this week in dance

RUBIN MUSEUM VIRTUAL BLOCK PARTY: AN ONLINE COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

The Rubin Museum’s annual block party goes virtual this year

Who: Tsherin Sherpa, Sneha Shrestha, Tenzin Phuntsog, Yakpo Collective, Uttam Grandhi, YindaYin Coaching, Day Schildkret, Kate Johnson, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Ajna Dance, Samira Sadeque and the Bangladesh Academy of Fine Arts, more
What: Virtual block party
Where: Rubin Museum online
When: Sunday, September 20, free, noon (available through Setpember 27)
Why: The Rubin Museum chose quite a year to explore the concept of impermanence as the country goes through the Covid-19 crisis, massive wildfires, protests over police brutality, and the loss of too many cultural and political icons. The Rubin, which specializes in the art and culture of the Himalayan regions, is open, but its annual block party is being held online, taking place September 20 beginning at noon, with all events free. The symbol for the 2020 festival is the lotus, which represents purity, fortune, prosperity, rebirth, and spiritual enlightenment, things we can all use these days. The afternoon will feature studio visits with Tsherin Sherpa, Sneha Srethsa, Tenzin Phuntzog, Yakpo Collective, and Uttam Grandhi; mindfulness practices with Kate Johnson, Reimagine, Day Schildkret, and New York Yoga + Life magazine; art-making with YindaYin Coaching; interactive classes with Brooklyn Raga Massive and Ajna Dance; activism and advocacy with India Home; and performances by Sonam Kids and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. You can also visit the beautiful institution with timed tickets; the current exhibitions include “Masterworks of Himalayan Art,” “The Lotus Effect: A Participatory Installation for Times of Transformation,” “Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power,” “Measure Your Existence,” “Charged with Buddha’s Blessings: Relics from an Ancient Stupa,” and “Gateway to Himalayan Art.”

NATIONAL DANCE DAY: SC7NARIO

Who: Tyler Hanes, Virgil ‘Lil O’ Gadson, Alex Wong, Max Clayton, Ryan Steele, Karla Garcia, Amber Ardolino, Christine Cornish Smith, Terk Lewis, Francesca Granell, Ryan Breslin, Blair Beasley, JJ Butler, Lauren Butler, Damian Chambers, Reanna Comstock, Adam Coy, Alexa De Barr, Joseph Fierberg, Lexi Garcia, David Guzman, Jordan Fife Hunt, Erin Kei, Major King, Katie Laduca, John Manolis, Mateo Melendez, Hamilton Moore, Nicolette Pappas, Whitney Renee, Madeline Rodrigue, Hilary Smith, Katherine Stanas, Ryan VanDenBoom, Richard Westfahl, Gabriella Whiting
What: Livestream premiere of dance film
Where: BroadwayHD
When: Saturday, September 19, free
Why: You can celebrate National Dance Day on September 19 by checking out the premiere of SC7NARIO, an eighteen-minute film choreographed by Banji Aborisade and directed by Aborisade and Moogie Brooks that features more than three dozen performers from Broadway and off Broadway moving and grooving to a score by Mason Bonner. The narrative involves a writer in a cafe working on a new tale that suddenly comes alive around him. The film was shot at Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters in Greenpoint prior to the pandemic; Barton Cortright served as cinematographer and editor, with costumes by Kathryn Bailey. A subscription service, BroadwayHD will also be streaming such shows as An American in Paris, 42nd Street, Cats, Fame, Pippin, the Royal Ballet’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland and The Nutcracker, and other productions as part of National Dance Day.

LEANING INTO THE UNKNOWN: AN ARTIST’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Who: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Mignolo Dance, Christy E. O’Connor, Dimitri Reyes, Lisa Campbell
What: Livestream broadcast
Where: Ramapo College Berrie Center YouTube channel
When: Saturday, September 19 & 26, free (donations accepted for the Contemporary Arts Fund or the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund through the Ramapo Foundation), 8:00
Why: The New Jersey arts community responds to the pandemic lockdown with “Leaning into the Unknown,“ two evenings of dance, spoken word, and performance art hosted by Ramapo College’s Berrie Center. On September 19 at 8:00, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company of Fort Lee will perform Ripple Effect, Desk and I, Phase II, Emissary of Light, and Tomorrow, along with poet Marina Carreira of Union and performance artist Christy E. O’Connor of Middletown. The lineup for September 26 features Mignolo Dance of Metuchen, spoken word artist Dimitri Reyes of Kearny, and the Moving Architects of Montclair. Each evening will conclude with a live Q&A with the artists, moderated by Berrie Center director Lisa Campbell. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the Contemporary Arts Fund or the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund through the Ramapo Foundation.

