Lydia Johnson Dance Co. at Ailey Citigroup Theater
Company:
LYDIA JOHNSON DANCE
LYDIA JOHNSON DANCE: MARCH 10-12 AT AILEY CITIGROUP THEATER
March 10, 11, 12 at 7:30 PM
Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55 Street
Tickets: $28; $15 for dancers
Reservations: 212.868.4444 or www.smarttix.com
"...finely wrought works...what seems to count most for Ms. Johnson is music. The four pieces on the program all
showed uncommon skill at matching ballet movement to music, both at the large scale of structure and in small,
felicitous details." Brian Seibert, The New York Times, June 15, 2015
Dancers: Brynt Beitman, Laura di Orio, Chazz Fenner-McBride, Blake Hennessy-York, Min-Seon Kim,
Katie Martin-Lohiya, Justin Lynch, Sarah Pon, Oliver Swan-Jackson
Ballet Mistress: Deborah Wingert
Lydia Johnson Dance announces its New York season, March 10-12, 7:30 PM, at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55 Street (corner 9th Avenue), presenting a program of company favorites and the world premiere of a work set to new versions of classic jazz standards including "I'm Old Fashioned" by Jerome Kern. The choreography abstracts the romantic arc of these pieces and, while fully enjoying the lyrical romance inherent in the music, the piece becomes somewhat surrealistic, as the dancers seem to function in a world of their own memories.
With every new concert, Johnson reconfirms her exceptional musicality, creating a dance vocabulary and style inspired by her musical choices - which run from Golijov and Glass to jazz to the crooning of Dean Martin.
From the repertory are two ballets to music by contemporary Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov - Night of the Flying Horses, Giving Way, and What Counts to the jazz trio Bad Plus.
Night of the Flying Horses matches the passion and mystery of the score by Golijov, and provides a stunning showcase for two of the company's leading dancers, Laura Di Orio and Brynt Beitman. The work "is filled with sublime imagery," remarked Darrell Wood, adding "It's a beautiful and emotional work, a dance that stays with you long after you have seen it. Ms. Johnson reached in and pulled Night of the Flying Horses from her heart." (www.nydancestuff.com, June 2013)
Johnson turned to another score by Golijov, a cello and marimba duet, along with an aggressive string octet by Marc Mellits, for her 2015 premiere Giving Way, a complex abstract work for which, noted Mary Cargill, "one view is not really enough to absorb the subtle musical nuances and underlying dramatic grace notes." (danceviewtimes.com, 2015)
The program will be completed by What Counts, an engaging quintet set to three tracks by the jazz trio the Bad Plus. Premiered in 2015, the work was most enthusiastically received, inspiring Philip Gardner to report that "What Counts evoked a volley of cheers from the crowd." (www.oberonsgrove.com)
Share Your Audience Review. Your Words Are Valuable to Dance.
Are you going to see this show, or have you seen it? Share "your" review here on The Dance Enthusiast. Your words are valuable. They help artists, educate audiences, and support the dance field in general. There is no need to be a professional critic. Just click through to our Audience Review Section and you will have the option to write free-form, or answer our helpful Enthusiast Review Questionnaire, or if you feel creative, even write a haiku review. So join the conversation.
