Neville Dance Theatre Premieres 53 MOVEMENTS At Dixon Place

NEVILLE DANCE THEATRE will premiere director/choreographer Brenda Neville's 53 Movements, set to composer Terry Riley's musical masterpiece In C, June 1st at 3 PM & 7:30 PM at Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street.

Often referred to as the founding composer of music minimalism, Terry Riley's pioneering 1963 work In C, consists of 53 short, set musical phrases played by the musicians with improvisational choices. In the same vein, Neville, known for her intelligence and musicality, along with her company dancers, present 53 corresponding movement phrases created from and incorporating pre-set phrases with improvisational choices.


Remarked choreographer Neville: "From the first time I heard Terry Riley's score In C, which was 2017 from a performance recording by Bang on a Can, I was instantly inspired and fell in love with it. The vibrant orchestral layerings, driving underlying pulse, and the ever-changing uniqueness of the musical scoring caused movement phrases to instantly play across my mind's eye (a choreographer's dream!). I knew I wanted to choreograph to it at some point. I found my anchor the following year when I attended a live performance of the piece at Carnegie Hall. It was there I first learned of the improvisational components of the work. While being comprised of 53 distinct and set musical phrases, the musicians are allowed certain liberties as they play, causing each and every performance to be unique. Amazing! Ingenious! I thought, what would happen if we did the same thing with movement while we performed to the musical score? Hence the concept for 53 Movements was born."

Composer Terry Riley, upon seeing the video of Neville's work, enthusiastically responded: "I enjoyed watching the video you sent of what you have done so far," adding "I think you have taken a very integrated and interesting approach to modeling dance moves on the interactive patterning of the music. I think your work is quite beautiful and engaging."

Hailed as "compelling" and "imaginative," Neville Dance Theatre excels in bringing diverse dance elements together to create theatrical, innovative works that are a colorful tapestry of movement. The ensemble's varied repertory, ranging from a 21st century, multimedia Nutcracker to an original Days of the Dead Halloween ballet, embraces the limitlessness of dance as a means of international expression and communication.

The Manhattan-based ensemble was founded in 2005 by Brenda Neville. As a dancer Brenda has performed and choreographed in 18 countries, from Argentina to China. The versatile Neville is also a Broadway baby and has appeared, as an actress and singer, in productions of "My Fair Lady," "Crazy for You," and other musicals as well as in several films. An active teacher, she is on the faculty of The Ailey School and Steps on Broadway, teaching ballet, ethnic dance, flamenco and Argentine Tango. Brenda is also an expert pointe shoe fitter, and heads the U.S. Retail Department & NYC Boutique for Freed of London, and has aided in the development and promotion of the Gaynor Minden pointe shoe.