New York Theatre Ballet presents New Season of "Legends & Visionaries" and "Cinderella"
Company:
New York Theatre Ballet
NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET PRESENTS A NEW SEASON OF
LEGENDS AND VISIONARIES AND ITS ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF CINDERELLA,
MARCH 4-6 AT FLORENCE GOULD HALL
New York, NY, January 31, 2022 -- Dedicated to presenting works from choreographers past and present, New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns to Florence Gould Hall (March 4-6) with a new program of Legends and Visionaries, a series that focuses on infrequently performed masterpieces by legendary choreographers and new works from contemporary visionaries. The program will feature Scramble, a piece by Merce Cunningham created in 1957 with sets by Frank Stella, the intimate, miniature Short Memory by Pam Tanowitz, and a world premiere by Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Toulouse’s Dream. The season will also include Cinderella as part of NYTB’s Once Upon a Ballet series geared toward children ages 3-10.
NYTB is presenting its first venture into the world of dance performance and video technology with a new commissioned piece by Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer. Based on the life and work of Toulouse Lautrec, Toulouse’s Dream uses video projections to metaphorically portray Lautrec's altered states of consciousness, his identity as an outsider in Parisian society, as well as his leanings toward what was considered the decadence of the times. Set to live acoustic/electronic musical score performed by the composer, violist Martha Mooke, the work will feature four women and two men, plus a special role for NYTB Artistic Director Diana Byer.
Merce Cunningham’s Scramble consists of 18 sections whose order can be changed or omitted. The music by Toshi Ichiyanagi is scored for western instruments, and the players perform multiple activities in cued sequences that are scrambled by the musicians in performance. Jasper Johns selected Frank Stella to design the set which consists of strips of canvas in the colors of the spectrum, mounted on vertical frames that can be moved about the stage by the dancers. Stella specified the colors of the costumes to complement the set; the men wear jumpsuits, the women, leotards and tights.
A 2013 NYTB commission, Short Memory by Pam Tanowitz with music by Lou Harrison and Henry Cowell is an intimate, small-scale piece that reveals a subtle choreographic humor which even extends to the brightly colored pointe shoes that catch the eye with each flick or flexed-footed turn. “Bristling with witty detail” (The New York Times), Short Memory affectionately pokes fun at the formality of ballet. The dancers start simply and gradually layer on odd juxtapositions, bent legs and tilted poses, all performed with a subtle, deadpan precision.
Choreographed by Donald Mahler and set to excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev’s score, NYTB’s one-hour production of Cinderella tells the beloved story of Cinderella’s transformation, and features a dancing clock, wacky stepsisters, and the Fairy Godmother and her wand-waving magic. Costumes are by Metropolitan Opera’s Resident Costume Designer, Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan with sets by Gillian Bradshaw Smith. Guest artists include Jeff Kazin and David Parker of The Bang Group, and Victor Abreu of New York City Ballet.
Performances will take place March 4-6 at Florence Gould Hall (55 East 59th Street) according to the following schedule:
- Legends & Visionaries: March 4 & 5 at 7pm. Tickets are $25
- Cinderella: March 5 at 1pm; March 6 at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm. Tickets are $30 for adults and $17 for children 12 & under.
Tickets are currently on sale in-person at the Florence Gould Hall box office and at Ticketmaster Adults and children 5+ are required to show proof of vaccination, and masks are required for all audience members.
About Victor Abreu:
Victor Abreu is a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet. Mr. Abreu was born in New York, NY and began his training at the age of 9 at New York Theatre Ballet under Diana Byer. He attended the summer courses at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s official school, in 2014 and 2015 before entering SAB full-time for the 2015 winter term. In January 2019, Mr. Abreu was named an apprentice with NYCB and in May 2019 he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet.
About David Parker:
David Parker is a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow in choreography and, together with Jeffrey Kazin, leads The Bang Group which they founded together in 1995. Parker began dancing in his native Boston training in tap, modern dance and ballet forming the basis of his polyglot movement language. He has appeared as a guest artist with Doug Elkins, Sara Rudner, Christopher Williams, and New York Theatre Ballet, and with Caleb Teicher, Sara Hook, Catherine Tharin and Fiona Marcotty. He has created over 50 commissioned works for ballet and modern companies, universities, soloists and theater artists. Parker has taught dance composition as a visiting professor at Princeton University, SUNY Purchase, Hunter College, Marmount Manhattan College and served on the faculties of The Ailey School, Juilliard and Barnard/Columbia. He is a regular adjudicator for American College Dance Association and currently serves as co-mentor (with Risa Steinberg) for Juilliard's Senior Production choreographers.
About Jeffrey Kazin:
Jeffrey Kazin is a founding member and director with David Parker of The Bang Group. He has created and performed signature roles for TBG throughout North America and Europe, working also as David Parker’s assistant creating new works and setting TBG repertory for companies, colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Additionally, he has danced for Doug Elkins (creating the role of the Captain in Fraulein Maria), New York Theatre Ballet, Amber Sloan, Sara Hook and Monica Bill Barnes. Mr. Kazin, a graduate of Connecticut College and the National Theater Institute, is a board member of the Peculiar Works Project theater com
About Diana Byer:
Diana Byer (NYTB Founder & Artistic Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of NYTB and New York Theatre Ballet School. She is a répétiteur for The Antony Tudor Trust, a member of the Board of Directors of the Dance Notation Bureau, an Education Ambassador for The New York Pops, and on the Selection Committee of the Clive Barnes Awards. She has staged the ballets of Antony Tudor for American Ballet Theatre and The Hartt School and the ballets of Agnes de Mille for the Alabama Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. She coached the principals for the Columbia Pictures film, Center Stage. Ms. Byer was selected by Good Housekeeping Magazine as the 2018 Humanitarian Hero. She was a long-time pupil and colleague of Margaret Craske, who was Director of Ballet Instruction at New York Theatre Ballet School until her retirement.
About New York Theatre Ballet:
With its ever-expanding repertory, NYTB’s cutting-edge programming brings fresh insight to classic revivals paired with the modern sensibilities of both established and up-and-coming choreographers. Going strong after 40 years, NYTB’s diversity in repertory explores the past while boldly taking risks on the future with respected programs: the Once Upon a Ballet Series, the New York Theatre Ballet School, and the LIFT Community Services Program.
Photo by Julie Lemberger
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