Repertory Dance Theatre Will Present NORTH STAR

After celebrating their 55th season completely virtually last year, RDT will return to the theater with an evening of choreography by the renowned Lar Lubovitch. The performance will take place at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center with limited seating capacity to account for social distancing, September 30-October 2. For those who are unable to attend in person, the concert will be available in a virtual, on-demand format starting October 8.

Celebrated choreographer Lar Lubovitch has created works for dance companies across the globe as well as for Broadway, film, and even ice-skating. Lubovitch's signature style as a choreographer embodies a free-flowing, cascading, and highly musical movement quality that appears as effortless to dance as beautiful. Lubovitch's dances are renowned for their musicality, rhapsodic style, and sophisticated formal structures. His radiant, highly technical choreography and deeply humanistic voice are acclaimed worldwide.

RDT first met Lar Lubovitch in 1975 when he was invited to create a new work for the company called Session.

Executive/Artistic Director Linda C. Smith remembers, "Working with this exciting young choreographer was unforgettable, and I remember the experience fondly. It was a pleasure to perform Lar's lush movement and unique partnering. Forty-seven years later, RDT is performing an entire evening of works by Lar. He is now one of America's most versatile, popular, and widely seen choreographers. Lar Lubovitch dances have been performed by many major companies, including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."

The earliest repertory on the concert is Marimba, choreographed in 1976. This contiguous, flowing piece has been called a "trance dance." Husso stated about the work in Attitude, "Continuous, unison, circular, it explores humanity and togetherness. Evident here is Lubovitch's interest in the individual's place in the community...The joy of interconnectedness made for seamless transitions from triplets to runs. Gentle pulls and some more on edge leave one breathless."

North Star, created in 1978, begins with eight dancers holding hands and moving in a wave. As a single unit, the group forms brief huddles and clusters as they snake around the stage. The choreography, like the minimalist music it is danced to, cycles and repeats in undulating peaks and troughs giving one the impression of a community of individuals, along with an overt sense of the clever use of bodies in space. The dancers' swirling patterns of movement make it appear as if we are seeing them through a kaleidoscope.

The most recent repertory, Something About Night, choreographed in 2018 was performed by RDT in 2019. When discussing the work which was created in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lar Lubovitch company, Lubovitch said, "Something About Night is a work for five dancers (two women and three men), who appear in various blends of pairings. It's composed of fragments of many dances I've done over the years, little moments in duets and trios. But mainly, my motivation was that I want to be quiet. I think I value quiet now. And in this dance, I'm seeking a quieting of the mind."

NORTH STAR will also be the first performance for new company member Lindsey Faber, as well as the first live performance for Kareem Lewis who joined the company in July 2020.

All patrons attending NORTH STAR in-person will be required to wear a mask throughout their time in the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. Additionally, seating is limited to allow for social distancing between parties. All dancers have been vaccinated and will be tested prior to the performance.

Need more Utah Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...