NYU Skirball Season To Include Boris Charmatz, Lucinda Childs, Sean O'Casey, Joshua William Gelb & More

 

 

The season also includes the NYU Skirball debut of Ballet  National de Marseille; works choreographed by Boris Charmatz, Lucinda Childs, Lasseindra Ninja and (LA)HORDE,  presented in partnership with Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels; a world premiere dance by Stephen  Petronio; the world premiere of Nosferatu, a 3D Symphony of Horror from Joshua William Gelb and the Obie  Award-winning Theater in Quarantine; and the NYC premiere from the South Korean theater company  Seongbukdong Beedoolkee. 

NYU Skirball, led by Director Jay Wegman, presents adventuresome, transdisciplinary work that inspires yet  frustrates, confirms yet confounds, entertains yet upends. NYU Skirball proudly embraces renegade artists who  surprise, productions that blur aesthetic boundaries, and thought leaders who are courageous, outrageous, and  mind-blowing. 

NYU SKIRBALL Fall 2023 SEASON 

STEP AFRIKA! U.S. Saturday, September 16 & Sunday, September 17 Dance 

Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of  stepping. Under Mr. Williams' leadership, stepping has evolved into one of America's cultural exports, touring more  than 60 countries across the globe, and now ranks as one of the top ten African American dance companies in the  United States. The Company reaches tens of thousands each year through a 50-city tour of American colleges  and theaters, and performs globally as an official U.S. Cultural Ambassador. 

Step Afrika! blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities;  traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic  experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor, and audience  participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the  audience with their hearts pounding. stepafrika.org  

***** 

Druid Theatre Company: DRUIDO'CASEY Ireland • N.A. Premiere Wednesday, October 4 – Saturday, October 14 Theater 

NYU Skirball, in partnership with The Public Theater, will present DruidO'Casey, a North American premiere by  Ireland's Druid Theatre, directed by Tony Award-winner Garry Hynes. The internationally acclaimed company will  mount Sean O'Casey's “Dublin Trilogy” - three seminal Irish plays: The Plough and the Stars; The Shadow of a  Gunman; and Juno and the Paycock. There will be three, six-hour, full-cycle performances of the plays, featuring  dinner specials at partner restaurants, snacks and specialty drinks. The run will also include a limited number of  single-play performances. 

A century ago, Ireland was reborn in the fires of rebellion and war. Ireland's great playwright Sean O'Casey bore  witness to these seismic events and dramatized them as the Dublin Trilogy, three great works of Irish theater, full of  history, humanity and humour. 100 years later, the Druid Theatre will weave O'Casey's three plays into an epic  theatrical event of conflict, national identity and the human toll of war: DruidO'Casey. A large cast of 18 actors will  perform over 40 roles, in the most ambitious production in Druid's history. 

Sean O'Casey was born in Dublin in 1880 and lived through troubled and turbulent times: the 1913 Lock-out and  Strike, the 1916 Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. Sean O'Casey was involved  directly with the Lock-out and Strike, starving with his fellow workers, and like many other Dubliners, he saw and  was affected by the horrors of the Rising and the troubles that followed. When he was forty he wrote three plays  within three years depicting the lives of the slum dwellers he was familiar with: The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and  the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars. These plays now stand with the great plays of the Twentieth Century. 

Garry Hynes (Director) co-founded Druid in 1975 and has worked as its Artistic Director from 1975 to 1991, and from  1995 to date. From 1991 to 1994 she was Artistic Director of The Abbey Theatre, Dublin. Her many awards include a  1998 Tony Award for Direction for The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the first woman in history to win this award. 

Druid Theatre Company, founded in 1975 and based in Galway, began as a bold idea: to create Ireland's first  professional theater company outside of the country's capital, Dublin. Druid has been a leading force in Irish theater for almost five decades and is one of the best-known Irish theater companies in the English-speaking world. The  company has won international acclaim and numerous awards, including four 1998 Tony awards.druid.ie 

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(LA)HORDE: ROOM WITH A VIEW France • N.A. Premiere Friday, October 20 & Saturday, October 21 Dance/DJ   

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and NYU Skirball present the North American premiere of Room with a  View, a collaboration between the electronic music producer Rone, the dance collective (LA)HORDE and the Ballet  National de Marseille. 

