Dancenoise
New York Live Arts
December 12-15
As part of its Live Feed creative residency program, New York Live Arts presents the world premiere of DANCENOISE; Lock ‘em Up!, an evening length work, and collaboration between Anne Iobst and Lucy Sexton, who have worked together since 1983, and have “…created across genre and performed across venues, including nightclubs, experimental black boxes, theaters and museums. In response to the current political climate, the enthralling duo takes the audience captive, delving into their experience of living, resisting, and trying to hang on to a shared humanity in their signature no-holds-barred feminist stage show escapade.  Built on manic choreography, indiscriminate violence, biting up-to-the-minute social commentary, and precise comedic timing, DANCENOISE weaves movement vignettes with outspoken musings that at one moment incite motivation and rage and the next laughter and hope,” according to the release.  Find out more here 
 
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
City Center
November 28 – December 30
The Company’s month-long season continues with programs that offer world premieres: Lazarus by Rennie Harris, The Call by Ronald K. Brown, En by Jessica Lang, and Kairos by Wayne McGregor (Company premiere), plus new productions by Artistic Director Robert Battle (Juba - 2003), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Shelter - 1988), Talley Beatty (Stack Up - 1982), Twyla Tharp (The Golden Section – 1983) and Company member Jamar Roberts (Members Don’t Get Weary – 2017).  Other season highlights include the Family Matinee Series which runs every Saturday afternoon, plus the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve performances. The artistic director is Robert Battle.  Find out more here
 
Neil Greenberg
The Chocolate Factory
December 5 – 15
To The Things Themselves!, Greenberg’s new work, “…explores an engagement with the performance moment in and of itself, while also exposing the cultural situated-ness of the performance actions,” according to the release. With music by James Lo, the performers are:  Greenberg, Michael Ingle, Kyli Kleven and Omagbitse Omagbemi. Find out more here
 
Soles of Duende (Amanda Castro, Arielle Rosales & Brinda Guha)
Dixon Place
December 7 – 21
Commissioned by Dixon Place and created collaboratively by all three dancers, Can We Dance Here? is the culminating performance from a residency and showcases their respective percussive crafts, Tap, Flamenco, & Kathak, respectively.  Find out more here
 
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
The Joyce Theater
December 11 – 30
For a three-week run, the “Trocks” as the all-male Company is affectionately known, offers two programs:  Program A - Swan Lake and Petipa’s The Little Humpbacked Horse, and Program B - George Balanchine-inflected Stars and Stripes Forever, with choreography by Robert LaFosse and music by John Philip Sousa.  Find out more here
 
Doug Varone and Dancers
The New Ohio Theatre
December 12 – 16
Varone will present the world premiere of everything is fine “…Inspired by the complex, haunting imagery of Billy Collins's poetry… in seven interwoven narratives mapping an array of themes: love, solitude, separation, forgiveness, aging,” according to the release.  Find out more here
 
Valerie Green/Dance Entrophy
Danspace Project
December 13 – 15
Choreographed by Green and in collaboration with visual artist Keren Anavy with original music by Mark Katsaounis, this new, evening length work, Utopia, “explores the idea of a perfect place through dance and visual art,” notes the release.  Find out more here
 
Ondadurto Teatro
La MaMa E.T.C.
December 13 – 16
The Rome-based Ondadurto Teatro makes its U.S. debut with its new work Terramia, “a multi-media performance art spectacle that takes an irreverent look at humanity through the eyes of an android,” notes the release.  Find out more here
 
George Emilio Sanchez’ “Bang Bang Gun Amok II”
University Settlement
December 14 – 15
Sanchez’ second iteration of the 24-hour performance marathon, Bang Bang Gun Amok II, again addresses how gun culture is historically embedded in the United States, returns to with artists, activists, scholars, Lower East Side youth, and gun violence survivors “in a spirit of solidarity to call for an end to a culture of violence,” according to the release. The list of artists include: Vernon Reid, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Maura Donohue, Charmaine Warren, Edisa Weeks, It's Showtime NYC, Suzanne Gardinier, Paz Tanjuaquio, Tyemba Jess, Nicky Paraiso, Irene Hultman, luciana achugar, Ella Wylde, Alex Vitale and much more.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Gibney
November 29 - December 15
The specially curated, split-bill, DoublePlus series concludes at Gibney Dance Center with Fana Fraser + Burr Johnson, curated by Kimberly Bartosik (12/13 – 15).  Find out more here
 