EMILY JOHNSON: THE WAYS WE LOVE AND THE WAYS WE LOVE BETTER — MONUMENTAL MOVEMENT TOWARD BEING FUTURE BEING(S)

Emily Johnson rehearses for site-specific livestreamed performance on Jeffrey Gibson installation at Socrates Sculpture Park (courtesy the artists and Socrates Sculpture Park; photo by Audrey Dimola)

Who: Angel Acuña, Nia-Selassi Clark, Linda La, Denaysha Macklin, Annie Ming-Hao Wang, Angelica Mondol Viana, Ashley Pierre-Louis, Katrina Reid, Kim Savarino, Sasha Smith, Stacy Lynn Smith, Paul Tsao, Kim Velsey, Sugar Vendil, Emily Johnson/Catalyst
What: Livestreamed site-specific performance from Socrates Sculpture Park
Where: Socrates Sculpture Park Facebook and Zoom
When: Wednesday, September 16, free, 6:45
Why: The centerpiece of Socrates Sculpture Park’s “Monuments Now” exhibition, which comes along at a time when statues across the country are being torn down because of the honorees’ real or perceived ties to slavery, racism, misogyny, or colonialism, is Jeffrey Gibson’s Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House, a three-level pyramid-like psychedelic structure of plywood, wheatpaste posters, steel, and LEDs, with pronouncements on all four sides: “The Future Future Future Is Present Present Present,” “Respect Indigenous Land Land Land,” “Numbers Numbers Numbers Too Too Too Big to Ignore,” and, simply and to the point, “Power.” Gibson, a Colorado-born Mississippi Choctaw-Cherokee painter and sculptor who received a 2019 MacArthur Foundation Genius grant and is based in Hudson, New York, incorporates elements of the pre-Columbian Mississippian architecture of the ancient city of Cahokia, queer camp aesthetics, and the Serpent Mound of Ohio in the forty-four-foot-high structure. In addition to the massive work, which can be seen from quite a distance away, Gibson has curated events that activate the sculpture. Violinist and visual artist Laura Ortman (White Mountain Apache) played atop the ziggurat on July 24; on September 16, Bessie Award-winning multidisciplinary artist, land and water protector, social justice activist, and Guggenheim Fellow Emily Johnson will host a special evening that seeks to offer regeneration, renewal, and transformation during these challenging times.

Jeffrey Gibson’s Because Once You Enter My House It Becomes Our House will be the site of a special performance on September 16 (photo courtesy Emily Johnson)

Johnson, who was born in Alaska of Yup’ik descent, creates immersive, interactive works, such as Niicugni, Shore, and The Thank-You Bar, that combine dance with other artistic forms, constructed around a deeply heartfelt connection with the natural environment, civic responsibility, and Indigenous cultures. In August 2017, Johnson presented Then a Cunning Voice and a Night We Spend Gazing at Stars, an overnight gathering on Randall’s Island that included storytelling, dance, discussions, kinstillatory rituals, and the preparing and eating of food. For The Ways We Love and the Ways We Love Better — Monumental Movement Toward Being Future Being(s), taking place September 16 at 6:45 at Socrates Sculpture Park, Johnson is unable to bring together a large, participatory group in person because of the pandemic; the park will be closed to the public during the performance, but it will be livestreamed over Facebook and Zoom, where people can form a virtual community. The event begins at the shore of the East River estuary with words from artist and activist Nataneh River, after which Johnson will walk to Gibson’s installation, where she and Angel Acuña, Nia-Selassi Clark, Linda La, Denaysha Macklin, Annie Ming-Hao Wang, Angelica Mondol Viana, Ashley Pierre-Louis, Katrina Reid, Kim Savarino, Sasha Smith, Stacy Lynn Smith, Paul Tsao, Kim Velsey, and Sugar Vendil will activate the work through storytelling, invocation, movement, and light. The evening concludes with the planting of tobacco in tribute to the land, which was previously known as Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenapeyok people. The event is free, but donations can be made to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Covid-19 Relief Fund in conjunction with the performance.

“Monuments Now” continues through the end of the month with Paul Ramírez Jonas’s communal grill Eternal Flame and Xaviera Simmons’s word-based The structure the labor the foundation the escape the pause as well as Nona Faustine’s cancel-culture billboard In Praise of Famous Men No More, with the second and third parts of the exhibit, “Call and Response” and “The Next Generation,” arriving in October; you can see a slideshow of the current works here. Johnson’s next Kinstillatory Mappings in Light and Dark Matter outdoor ceremonial fires at Abrons Arts Center are scheduled for October 8, November 12, and December 10 at 7:00.

#MetLiveArts: OUR LABYRINTH

Our Labyrinth will be livestreamed from the Met on three successive Wednesdays in September

Who: Lee Mingwei, Bill T. Jones
What: Site-specific performances of Our Labyrinth at the Met
Where: #MetLiveArts YouTube
When: Wednesday, September 16, 23, 30, free, noon – 4:30
Why: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is open again, but the programming is still taking place primarily online. Its latest livestream makes use of the galleries in a unique way. On September 16, 23, and 30, Taiwanese-American artist Lee Mingwei will team up with legendary dancer-choreographer and New York Live Arts artistic director Bill T. Jones for the durational performance piece Our Labyrinth. The work was inspired by a trip Mingwei took to Myanmar, where he visited religious sites and was overtaken by the gesture of removing one’s shoes before entering and the care volunteers took to keep the sacred space immaculate. Mingwei, who lives and works in Paris and New York City, debuted Our Labyrinth in 2015 at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and has brought further versions to the eleventh Shanghai Biennale, Centre Pompidou in Paris, Museum MACAN in Jakarta, and Gropius Bau in Berlin. At the Met, each performance will feature a different dancer, sweeping rice with a broom into an improvised path, joined by a trio of experimental vocalists and musicians; the participants are listed below.

