NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET Legends & Visionaries

New York Theatre Ballet Presents legends and visionaries masterpieces by

Richard AlstoN – José Limón – Jerome Robbins Antony Tudor – James Waring new works by Gemma Bond & Pam Tanowitz

PLEASE JOIN US:

Friday, February 22, 2013 at 7pm
Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 7pm

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) will perform two of Richard Alston’s works this season, A Rugged Flourish and the U.S. premiere of Light Flooding Into Darkened Rooms. Known for his instinctive musicality, The New York Times’ Alastair Macaulay called Alston «one of the most musically astute choreographers alive.»

The winter/spring program also includes Jerome Robbins’ Rondo (not seen in NYC since 1982), Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies and Romeo and Juliet, José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane and, as a nod to the 50th Anniversary of the Judson Dance Theater movement, James Waring’s An Eccentric Beauty Revisited and Feathers.

NYTB is proud to continue its tradition as an incubator for new art by commissioning new works. This year it presents two world premieres made for the Company by Gemma Bond and Pam Tanowitz.

The Repertory

Light Flooding Into Darkened Rooms by Richard Alston is inspired by Vermeer’s paintings. The ballet, a pas de deux, conveys a delicacy of feeling masking the formal facade of propriety and gracious behavior. Jo Kondo’s Ars Breview, music inspired by Denis Gaultier’s 17th century lute pieces, adds a more overt picture of the undercurrents swirling beneath a demeanor of dignity.

A Rugged Flourish by Richard Alston is set to Aaron Copland’s Piano Variations and will be performed to live music. This piece was choreographed for NYTB and premiered in the 2010. As Mr Alston describes, «Copland’s Piano Variations have a brave stony rigour, repeatedly ringing out in grand gesture. A Rugged Flourish portrays a young hero’s courage and determination – strong enough to be alone, yet all the stronger for eventually accepting the company.

Richard Alston’s

Light Flooding Into Darkened Rooms

Rondo by Jerome Robbins was choreographed in 1980 for New York City Ballet and is set to Rondo In A Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Original cast member, Kyra Nichols, is staging this production for NYTB. It has not been seen in New York City since 1982.

Dark Elegies was considered by Antony Tudor to be his greatest work. The ballet is set to Gustav Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder and depicts a community in mourning. The nature of the disaster that has struck remains unspecified, but the grief is palpable.

Romeo and Juliet by Antony Tudor was created in 1943 for Ballet Theatre. The one-act version is set to Frederick Delius’s Walk to the Paradise Garden. This revival of the pas de deux was staged by Airi Hynninen for New York Theatre Ballet in 2008.

The Moor’s Pavane by José Limón with music by Henry Purcell and arranged by Simon Sadoff, is cited by critics the world over as Limón’s masterpiece. The ballet captures the drama and passion of Shakespeare’s Othello in a timeless portrayal of love and betrayal. Sarah Stackhouse staged the piece for NYTB.

An Eccentric Beauty Revisited by James Waring is inspired by Nijinsky’s Le Dieu Bleu (1912) and danced to Erik Satie’s La Belle Excentrique, a composition for piano which will be performed live. The intricate hand-painted costume by Sylvia Nolan is based on the original Leon Baskt design for Nijinsky. NYTB will be using Waring’s original hand-beaded masks in their interpretation.

Feathers is a solo choreographed by James Waring for Raymond Johnson, who first performed the dance at the University of California Santa Cruz on July 6, 1973. The music is excerpts from Mozart’s quartets for flute and strings in G major and D major. The dance is dedicated to Barbette, the American transvestite trapeze artist (1899-1972). Eulogized by Jean Cocteau and photographed by Man Ray, Barbette was one of the greatest stars of the French music-hall.

Pam Tanowitz’s Short Memory This ballet is set to a score by Henry Cowell and Lou Harrison, to be played live. Movement motifs are mined from classical ballet and filtered through a contemporary lens. .

Gemma Bond’s Silent Titles with music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk that takes its inspiration from silent films. The ballet reflects the elegance of the silent movie age with black and white costumes and piano music is played live on stage.

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