J. Bouey & Ayano Elson
The Chocolate Factory
December 16
Movement Research, in partnership with The Chocolate Factory, presents work by the 2018 Movement Research Van Lier Emerging Artist of Color Fellows, Elson and Bouey.  Three performances happen, but RSVP is requested. Find out more here
 
Yvonne Rainer
Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway”
December 16
Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with a “An Evening with Yvonne Rainer” curated by Cathy Weis. “Rainer, a founding member of Judson Dance Theater, will present a lecture-performance, A Truncated History of the Universe for Dummies, including a 6th-generation version of a section of Trio A performed by Apollo,” notes the release.  Find out more here

FROM THE FOLKS AT BAC:

In Conjunction with the Merce Cunningham Centennial Celebration in 2019, BAC’s Fellowship Extends Support to Five Artists Across Disciplines:

Charles Atlas, Tei Blow, Phyllis Chen, Liz Gerring, and Silas Riener

New York, NY — Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) announces the 2018-19 Cage Cunningham Fellowship to support artists who embody John Cage and Merce Cunningham’s commitment to artistic innovation. This, the third award of BAC’s distinguished fellowship established in 2015, coincides with the 100th year of the late, legendary American choreographer for whom the fellowship is, in part, named. To recognize the anniversary—and in conjunction with a yearlong global celebration organized by the Merce Cunningham Trust—the annual 2018-19 Cage Cunningham Fellowship award has expanded through a special fundraising effort from $50,000 to $100,000 to support five artists creating and showcasing new work. They are: filmmaker Charles Atlas, multimedia artist Tei Blow, composer / musician Phyllis Chen, and choreographers / dancers Liz Gerring and Silas Riener.

Read more here

Read Catherine’s article, “A Psychosocial Approach to Supporting Injured Dancers,” published in the Journal of Social Work with Groups.
 
You may also use this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DI5F7wTkX7eFgBUxQubH/full.

David Roussève
/REALITY
BAM/Harvey
December 5 – 8
The choreographer David Roussève and his company REALITY returns to BAM with the dance theater work Halfway to Dawn, Roussève’s tribute to Billy Strayhorn which melds dance, music, projected text and video, illuminating “…Strayhorn’s multifaceted life as Duke Ellington’s prolific but long-neglected collaborator, as an out gay African-American man living in Harlem, and as an ardent supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr.  In Halfway to Dawn, Roussève “delves into this private and proud artist’s life by layering biographical information, historical images, and abstract video art to dance and music, putting Strayhorn’s story in its proper socio-political context. The performance contains two acts: the first set in a ‘50s jazz club and the second in an abstract dreamland. The piece addresses issues of fame, privacy, and creative authorship that are now more resonant than ever,” notes the release. Find out more here
 
Twyla Tharp Dance
The Joyce Theater
November 14 – December 9
A renowned and celebrated artist, Tharp completes her nearly four-week season which focused on her early dances from 1965 to 1971, including Tank Dive, The History Of Up And Down and Eight Jelly Rolls.  The dancers are Kara Chan, Matthew Dibble, Kellie Drobnick, Mary Beth Hansohn, Reed Tankersley, and Ron Todorowski.  Find out more here
 
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
City Center
November 28 – December 30
The Company’s month-long season continues with programs that offer world premieres: Lazarus by Rennie Harris, The Call by Ronald K. Brown, En by Jessica Lang, and Kairos by Wayne McGregor (Company premiere), plus new productions by Artistic Director Robert Battle (Juba - 2003), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Shelter - 1988), Talley Beatty (Stack Up - 1982), Twyla Tharp (The Golden Section – 1983) and Company member Jamar Roberts (Members Don’t Get Weary – 2017).  Other season highlights include the Family Matinee Series which runs every Saturday afternoon, plus the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve performances. The artistic director is Robert Battle.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Gibney
November 29 - December 15
The specially curated, split-bill, DoublePlus series continues at Gibney Dance Center:  Two weekends of performances remain: Julian Barnett + Mina Nishimura, curated by Kota Yamazaki (12/6 – 8); and Fana Fraser + Burr Johnson, curated by Kimberly Bartosik (12/13 – 15).  Find out more here
 
