Blog Archives - Charmaine Warren

Today & Tomorrow only - Gregory Maqoma @ The Kumble

10/31/2013

Gregory Maqoma

Don't miss South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma in Exit/Exist , a work inspired by Maqoma’s ancestral past where he “…reveals the history of a 19th-century Xhosa warrior who fought to maintain cultural traditions in the face of colonial dispossession,” in Brooklyn at The Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts at LIU (November 1 & 2). In this solo, “Maqoma embodies this forgotten history … [and] fuses storytelling with his own …contemporary dance vocabulary and live music” by the South African vocal ensemble Complete, and world-fusion guitarist Giuliano Modarelli.

Johannesburg’s The Starr writes “What distinguishes Maqoma... is his intelligently provocative exploration of kinetic African identity where the rural impinges on the urban, where the hallowed intersects with the popular.”

For more information visit www.651ARTS.org This performance is presented by 651ARTS.org and produced by MAPP International Production.

November 1 & 2, 2013 | 7:30pm
Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts - LIU Brooklyn
One University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Tickets: $25 | Students & Seniors $20

Some Dance This Week ~

10/28/2013

"Mattress Suite" Ashley Browne & Aaron Carr - photo: Christopher Duggan

KEIGWIN + COMPANY
The Joyce Theater
October 29 – November 3

Celebrating their tenth anniversary KEIGWIN + COMPANY, under artistic director Larry Keigwin, returns to The Joyce Theater with the premieres of Canvas and Girls, and from the repertory, Mattress Suite (2003) and Natural Selection (2004). Four dancers from New York City Ballet: principals Tiler Peck, Robbie Fairchild, and Daniel Ulbricht, plus soloist Lauren Lovette will join seven dancers from Keigwin + Company in Canvas on opening night. Find out more – www.joyce.org

Bill T. Jones & Gregory Vuyani Maqoma
National Black Theatre
October 29

651 ARTS partners with Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) to present a conversation on history, memory, and the creative process with acclaimed dance artists Bill T. Jones and Gregory Vuyani Maqoma. The moderator is NBT’s CEO, Sade Lythcott. Find out more www.651arts.org

American Ballet Theater
David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center
October 30 – November 10

Misty Copeland returns to ABT in works by George Balanchine, Mark Morris and Twlya Tharp. For more information visit www.abt.org

Gregory Vuyani Maqoma
Kumble Theatre
November 1 – 2

651 ARTS presents Exit/Exist choreographed by South African artist Gregory Maqoma with South African vocal ensemble Complete and world-fusion guitarist Giuliano Modarelli. Find out more – www.651arts.org

Wendy Jehlen
Triskelion Arts
November 1 – 2

The Anikaya Dance Theater presents Wendy Jehlen in a solo performance of Lilith the story of the first woman who “…rebelled against Adam and fled Eden,” according to the press release. Find out more www.triskelionarts.org

Savion Glover
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College
November 2

Glover and an ensemble of dancers bring his newest work STePz to Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College. Find out more - www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org

boomerang
John Ryan Theater, Brooklyn
November 1 – 3

As part of the 2013 Wave Rising Series, the three who make up boomerang - Kora Radella, Matty Davis and Adrian Galvin - will present Gut check described in the press release as “…a journey...[that]...progresses, stalls, rewinds, and changes directions through a series of ritual-like preparations, verbal miscommunications, and demanding, intimate challenges.” Find out more - www.boomerangdance.com

Brice Mousset/OUI Danse, Emery LeCrone & Dancers, Celli Contemporary Ballet
Peridance
November 2 – 3

As part of the Peridance Presents series, these three companies share one weekend. Find out more – www.peridance.com

BAAD! The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance
New Space in Westchester Square
November 2 – 22

The 2013 Blaktina Performance Series at BAAD! opens their fall season with a Dance Tribute to Whitney Houston and much more. Find out more - www.BronxAcademyofArtsAndDance.org.

MATTHEW BOURNE’S SLEEPING BEAUTY
New York City Center
October 23 – November 3

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, in a limited engagement, premieres at City Center with a “…new scenario introduc[ing] several characters not seen in the fairy tale or in [Marius] Petipa’s famous ballet,” notes the press release. Find out more - www.NYCityCenter.org

Joyce Talks - 10/28/13 - Marie Chouinard

10/27/2013

JOYCE Dance Talks
DANY Studios
305 W 38th Street
MONDAY, October 28

All Dance Talks are free and are held at DANY Studios (unless otherwise stated).

Wilder Shores: Marie Chouinard Explores Across Art Forms

For 35 years, first as a soloist and then as the head of her own troupe, Montreal-based choreographer Marie Chouinard has been pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance. Inspired by natural phenomena and the explorations of musicians, poets, and painters, she makes passionate dances alive with visual imagery and the French language. Dance writer and observer, Elizabeth Zimmer examines the works on her Joyce program, Henri Michaux: Mouvements and Gymnopédie.

