Legends & Visionaries highlights infrequently performed masterpieces by legendary choreographers and new works from contemporary visionaries. In New York Theatre Ballet's spring season, the company is premiering two works by visionaries Gabrielle Lamb, Pauline Kim, Marco Pelle and Federico Pelle, alongside works by legends Merce Cunningham and Jim Sutton.
Minetta Creek, a new work by Gabrielle Lamb with original music by Pauline Kim Harris, will be given its World Premiere. Minetta Creek is loosely based on the layering found in a small geographic spot, now known as Minetta Lane and Minetta Street, on the island of Manhattan. Originally “Manetta,” meaning “evil spirit” or “snake water” in the language of the Munsee Native Americans, the name was changed by the Dutch. Legend has that the underlying creek was inhabited by a snake that had terrorized humanity since the dawn of time, periodically wreaking havoc and making ordinary life impossible. Now paved over and built upon, the creek underneath still exists, and some inhabitants believe the Manette spirit to still remain. Minetta Creek, Lamb’s first work for NYTB, features five dancers and costumes by Carmella Lauer.
Reflections, a new work by Marco Pelle and an original score by Federico Pelle, will be given its World Premiere. The work is part of NYTB’s “Letters To My Father” series, a multi-year, multi-disciplinary commission of dance works all on the theme of male artists writing letters to their fathers. “Letters To My Father” showcases new work built as collaborations between dance maker and composer (or writer, filmmaker or digital artist) to tell the varied stories of relationships between sons and fathers. A work for four dancers, Reflections features costumes by Marco Pelle and Carmella Lauer.
Scramble, Cunningham’s 1967 masterwork, is a work for eight dancers set to music by Toshi Ichiyanagi (Activities for Orchestra). Staged for NYTB by Jennifer Goggans, Scramble features original costume design by Frank Stella, reconstructed by Carmella Lauer.
The duet from Laughing Matters, choreographed by James Sutton, is set to Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, Moonlight, arranged and performed by Liberace. Laughing Matters began as a suite of five comedic dances to the music of Liberace and was originally choreographed for Milwaukee Dance Theatre in 1996. The duet on the theme of human connection was first performed by NYTB in 2005 for the company’s Dance on a Shoestring in 2005. Costumes for Laughing Matters are executed by Carmella Lauer.