Room with a View (2020), a large-scale, multidisciplinary performance featuring 20 dancers, shares a name with  Rone's fifth studio album, and was created during a ten-day carte blanche residency at Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet. 

A rave takes place in an otherworldly set that evokes both a rock quarry and white box space. Industrial machinery  cuts and polishes the rock, while Rone uses electronic machinery to sculpt sweeping, emotional soundscapes for a  group of partygoers. In this liminal space, sounds, bodies, and images are open to interpretation, inscribable with a  variety of meanings that reflect the ever-shifting nature of human existence. 

While sculptors traditionally work with marble to, in the words of Michelangelo, “free the human form inside the  block,” the performers dance to escape from the rigidity of the stone. With movement drawn from both raves and  protests, the dancers explore humanity's role in an impending disaster. Their chaotic, revelatory dancing  underscores the persistence of beauty in even the most catastrophic of times. 

Founded by Roland Petit in 1972 and granted Centre Chorégraphique National status in 1984, the Ballet National de  Marseille is made up of 22 dancers hailing from 16 different countries. The dance collective (LA)HORDE has been at  the head of the BNM since 2019. Through films and live performances, as well as choreographic creations,  (LA)HORDE explores the political impact of dance and maps out the choreographic contours of popular uprisings,  whether mass movements or isolated campaigns, spanning the dance spectrum from raves to folkloric dances, not  to mention jumpstyle. ballet-de-marseille.com 

Room with a View is part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival in New York. ***** 

(LA)HORDE: Lucinda Childs, LASSEINDRA NINJA France Wednesday, October 25 & Thursday, October 26 Dance 

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and NYU Skirball present the North American premiere of Room with a  View, a collaboration between the electronic music producer Rone, the dance collective (LA)HORDE and the Ballet  National de Marseille. 

Room with a View (2020), a large-scale, multidisciplinary performance featuring 20 dancers, shares a name with  Rone’s fifth studio album, and was created during a ten-day carte blanche residency at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet. 

A rave takes place in an otherworldly set that evokes both a rock quarry and white box space. Industrial machinery  cuts and polishes the rock, while Rone uses electronic machinery to sculpt sweeping, emotional soundscapes for a  group of partygoers. In this liminal space, sounds, bodies, and images are open to interpretation, inscribable with a  variety of meanings that reflect the ever-shifting nature of human existence. 

While sculptors traditionally work with marble to, in the words of Michelangelo, “free the human form inside the  block,” the performers dance to escape from the rigidity of the stone. With movement drawn from both raves and  protests, the dancers explore humanity’s role in an impending disaster. Their chaotic, revelatory dancing  underscores the persistence of beauty in even the most catastrophic of times. 

Founded by Roland Petit in 1972 and granted Centre Chorégraphique National status in 1984, the Ballet National de  Marseille is made up of 22 dancers hailing from 16 different countries. The dance collective (LA)HORDE has been at  the head of the BNM since 2019. Through films and live performances, as well as choreographic creations,  (LA)HORDE explores the political impact of dance and maps out the choreographic contours of popular uprisings,  whether mass movements or isolated campaigns, spanning the dance spectrum from raves to folkloric dances, not  to mention jumpstyle. ballet-de-marseille.com 

Room with a View is part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival in New York. ***** 

(LA)HORDE: Lucinda Childs, LASSEINDRA NINJA France Wednesday, October 25 & Thursday, October 26 Dance 

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and NYU Skirball present an evening of works from the French dance  collective (LA)HORDE and the Ballet National de Marseille, choreographed by Lucinda Childs, Lasseindra Ninja, and  (LA)HORDE. Tempo Vicino, Tik Tok Jazz, Mood, Weather is Sweet and Concerto are set to an eclectic mix of music  from John Adams, Philip Glass, Janet Jackson, Boddi Satva and others. 

(LA)HORDE leads the Ballet National through varied narration and redesigns the scope of a seamless dance, from  the most structured to the most passionate performance. Over the course of the same evening, the dancers will  present a range of performances, from the structured choreography of Lucinda Childs to the trailblazing style of  Lasseindra Ninja, an icon in the queer ballroom community. In the (LA)HORDE universe, sensuality and diffracted  virtual movement will come face to face with choreographic composition. 

