Ruth Childs to Perform Works by Lucinda Childs at The Yard

Ruth Childs will perform three solos by Lucinda Childs (Pastime, 1963; Carnation, 1964; Museum Piece, 1965) on Thursday, June 29 at 8p.m. and Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at The Yard's Patricia Nanon Theater, 1 The Yard, Middle Road, Chilmark, MA 02535.

Tickets: $25 (Adult); $15 (Seniors, Students, Military); $5 (Children under 12). Behind the Counter and Membership discounts apply

Pastime (1963) explores the relationship between movement and object. By stretching an expandable piece of fabric between body parts, a boat, crib, or bathtub will be created. The solo plays with and deforms typical postures from post-modern dance.

Carnation (1964) creates a method to devise any possible choreography and movement, with ordinary objects such as sponges, hair rollers, and a rubbish bag.

Museum Piece (1965) is an artistic and humoristic piece that deconstructs dance movement. Following the idea of the "objet trouvé (found object)" of Duchamp, Lucinda Childs took a work of art ("Le Cirque", by Georges Seurat) and put herself inside the painting to describe it.

Ruth Childs writes: "Lucinda Childs is one of post-modern dance's pre-eminent icons, and a founding member of the Judson Dance Theater. She also happens to be my aunt. We decided to work on a revival project of three solos that she choreographed and performed herself in the 1960's at the Judson Dance Theater in New York: Pastime, Carnation and Museum Piece. We revived these three solos to be as close as possible to the original versions, knowing that there are no film archives of her solos during the Judson period. Lucinda gave me very exact choreographic indications. She shared anecdotes and archives from that period. She then left me with room to explore my own way to perform these 3 solos. With the exception of Carnation, these solos are quite unknown and have never been presented outside of the USA. This work of revival, handing-down and re-creation is essential because it allows a new generation of audiences to discover these historic pieces."

British-American dancer, performer, singer, Ruth Childs was born in 1984 in London. She grew up in the United States where she studied dance and music. In 2002, she moved back to London to study dance at London Studio Centre and in 2003, she moved to Switzerland to join the Ballet Junior in Geneva. She has worked with various internationally recognized choreographers and directors including Foofwa d'Imobilité, La Ribot, Gilles Jobin, Massimo Furlan, Joszef Trefeli the 2B company and Yasmine Hugonnet. In 2014, Ruth Childs founded her own company, SCARLETT'S, which is devoted to developing her work using dance, performance, film, and music. In 2016, the state of Geneva awarded her a scholarship and a 6 month research residency in Berlin. Since 2015, Ruth Childs has worked on re-creating and reviving Lucinda Childs´ 50-year-old works, which all are forceful reminders of the radical postmodern movement.

Lucinda Childs began her career as a choreographer in 1963 at the Judson Dance Theater in New York. Since forming her dance company in 1973, she has created over fifty solo and ensemble works. In 1976, she collaborated with Robert Wilson and Philip Glass on the opera Einstein on the Beach, as the principal performer and choreographer. She received the Bessie Award for Sustained Achievement in 2001 and the NEA/NEFA American Masterpiece Award in 2009. In 2004, she was elevated from the rank of Officer to Commander in France's Order of Arts and Letters. In 2016, the National Center for Dance in Paris hosted the first retrospective exhibit dedicated to Lucinda's work organized by Lou Forster in collaboration with the Thaddaeus Ropac gallery. This summer, Lucinda Childs will receive the American Dance Festival's award for Lifetime Achievement.

Getting There

Driving to The Yard from Vineyard Haven

Head south on Water Street toward Beach Road. Take the 3rd right onto Beach Road. Continue onto State Road. Turn right onto Middle Road. Take the 2nd left into The Yard.

Driving to The Yard from Edgartown

Head southwest on Water Street toward Davis Lane. Take your 2nd right onto Cooke Street. Turn left onto Edgartown West Tisbury Road. Turn left onto State Road. Continue onto South Road. Make a left onto Middle Road. Take the 2nd left into The Yard.

Bus

There is a public bus service on Martha's Vineyard that connects to all of the towns on the island. There is a bus stop just a short walk from The Yard in front of the Community Center, which runs every hour. Fare is $1 per town, each way.

The Yard supports diverse, contemporary dance-makers and related artists in their creative processes through paid, creative residency, public performance, long-term education, and artist-driven civic engagement. We serve all ages and cultural populations on Martha´s Vineyard, and work collaboratively with artists, producers, and other cultural organizers within regional, national, and international contexts.

Photo Credit: Gregory Batardon