Moriah Evans
The Kitchen
December 5 – 8
Evans’ new work, Configure, with “…a new score for five dancers…addresses the ways in which working from the unseen, yet felt, world of bodies and space might unfold into new social possibilities,” according to the release. Find out more here
 
Neil Greenberg
The Chocolate Factory
December 5 – 15
To The Things Themselves!, Greenberg’s new work, “…explores an engagement with the performance moment in and of itself, while also exposing the cultural situated-ness of the performance actions,” according to the release. With music by James Lo, the performers are:  Greenberg, Michael Ingle, Kyli Kleven and Omagbitse Omagbemi. Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Chen Dance Center
December 6 – 8
The annual “newsteps” series returns and will showcase works by six specially selected young choreographers - Allison Plamondon, Keith Comley, Lucas Klinge, Elisabeth Archer, Javier Padilla and Caitlin Javech. Find out more here
 
Skeleton Architecture
Danspace Project
December 6 – 8
For one-night-only see the award-winning womyn of The Skeleton Architecture Collective, made up of “…gender non-conforming artists rooted in the rigor and power of the collective in practice. [And who] commit to engaging embodied research to support the African Diasporic experiences,” according to the release. Members are: Maria Bauman, Davalois Fearon, Marjani Forté-Saunders, Melanie Greene, Kayla Hamilton, Jasmine Hearn, Marguerite Hemmings, Nia Love, Paloma McGregor, Sydnie L. Mosley, Grace Osborne, Leslie Parker, Angie Pittman, Samantha Speis, Charmaine Warren, Edisa Weeks, Marýa Wethers, and Tara Aisha Willis. Find our more here
 
Various Artists
New York Live Arts
December 7 – 8
The annual and legendary “Fresh Tracks” Performance and Residency Program at NYLA returns to showcase five selected emerging choreographers: Emma Rose Brown, J. Bouey, Liana Conyers, Collin Ranf, and Dolores (Lola) Sanchez. Find out more here 
 
Wendy Whelan
Lumberyard
December 7 - 8
Whelan and cellist Maya Beiser join forces with modern dance choreographer Lucinda Childs to create THE DAY – an evening-length work, with music by composer David Lang.  Find out more here
 
Ballet Hispánico
The Apollo
December 7 – 8
Ballet Hispánico returns to the Apollo with its celebrated CARMEN.maquia by Gustavo Ramírez Sansanoon, “A Picasso-inspired, contemporary take on Bizet's beloved classic, the physically charged and sensual choreography fuses contemporary dance with nods to the Spanish paso doble and flamenco," notes the release. Find out more here
 
Soles of Duende (Amanda Castro, Arielle Rosales & Brinda Guha)
Dixon Place
December 7 – 21
Commissioned by Dixon Place and created collaboratively by all three dancers, Can We Dance Here? is the culminating performance from a residency and showcases their respective percussive crafts, Tap, Flamenco, & Kathak, respectively.  Find out more here
 
Graham 2
Graham Studios
December 8 – 9
As part of the Martha Graham Dance Company’s Studio Series, the second company, Graham 2 under the direction of Virginie Mécène, will perform Graham’s Appalachian Spring (1944), plus repertory works.  Find out more here
 
Various Artists
Cathy Weis’ “Sundays on Broadway”
November 18
Weis’ "Sundays on Broadway," an ongoing series of performances, film screenings, and discussions continues with a “Shared evening” curated by Mina Nishimura and performances by Oren Barnoy, Sarah Lifson and Melanie Maar.  Find out more here

