New York Live Arts to Present The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY, 5/20-23

New York Live Arts presents Purchase Dance Company's second full New York City season at New York Live Arts, May 20 - 23 at 7:30pm in the New York Live Arts Theater.

Students from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College-"home to one of the country's most highly regarded dance conservatories" (The New York Times)-give New York City audiences a chance to see some of the most promising performers of the future generation of dance artists. The run will feature two exciting programs of contemporary and classically based works by acclaimed choreographers and talented new voices. "We are excited to give our tremendously talented students, especially our graduating seniors, an opportunity to perform works by exceptional choreographers at New York Live Arts," said Bettijane Sills and Larry Clark, Artistic Directors of Purchase Dance Company and Co-Directors of Dance at Purchase College.

The programs performed at New York Live Arts will include the following artists and works:

Kyle Abraham: excerpt from Live! The Realest MC

Inspired by Pinocchio's plight to be a "real boy," Kyle Abraham's ensemble dance work investigates gender roles in the black community and the quest for acceptance in the world of hip-hop celebrity. Live! The Realest MC, an evolution of previous solo work by Abraham, references our own humanity in this digital age, creating an abstracted and humorously dark narrative that places the iconic childhood character in an industrial dystopia.

Aszure Barton: Over/Come

Originally created in residency at Baryshnikov Arts Center, Over/Come is a work for 13 dancers set to love songs one might imagine spilling out of a Bohemian café-populated by romantically disaffected hipsters-on a warm summer evening. Arranged with dexterous structure and stagecraft, it is a "disturbing and delicious" (San Francisco Chronicle) work. Barton would like to acknowledge Mikhail Baryshnikov for facilitating and commissioning this work

Merce Cunnigham: excerpt from Suite for Five

Suite for Five, first performed by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1956 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, was created by adding a trio, a duet and a quintet to Cunningham's earlier Solo Suite in Space and Time. By 1958, the original piece had been modified so that Cunningham's five solos were reduced to three, and a solo for Carolyn Brown was added. The classic purity and tranquility of Suite for Five is acknowledged in the program note, which read, "The events and sounds of this ballet revolve around a quiet center, which though silent and unmoving, is the source from which they happen." The music (Cage's Music for Piano) and the choreography relied on the imperfections in paper and on chance operations, to determine both the musical composition and the movement of the dance. Robert Rauschenberg designed the earth-toned leotards, with lighting by Beverly Emmons.

Shannon Gillen: SIELAND

Marking the 25th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall, SIELAND ventures into the paranoid landscape of constant observation, self-preservation and taking sides.

Sarah Mettin: End Aloud

End Aloud explores the acceleration of change and how it effects our individual interactions. The constant addition of new forms of outlets one can communicate through makes privacy, authenticity and familiarity questionable. End Aloud asks: How deep are connections? How do we keep our distinctiveness? Where will this lead us?

Bettijane Sills: The Kiss

A kiss can signify many things. Set to Romance in F Major for Viola and Orchestra, Opus 85 by Max Bruch, The Kiss reveals a romantic, emotional urgency which ultimately ends in sadness. The hauntingly beautiful music was the inspiration for a duet between a man and a woman. The dancers are barefoot; the woman, unrestricted by the pointe shoe, has more freedom of movement; yet it is a ballet which at times uses classical vocabulary. It is a story of coming together and pulling away; a story of love and loss.

Doug Varone: Lux

Lux is a landscaped canvas of movement. The group sections in Lux are like choreographed chaos, with dancers moving through intricate patterns; the structures of their designs in space visualize the complexities in Philip Glass' transcendent score, The Light (1987). As a pure movement form, Lux emanates optimism as it interweaves soloists and groups seamlessly to build a crescendo.

Performances will take place in New York Live Arts' Theater. Tickets are $10 for seniors/students, $15 advance purchase, and $20 day of performance. Tickets may be purchased online at newyorklivearts/season, by phone at 212-924-0077 and in person at the box office. Box office hours are Monday to Friday from 1 to 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 9pm.

Listing info:

The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY: Purchase Dance Company

May 20 - 23 at 7:30pm

Program 1: May 20 and 22
Over/Come by Aszure Barton
SIELAND by Shannon Gillen

Excerpt from Suite for Five by Merce Cunningham
The Kiss by Bettijane Sills
LUX by Doug Varone

Program 2: May 21 and 23
Over/Come by Aszure Barton
End Aloud by Sarah Mettin

Excerpt from Live! The Realest MC by Kyle Abraham
The Kiss by Bettijane Sills
LUX by Doug Varone