Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring. One of the Jacob's Pillow casts (L to R): Leslie Andrea Williams, Anne Souder, So Young An, Laurel Dalley Smith, Marzia Memoli, Jacob Larsen, and Charlotte Landreau. Photo: Grace Kathryn Landefeld When Janet Eilber, artistic director of the Martha Graham Dance Company, stepped through Jacob’s Pillow’s front curtain to introduce the group’s performance, she … [Read more...]
A Ballerina Adventures in Postmodern Worlds
Sarah Mearns in Martha Graham's Ekstasis. Photo: Grace Kathryn Landefeld It wouldn’t be entirely fair to call Sara Mearns a force of nature, given her discipline, her skills as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, and her interest in exploring new possibilities. However having seen her perform August 14-18 in Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Theater, I’m strenuously tempted. The … [Read more...]
Borne on the Winds
Members of Gallim in Andrea Miller's Boat. Photo: Grace Kathryn Landefeld The tall, robust, gray-haired man standing outside Jacob’s Pillow’s Ted Shawn Theater during intermission is explaining his reaction to Andrea Miller’s Boat to two attentive listeners. The members of her company, Gallim, he says, never stand still! He can’t get over that. It’s not entirely true, of course. The eight … [Read more...]
What Stands May Fall
Cellist Maya Beiser (L) and Wendy Whelan in Lucinda Childs's the day. Photo: Hayim Heron I didn’t read Maura Keefe’s program essay while sitting in Jacob’s Pillow’s Doris Duke Theater, waiting for the day to start. I didn’t read the program note by the versatile and highly regarded cellist Maya Beiser. I didn’t read the spoken text that was part of David Lang’s score. And, once the … [Read more...]
Anthologizing Abraham
Kyle Abraham's Drive. (L to R): Tamisha Guy, Catherine Ellis Kirk, Donovan Reed, Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Marcella Lewis, Matthew Baker, Claude "CJ" Johnson, and (hidden) Jada Jenai Williams. Photo: Grace Kathryn Landefeld When I watch a dance that I’ve also seen a few years earlier, I perceive it differently. Maybe I hear it differently too. Has it changed? Maybe. Have I changed? Of course. So … [Read more...]
The Worlds of Mark Morris
Mark Morris's Sport. Standing (L to R): Domingo Estrada, Jr., Lauren Grant, Aaron Loux, Lesley Garrison, Christina Sahaida, and Dallas McMurray. Photo: Christopher Duggan Mark Morris can be a playful fellow, and for his latest work, Sport, he collaborated with a playful musician, who was no longer living. Erik Satie wrote his Sports et Divertissements in 1914 (an unfortunate date) and … [Read more...]
Grace and Mercy Come Together
Annique Roberts begins Ronald K. Brown / Evidence's Grace in Bard College's Sosnoff Theater. Photo: Julieta Cervantes I think I first saw Ronald K. Brown’s Grace twenty years ago when it was brand new and performed by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company. Last week I saw it again, when it opened the 2019 SummerScape Festival at Bard College, this time performed by the choreographer’s own … [Read more...]
Cunningham Abroad
Compagnie CNDC-Angers/Robert Swinston visits Jacob's Pillow Carlo Schiavo of Compagnie CNDC-Angers/Robert Swinston in Merce Cunningham's Suite for Five. Photo: Christopher Duggan Once upon a time, Merce Cunningham wrote about the dancing that mattered to him: “[y]ou do not separate the human being from the actions he does, or the actions that surround him, but you can see what it is like to … [Read more...]
Dancing in the Green
Attendees enjoying the Jacob's Pillow "campus." Photo: Grace Kathryn Landefield It rained the day before the Jacob’s Pillow Gala. It rained the day after the Jacob’s Pillow Gala. Fortunately, the rain gods were too busy elsewhere to cause trouble in Becket, Massachusetts on Saturday the 15th of June at 5:00 P.M. Pink umbrellas hung on the chairs for the banquet in the gigantic tent, just … [Read more...]
Tharp Times Three
American Ballet Theatre's Tharp Trio at Lincoln Center, May 30-June 3 Twyla Tharp's Deuce Coupe. American Ballet Theatre dancers (L to R): Luis Ribagorda, Catherine Hurlin, Claire Davison, Isabella Boylston, and James Whiteside. Photo: Gene Schiavone Does anyone dare to call Giselle dated? I doubt it. It’s a centuries-old classic that’s had numerous facelifts. I don’t often wish myself … [Read more...]