New York Notebook
Reinventing the Wheeldon
Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company breezes into City Center with fabulous dancers like Wendy Whelan, Edwaard Liang, Drew Jacoby, and Rubinald Pronk and three premieres. Wheeldon’s new work to Rachmaninoff will undoubtedly bring out his usually veiled romantic self. Alexei Ratmansky’s Bolero, to the famous Ravel score, hasn’t been seen since it was done in a Bolshoi workshop in 2004. And Tim Harbour, the young wunderkind who has been choreographing for The Australian Ballet, is entirely new to NYC audiences. Also on the program are Wheeldon’s punchy Commedia, his gorgeously austere Continuum, and a duet for Jacoby & Pronk by Lightfoot León. For icing on the cake, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas plays live. Oct. 29–Nov. 1. See www.nycitycenter.org. —Wendy Perron
Brenner Everlasting
Janis Brenner’s artistic breadth and longevity are celebrated in Five Decades, a multipart work drawing on choreography by Brenner’s early collaborators, including Meredith Monk and Murray Louis. Brenner’s own choreography—sensual, witty, and expressionistic—will be represented as well. Her new Dancing in Absentia marks the final decade, a multimedia remembrance of the many lost to AIDS. Brenner will join on vocals, demonstrating an enduring range of talent. Joyce SoHo, Nov. 12–14. Info at www.joyce.org. —Susan Yung
Stars, Stripes, & Swayze
For over two decades, Career Transition For Dancers has helped thousands of professional dancers all over the country prepare for their next step. The group’s gala, “America Dances! Celebrating Our Sparkling Heritage: Broadway, TV & Film,” comes to City Center Nov. 2. Sadly, the late Patrick Swayze, star of the movie Dirty Dancing, will receive the Rolex Dance Award posthumously. More than 20 dancers and companies perform, including the Lombard Twins, Ballet de Monterrey, Lori Belilove & the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, and members of New York City Ballet. Performers from TV shows So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and films like Step Up 3 also make appearances. See www.careertransition.org. —Rachel Zar
Photo by Erin Baiano, courtesy Morphoses
