrai DeVore-Stokes (Hope), Chalvar Monteiro (Promise), and Kanji Segawa (Future), filmed in such locations as Hudson Yards, St. Nicholas Park, and the Unisphere, in addition to artistic director Robert Battle’s For Four, set to Wynton Marsalis’s “Delfeayo’s Dilemma,” and Bird Lives!, a Charlie Parker tribute with Clifton Brown and students from the Ailey School. AAADT will also honor Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III and the late congressman John L. Lewis, the latter with reflections from Congressman James E. Clyburn, excerpts from Jamar Roberts’s March on Washington Film Festival commission In Memory, and an appearance by former first lady Michelle Obama. “Over the past year, we’ve learned to focus on the opportunity of this moment, not the challenges, and the privilege of carrying on the legacy of Alvin Ailey that speaks to all of us,” Battle said in a statement. “Instilled in movement is a message of hope that helps us look towards the bright promise of our future together. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to share Ailey’s inspiring artistry in new dance films and honor a legend of the civil rights movement as we join in a virtual celebration with our community around the world.” The gala will be followed by a dance party with DJ M.O.S. and DJ Kiss. Admission is free with RSVP although donations will be accepted, and the presentation will be available on demand for forty-eight hours.

RASHID JOHNSON: RED STAGE

Creative Time’s Red Stage continues through July 4 at Astor Plaza (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

CREATIVE TIME: THE PEOPLE’S PLATFORM
Astor Plaza
Through July 4, free (some events require advance RSVP and in-person sign-in)
creativetime.org

Since June 5, the nonprofit arts organization Creative Time as been hosting live events in Astor Plaza in celebration of the reopening of New York City and the return of live performance in front of audiences. “Amidst an ongoing global pandemic and multiple human rights crises that have kept the world in isolation and grief, Rashid Johnson’s Red Stage is an emergency call to artists and creatives to experiment, collaborate, and gather in an act of resurgence,” Creative Time associate curator Diya Vij said in a statement. “The minimalist sculpture — akin to a bandshell stage — is rendered in steel and powder-coated in a color Johnson describes as ‘alarm red.’ Its simplicity is imbued with life: The entirety of the surface is marked by Johnson’s hand and the structure holds a vibrancy of thriving living plants. Stewarding this work requires a commitment to engender and nurture life-affirming futures.”

Chicago-born artist Johnson filled the first two weeks of Red Stage with a wide array of events, including Ethan Philbrick’s 15 cellists, Emily Johnson’s The Rising Stomp, Papi Juice’s The Portal, Jason Moran and Total Freedom, poetry, a dance party, karaoke, and community discussion. Coming up are an audio installation, a painting demonstration and workshop, a farmer’s market, a participatory marathon reading, a commencement ceremony honoring the end of the school year, a special Black trans Pride empowerment, and other presentations.

“As the world unevenly experiences the impact of Covid-19, and New York City begins to economically and socially reawaken, Red Stage affords us the opportunity to come together in this complexity to question the idea for a new normal and to envision the potential of truly engaging in public space,” Vij continued. “Red Stage establishes a temporary public-led public space for artists, organizers, and agitators. It is a proposition to the public to occupy space through movement — activation of the body in dance, the breath in song, the fist in protest, and the collective in revolutionary potential.” Everything is free, although some programs require advance RSVP to attend and/or take part in. Below is the full schedule as of June 19.

Monday, June 21
Graphic reading: The People’s Platform, 10:00 am–2:00 pm

Brooklyn Music School, with vocalist and faculty member Emily Tepe performing original works, 3:00- 5:00

An Exploration in Still Life Movement with Black Painters Academy, led by artist and academy founder Azikiwe Mohammed, painting supplies available for first ten people, 5:30 – 6:30

Meditation Journey for Renewal & Emergence with Lana Homeri, 6:00 – 8:00

The first sky is inside you: A sound experience by sunlove, 7:00 -7:45

Tuesday, June 22
GrowNYC Farmer’s Market, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Wednesday, June 23
Graphic reading: The People’s Platform, 10:00 am

Thursday, June 24
Echo Location by Charlotte Brathwaite, intimate public marathon reading of Alexis Pauline Gumb’s Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals, embraced by song, initiated by Brathwaite in collaboration with Sunder Ganglani and y.o.u., 10:00 am – 10:00 pm

Friday, June 25
Graphic reading: The People’s Platform, 10:00 am–2:00 pm

Commencement: A Procession & Ceremony of Gratitude, Reunion, Celebration and the Closing of School Year led by Tiffany Lenoi Jones, 3:00 – 4:30

Graphic reading: The People’s Platform, 5:00

Saturday, June 26
Arts on Site, with the Bang Group, ARKAI Music, Jamal Jackson Dance Company, BOiNK! Dance & Film, and Dual Rivet, 2:30 – 3:30

Live Arts Pride 2021: The House Party, with DJ THELIMITDOESNOTEXIST, Switch n’ Play (Divina GranSparkle, K.James, Nyx Nocturne, the Illustrious Pearl, and Zoe Ziegfeld, hosted by Miss Malice), Bubble_T (Sammy Kim, Keekai, Sina, Kiko Soiree, Snix), Oops! (Chiquitita & West Dakota), Ragga NYC (Shawn Neon, Viva Ruiz, Batalá New York), and Linda La & the Perfect Poison (Linda La, the Perfect Poison, Rozay LaBeija, and guests), introduced by Bill T. Jones, free with RSVP, 4:00 – 8:00

