Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker Returns to New York Live Arts

Internationally acclaimed choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker highlights the season opening of New York Live Arts (Live Arts) with two early benchmarks of postmodern dance, Fase (September 24-28, 2019) and Rosas danst Rosas (October 1-5, 2019).

Premiering in 1982, Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich was choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker's first performance. Building upon four repetitive compositions by the minimalist Steve Reich, De Keersmaeker strings three duets and one solo into an independent movement idiom that both illustrates the music and builds new dimensions. Starting from the principle of phase shifting, both the music and dance are born from a place of complete synchronicity that soon ventures into slips and slides of changed forms and patterns. First iterations of Fasewere seen in Live Arts' legacy program Fresh Tracks in 1982, which at the time was known as Choreographers Showcase.

Rosas danst Rosas builds on the minimalism initiated in Fase, where abstract movements constitute the basis of a layered choreographic structure in which repetition plays the lead role. The fierceness of these movements is countered by small everyday gestures. The exhaustion and perseverance that come with the piece create an emotional tension that contrasts sharply with the rigorous structure of the choreography. Four female dancers dance themselves, again and again in a work that is unequivocally feminine to repetitive, "maximalistic" music by Thierry De Meyand Peter Vermeersch.

Performances of Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich take place at New York Live Arts (219 West 19th St New York, NY 10011) September 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 at 7:30pm (running time 70 minutes). Rosas danst Rosas will have performances October 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 at 7:30pm (running time 85 minutes). Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased here.

Following the Thursday night performances of Fase on September 26th and Rosas danst Rosas on October 3rd there will be post show conversations. Both will be moderated by Danielle Goldman--published author and Associate Professor of Dance, Program Director & Departmental Faculty Advisor for Dance at The New School.

On Saturday September 28 there will be a Rosas masterclass at the New York Live Arts studios.

Photo by Anne Van Aerschot

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