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| NOVEMBER 1, 2008 |
DON'T MISS THE COMPANY
IN PERFORMANCE
STARTING THIS WEDNESDAY! |
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TWO CITY CENTER PREMIERES:
DVORAK SERENADE & LITTLE RHAPSODIES
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Scott Rink and Mucuy Bolles in Dvorak Serenade.
Photo: Christopher Duggan at Jacob's Pillow.
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Dvorak Serenade, choreographed in 2007, is set to the music of Antonin Dvorak’s Serenade in E Major. In this contemporary equivalent of the great Romantic ballets (such as Swan Lake), 12 company dancers take the stage in a lyrical, luscious, hypnotic work. The structure of the dance is highly sophisticated, as 6 men and 6 women sweep in and out of trios, quartets, and duets. According to the Financial Times, the dance is "exhilarating," "a gem" and "is one of Lubovitch's big, sweeping ensemble works, the sort he does best." The work makes a strong humanistic statement through this powerful ensemble dancing.
At its world premiere last year, Dvorak Serenade was described as "impassioned" by The New York Times and “romantic” by The Village Voice, with languid movements of softness and tenderness, as natural and supple as water. Dvorak Serenade (which has never been seen at City Center) is featured on all four of the company's performances at City Center this week, including the Opening Night program on Wednesday November 5th.
The company will also stage the City Center premiere of another dance choreographed just last year: Little Rhapsodies, which is “a dancer’s dance—athletic, bounding, joyous, the kind of dance that makes your leg muscles twitch as you watch it, your body longing to join in,” according to Ballet-Dance Magazine.
The Lubovitch company brings this mesmerizing dance for three men to City Center for the first -- and ONLY -- time on Thursday, November 6. Featuring guest artist Rasta Thomas and company dancers Jay Franke and Attila Joey Csiki, the dance (according to the Financial Times) features “a trio of outstanding dancers…displaying their considerable virtuosic talent. The piece shows off the strengths of all three, Stewart’s supple lyricism contrasting nicely with Thomas’s bounding elevation – huge jumps that land him in the middle of the action. Each dancer has a signature solo: Franke’s is quirky and fun, Thomas’s is dashing and sad."
Little Rhapsodies displays the relationships of men, in a community and as individuals. According to The New York Times the dance is Lar's "fond affirmation of his male dancers’ distinctive gifts and presences."
Remember, Little Rhapsodies will be performed for one night only on Thursday, November 6. Dvorak Serenade can be seen on Opening Night November 5th (as well as on November 6th, 7th and 8th). |
Click here to view program schedule for City Center.
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THE LUBOVITCH COMPANY WELCOMES AND IS ENRICHED BY GUEST ARTISTS |
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Rasta Thomas.
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Little Rhapsodies comes to City Center in a spectacular way! This moving trio for three men will be danced by guest artist Rasta Thomas -- together with company members Jay Franke and Attila Joey Csiki. Live music for the dance will be provided by another guest artist – acclaimed concert pianist Pedja Muzijevic.
Rasta Thomas joins the company at City Center for his role in Little Rhapsodies. The dance began as a solo for Rasta and has since evolved into a beautiful trio for three men. The Village Voice called Little Rhapsodies, "a gem" (as did the Financial Times) and said that Rasta’s “a marvel [who] wears his silky virtuosity easily, making the most difficult steps look as natural as walking down the street.”
A regular guest with the company since 2005, Rasta has danced in several Lubovitch works, including Lar’s full-length masterpiece Othello (performing the title role at the Metropolitan Opera House). The company welcomes Rasta’s return performance for this one performance, exclusively on Thursday evening at 8:00pm. If you’d like to see Rasta with the company at City Center, click here for tickets. When not dancing with the Lubovitch or guesting with other companies around the world, Rasta dances with the “Bad Boys of Dance,” which he founded and directs. For more info on Rasta, see www.rastathomas.com.