The music and dance of James Brown at The Apollo

10/27/2013

James Brown

What could be more exciting than celebrating James Brown, the godfather of soul through dance? Being a part of the celebration! The Apollo made the celebration happen in James Brown: Get On The Good Foot, A Celebration In Dance (October 22 - 26). Brown's good friend Reverend Al Sharpton opened the evening confirming that, "ﾅtonight you will leave here getting on the good foot." The evening was conceived by choreographer/artistic director, and PHILADANCO, the Philadelphia Dance Company, danced new works by Camille Brown, Ronald K. Brown, Souleymane Badolo, Thang Dao, and Abdel Salaam. Tap dancer, Derick K. Grant, Katak dancer, Aakash Odedra and b-girl Ephrat Asherie choreographed and presented their own works. Asherie's It's A Man's World was co-choreographed with Jennifer Weber and Sallid. The excitement was electrifying and there was no doubt that the music would be good all night long-it was! In most of the dances there was the requisite donning of Brown's cape, period characters (afro-wearing, clear-heel tipping, attitude-peddling men and women and a pimp), seminal dances (boogaloo, mash potato, funky chicken and of course The James Brown), and a whole lot of funk. At the top of the show, Grant was on fire in Superbad by Grant and Sallid, Asherie's fabulous blending of breaking and contemporary dance in It's A Man's World was just enough, and though Odedra was clearly the standout choreographer and performer of the evening, in his self-choreographed Ecstasy, his presence on this program is curious. The evening proved that on stage, in the studios and on the streets, it is simply hard for dancers not to politely appropriate James Brown's style. Kudos to Mikki Shepard and the folks at The Apollo for bringing the dance and music of James Brown back to us, the screams, singing and clapping to the music from audience members says it all ﾅ"yeah," "go ahead," or the guttural "uh-uh."

“A good mess” – Vincent Dance Theatre

10/27/2013

The Peak Performances presentation of Motherland by Charlotte Vincent’s Vincent Dance Theatre (October 17-20) was a blast! According to the press release, Motherland is “Spurred on by Simone de Beauvoir, Caitlin Moran and the Spice Girls, [and] Vincent goes into battle with the big boys, arguing against a narrow, over-sexualized definition of femininity to ask what it is that we really, really want.” Now, take away the story and look at Vincent’s direction and there are fine choices made in what follows what. There are characters that shape the story: women in sexy underwear and pumps, pregnant via a man stuffing balls of cotton in her dress, squatting over “blood” falling from between her legs or donning a wig and belting out a tune. One man, like the women, in pumps and a skimpy dress dances to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” or another, after an unbalanced solo, facing away from the audience, “slams” his penis in a box, but this was not all, there was much more. The very funny slow-motion cross by man with man, woman with woman, or mixed couples hurting or escaping impending pain from a high-heel shoe, or any other deadly prop, is another example. The many layers and many faces of woman and man are eloquently framed as the single 13-year-old girl in the cast maneuvers through these emotional truths and discern that she doesn’t fit. In one scene when the cast of ten races around the space, in relay style, passing one or another prop, the young girl ends up with two red pumps, she tries them on, but alas, they don’t fit. At the end, everyone is a mess of “blood,” dirt and sweat. The show was just a bit too long, but the exceptional cast (Andrea Catania, Alex Catona, Robert Clark, Greig Cooke, Patrycja Kujawska, aurora Lubos, Janusz Orlik, Joan Plunkett, Scott Smith and Leah Yeger) delivered humor, dance, music, good theatre and gives us more to think about.

Good together!

10/27/2013

"En Atendant" - Photo: Stephanie Berger

Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker’s En Atendant (2010) and Cesena (2011) danced by her company Rosas, were brilliantly paired for part of BAM’s “Next Wave Festival” (October 19 – 20). Literally, but in no way corny, En Atendant ends with a nude dancer running around the stage as the lights dimmed and he disappeared. Cesena, on the other hand, began with what seemed like the “same” nude dancer who ran very fast into the dimly lit space, and then abruptly, the light went out. Accompanying the dancers, on stage, in both works are vocalists, set a part in En Atendant and completely interwoven in Cesena. This was Keersmaeker’s ode to the transitional cycle in the rhythm of a day. Both works were very dark, sometimes lit by just one row of dim neon light above the vast and empty space, except for the sand: half circle in En Atendant and a full circle in Cesena. Look deeper and Keersmaeker’s stories are told via the 14th century polyphonic vocal style known as ars subtilior. Though it was impossible not to notice the sleeping bodies in the audience, Keersmaeker’s atmosphere was captivating, you were either in or you weren’t. From the drone of the music (in both works), to the measured walking patterns, from an unusually quick section when the music pitched and a dancer responded with equally quick runs or jumps, to the lacing and unlacing in and out of tableaus, our focus was directed. The rhythm of any day, then, was up for question. Keersmaeker’s journey was a success. The dancers are also credited with creating the works, they are: Bostjan Antoccic, Carlos Garbin, Cynthia Loemij, Mark Lorimer, Mikael Marklund, Chrysa Parkinson, Sandy Williams and Sue-Yeon Youn in En Atendant with musicians, Michael Schmid, the Ensemble Cour et Coeur, Bart Coen, Thomas Baete and Annelies Van Gramberen. In Cesna, the performers are: Olalla Aleman, Haider Al Timimi, Antoncic, Aron Blom, Joachim Brackx, Garbin, Marie Goudot, David Hernandez, Mikael Marklund, Tomas Maxe, Julien Monty, Parkinson, Marius Peterson, Michael Pomero, Albert Riera, Gabriel Schenker, Yves Van Handenhove and Williams.

