Tabula Rasa Dance Theater Premieres Two New Works: "Animus Necandi" and "Ship of Fools"
Company:
CUNY Dance Initiative
With the support of a CUNY Dance Initiative residency, Tabula Rasa Dance Theater will premiere two compelling dance works at the intersection of art and social justice: Animus Necandi and Ship of Fools. Performances are Friday–Saturday, September 20-21 at 7:30pm at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 W. 59th Street, New York, NY 10019. Tickets are $45-$85 and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/TabulaRasa_Sept2024.
Tabula Rasa has a strong commitment to inclusion and access, and offers reduced ticket prices for students ($25) and immigrants and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families ($0.63, which is the average hourly wage paid to incarcerated individuals in New York State.)
"Tabula Rasa Dance Theater just might be the future of dance.”
— The Dance Enthusiast
Animus Necandi explores the pain of families who have lost relatives condemned to the death penalty. It also questions the morality of capital punishment, which remains legal in 27 U.S. states and more than 55 countries around the world.
Ship of Fools is a dance-theater parable that critiques the rise of authoritarian leaders world-wide. The piece examines the human cost of despotism and upholds the values of knowledge, wisdom, and justice.
“A local dance company that uses art to shed light on issues within society”
— News12 The Bronx
Both works are choreographed by Tabula Rasa’s artistic director, Mexican-born Felipe Escalante. Collaborators include Lausanne prize-winning composer Felix Huerta, lighting designer and Princess Grace award winner Christopher Annas-Lee, and Columbia University professor and concert pianist John Gavalchin.
"Escalante has established a new form of movement that is at once supremely disturbing and sublimely gorgeous."
— New York Social Diary
About Tabula Rasa Dance Theater
Felipe Escalante, an immigrant from Queretaro, Mexico, founded Tabula Rasa Dance Theater in 2018 in New York City with a deep commitment to addressing complex social issues onstage. Felipe trained at Ballet Nacional de Mexico, where he started choreographing at age 14 and received a strong foundation in classic modern dance under the mentorship of Guillermina Bravo. TRDT’s previous works have explored mass incarceration, the experiences of refugees, conversion therapy, gender-based violence, disabilities caused by social media, and the psychological toll of pandemic lockdowns. The company has received support from the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers. www.tabularasadancetheater.com
About the Presenters
Tabula Rasa Dance Theater’s residency and performances at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater are part of the CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), a transformative incubator that secures two vital yet scarce resources—rehearsal time and performance space—for New York City choreographers and dance companies across the five boroughs. Housed within the City University of New York (CUNY), CDI is a residency program that supports local artists, enhances the cultural life and education of college students, and builds new dance audiences at CUNY performing arts centers.
In 2024, CDI marks a decade of supporting the NYC dance field by connecting artists with CUNY communities. The program was developed in response to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s 2010 report, “We Make Do,” which cited how destabilizing the shortage of affordable rehearsal space in New York City is to the dance sector. Since its launch in 2014, CDI has facilitated 247 residencies at 13 CUNY colleges in all five boroughs; granted more than 12,000 hours of studio and stage time to artists; sponsored master classes for more than 5,000 students; and attracted thousands of New Yorkers to performances and showings at CUNY performing arts centers. CDI has expanded its impact by partnering with three arts organizations in the outer boroughs: Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Staten Island), Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (Queens), and Brooklyn Arts Exchange (Brooklyn). The CUNY Dance Initiative’s 10th Year Impact Report can be seen here. The program is spearheaded by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College. Alyssa Alpine has been the director of the CUNY Dance Initiative since its founding in 2014.
From July 2024 to June 2025, CDI is underwriting residencies for 24 early- to mid-career choreographers. These dynamic NYC-based artists, selected from an open call that drew 245 applicants, work in a wide range of dance styles and forms, from ballet to musical theater to flamenco to contemporary and culturally specific traditions. In addition to providing space and financial support for the development of new and existing projects, all residencies include master classes, guest lectures, or open rehearsals to directly connect artists with CUNY communities. Details on public performances will be announced in the coming months.
The CUNY Dance Initiative receives major support from the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture program, SHS Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.cuny.edu/danceinitiative
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York, an international leader in educating for justice, offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. www.jjay.cuny.edu.
Since opening its doors in 1988, the Gerald W. Lynch Theater has been an invaluable cultural resource. The Theater is a member of CUNY Stages, a consortium of 16 performing arts centers located on CUNY campuses across New York City and the CUNY Dance Initiative. The Theater is home to the Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival & White Light Festival, as well as the New Yorker Festival, Mannes Opera, the World Science Festival, and the revival of Mummunschanz. The Theater has hosted live and recorded events including David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Inside the Actor’s Studio, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, Comedy Central Presents one-hour specials, the American Justice Summit, the NYC Mayoral Democratic Debates, and the launch of Jay-Z’s REFORM initiative. The Theater welcomes premiere galas, conferences, international competitions, and graduations. www.GeraldWLynchTheater.com.
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