 He’s
a dance collagist, possesses the soul of a true humanist and is
gifted with a musical imagination that embraces all cultures and
centuries. Garth Fagan’s dance company’s 35th anniversary,
which opens at the Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home
of Jazz at Lincoln Center, is a perfect time to take a look at the
choreographer’s accomplishments. Garth Fagan Dance performs
November 9–13.
Fagan’s landmark––and
now classic––dance, “Griot New York,” created
in 1991 in collaboration with Wynton Marsalis and sculptor Martin
Puryear, will be given a one-night-only performance on November
9. The music will be played live by the Wynton Marsalis Septet.
November 10 through 13 will feature two programs, each highlighted
by the world premiere of Fagan’s “LIFE: DARK/LIGHT”
with live music by virtuoso jazz violinist Billy Bang. The engagement
will also include the return of four of the choreographer’s
most beloved dances: “Prelude—Discipline is Freedom,”
“Two Pieces of One: Green,” “Translation Transition”
and “DANCECOLLAGEFORROMIE.”
The subject of a PBS “Great
Performances: Dance in America,” which aired worldwide in
1995, “Griot New York” became an instant hit when it
received its theatrical premiere as part of BAM’s Next Wave
Festival in 1991. A glorious tapestry that synthesizes African traditions
with contemporary American culture, the full-evening work is told
from the point of view of a griot, or a storyteller who passes on
the wisdom, traditions and history of a society. The exhilarating
spirit and integrity of the piece endures, even with new cast members
joining those who originally performed the work, affirming the classic
power of the choreography. Excerpts from the dance will also be
featured in one of the company’s other programs.
“LIFE: DARK/LIGHT” embodies
Fagan’s profound humanist concerns, embracing the bonds that
communalize society as reflected in the complex rhythms of Billy
Bang’s Asian-influenced jazz violin music. In the three-part
work, set to Bang’s “Vietnam: The Aftermath,”
Fagan explores the interconnections between man’s intellect,
compassion and instinct to survive.
Fagan’s rich musical imagination
radiates through “Two Pieces of One: Green,” set to
music by contemporary jazz musician Tony Williams and 16th century
composer Cristobal de Morales. The 1998 work comments on the diverse
and contradictory perspectives and lifestyles that define a real
community.
The choreographer’s loving friendship
with the late visual artist Romare Bearden is celebrated in “DANCECOLLAGEFORROMIE,”
a three-part work showcasing different aspects of Bearden’s
work and personality. The music is a compilation of Shostakovich,
Villa-Lobas and Ferd “Jelly Roll” Morton.
Set to music by the Jazz Jamaica All
Stars, “Translation Transition” explores the similarities,
differences and meeting points between American jazz and the traditional
music of Jamaica (ska, reggae and mento).
A classic introduction to Fagan’s
unique style, “Prelude—Discipline is Freedom,”
created in 1983 to music by Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand) and
Max Roach, displays Fagan’s signature vocabulary: a fusion
of ballet, modern and Afro-Caribbean dance.
Nineteen ninety-eight Tony Award-winner
for his choreography for the record-breaking hit “The Lion
King,” Garth Fagan began his career in dance by touring Latin
America with Ivy Baxter and her Jamaican national dance company.
In addition to Baxter, Caribbean
dance teachers Lavinia Williams and Pearl Primus strongly influenced
Fagan’s work, as did his later studies with Martha Graham,
Mary Hinkson, Alvin Ailey and José Limón. Born in
Jamaica and a graduate of Wayne State University, Fagan became director
of Detroit’s All-City Dance Company and principal soloist
and choreographer for the Dance Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit
Contemporary Dance Company. In 1970, he moved to Rochester and founded
Garth Fagan Dance. The company has appeared in many major venues
and arts festivals throughout the United States, as well as internationally
in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, New Zealand,
Australia and the West Indies.
In addition to works for his own company,
Fagan has choreographed dances for Judith Jamison, Dance Theatre
of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Limón Dance
Company. In May 1999, he created “Ellington Elation,”
one section of a trio of pieces commissioned by New York City Ballet
in honor of Duke Ellington’s centenary and NYCB’s 50th
anniversary.
Fagan’s choreography for “The
Lion King” also won him the 1998 Drama Desk Award, the 1998
Outer Critics Circle Award, the 1998 Astaire Award, the 2000 Laurence
Olivier Award and the 2001 Ovation Award. In 2001, he received the
Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award; that same year,
he was also the recipient of the Golden Plate Award, was inducted
into the American Academy of Achievement and was presented with
the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander by the Jamaican
government. Among other honors, including the 2004 Helpmann Award,
Fagan has also received a New York Dance and Performance Award (“Bessie”),
as have four other members of his company: Norwood Pennewell, Steve
Humphrey, Natalie Rogers and Sharon Skepple.
Following its Jazz at Lincoln Center
season, Garth Fagan Dance will perform in Rochester, NY (November
29–December 4); Richardson, TX (January 13); Tucson, AZ (January
25); Davenport, IA (January 28); Hamilton, Bermuda (February 1–2);
Geneva, NY (February 13–17); and Cleveland, OH (February 25).
The company will then go on a Hawaiian tour, with stops in Honolulu,
Maui, Kamuela and Hilo (March 11–19), before performing in
East Lansing, MI (May 2) and in Jackson, MS (June 22).
The opening night performance of “Griot
New York” begins at 7:30pm at the Rose Theater in Frederick
P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Thursday through Saturday
evenings, the curtain is at 8pm. There will also be 2pm matinees
on Saturday and Sunday. Opening night tickets are $150/$65/$55/$45;
all other nights are $65/$55/$45. Tickets are available at the box
office on the ground floor of Jazz at Lincoln Center, at www.jalc.org
or at 212-721-6500. Jazz at Lincoln Center is located at 33 West
60th Street at Broadway.
###
The Garth Fagan Dance 2005-2006 season is made possible, in part,
by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Gleason
Foundation, The Heineman Foundation for Research, Educational Charitable
and Scientific Purposes, Inc. and The Xerox Foundation. The Garth
Fagan Dance Opening Night performance is partially underwritten
by Pfizer, Inc. and Neuberger Berman.
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