New York Theatre Ballet Presents New Season Of Legends & Visionaries, March 4-6

Dedicated to presenting works from choreographers past and present, New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns to Florence Gould Hall (March 4-6) with a new program of Legends and Visionaries, a series that focuses on infrequently performed masterpieces by legendary choreographers and new works from contemporary visionaries.

The program will feature Scramble, a piece by Merce Cunningham created in 1957 with sets by Frank Stella, the intimate, miniature Short Memory by Pam Tanowitz, and a world premiere by Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Toulouse's Dream. The season will also include Cinderella as part of NYTB's Once Upon a Ballet series geared toward children ages 3-10.

NYTB is presenting its first venture into the world of dance performance and video technology with a new commissioned piece by Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer. Based on the life and work of Toulouse Lautrec, Toulouse's Dream uses video projections to metaphorically portray Lautrec's altered states of consciousness, his identity as an outsider in Parisian society, as well as his leanings toward what was considered the decadence of the times. Set to live acoustic/electronic musical score performed by the composer, violist Martha Mooke, the work will feature four women and two men, plus a special role for NYTB Artistic Director Diana Byer.

Merce Cunningham's Scramble consists of 18 sections whose order can be changed or omitted. The music by Toshi Ichiyanagi is scored for western instruments, and the players perform multiple activities in cued sequences that are scrambled by the musicians in performance. Jasper Johns selected Frank Stella to design the set which consists of strips of canvas in the colors of the spectrum, mounted on vertical frames that can be moved about the stage by the dancers. Stella specified the colors of the costumes to complement the set; the men wear jumpsuits, the women, leotards and tights.

A 2013 NYTB commission, Short Memory by Pam Tanowitz with music by Lou Harrison and Henry Cowell is an intimate, small-scale piece that reveals a subtle choreographic humor which even extends to the brightly colored pointe shoes that catch the eye with each flick or flexed-footed turn. "Bristling with witty detail" (The New York Times), Short Memory affectionately pokes fun at the formality of ballet. The dancers start simply and gradually layer on odd juxtapositions, bent legs and tilted poses, all performed with a subtle, deadpan precision.

Choreographed by Donald Mahler and set to excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev's score, NYTB's one-hour production of Cinderella tells the beloved story of Cinderella's transformation, and features a dancing clock, wacky stepsisters, and the Fairy Godmother and her wand-waving magic. Costumes are by Metropolitan Opera's Resident Costume Designer, Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan with sets by Gillian Bradshaw Smith. Guest artists include Jeff Kazin and David Parker of The Bang Group, and Victor Abreu of New York City Ballet.

Performances will take place March 4-6 at Florence Gould Hall (55 East 59th Street) according to the following schedule:

Legends & Visionaries: March 4 & 5 at 7pm. Tickets are $25

Cinderella: March 5 at 1pm; March 6 at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm. Tickets are $30 for adults and $17 for children 12 & under.

Tickets are currently on sale in-person at the Florence Gould Hall box office and at Ticketmaster. Adults and children 5+ are required to show proof of vaccination, and masks are required for all audience members.