Founded by Roland Petit in 1972 and granted Centre Chorégraphique National status in 1984, the Ballet National de  Marseille is made up of 22 dancers hailing from 16 different countries. The dance collective (LA)HORDE has been at  the head of the BNM since 2019. Through films and live performances, as well as choreographic creations,  (LA)HORDE explores the political impact of dance and maps out the choreographic contours of popular uprisings,  whether mass movements or isolated campaigns, spanning the dance spectrum from raves to folkloric dances, not  to mention jumpstyle. ballet-de-marseille.com 

(LA)HORDE’S performances are part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival in New York.

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BORIS CHARMATZ: SOMNOLE France • N.A. Premiere Saturday, October 27 & Sunday, October 28 Dance 

Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and NYU Skirball present the North American premiere of SOMNOLE. In this  rare solo performance by Boris Charmatz, the award-winning French dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director  of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, explores the idea of somnolence — the feeling of being on the brink of sleep. 

Known for his large-scale, group performances, for this piece he distills his choreography into the minimalist form of  a dance solo. In a score comprised only of whistling, melodies surface, blend, and break apart. The nature of the  relationship between the sound and the movement constantly shifts from deliberate to halting, hazy to insightful. Like a body seeking sleep, Charmatz invents a form of insomniac dance where hypnotic rhythms and gestures bring  the audience to the frontier between wakefulness and sleep. 

French choreographer Boris Charmatz is widely celebrated for his radical approach to contemporary dance. Dancer,  choreographer, and creator of experimental projects, Charmatz subjects dance to formal constraints which redraw  the field of possibilities. From 2009 to 2018, he directed the Musée de la danse – Centre Chorégraphique National  de Rennes et de Bretagne. In January 2019, he founded [terrain], in partnership with le phénix, scène nationale in  Valenciennes, the Lille Opera and the Amiens Maison de la Culture. Boris Charmatz is also an associate artist of  Charleroi Danse in Belgium. He became director of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in Germany, in  September 2022. dancereflections-vancleefarpels.com  

SOMNOLE is part of the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival in New York. 

***** 

Joshua William Gelb: Nosferatu, A 3D Symphony of Horror (USA) • World Premiere Friday, October 27 - Tuesday, October 31 Theater/Virtual • NYU Skirball Commission 

“…these shows — in their weirdness, humor, gravitas, intellectual curiosity, graphic boldness and electric vitality — offered the  best argument by far for the artistic promise of streaming theater.” — The New York Times 

Nosferatu, A 3D Symphony of Horror from the acclaimed Theater in Quarantine, will be live streamed throughout  Halloween weekend. Nosferatu is the company’s newest experiment in digital performance, reaching back to the  classic 3D technology of cardboard glasses and old midnight movies. This reimagining of the 1922 vampire classic  will be livestreamed in live 3D from the Theater in Quarantine closet directly to audience’s phones or devices. 

This NYU Skirball commission is created in collaboration with puppet artist and theatermaker Nick Lehane and  designer Normandy Sherwood. 

Theater in Quarantine is an Obie and Drama League Award-winning performance laboratory dedicated to the  exploration of the live theatrical experience in the digital space. Established in response to the pandemic by director,  performer, and creative technologist Joshua William Gelb, TiQ has live-streamed dozens of visually distinctive,  original works to its YouTube channel, all performed out of a closet in the East Village measuring only 8 sq feet.  Hailed as one of the most imaginative makers of digital performance, TiQ has been featured on NPR's All Things  Considered, Japan's NHK Television, has been profiled in The New Yorker, The New York Times, been a four-time Times Critic's Pick as well as one of Vulture’s “Top 10 Best Theater Moments of 2020” and the NY Times' "Best  Theater of 2021." TiQ’s full archive can be found and streamed anytime on their YouTube channel at 

youtube.com/theaterinquarantine.  

