Vital Signs
Tradition
NEW YORK CITY
A few decades ago, the coolest dance artists gave free performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The Joffrey, Twyla Tharp, and Carmen de Lavallade incited young people to want to dance. Now, to open the 10th anniversary of the hugely popular Fall for Dance festival, New York City Center returns to this famous series. On Sept. 16 and 17, we’ll see Paul Taylor’s joyous Esplanade, STREB’s geyser-like Human Fountain, Ron Brown’s Upside Down, and a work from New York City Ballet. Come one, come all. www.nycitycenter.org.
STREB’s
Human Fountain at the London Olympics. Photo by Julian Andrews, Courtesy City Center.
Global Movement
in PDX
PORTLAND, OR
For a decade, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art has curated the Time-Based Art Festival, which pushes the boundaries of performance and viewership. Nacera Belaza, whose Le Trait, Les Sentinelles, and Le Temps Scellé will be performed, draws from Algerian holy ritual. Morocco’s Bouchra Ouizguen, who combines dancers and non-dancers, presents Ha!, a look at madness and obsession. Provocateur Trajal Harrell presents Antigone Jr., and Miguel Gutierrez brings And lose the name of action (see “Active Voice,” Dec. 2012). www.pica.org.
Trajal Harrell (right) in his
Antigone Jr. Photo by Whitney Browne, Courtesy PICA.
Starlight from
Europe
NEW YORK CITY
The reigning Italian glamour boy of ballet brings some heavy hitters from Europe for the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala on Sept. 17 at New York City Center. This will be a rare opp to see stunning ballerinas like Lucia Lacarra from Bavarian State Ballet, Alicia Amatriain from the Stuttgart, and Alina Somova from the Mariinsky. Choreographers on board include Mauro Bigonzetti, Russell Maliphant, and Itzik Galili. A great way to celebrate 2013 as “the year of Italian culture in the U.S.” www.nycitycenter.org.
A bellissimo
Apollo. Photo by Luciano Romano, Courtesy Sally Fischer PR, © Balanchine Trust.
Nothing Short
of Electric
AUSTIN
A leading light in making dance using non-traditional performers, Allison Orr, Austin-based director of Forklift Danceworks, presents PowerUP, a work performed by 30-plus linemen working on 20 utility poles. Orr shadowed these workers for two years, using their process to inform her own. The sound score combines a live symphony performance with audio interviews of the workers. Travis County Exposition Center, Sept. 21–22. www.forkliftdanceworks.org.
PowerUP’s performers are linemen by trade. Photo courtesy Forklift.
Fold Where?
MONTCLAIR, NJ
With the deceptively calm title Fold Here, the wildly unpredictable Gallim Dance makes its debut at Peak Performances in Montclair, NJ. Led by queen of quirk Andrea Miller, the group is influenced by Ohad Naharin but has its own sense of structure and verve. In this piece, inspired by Raymond Chandler’s short story “Cathedral,” the dancers interact with a cardboard box that may be built into a cathedral. One might guess that it would be the smallest—and most chaotic—cathedral ever. Sept. 26–29. www.peakperfs.org.
Emily Terndrup of Gallim. Photo by Tom Caravaglia, Courtesy Gallim.
This Is 50
BOSTON
To kick off its 50th anniversary, Boston Ballet presents a Night of Stars gala on Boston Common on Sept. 21. The performance, which is free to the public, includes a sampling of the company’s repertoire, from Balanchine’s Serenade and Symphony in Three Movements to Fokine’s Dying Swan to Jorma Elo’s Brake the Eyes. The company’s milestone season also includes works by Ashton and Kylián, in addition to a world premiere by former Paris Opéra Ballet étoile and director of Compañía Nacional de Danza José Martínez. www.bostonballet.org.
Joseph Gatti as the Golden Idol in
La Bayadère. Photo by Gene Schiavone, Courtesy BB.
Mad World
ON TOUR
French choreographer Maguy Marin doesn’t hold back. Nor do her dancers as they frantically pace the stage in her 2010 work Salves, coming to North America this fall. A pioneer of the European contemporary dance scene, Marin pushes the envelope with visceral movement that plumbs the dark side of the human experience. The Toulouse-based choreographer brings her work to the Théâtre Maisonneuve in Montreal, Sept. 26–28, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Oct. 3–4, and White Bird Dance in Portland, OR, Oct. 10–12. www.compagnie-maguy-marin.fr.
Agustina Sarrio in
Salves. Photo by Jean-Pierre Maurin, Courtesy White Bird.
Contributors: Jay Oatis, Wendy Perron, Kina Poon, Lauren Vanchina
