AUDIENCE REVIEW: Dance Visions NY Presents: "The Body Resilient"
Company:
Dance Visions NY
Performance Date:
September 20, 2025
Freeform Review:
Dance Visions NY’s The Body Resilient, was a beautiful and deeply meaningful program which seemed to draw joy, strength, and inspiration from the surrounding nature. Taking place in a gorgeous outdoor garden at Cedarmere in Roslyn Harbor, historical estate of poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant, the performance was full of fluid, interconnected movements between the dancers. The costumes enhanced the overall atmosphere, contributing to a mesmerizing, heartwarming, and moving program. The Body Resilient related the strength of the natural world to the challenges we face and the resilience we carry within us—even when we don’t always see it.
The program was dedicated to Adrienne Ramm, sister of company director Beth Jucovy, as she battles illness. Ms. Jucovy spoke about her sister, who has been a major figure in the transmission of the beauty and power of the dance of Isadora Duncan since the 1970s. She also noted that the program was dedicated to all who are going through challenges during this difficult period in our national and global history.
The performance included several pieces from the Duncan dance repertory—dramatic, heroic, and lyrical works. In addition, it featured live music with vocalists and accompaniment. Most of the songs were choreographed, though a couple were performed without dance. Aside from the works originally created by Duncan, the concert included pieces choreographed by Jucovy as well as several works created by company dancers. The excellent and expressive artists in the concert consisted of dancers Louisa Armstrong-Harrison, Tyler Brunson, Emily Butera, Abby Dias, Patrec-Alexander Jones-Brown, Beth Jucovy, Anne Parichon-Buoncore, Lexi Sim and Susan Steinman. Musicians included the Rose Gunter Trio, including Rose Gunter, vocalist, Stuart Waters keyboardist and vocalist, and Peter Greco as well as Farah Chandu and Willow Interfaith Women’s Choir.
The performance opened with Waves, choreographed by dancer Susan Steinman. With sounds of the ocean in the background, the dancers beautifully portrayed the serene yet unpredictable movements of water and crashing waves. They alternated between rolling movements on the grass, both independently and intertwined. Using their whole bodies on different spatial levels—reaching, lifting, and crashing down together and alone—they offered a moving tribute to the strength, power, and fluidity of water. I was left with the same calming, inspiring feeling I experience when watching the movement of actual water in nature.
The next dance, El Condor Pasa, choreographed by Jucovy, set to a Peruvian flute melody also demonstrated the connection between nature and resilience—the dancers illustrated the power and freedom of the condor. It seemed a celebration of inner strength and our connection with the natural world. The short blue costumes with scarf-like fabric on the dancers’ arms created a joyful, almost pinwheel-like illusion as they moved independently and together. The piece conveyed a sense of confidence and the importance of moving forward in life.
The next two pieces shifted to Isadora Duncan works. The first, Polonaise in C Minor, was first performed in 1932 by the company of Irma Duncan, inspired by Isadora. This historic work magnificently illustrates the indomitable human spirit and the perseverance needed to overcome adversity and oppression. To me, it depicts a person’s journey through struggle—the power of hope and the determination to continue despite all challenges. The piece begins with Jucovy walking alone, draped in a long robe, her face hidden by the fabric and her wrists bound together. She looks to the sky, leaning her body backward before periodically retreating. She is later joined by other dancers, also bound, who join her in depicting this shared journey through hardship. The use of space was remarkable as each dancer moved through their own process of rising and falling, grounding and lifting. They gained strength from one another as Jucovy—and then the others—approached one another, helping each other realize that their wrists could be unbound and that they could, indeed, move forward.
Varshavianka, as Ms. Jucovy explained, is an Isadora Duncan dance gem created in the 1920s with the theme of revolutionary movements. To me, it powerfully depicted the determination to move through life with purpose—the drive to triumph and rise above every obstacle, no matter how daunting. The company’s use of a Resist Flag in this rendition of the historic work, set to the music of a Polish revolutionary song, beautifully underscored the piece’s timeless spirit. The galloping movements, as each dancer in turn fell and then all rose together, inspired by their leader, combined with the strong, resolute posturing, created a deeply stirring sense of empowerment and the triumph of the human spirit.