In a statement, Mingwei explained, “I conceived Our Labyrinth as an embrace between creation and destruction. The current iteration, enriched and empowered by Bill’s gift, is an offering to those who ever lived on this sacred land known as Mannahatta, as well as to every artist who collectively and unknowingly created the Metropolitan Museum, Spirit House of Mannahatta.” Jones added, “The work does not really need my intervention. However, there is profound meaning in doing this work at this particular moment in New York, which has experienced tremendous loss and social upheaval, oscillating between devastation and hope for the future. I am trying to understand what makes this series of performances distinctly New York, and what makes it distinctly New York now.” Of course, Our Labyrinth was created to be performed with an audience physically and spiritually connecting with it, so we’re curious to see how that transforms to online viewing, which cannot offer the same kind of immersion.

Wednesday, September 16
I-Ling Liu, Raggamuffin (Jesse White), David Thomson, with Holland Andrews, the Great Hall

Wednesday, September 23
Nayaa Opong, Brian “HallowDreamz” Henry, Huiwang Zhang, with Justin Hicks, Gallery 206, Asian Art

Wednesday, September 30
Sara Mearns, Linda LaBeija, DeAngelo Blanchard, Linda LaBeija, with Alicia Hall Moran, Gallery 700, the Charles Engelhard Court, the American Wing

XXV INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL OF MIAMI

Who: Dance companies from the Miami area and around the world
What: Livestreamed performances
Where: International Ballet Festival of Miami
When: September 11-13, $10 for twenty-four-hour access to one performance
Why: Since August 15, the XXV International Ballet Festival of Miami has been showcasing prerecorded works by such companies as Ballet Parque del Conocimiento from Argentina, Ballet Metropolitano de Medellin from Colombia, the Estonian National Ballet, Lyric Dance Company from Italy, Ballet Philippines, SNG Opera Ballet Ljubljana from Slovenia, Ballet Flamenco La Rosa from America, and others. The festival concludes with a trio of livestreamed shows that begin each night at 8:00; tickets are $10 for twenty-four-hour access. On September 11, “Contemporary Performance” consists of works by Dance NOW Miami, Dance Town Miami, Ballet Inc, Ballet Flamenco la Rosa, Whole Project, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami; on September 12, “Classical Gala” features members of Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami, Houston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet in famous classical and neo-classical pieces, along with the presentation of the “A Life for Dance” Lifetime Achievement Award to dancer, teacher, choreographer, and author Dr. Daniel Lewis; and on September 13, dancers from around the world will gather virtually for the “Closing Gala of the Stars.”

TABLE OF SILENCE PROJECT 9/11

Special “Table of Silence Project” performance ritual of peace returns for tenth year to Josie Robertson Plaza but can only be viewed virtually (photo courtesy Lincoln Center)

Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center
65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Friday, September 11, free, 7:55 – 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 one hundred dancers on Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center. But it has to be reconfigured this year because of the pandemic lockdown; it will be shown virtually on Facebook and YouTube, as no audience is permitted on the plaza. On Friday morning from 7:55 to 8:46, the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center, BDT, Lincoln Center, and Dance/NYC will present a new, live prologue featuring two dozen socially distanced dancers from BDT, Ailey II, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Ballet Hispánico’s BHdos, the Juilliard School, Limón Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, and other professional dancers circling Lincoln Center’s Revson Fountain, with original music by electric violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and spoken-word poetry by Marc Bamuthi Joseph (from the Kennedy Center in DC), with BDT cofounder and principal dancer Terese Capucilli serving as bell master; opening remarks by special guests; an excerpt from Buglisi’s 2001 Requiem, which was choreographed as an immediate response to the attacks; the world premiere of the three-minute film Études by Nel Shelby Productions, highlighting 150 dancers from around the world who recorded their own “Table of Silence” pieces last month; a video of the full 2019 performance; and a call for peace in honor of the tenth anniversary of the work.

“This reimagining is a powerful message for healing as we struggle with the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice. We honor all those whose lives are impacted by the crises our country is facing,” BDT artistic director Jacqulyn Buglisi said in a statement. “Expressing so much of what makes us human, the project’s message of peace and healing is far-reaching and holds great relevance today, in addition to the 9/11 commemoration. It strives to be a transformative experience that reveals the strength and resilience of our collective society.” This year also includes a meditation variation and live chat that took place on September 6 and can be viewed above. Admission is free but you can donate to the project here.