Review: FALL FOR DANCE Thrills at New York City Center

Fall for Dance, one of NYC's premier dance festivals, had performances from 9/21 to 10/2 at New York City Center. Sold-out shows featured world famous companies and emerging talents that brought diverse styles of dance to the midtown stage. Fall for Dance is an annual festival with affordable tickets allowing many people to be engaged.

We had the pleasure of attending Program 5, the final matinee of Fall for Dance on Sunday, October 1. The show opened with Nrityagram Dance Ensemble in collaboration with the Chitrasena Dance Company. The Odissi Dancers from The Nrityagram Dance Ensemble and the Kandysan Dancers from the Chitrasena Dance Company performed the New York Premiere of Poornarati choreographed by Serupa Sen, the company's Artistic Director. The dance selection, accompanied by traditional Indian instruments and vocals, was an energetic yet graceful presentation that completely delighted the audience.

The program continued with Variations for two couples by the Dutch National Ballet. Ted Brandsen serves as Artistic Director. Choreographed by Hans Van Manen with music by Benjamin Britten Einojuhani Rautavaara, Stevan Kovacs Tickmayer and Astor Piazzolla, the dance made its premiere on February 15, 2012 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The two couples, with their exquisite partnering, performed the classic dance impeccably with its fascinating romantic and playful elements. It was a joy to witness ballet at it's best with Dutch National Ballet's signature grace and style.

The final piece, CAVE by the Martha Graham Company topped off a marvelous afternoon of dance. Janet Eiber is the Company's Artistic Director. The dance features choreography by Hofesh Schechter with high-energy rhythmic music by AME and Hofesh Schechter. Caleb Krieg's costuming with its nightlife style and Yi-Chung Chen's lighting design proved ideal to enhance the piece. CAVE made its premiere in 2022 on April 6 at New York City Center. The Company's twelve dancers were stunning as they worked collectively and individually. CAVE is a spirited, modern dance piece that superbly incorporates treasured Graham technique.

New York City Center is located at 131 W 55th St (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) New York, NY 10019. Check out the schedule for the Center's exciting upcoming productions at https://www.nycitycenter.org/.

Photo Credit: Karthik Venkataraman