Summer 2000 Newsletter from New York CityBy Jennifer Leake Ó
It’s summer in New York City (NYC) now, a time for loads of outdoor dance festivals and every reason to go out and enjoy them. But while you’re pondering the endless list of shows to see don’t forget that Australians are down under counting the days leading up to Sydney 2000 Olympics (www.olympics.com.au). [forum] You may ask what Australia has to do with New York. Not a lot, except that Sydney-siders would like their home to be thought of as the second most exciting city in the world, after NYC, and I have just decided to leave my snug little Manhattan home with the roof garden in favor of moving to Sydney. So it’s goodbye to my edition of the New York newsletter and hello to a new Sydney-based newsletter. Thanks for stopping in for a look! Before I go, here’s an outline of New York’s dance festivities...
New York City’s Summer Highlights (Aug-Sep) Central Park Summerstage Festival Lincoln Center Lower Manhattan Cultural Council New York International Fringe Festival Joyce Theatre World Trade Center The greatest escape from NYC I managed to find while looking around for peace, quiet AND great dancing was the annual Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
New York City’s Dance Highlights (Sep 2000 - May 2001) Rennie Harris Puremovement
performs Rome & Jewels [forum] PP Dance makes it’s NYC debut with Bagne (French
for "slammer") Dayton Contemporary
Dance Company brings 3 premieres: Children of the
Passage (Donald McKayle & Ronald K. Brown), Sets &
Chasers (Kevin Ward) and a new piece by Dwight Rhoden
Merce Cunningham Dance
Company presents new and existing repertory and an open
rehearsal. Sydney Dance Company
returns to New York with Air & Other Invisible Forces Doug Varone & Dancers will spend 3 weeks in residence
at New York’s Lower Eastside
Tenement Museum (home to over 7000 people from 20 nations,
1863–1935). Weblink: www.ticketweb.com Ballet Hispanico will present a world premiere by choreographer
Ramon Oller, from Barcelona. The troupe’s principal dancer,
Pedro Ruiz, show his new work. Diavolo Dance Theater
will make its New York debut. Altogether Different Festival 2001: 7 companies including
Armitage Gone!Dance (Karole Armitage), Irene Hultman’s Allstars,
Mark Dendy Dance & Theater, Wally Cardona Quartet, Chamecki/Lerner,
John Jasperse Company and Montreal’s Compagnie Flak will
strut their stuff. Paul Taylor Dance Company
with 2 New York premieres. The first is Fiends Angelical
to George Crumb’s music titled Black Angels. The
second premiere will be announced later. Other "Taylor"
works are also on the program. James Sewell Ballet,
from Minneapolis, brings Made in America and Moving
Works to New York. The third premiere still needs a title. Merce Cunningham Dance
Company will present a world premiere alongside other
Cunningham works including Summerspace, RainForest,
Biped and the New York premiere of Interscape.
[forum] France Moves: contemporary French dance hits New York
performance spaces including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s
Gilman Opera House, the Joyce Theater, the Kitchen, Dance Theater
Workshop (DTW), the New Victory Theater and Danspace. There will
also be 2 film festivals, at BAM’s Rose Theater and Alliance
Francaise, workshops, discussions and symposiums. France’s Compagnie Josef Nadj makes it’s
US debut with Les Veilleurs. Ballet Preljocaj
to present Paysage après la Bataille. World premiere of Boris Eifman’s Don Juan For more dance goings-on, see the list of highlighted venues in the previous newsletter.
If someone were to ask me what the dance highlights during my two years in New York were, I’d have a hard time answering the question. Merce Cunningham’s Biped [forum] mesmerized me, with its fascinating use of technology (computer images) alongside live dancers. I enjoyed getting to know the downtown Manhattan scene, one of my favorite artists being the humorous and imaginative Doug Elkins and his dancers. Everything I saw at Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) was exciting, new and diverse. White Oak left my spirits soaring -- the group is made up of fabulous performers -- and the works of Mark Morris [forum], frequently performed by White Oak, made me chuckle. Australia’s Lucy Guerin [forum] showed me the mix of colors in her choreographic spectrum, as did fellow Australian Natalie Weir [forum]. New York City Ballet performed Twyla Tharp’s new Beethoven Seventh [forum] with such high-pitched energy that I sat on the edge of my chair. Netherlands Dans Theater (NDT) [forum] reminded me that Holland often remains on the cutting edge when it comes to new ideas in dance. And finally, American Ballet Theater was totally convincing in Anastasia. What you hear is true; New York simply never sleeps. It isn’t easy for me to leave behind such an interesting cultural tapestry. From now on I’ll envy every one of you with the opportunity to stop in the Big Apple and douse yourself in dance. Please let criticaldance.com readers learn of anything you can’t resist writing about so we can share your experiences with you. "Life can be so much fun if you just keep on dancing in the light!"
Please join us in our forum for a discussion of the above news events or click on any of the [forum] links above for the corresponding topic. Edited by Azlan Ezaddin |
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New
York’s Summer is Sydney’s Winter
Aug 14-26: 