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IMPRESSIONS: Jon Lehrer Dance Company at Tribeca Performing Arts Center
By Miranda Stuck
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Published on March 17, 2025
Jon Lehrer Dance Company; Photo: Keisha Stephens
Founder, Artistic Director, Choreographer: Jon Lehrer
Associate Director: Cristiana Cavallo
Technical Director: Eli Medina
Costume Designer: Laura Vanner
Dancers: Ricardo G. Barrett, Mahalia Brookes, Cristiana Cavallo, Kristen Hedberg, Michael Miller, Ricardo Passera, Leah Suskind, Mitchell Takeda
Apprentice Dancers: Aidan Acosta, Kate Carpenter, Julia Charkales, Kirsten Coco, Jade Connor, Mikaela Papasodero, Madelyn Sarver, Leah Schinsing, Kellye Smith
Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 7:30 pm at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center
“This show will take you on [a] journey to highs and lows, emotions, visceral sensations, and excitement,” says Jon Lehrer, artistic director of Jon Lehrer Dance Company (JLDC). Lehrer, a Queens native, started the company in Buffalo, New York in 2007. As an international touring company, much of their repertoire is performed outside of the city. The company’s one-night-only presentation of a seven-work repertoire culminates their 2024/2025 season at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, with support from CUNY Dance Initiative. JLDC’s performance is more than an evening-length show; it is a warm, heart-filled introduction to who they are and their drive for a deep personal connection to their audience.
The opening work, Bridge and Tunnel, is a memory capsule of Lehrer’s high school days in Flushing, Queens. The work was created 24years ago during his time as a performer with Gus Giordano Dance Chicago. As the curtains open for the first time, sunshine washes over the dancers, who sport colorful short-sleeved T-shirts and jeans. Tunes by Paul Simon immediately bring us into a space of playfulness, beginning with 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Although large jetés and expansive steps travel widely, the most noticeable details appear in the dancers’ faces. Their open chests, wide eyes, and friendly smiles remind us of what it’s like to be a teen again, excited for the world beyond high school. Lehrer’s own high school calculus teacher sat in the audience, giving a cheery wave before the curtain rose.
Lehrer re-enters the stage between each piece to give the audience more background on his inspiration. In 2013, he added a classic romantic duet to his repertoire. “At the time I was reading this book, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison,” says Lehrer. “There’s a line in the book where the protagonist says, ‘I am here in this Eden,’ basically referring to a place that’s better than any other place he’s been… I realized, that’s it, that’s the title.”
Here In This Eden features dancers Ricardo G. Barrett and Leah Suskind, who walk downstage opposite each other in dark brown garments that leave the curvatures of their bodies visible. Sweet and tender, an invisible pull between Barrett and Suskind quickly grows, as do the dreamy long notes of orchestral music by Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke. Whether they’re partnering or dancing side by side in synchronized choreography, the duet expresses the essence of full trust in a relationship. As the sole romantic work of the evening, the love letter Here In This Eden is harmoniously charismatic and gentle.
The program switches gears with Volt, a work which isn’t about anything other than sheer physical challenge. Set to strictly percussive music, Lehrer challenges himself and the dancers to stay in perpetual motion. Bright white, shattered lights glare as the dancers attack staccato movement with geometric port de bras, deep lunges, and angular suspensions. Dancer Mahalia Brookes is an immediate standout, charging across the stage during her solo with incredible control and tenacity. Between the choreography and costuming of silver and black unitards, Volt feels like a powerful engine gearing up for a race.
Two full-company works follow, mixing comedic joy and laughter into the evening. La Follia, originally created during a choreographic residency at University of Tampa, is a classical, poised work set to Vivaldi. Dressed in black and maroon, the dancers are carried by melodic rhythms to pull the audience into a composed, collected world. Next up, Lehrer transports the audience to a Las Vegas revue in mingos!, which brings flamingos to vibrant life—flamingos that eventually transform into peacocks. Adventurous and sassy, the birds love to show off, which inevitably leads to comical quarrels and entanglements.
The first world premiere of the evening is Foster, a tribute to Lehrer’s younger brother Michael ‘Mikie’ Lehrer, who passed away in 2023. The story is first introduced through projected text narrated by Lehrer, describing his brother’s diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and its effect on their relationship. Golden windows project on the upstage wall, accompanied by a heavenly church choir. The dancers walk downstage in this light to chilling and sorrowful effect as their legs give out one by one and they hold each other to provide grounding and support. Dancer Kristen Hedberg shares, “As Jon said, Foster is a window into those six difficult years, as Jon watched his brother slowly yet too quickly succumb to this horrible disease.” In this work, Lehrer shares his grief in a powerful and intimate way.
The show ends with the first piece Lehrer created for the company in 2007, A Ritual Dynamic. This work often closes their shows, leaving the audience with a final impression of Lehrer’s joyous style. “This piece was created to define our signature aesthetic, which is unbelievable athleticism combined with pristine artistry, wrapped in wonderful entertainment,” says Lehrer. When A Ritual Dynamic begins, there is no shortage of showing off and risk-taking as the dancers soar, extend, and fly over one another. The audience reaches full engagement, unsure of what to anticipate next in this gymnastic whirlwind.
The warmth and generosity of Lehrer’s leadership radiates through his dancers. “The atmosphere, both in the studio and on stage, is supportive and positive, where we all want one another to feel at our best,” says Hedberg. Lehrer proves that the full spectrum of the human experience—joy, love, comedy, pain, and mourning—does in fact belong in dance.
