Molissa Fenley and Company presents new work in an evening of dance: From the Light, Between the Lamps. This is a performance with several works—a few are new works and world premieres. Three guests from State of Darkness 2020 Revival at the Joyce Theater are coming in to work with the core group of Molissa Fenley and Company with live music for some pieces.
The program features three world premieres: De la Lumière, Entre les Lampes, a new work of two duets performed by alternating members of the company, and featuring a new score by longtime collaborator Philip Glass, performed live by Michael Ferrera on piano; the quintet Etruscan Matisse/Blake with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and In the Garden (with Ryuichi), performed to the sound of birdsong. In the Garden (with Ryuichi) was commissioned by the Fine Arts Center of the University of Massachusetts as part of its tribute project, Sakamoto Blue Sky, in homage to the late composer. The dance premiered on its YouTube channel. The performances at Roulette will be the first live performances.
The program also includes Cosmati Variations #5 set to the Third Construction (1941) by John Cage. Fenley created Cosmati Variations while a fellow at the American Academy in Rome in 2008 and has added other variations over the years; she completed the series in May 2022. The work is inspired in part by the 12th-century Cosmatesque mosaic floors in many of the cathedrals and churches of Rome and its serpentine patterning. The work was first shown at a studio performance at Sundays on Broadway in May 2022, and then received its stage premiere at the Agropoli Danza Festival in Agropoli, Italy, July 2022.
Current Pieces #1-3, a New York premiere, features three solos danced by Molissa Fenley with music by Vijay Iyer; Christiana Axelsen with music by Nico Muhly; and Timothy Ward with music by JP Jofre. The scores are part of Min Kwon’s series America/Beautiful and are performed live by Enriqueta Somarriba on piano. The work premiered in Boston in April 2023.
An audience favorite, Lava Field (2004), with music by John Bischoff, will also be presented.
