LABA Presents World Premiere of birds sing a pretty song., 5/4

birds sing a pretty song.receives its World Premiere at the Theater at The 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, NYC, as a LABA second stage production, from May 4-7, 2017. Performances: Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 3pm. Join us opening night, May 4 for a Rooftop Party which will include meet and greet with artists and champagne toast. Tickets are $18 and available online at 14streety.org/birdssing or by phone at 646-995-4310.

birds sing a pretty song., choreographed by Rebecca Margolick (Sidra Bell Dance New York, UNA Projects, Patricia Noworal) and co-created and directed with Maxx Berkowitz, seamlessly fuses dance, live music and interactive media. Developed last year during their Fellowship at LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture at The 14th Street Y, birds sing a pretty song. is back for a much anticipated full-length production.

The piece continued development over the past year with two Chutzpah! Festival Creation Residencies, and will head directly to Vancouver for its Canadian Premiere at Chutzpah!PLUS after its premiere at The Theater at the 14th Street Y. Birds sing a pretty song. is brought to life on stage with dancers Margolick and Chuck Wilt, guitarist/media/composer Berkowitz, guitarist/composer Jake Klar, percussionist Bruno Esrubilsky and Israeli author and scholar Ruby Namdar (Sapir Prize Winner).

This full-lengthwork revolves around two dancers, suspended in an environment where our hyper social nature reaches a point in which the lines of virtual and reality are obscured. The audience follows the dancer's wanderings through a world manipulated and influenced by the "curators" (the three live musicians) and projected light structures that move and direct the world onstage. Throughout the piece they encounter an attempt at a relationship, fleeting glimpses of memory, and a fight for connection. Tied in with sound and video reactive visuals, the piece explores how surveillance and confinement through our digital and physical surroundings affect one's sense of reality and self. Addressing these questions through contemporary dance, interactive/responsive film and live music, all tied together by audio manipulation and seamless integration.

"Through the varied conversations about beauty and imagery seeded by the ancient texts we studied, our work became inspired by many the ideas in the ancient texts, which were still very relevant and provocative. Our original concept about identity unfurled into a piece about surveillance, and how the constant gaze can disturb one's' sense of reality," said Ms. Margolick.

About LABA

LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture is a program of the 14th Street Y that uses classic Jewish texts to inspire the creation of art, dialogue and study. Part of LABA is the House of Study, an artist fellowship program for which around 10 culture-makers, a mix of visual artists, writers, dancers, musicians, actors and others, are brought together to study classic Jewish texts in a non-religious, open-minded setting. Each year LABA chooses a theme to guide the exploration and development of new work during the Fellowship. The fellows use the study to inspire work which is featured on this website www.labajournal.com and in our series of LABAlive events and performances.

About The Theater at the 14th Street Y

The Theater at the 14th Street Y focuses on social awareness and change through big picture narrative. Inspired by works that welcome artists of all backgrounds, we place artists at the heart of our community and seek to create an inclusive and open cultural experience for all.

Interested in a 14th Street Y Membership? Our members have access to more than 50 fitness classes per week, lap and family swim times, childcare, pick-up games in our basketball gymnasium, and a fitness center filled with a full range of cardio and weight equipment.

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