Sokolow Dance Co. Presents Rarely Seen Sokolow Works This March

SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE, in its first season under the artistic direction of Samantha Geracht, will appear in rarely seen works by legendary American modern dance pioneer Anna Sokolow, including her Moods, which has not been performed since the late 1970's, along with Dreams and Preludes.

The Company will be joined by guests Jennifer Conley, former soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company, performing Sokolow's solo Poem, and Clarence Brooks, former Company member, in ?Sweet in the Morning, ?by choreographer Leni Wylliams. Four performances, March 8-11 at the Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Actors Fund Arts Center, 160 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn.

Sokolow's Moods, set to Gyorgyi Ligeti's 10 Pieces for Wind Quintet, was created for the Daniel Lewis' Contemporary Dance System in the 1970's and not seen since that time. Lauren Naslund discovered a video excerpt of the long-lost dance two years ago and was intrigued by its emotional and physical intensity. "The company's dancers are eager to take risks physically and emotionally," remarked Naslund, adding that "the sudden changes of feeling and atmosphere in 'Moods' are very challenging. It's been a real pleasure for me to see the piece come to life."

The Company dancers remain true to Sokolow's vision and work ethic. Indeed, in a 1976 interview with a New York Times reporter, Sokolow, in a typically candid interview, expressed her distaste for dancers "who want it too easy. I work more and more, and I am never satisfied. For me dance is a language to communicate feelings, and I never lie. It's my sense of justice. It doesn't make me popular, but I don't give a damn."

Sokolow's 1961 Dreams was driven by her nightmares of the Holocaust. Set to music by Macero, Bach and Webern, the masterpiece penetrates the most terrifying realms of human experience, demanding that we see the humanity of persecution's victims. Clive Barnes, reviewing in the New York Times, called the work "...one of the most shattering and the most impressive of contemporary dance theater." Director of Dreams is Samantha Geracht, who noted the work's connection to current events.

"When I first put Dreams on the program," Geracht noted, "I was thinking of its timeliness in relation to the international refugee crisis. But now we also have all of the immigrant detentions at home, which strikes a particularly ominous chord with me. Anna understood the only way to digest the horrors of the Holocaust was by looking at the individuals."

In a lighter mood, Sokolow turned to the preludes of George Gershwin for Preludes, directed by Eleanor Bunker and based in social dance of the 30's, recalling the simple elegance and restrained sensuality of that time.

The Company welcomes guests Jennifer Conley, former soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company, who will perform Sokolow's Poem, a lyrical and uplifting solo set to music by Ernest Bloch. Conley remarked that for her, "Poem is an embodiment of trust, of light, and gratitude. In a world growing increasingly weary with conflict, injustice, and inaction, the light that emanates from this work is life-giving."

Former Sokolow company member Clarence Brooks will return to dance Sweet in the Morning, by Leni Wylliams (1961-1996). A tribute to Wylliams' mentors Eleo Pomare and Talley Beatty, the solo is set to the vocal musings of Bobby McFerrin and is a sojourn connecting the living who mourn, to the deceased who respond "Do not grieve for me for I am at peace." www.sokolowtheatredance.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.