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2008-2009 Touring Repertory Programs
Masterpieces: Taylor, Maslow and Way (available beginning February 2009)
“Paul Taylor is without question the greatest living American choreographer,” writes the San Francisco Chronicle. And among his greatest works is Last Look, which Jennifer Dunning of the New York Times praised as the “most powerful and haunting of Taylor dances.” Last Look comes into the CityDance Ensemble repertory for presentation beginning in late February 2009. The work, until now available only as part of the Taylor Company’s own repertory, joins forces with American Masterpieces: Dance award winner Folksay by the legendary Sophie Maslow, first staged in 1942, and Brenda Way’s On A Train Heading South.
Folksay is one of only 10 dances to win a New England Foundation For The Arts/American Masterpieces: Dance designation in 2007. Set to a score by Woody Guthrie, which is performed live, and with text by Carl Sandburg, Folksay is a riotous, reflective, inspired dance about the American experience. Of its 1942 premiere, John Martin, the legendary critic of the New York Times wrote, “Miss Maslow’s long group composition called Folksay must take rank at once as one of the most beautiful and genuine works in the whole range of contemporary dance repertory.”
Completing the program is a work of immense power, wit and prescience, Brenda Way’s On A Train Heading South. Taking the question of global warming head on, this work is set to an original score and features, as a set piece, melting ice that drips throughout the production onto the cast. The New York Times called it “mesmerizing,” and the Voice of Dance said simply that is is “a little miracle of a dance.”
Taken as a whole, the program, with works from the 1940s, 1980s and 2000s, is both a time capsule and a startling and rich landscape of dance and its ability to entertain even as it comments on the American condition.
The Folksay Tour (available beginning mid-September 2008)
Folksay is one of only 10 dances to win a New England Foundation For The Arts/American Masterpieces: Dance designation in 2007. Set to a score by Woody Guthrie, which is performed live, and with text by Carl Sandburg, Folksay is a riotous, reflective, inspired dance about the American experience. Of its 1942 premiere, John Martin, the legendary critic of the New York Times wrote, “Miss Maslow’s long group composition called Folksay must take rank at once as one of the most beautiful and genuine works in the whole range of contemporary dance repertory.”
Completing the program is a work of immense power, wit and prescience, Brenda Way’s On A Train Heading South. Taking the question of global warming head on, this work is set to an original score and features, as a set piece, melting ice that drips throughout the production onto the cast. The New York Times called it “mesmerizing,” and the Voice of Dance said simply that is is “a little miracle of a dance.”
And in the middle of the program is a mixed repertory bill of dances by CityDance's 2008-2009 Artist-in-Residence Kate Weare ("… her dances are so smart and so well executed and full of stimulating invitations for thought…” John Rockwell, The New York Times), Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson, Rehearsal Director and Resident Choreographer Christopher K. Morgan, and Doug Varone ("Varone has produced some of modern dance's most engrossing works. Sense and Sensitivity seep into his plotless pieces as we watch them. The viewer is ensnared." - Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times).
Warmer: The Global Warming Project
CityDance is committed to the process of “going green.” While that process is long and deliberate, the choreography and music which speak to the questions of climate change are already a part of the repertory.
The lead work in the project is a work of immense power, wit and prescience, Brenda Way’s On A Train Heading South. Taking the question of global warming head on, this work is set to an original score and features, as a set piece, melting ice that drips throughout the production onto the cast. The New York Times called it “mesmerizing,” and the Voice of Dance said simply that is is “a little miracle of a dance.”
The second dance in the program is La Revolución de las Mariposas by Chilean Choreographer Isabel Croxatto. Croxatto, one of the best-loved artists in her native country, made the journey to Washington, DC to create this work for CityDance’s first global warming concert, Warmer.
Completing the bill are either Folksay or a mixed repertory bill of dances by CityDance's 2008-2009 Artist-in-Residence Kate Weare ("… her dances are so smart and so well executed and full of stimulating invitations for thought…” John Rockwell, The New York Times), Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson, Rehearsal Director and Resident Choreographer Christopher K. Morgan, and Doug Varone ("Varone has produced some of modern dance's most engrossing works. Sense and Sensitivity seep into his plotless pieces as we watch them. The viewer is ensnared." - Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times).
Concert Repertory
Last Look (1985) by Paul Taylor (Available mid-February 2009)
Drop Down (2006) by Kate Weare
Mattress Suite (2004) by Larry Keigwin
Folksay (1942) by Sophie Maslow
Falling (2008) by Paul Gordon Emerson
Han (2006/2007) by Paul Gordon Emerson
Harmonica Breakdown (1938) by Jane Dudley
Bubbles (2006) by Kyra Jean Green and Idan Sharabi
Nocturne Monologue (2003) by Jason Hartley
War (2007) by Austin McCormick
Ties That Bind (2004) by Christopher K. Morgan
On a Train Heading South (2005) by Brenda Way
Thirst (2009) by Christopher K. Morgan
The Mountain (2009) by Jason Garcia Ignacio
Revolution of the Butterfiles (2008) by Isabel Croxatto
Family Programs: Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Books
CityDance
tours its original production of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Books as
a stand-alone program or in conjunction with a repertory concert.
Telling the timeless stories of Mowgli, Baloo, Shere Khan, and
inhabitants of the Seeonee Hills, Jungle Books is
an enchanting dance and music concert for the young and young at
heart.
With characters leaping, prancing, and pouncing their way across the stage, this colorful 60-minute show is a wild and wonderful ride of imagination and live music. Featuring an original score, vibrant costumes, and flying monkeys, this family show abounds with mystery, mischief, and magic.
FilmWORKS
CityDance FilmWORKS presents dance-on-camera screenings from our own repertory, as well as the international dance film community.
Education Programs
CityDance Ensemble offers education programs as a supplement to repertory concerts and family program bookings.
Master Classes – CityDance Ensemble dancers, directors, filmmakers, and choreographers offer master classes in dance, film, repertory, choreography, and more.
Lecture/Demonstrations – CityDance Ensemble provides tailored programming for dance, film, and arts integration in a 90-minute lecture-demonstration format.
Residency Programs – CityDance Ensemble offers residency programs in a variety of lengths. Residencies include concerts, master classes, and lecture-demonstrations.
Early Arts Programs
(pre-K – 12th Grade) – CityDance
Early Arts offers a variety of outreach education programs, concerts,
residency programs, and arts integration workshops for youth and
educators. |
