AUDIENCE REVIEW: Alison Cook Beatty Dance at Theater for the New City
Company:
Alison Cook Beatty Dance
Performance Date:
April 10, 2026
Freeform Review:
On April 10th, 2026, I had the pleasure of attending Alison Cook Beatty Dance’s performance at the Theater for the New City, in Manhattan’s East Village. The evening comprised of 5 pieces; Murmuration, Pastoral, HER(E), Banshee’s Lamentation and Tintinabulli, all choreographed by the company’s Founding Artistic Director, Alison Cook-Beatty.
I was impressed by the great range that this program presented, effectively showcasing each dancer’s versatility as well as the choreographer’s wide creative scope. The performance featured the company’s four principal dancers: Madelaine Burnett, Ioanna Ioannides, Ava Trochiano and Facundo Ferreyra; guest artists Marcos Antonio and Makenna Zelenak; and apprentices Owen Lunsford and Chynna Holder.
The piece that resonated with me the most was Banshee’s Lamentation, which was comprised of 5 characters. The four sisters were played by Madelaine Burnett, Ava Trochiano, Ioanna Ioannides and Makenna Zelenak. Zelenak represented the sick, dying sister who was struggling to resist the allure of the Banshee, played by Facundo Ferreyra. Seemingly harsh at first, the Banshee was trying to whisk her away to join him on a journey to the afterlife. She resists but as her suffering increases his empathetic delicacy creates a more sympathetic picture for the audience as he offers a welcome release from the pain of what life still had to offer her. To the music of Carson Cooma, Cook-Beatty’s choreography effectively explored themes of loss and letting go, and the dancers powerfully brought these themes to life, Ferreyra embodying the harsh, unapologetic “death”, and the sisters dancing with the beauty and fragility that represents how precious and delicate life is.
The three grieving sisters held the stage for the entire 20 minute piece, dancing in either perfect unison or in overlapping solos, conveying the bonds of sisterhood and grief. They tried to protect Zelenak from her inevitable departure with Ferreyra, creating boundaries between the two characters, but ultimately the sick sister was taken away. At the end, Burnett’s character ran desperately towards the memory of her lost sister and fell to her knees, expressing heartbreak so deeply that the audience felt it too.
Countering the sadness of Banshee’s Lamentation, I enjoyed the more joyous and calm trio, Pastoral, which featured the three grieving sisters, Burnett, Trochiano and Ioannides now in a very different light. The piece was to Handel’s Water Music, and I learned that this piece was choreographed early in Cook-Beatty’s career, well before the company was even created. This trio seemed to express the ebbing and flowing qualities of nature. From Ioannides’ and Trochiano’s playful duet to Burnett’s serene solo, the three women executed Pastoral with graceful excellence.
In contrast to the acclaimed Murmurations and the pieces mentioned, the world premiere of HER(E) showed a completely different side of Alison Cook-Beaty’s creative range. The music, Says and Hammers by Nils Frahm and Nandi by Jlin, was percussive, driving and faintly militaristic, which suited the theme of conformity. The piece begins with dancers in box formation, struggling to ensure conformity as cracks of individuality appear. The entry of the aforementioned trio displays a range of reaction from submission to Trochiano’s dramatic rebellion. As the majority enforced its will, the outliers were increasingly marginalized. This poignant piece is certainly a reflection of the times and a credit to Cook-Beatty’s ability to balance tension and humanity.
The ACBD’s program on April 10th effectively explored a variety of themes under the inspired leadership of the Creative Director, Alison Cook-Beatty. Her far reaching vision and thought provoking themes, together with her committed team of dancers truly dazzled the audience. The guest dancers were an excellent addition to the core team of dancers. The dancers displayed a unity of purpose, fully invested in their craft, not only in dance technique, but with heart, stamina, athleticism and artistry.
Author:
Monica Rott
Photo Credit:
Rob Klein, of Alison Cook Beatty Dance “Banshee’s Lamentation”