Couple of Goodbyes?

10/27/2013

Dorfman - Photo: Ian Douglas

Amidst a fantastically wild set that included a white sculpture wall across the back with various appendages (mattress, laundry basket, life preserver, lawn chair, etc.), eight musicians dressed in white, near the wall, and a white dance floor that drops mid-way through the evening, there was a lot of waving goodbye in David Dorfman Dance’s Come, and Back Again (BAM – October 16 – 19). If this is goodbye, then the retrospective was nice. Most poignant was Dorfman’s dance with each of the company members (Raja Kelly, Kendra Portier, Karl Rogers and Whitney Tucker), a “do-what-I –do” round of duets where at one point, balanced on his knees and one hand, Dorfman puts up the other hand as if to say “no, I’m tired, no more.” Like a whisper, great vintage videos of Dorfman in his prime played on the sculpture wall, while live; he revamped the moves, looking over his shoulder here and there. The Dorfman dancers were beautiful, but it was especially wonderful to see Lisa Race (Dorfman’s wife) in a solo and a special duet with Dorfman—she never misses. Their son, Samson Race Dorfman was no slouch at all, he too danced alongside his father. The musicians are: Sam Crawford, Aaron Diskin, Dorfman, Zeb Gould, Christopher Lancaster, Liz de Lise, Anthony Mascorro and Timothy Quigley.

Hip Hop in the Bronx - @ Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture - 10/25

10/24/2013

Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture - Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Hip Hop in
FROM THE HIP TO THE HOP - Friday, October 25, 2013
with FULL CIRCLE PRODUCTIONS and KR3TS – KEEP RISING TO THE TOP

See Full Circle Productions, led by Rokafella and Kwikstep, and KR3TS – Keep Rising To The Top, led by Violeta Galagarza in the Bronx at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture in From the Hip to the Hop, an evening that promises to bring "...b-boyin' and b-girlin' that goes from the classic to the contemporary, and mix in theater and music," according to the press release. Find out more - www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts.

Zab + Nora & Charmaine @ BAC - tomorrow - 10/24

10/23/2013

Baryshnikov Arts Center Presents - An evening with Zab Maboungou

Come share in the first installment of a series celebrating African women in contemporary dance curated by choreographer/performer Nora Chipaumire.

Reserve your space now and find out more here - http://www.bacnyc.org/performances/performance/zab-maboungou

Some Dance This Week ~

10/22/2013

James Brown

James Brown: Get On The Good Foot- A Celebration In Dance
The Apollo Theater
October 22 – 26

Conceived by choreographer/artistic director, Otis Sallid, this program will present PHILADANCO, the Philadelphia Dance Company and pay homage to Brown’s music through dance featuring new works by Camille Brown (United States), Ronald K. Brown (United States), Souleymane Badolo (Burkina Faso), Thang Dao (Vietnam), Aakash Odedra (United Kingdom), and Abdel Salaam (United States), among others. Find out more - http://www.apollotheater.org/

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
New York City Center
October 23 – November 3

For Sleeping Beauty, Bourne return to the music of Tchaikovsky to complete the trio of the composer’s ballet masterworks begun in 1992 with Nutcracker! and in 1995 Swan Lake. Find out more - www.NYCityCenter.org

Theater for the New City
Butoh artist SU-EN
October 25 - 26

Swedish choreographer and butoh artist SU-EN presents SOOT, …a new solo butoh performance on the theme of blackness.” Find out more - www.theaterforthenewcity.net

Houston Ballet
The Joyce Theater
October 22-27

Houston Ballet will feature works by Stanton Welch (the company’s acclaimed artistic director), Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson and Hans van Manen. Find out more www.joyce.org

The Pearl Special Invitational
The Actors Fund Arts Center
October 26

The Pearl invitational presented by the Actors Fund as part of its Community Arts Festival will include works by Satoshi Haga and Rie Fukuzawa, Maya Johnson, Arthur Prysock, Sekou McMiller, UFO Movement and Kairi Bautista plus more. Find out more - https://www.store.actorsfund.org/