For the annual Dance Magazine Awards, this was the 61st, held at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, the four "exceptional" awardees represented yet another good mix of genres, style and dance lovers at heart. The recipients are: Ronald K. Brown, (presented by Arcell Cabuag); Lourdes Lopez (presented by Darren Walker); Crystal Pite (presented by Seán Curran), and Michael Trusnovec (presented by Patrick Corbin). A new and special Leadership Award was given to Nigel Redden, and presented by Frederic Seegal (CEO Dance Media) who was introduced by Jennifer Stahl, Editor in Chief, Dance Magazine. Also new for the evening was the “Promise Award” presented to Raja Feather Kelly and Ephrat “Bounce” Asherie, who “promised” to make good on receiving the award.  Joan Finkelstein, Executive Director of the Harkness Foundation for Dance presented this inaugural award.

Deeply affected by having just arrived from the full house of friends, family and dance dignitaries in tribute and celebration for the life and times of the late Arthur Mitchell held at Riverside Church, Misty Copeland opened.  The always spirited, Wendy Perron, Editor at Large, Dance Magazine was the host for the evening.  As always, and thank goodness, the evening was also filled with dance.  Trusnovec danced beautifully in an excerpt from Paul Taylor’s Promethean Fire (202), before breathlessly receiving his award.  “I never feel more alive than when I’m dancing,” he said.  In an excerpt from Crystal Pite’s The Other You (2010), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Andrew Murdock and Michael Gross brought another of Pite’s dance-drama to life.  Pite, while “…in the house of Ailey,” recalled how her mother introduced her to choreography after witnessing and being moved when she saw Judith Jamison (Artistic Director Emerita –Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) dance Mr. Ailey’s Cry. In accepting her award, Lopez thanked dance because of the “magic it imparts…it changes life,” she said. In her honor, members of Miami City Ballet, Tricia Albertson and Renan Cerdeiro, danced and excerpt from George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1962).  Members of Gallim Dance offered and excerpt of Andrea Miller’s Stone Skipping (2017), and the incomparable Annique Roberts danced Brown’s She Is Here (2016).  Brown also told an Ailey story.  “I was a young choreographer,” he began, studying under Mary Anthony, when Mr. Ailey sat next to him at a showing of his work and asked, “…are you one of mine”?  Well, this week, Brown is set to premiere his sixth work (The Call) for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
 
“The Dance Magazine Awards recognize outstanding men and women whose contributions have left a lasting impact on the dance world. The tradition dates back to 1954,” according to the release. 

For the dance history buff, Twyla Tharp Dance at The Joyce Theater (November 14 – December 9) was like getting that very special treat that you’ve wanted for a while. Titled Minimalism and Me, this Tharp gem for 2018 was simply satisfying. Notably “…One of this century’s most acclaimed, renowned, and celebrated artists,” in Minimalism and Me, Tharp put together a program that focused on her early dances recollecting the influence and relationship to minimalist visual art.  What follows is a sophisticated beginner’s guide to the time when Tharp and colleagues made dances in this time of protest, naming and reckoning.

The works presented spanned the years 1966 to 1971 and was presented during one of The Joyce’s Family Matinee series, packed with children.  Tharp encouraged them the children to laugh, “It’s good for us,” she said, then explained what the afternoon would entail.  First up was the three and a half minute dance to Petulia Clark’s 1965 “Downtown” whereby Tharp originally stood on relevé for as long as the music lasted. Films of Tharp and dancers in the early years was the backdrop for other excerpted revivals including Tank Dive (1965), Medley (1969), The History of Up and Down (1971) and more that filled the first half.  The evening ended with the fully re-staged tour de force Eight Jelly Rolls (1971) which showed each dancer in their own light.  And as Tharp promised before intermission, all the parts introduced in the early works, humor, musicality, playfulness, complex pattering and more, were all there.  Sara Rudner, a Tharp dancer from 1965 – 85, helped to reconstruct Eight Jelly Rolls. The beautiful dancers were: Kara Chan, Matthew Dibble, Kellie Drobnick, Mary Beth Hansohn, Reed Tankersley, and Ron Todorowski.