One quality that makes Beth Jucovy‘s concerts so special and unique is that she always incorporates the work of different artists and art forms. For the Polonaise and the Varshavianka, designer Anne-Laure Gilard created the pants, made from recycled material. The warrior like appearance of the brown pants enhanced the effect of the dances. These pants were a creative and contemporary choice for these historic Isadora Duncan dances, traditionally danced in Greek style tunics. The fact that the pants were made from recycled materials further magnified the show’s theme of honoring nature.
The concert then returned to contemporary works. Sisters, created by the two dancers in the piece, Jucovy and Louisa Armstrong-Harrison, was poignant in its depiction of moving through life’s ups and downs with the support of one another. It was deeply moving that throughout nearly the entire dance—through both solemn and more joyous moments—the dancers held hands or remained physically connected, perhaps drawing strength, comfort or continuity from each other.
Following these emotional pieces came dances performed to live songs. First was a light and refreshing dance to Let the River Run, sung by Farah Chandu and the Willow Interfaith Women’s Choir. With flowing white skirts and blue camisoles, the dancers seemed to joyously fly through the air, celebrating the flow of rivers, the movement of nature.
Next, Patrec-Alexander Jones-Brown performed a powerful solo to I Shall Be Released, choreographed by Ms. Jucovy and sung by Rose Gunter with accompaniment by Stuart Waters on keyboard and Peter Greco on drums. Every word of the song seemed embodied in Patrec’s strong, heartfelt movements, depicting the feeling of being trapped in a metaphorical prison and yearning for freedom—hiding his face, crouching, reaching outward, spinning, and throwing his body in expressive gestures of struggle and hope. The piece expressed a protest against injustice, a cry for liberation, perhaps a plea for salvation.
Born This Way, sung by the Willow chorus and choreographed and danced by Ms. Armstrong-Harrison, Abby Dias, and Tyler Brunson, was a humorous, lighthearted celebration of individuality and empowerment. Dressed in red dresses, the dancers expressed pride and joy in being themselves, alternating between graceful and playful movements. As an unexpected embrace of body image and pride, they suddenly pulled off their red dresses to reveal their different body types in undergarments and fun pajama-like jumpers. The audience laughed and clapped along throughout this exuberant piece.
The tone then shifted to a more serious and emotional work as Ms. Jucovy gave a powerful performance to In the Air Tonight, sung beautifully by Mr. Jones-Brown, clearly a multi-talented artist, who joined the Rose Gunter trio for this song. The dance was filled with emotion, portraying frustration, despair, and the feeling of being wronged. Jucovy made every note and gesture resonate. She ended with outstretched arms, arched back, and kneeling—a striking image of release. The audience’s response was visceral; one person even shouted, “Yeah! I can feel it!”
Ms. Armstrong-Harrison then offered a pure and graceful performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, sung sweetly, and later with a swing flare, by Ms. Gunter. The dance had a childlike sense of wonder. Armstrong-Harrison’s warm smile and costume—a long white sundress with a rainbow stripe and small splashes of color—added to her charm. She seemed to float through the entire large space, evoking openness, hope, and grace. The piece ended with an adorable celebratory, party-like atmosphere as she joined the musicians, where she reminded me of a bluebird—a moment that touched my heart and made me smile and laugh.
The program then returned to two Isadora Duncan dances originally created around 1910, to the music of Chopin: Valse Brillante, performed by Anne Parichon-Buoncore, Lexi Sim, Emily Butera, and Tyler Brunson; and Nocturne, a duet danced by Ms. Armstrong-Harrison and Ms. Jucovy. In these pieces, the dancers were free-flowing and expressive, wearing flowing tunics and performing movements that radiated from the core—embodying emotion and the unity of mind, body, and spirit. The dances, set to Chopin’s exquisite music, conveyed both joy and profundity, expressing through movement what words cannot.
Lastly, Willow sang a lovely rendition of Hallelujah with choreography by Ms. Jucovy. The dancers’ flowing white costumes, gentle movements, and serene facial expressions beautifully embodied the song’s message—embracing the human condition and life’s paradoxes, both broken and perfect, with faith through it all.
I loved how this program alternated between lighthearted, humorous pieces and more serious works exploring struggle, faith, and personal freedom—illustrating the human condition as we move through joy and sorrow. The program was both therapeutic and magnificent.
Author:
Alycia Siegel
Photo Credit:
Anne-Laure Gilard