Sunday, June 27
Stonewall Protests Takeover: Black Trans Liberation, with special guests, 10:00 am –

AMPHITHEATER

Jody Oberfelder Projects rehearses Amphitheater prior to June 21 live performance (photo courtesy JOP)

Who: Jody Oberfelder Projects, Frank London Ensemble
What: Live site-specific performance
Where: East River Park Amphitheater
When: Monday, June 21, suggested donation $15, 6:30
Why: The continuing effort to save East River Park includes protecting the bandshell-like amphitheater, which has become an important place of creation during the pandemic. On March 15, choreographer Andrea Miller, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, and New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns released the five-minute short Another Dance Film, in which Mearns, following a cautious approach, propels herself around the mostly empty amphitheater. Last week, in conjunction with Pride month, choreographer, dancer, and activist Ani Taj of the Dance Cartel posted Sunday,, in which Taj arises in the space and cuts loose, with an infectious joy that is enhanced by Daniel Kluger’s galvanizing electronic score.

In an interview, Taj told me, “The amphitheater definitely has a draw for many different artists and communities. It’s a versatile public space that gets shared and repurposed in meaningful ways. I’ve loved seeing how many different ways people have used that space through the pandemic, especially since outdoor spaces have become so treasured during this time — on the day we were shooting alone, we saw folx doing workouts, having meetings, performing outdoor comedy shows, impromptu dance parties. . . . The architecture of the amphitheater definitely drew us, since it has a certain geometric framing that seems to invite movement and a camera — and of course being by water and open air, in a time of such confinement, was appealing. But I think the main draw was that energetically, it’s a space that can hold many different expressive and social dynamics, gatherings — and that’s what we wanted to make contact with and honor in this project. An open-air theater, as a container for everything that we were missing, felt right.”

On June 21 at 6:30, the Manhattan-based company Jody Oberfelder Projects will activate the space, hosting a public gathering with a live performance and an audience amid the summer solstice. Amphitheater is choreographed by Oberfelder, whose site-specific work includes 4Chambers on Governors Island, The Brain Piece at New York Live Arts, Object Place (for Astor Place), and On the Move Shortly in London’s St. Pancras Station. Amphitheater will be performed by Emily Giovine, Jade Manns, Daniel Morimoto, Maya Orchin, and Mark Willis, with an original score composed by Grammy-winning klezmer-jazz bandleader Frank London, featuring London on trumpet, Javier Diaz on percussion, Brian Drye on trombone, and Marcus Rojas on tuba. The event will begin with a land acknowledgement by Bessie Award-winning multidisciplinary artist and Guggenheim Fellow Emily Johnson of the Yup’ik Nation, who has been at the forefront of the fight to save East River Park, and a poem by poet, author, arts journalist, filmmaker, activist, and Guggenheim Fellow Eileen Myles.

The work “challenges the pending demolition of this fifty-acre park that transformed Lower Manhattan more than eighty years ago through inscribing the space with our movement inspired from human connections,” Oberfelder explains in a press release. “We believe it is time to be happy again and reconnect with our community through our common joie de vivre, our passion for dance.” Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $15.

BROADWAY BARES 2021: TWERK FROM HOME

Who: More than 170 dancers, Harvey Fierstein, J. Harrison Ghee, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Robyn Hurder, Peppermint, Jelani Remy
What: Annual benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Where: Broadway Cares, YouTube
When: Sunday, June 20, free, 9:00
Why: Last year, the annual “Broadway Bares” benefit, in which performers take it off for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, went virtual, and the 2021 edition follows suit with “Twerk from Home.” On June 20 at 9:00, vaxxed and waxed performers will show us what they got from their homes, where they’ve spent so much of the past fifteen months because of the pandemic lockdown, and from across the city now that we are opening up again. Directed by “Bares” creator and Tony winner Jerry Mitchell with codirectors Laya Barak and Nick Kenkel, the free evening features more than a dozen high-concept videos from choreographers Barak, Kenkel, John Alix, Al Blackstone, Frank Boccia, Karla Garcia, Jonathan Lee, Ray Mercer, Dylan Pearce, Jenn Rose, Luis Salgado, Michael Lee Scott, Gabriella Sorretino, Kellen Stancil, Rickey Tripp, and James Alonzo White, with appearances by more than 170 dancers, leading up to a grand finale recorded in Times Square.

Donations are strongly encouraged if you can afford it; 2020’s online event raised more than half a million dollars, which sounds great until you realize that the 2019 in-person benefit took in more than two mil. “Being back with the ‘Broadway Bares’ family to create ‘Twerk from Home’ has been an incredible reminder of how beautiful our theater community is, both inside and out,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Creating one more virtual edition of our beloved celebration in safe environments reinforces our belief that the best way to take care of ourselves is to take care of each other.” In addition, there will be special appearances by Harvey Fierstein, J. Harrison Ghee, Jay Armstrong Johnson (in a revealing opener), Robyn Hurder, Peppermint (in a new song, “Strip”), and Jelani Remy.