Joshua William Gelb is an Obie and Drama League Award winning multi-hyphenate theater maker whose various  hats include director, performer, and creative technologist. With an eye for the highly theatrical verging on the  cinematic, Gelb’s work has been known to feature striking integrations of technology, music, movement, clowning,  and dance. Gelb has been in residence at LaMama, CultureHub, Theater Mitu, Abrons Arts Center, Ars Nova, and is 

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currently a HARP resident artist at Here Arts Center. Recently his media designs with Theater in Quarantine were  exhibited at the Prague Quadrennial. Joshuawilliamgelb.com  

Stephen Petronio: Breath of the Beast USA • World Premiere Thursday, November 2 - Saturday, November 4 Dance 

Stephen Petronio’s new Breath of the Beast is an evening-length, full company work to initiate Stephen Petronio  Company’s 40th year, created in collaboration with violin virtuoso Jennifer Koh who will be performing live  improvisation for these celebratory performances.  

Petronio tracked and recorded his dancing throughout the pandemic, working in isolation, returning to his own  dancing roots as an improvisor, catching the sources of his personal history expressed through a body now in its mid 60s. Petronio’s signature language and prowess are offered as an ignitor for the dancers to tap their own histories  set free in a churning creative process that urges emotional exposure and access to their deepest physicality. Breath  of the Beast is a dialogue with the sophisticated intelligence and intuition that drives these dancing collaborators. 

Violinist Jennifer Koh is recognized for intense, commanding performances delivered with dazzling virtuosity and  technical assurance. Koh is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring a broad and eclectic repertoire while  promoting equity and inclusivity in classical music. She has expanded the contemporary violin repertoire through a  wide range of commissioning projects and has premiered more than 100 works written especially for  her. jenniferkoh.com 

Stephen Petronio is an acclaimed American choreographer, dancer, and artistic director known for his innovative  and boundary-pushing work in contemporary dance. Petronio has made a significant impact on the dance world  through his unique artistic vision and his commitment to pushing the limits of movement and expression.In 1984,  he founded the Stephen Petronio Company, a contemporary dance company based in New York City. Touring and  performing throughout the world, the company quickly gained recognition for its bold and visually stunning  performances that combined elements of modern, ballet, and postmodern dance. Petronio's choreography  challenges traditional notions of movement and explores themes of sexuality, gender, and identity.  StephenPetronio.org  

***** 

SEONGBUKDONG BEEDOOLKEE: MEDEA ON MEDIA South Korea • NYC Premiere Saturday, November 11 & Sunday, November 12 Theater 

“This is a Medea for the age of information overload, where violence and vulgarity permeate many forms of  entertainment, from tv cartoons to confessional talk shows to video games… cannily narrows the gap between the  classical and contemporary world.” – The Business Times 

Seongbukdong Beedoolkee, an innovative contemporary theater company based in Seoul, South Korea, makes its  NYC debut with an original take on the enduring Greek tragedy of Medea. MEDEA on Media recasts the ancient tale  as a commentary on contemporary media and serves it to the audience in outrageous ways, including talk shows,  action movies, Disney cartoons, and an Instagrammable yoga class. With plenty of physicality and a dash of  silliness, MEDEA on Media (2009) is also clever and profound. The work is performed in Korean with English  supertitles. 

Led by director Kim Hyun-tak, Seongbukdong Beedoolkee Theatre freely deconstructs the texts of both well-known  masterpieces and modern Korean dramas to recreate them, incorporating contemporary social issues. Often, Kim’s  performances use a different theatrical style depending on the material and topic, such as dance theatre,  melodramatic film, or physical theatre, and most of them include active audience participation. koreanculture.org 

MEDEA on Media is co-presented with the Korean Cultural Center New York to commemorate the 70th anniversary  of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. 

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NYU SKIRBALL 

NYU Skirball is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, historically a center of resistance, dissent and free  thinking. NYU Skirball’s programing reflects this history and embraces today’s renegade artists and  companies, presenting works that aim to engage, provoke and inspire audiences. NYU Skirball is NYC’s home  for cutting-edge performance, artistic research, and discourse, holding close to James Baldwin’s dictum that “artists  are here to disturb the peace.” The 800-seat theater provides a home for internationally renowned artists,  innovators, and thinkers and presents ground-breaking events ranging from re-inventions of the classics to cutting edge premieres, in genres ranging from dance, theater and performance arts to comedy, music and film. 

For complete scheduling, dates and times, visit www.nyuskirball.org. Tickets go on sale to NYU Skirball members on  June 8; tickets go on sale to the general public on July 11. Tickets can be purchased online, by visiting the box office  in person, Tuesday - Saturday from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm, or by calling 212.998.4941. NYU Skirball is located at 566  LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. 

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