Pedja Muzijevic is one of the most versatile of pianists, having toured extensively as a soloist with orchestras and as an individual recitalist throughout the world. Pedja is the current Director of Music Programming at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in NYC. Earlier this year he performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and at Carnegie Hall. Pedja will accompany Little Rhapsodies, performing Robert Schumann’s haunting work, Symphonic Etudes, Opus 13. You will not want to miss this special performance on Thursday, November 6th at 8:00pm.
Dancers in the Class of 2009 of The Juilliard School are set to perform two Lubovitch works during the City Center season – Whirligogs and North Star. These two major revivals are from 1969 and 1978, respectively, and neither has been performed by the company in more than 20 years. To read what Lar has to say about both dances in the current issue of Time Out New York, click here. Both dances will be performed on Opening Night November 5th,. In addition, North Star will receive an encore performance on November 6th. To get tickets to see these stars of tomorrow, today, click here.
The company has taught many of its dances to the students at Juilliard over the years. Celebrating Lar’s deep and longstanding relationship with The Julliard School, we are honored to include the students in our 40th anniversary season, and we extend a very special thank you to Larry Rhodes, director of the dance division, for all his support in deepening the already rewarding partnership between the Lubovitch company and Juilliard. |
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LAR'S VIEW BACK OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS...AND WHAT LIES AHEAD |
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Lar Lubovitch.
Photo by Nan Melville. |
Gia Kourlas, Dance Editor from Time Out New York, spends time with Lar Lubovitch, in an interview discussing the company’s longevity, Lar’s first experiences with dance, and where the company is going from here.
In the interview, Lar offers insights into his choreography and discusses what kind of dancer stands out to him. Click here to check out the full interview. Included in the online interview is a link to video excerpts of Lar’s 1969 work, Whirligogs, which has been reconstructed for a single performance on November 5th at City Center.
The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company was founded in 1968. Over the past 40 years, it has gained an international reputation as one of the world’s best dance companies. Celebrated for both its choreographic excellence and its unsurpassed dancing, the company has created more than 100 new dances and performed before millions throughout the United States and in more than 30 foreign countries. The company’s past and current dancer roster, boasts some of the world’s most renowned dancers, including Takako Asakawa, Peggy Baker, Rob Besserer, Elisa Monte, Mark Morris, Silvia Nevjinsky, Rasta Thomas, Doug Varone, and Leslie Watanabe, among many others. On opening night (November 5th), the company is honoring all of its dancers, past and present.
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Click here to visit the company's website and see a full listing of the renowned dancers who have been members of the company.
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Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Mission: The Lubovitch company was created to realize the artistic vision of Lar Lubovitch, one of the foremost contemporary choreographers in the United States. The company exists: (1) to create new work; (2) to perform those works (and facilitate the performance of those works by others) both in our home base of New York City and around the world; and (3) to teach people of all ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, in order to increase awareness and appreciation of dance.
History: Over the past 40 years, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company has gained a reputation as one of the world's leading modern dance companies and has performed in virtually every state of the US and in more than 30 foreign countries. Lar Lubovitch has been cited by The New York Times as "one of the ten best choreographers in the world," and the company has been called a "national treasure" by Variety. The company is primarily focused on the creation of new dances, sometimes in collaboration with other top companies.
Contact: The Lubovitch company is located at 229 West 42nd Street, New York NY 10036. You can reach us at (212) 221-7909 or Lubovitch@aol.com. Or visit our website at www.lubovitch.org.
Support: Programs of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company are funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as by American Mastepieces: Dance, Irene Diamond Fund, Brooke Garber & Daniel Neidich Fund, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Joyce Theater Foundation, McMullan Family Foundation, National Dance Project, Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation, A. Woodner Fund and numerous additional generous individuals, corporations and foundations.
Memberships: The Lubovitch company is a member of Dance/USA, Dance/NYC, ART/NY, Americans for the Arts and the Arts & Business Council of New York. |
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