The Joyce Theater News

ODC, the most active center for contemporary dance on the West Coast, has announced the program for its 2017 Theater Season. Highlights include world premieres by David Gordon, FACT/SF, Monique Jenkinson, tinypistol, Laura Elaine Ellis and Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts, and West Coast premieres by Kate Weare Company and The Foundry. Additional season highlights include remounts of seminal works by Joanna Haigood and RAWdance.

'Terra dei Fuochi / Land of Fires' is an environmental performance project blending modern dance, music and documentary theater to tell the story of Campania Felix, an area in Italy north of Naples that suffered devastating loss of life due to a scandal-ridden toxic waste disaster.  The piece is a three-person dance with multimedia drawn largely from life stories of mothers in the region whose children 'have become angels too quickly.' Accompanying the performance will be a booth providing information about Campania Felix and how it can be compared to others around the world. The aim is to provide further education in the increasing land and water contamination issues facing our global community. This world premiere is choreographed and directed and by Bianca Falco (Napoli, Campania - NYC) and composed by Alberto Falco (Napoli, Campania).  La MaMa will present the work's world premiere March 23 to April 2 in its First Floor Theater, 74A East Fourth Street.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is thrilled to welcome back to its stage Australia's hottest ticket in contemporary dance, Sydney Dance Company, in a mixed bill program featuring three New York premieres showcasing the company's strong, athletic contemporary style from March 7 - 12.

The venerable Martha Graham Dance Company, founded 91 years ago in 1926, is thriving anew after getting past protracted legal battles following modern dance pioneer Graham's death and coping with the loss of historical material during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Much of the credit for the success of the current iteration of the troupe goes to Janet Eilber, a former Graham principal who has been at the helm as Artistic Director since 2005. She has instituted a policy of not only presenting Graham's classics but also commissioning fresh visions from today's finest choreographers.

Award-winning Director and Choreographer, Arthur Pita in collaboration with HeadSpaceDance returns to London to present his latest production STEPMOTHER/STEPFATHER - a wickedly gruesome double bill of dark dance. STEPMOTHER/STEPFATHER will tour to Birmingham and Bournemouth before its London premiere at The Place from 2nd to 11th March, followed by visits to Canterbury, Salford Quays and Newcastle. Tickets are on sale at all venues.

In 2015, Stephen Petronio Company culminated its 30th anniversary 2014-15 season with a transformation: the launch of Bloodlines, which began with Merce Cunningham's iconic RainForest (1968) and Trisha Brown's proscenium masterpiece Glacial Decoy (1979).

Theatre for a New Audience (Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director) presents director Arin Arbus's new staging of Thornton Wilder's tragicomic masterpiece The Skin of Our Teethtonight, February 14, through March 19 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center(262 Ashland Place), TFANA's state-of-the-art permanent home in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District.

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns to New York Live Arts with its new Uptown/Downtown/Dance series from March 1-4, 2017 at 7:30pm with an additional 2pm matinee on Saturday.

Theatre for a New Audience has announced the performance schedule, cast and creative team for director Arin Arbus's new staging of Thornton Wilder's comic masterpiece The Skin of Our Teeth, the first major New York production since 1998.

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY presents the New York Premiere of FUTURE PERFECT at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10010 (25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Aves).

This contemporary dance company from France, currently under the direction of Peter Jacobson, a former principal dancer for Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, embarks on its first ever US tour. On Wednesday, February 10, 2017, I attended the first performance of the Ballet de Lorraine's Program B at the Joyce Theater. This program has one piece only, Unknown Pleasures, an intriguing title. No choreographers, music, lighting, nor costumes were credited.

 The New York City Dance Alliance Foundation (NYCDAF), a forward-thinking charity committed to shaping the future lives and training of young dancers, returned to The Joyce Theater on January 30, 2017 with Destiny Rising. A yearly fundraising performance benefiting NYCDAF's college scholarship program, the evening opened with a commissioned premiere by NYCDA's Rachel Kreiling, spotlighting 2016 scholarship recipients. The program also included guest performances from prominent professional dance companies, including Desmond Richardson, Parsons Dance, and American Ballet Theatre soloists Catherine Hurlin and Aran Bell. Ten 2017 scholarships recipients were named during the program, from eight different states.

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns to New York Live Arts with its new Uptown/Downtown/Dance series from March 1-4, 2017 at 7:30pm with an additional 2pm matinee on Saturday. This year's program features a revival of Nijinsky's L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune staged by the 98-year-old Ann Hutchinson Guest, a new and as-of-yet untitled pas de trois by Pam Tanowitz, Frederick Ashton's La Chatte métamorphoses en femme, and Antonia Franceschi's She Holds Out Her Hand which premiered at Danspace in Fall 2016. All pieces will be performed to live music. A post-show celebration with wine, hors d'oeuvres, and music will be held after the opening night performance for which tickets are $75. Tickets for the performances are $30 ($15 for Students & Seniors) and can be purchased at http://newyorklivearts.org/event/spring-concerts/.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet, founded in 1994 by Co-Artistic Directors, Dwight Rhoden, choreographer and Desmond Richardson, legendary dancer, is currently in its second week of its season at the Joyce Theater. All works in both programs have been choreographed by Rhoden, resident choreographer. On Wednesday, February 1, 2017, I attended Program B with excited anticipation.

Dance Now continues its Dance-mopolitan Series with the premiere of Places Please!, an evening-length duet created and performed by longtime collaborators Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott of KEIGWIN + COMPANY.

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY presents the New York Premiere of FUTURE PERFECT at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10010 (25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Aves).

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY presents the New York Premiere of FUTURE PERFECT at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10010 (25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Aves). Performances are just under an hour and run Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm from February 2-11, 2017.

Over the last few years, Peak Performances has become a New York / New Jersey home for the work of Richard Alston Dance Company (RADC), one of Britain's foremost contemporary dance companies.

VIM VIGOR DANCE COMPANY presents the New York Premiere of FUTURE PERFECT at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC 10010 (25th Street between 3rd & Lexington Aves). Performances are just under an hour and run Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm from February 2-11, 2017. Tickets are priced $28, $25, $20 and are available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/967659, Box office phone: 212-352-3101 or toll free 866-811-4111, M - F 9am - 9pm, Sa/Su: 10 am - 6pm, Walk up hours: Tue - Sat, Noon - 6pm, open 2 hours prior and ½ hour after curtain on all performance days.

With the provocative and brilliant guidance of choreographer, Arthur Pita, the subculture of Chicago in the 1960s was reborn. "Hooka Tooka Soda Cracker" with painting turtles and paint brushes in the mouth in place of cigarettes created an essence of sexual symbolism and a starburst for the soul.