 Maybe Bach. Bob
Marley, perhaps. Telemann. John Cage for a change. Upstairs to jazz,
zip across to classical, fly around the corner to blues, dash downstairs
to urban folk. You could wear your shoes out trying to keep pace
with Garth Fagan as he hunts for music for a new dance. A single
dance can leap across conventional boundaries and circle through
centuries. Take “DANCECOLLAGEFORROMIE,” the world premiere
that Garth Fagan Dance will present at The Joyce Theater, November
11–23. The music is a compilation of Shostakovich, Villa-Lobos
and Ferd “Jelly Roll” Morton. But then again, consider
his movement, a seamless mix of modern, classical ballet, African,
West Indian and Afro-American.
Dedicated to Romare Bearden, “DANCECOLLAGEFORROMIE,”
is divided in three sections, each dealing with a different aspect
of Bearden’s work and personality. The first is ‘Matter
and Materiel,’ which explores shape, movement, texture and
color (the raw materials of collage). The second, ‘Detail:
Down Home Also,’ is based on one of Fagan’s own Bearden
collages, presently part of the Art of Romare Bearden exhibit at
the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The dance concludes with
‘Conjur Man,’ an exploration of some of Bearden’s
collages, his favorite imagery, tones and the artist’s love
of jazz.
The Joyce season also promises Fagan’s own parade of hits:
Among the dances will be last year’s success story, “Translation
Transition,” set to music by the Jazz Jamaica All Stars, which
explores the similarities, differences and meeting points between
American jazz and the traditional music of Jamaica (ska, reggae
and mento). The first section uses a ska-based score by Clement
Dodd. Thirty-three year Fagan veteran Steve Humphrey and relative
newcomer Keisha Laren Clarke lead an ensemble of six in ‘Two,’
the second section, which is choreographed to a reggae arrangement
of a composition by Wayne Shorter. The third and final section,
‘One Love,’ set to a score by Harry Johnson, begins
with an adagio solo and duet that sets the atmosphere for the ensemble
performance that follows.
“Griot New York,” set to an original score by Wynton
Marsalis, became an instant classic at its 1991 premiere. Sections
of the work, a glorious tapestry in its rich synthesis of African
traditions with American contemporary culture, will be performed.
The epic work is told from the point of view of a “griot,”
or a historian storyteller who passes on the wisdom, traditions
and history of a society. The spirit and integrity of the piece
endures, even with new cast members joining those who originally
performed the work, which affirms the ongoing resiliency of the
dance.
The revival of “Passion Distanced,” which premiered
in 1987, should be of special note. Set to an almost exaltedly austere
score by Arvo Part, the dance opens with a breath-taking, emotionally
and spiritually complex solo performed by Norwood Pennewell, whose
sensitive physicality explores a range of feeling.
And finally, there is “Prelude,” another Fagan classic,
premiered in 1981 and revised in 1983, which celebrates the far-ranging
Fagan technique. The music is by Max Roach and Abdullah Ibrahim.
Fagan began his career in dance as a teenager, leaving his native
Jamaica to tour Latin America with Ivy Baxter and the Jamaican National
Dance Company. Baxter, 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.
After graduating from Wayne State University in Detroit, Fagan became
director of Detroit’s All-City Dance Company and performed
with the Dance Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit Contemporary Dance
Company. He moved to Rochester in 1970, where he began Garth Fagan
Dance, now in its 33rd season.
In addition to the dances he creates for his own company, Fagan
has choreographed pieces for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (“Footprints
Dressed in Red” in 1986), the Jamison Project (“Scene
Seen” in 1988) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (“Jukebox
for Alvin” in 1993). In 1994, Fagan choreographed “Never
No Lament” for the Limón Dance Company, and in May
1999, he created “Ellington Elation” for New York City
Ballet’s 50th anniversary.
For his choreography in “The Lion King,” Fagan received
the 1998 Tony Award, 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, Fagan received the Samuel
H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award; that same year, he was
also the recipient of the Golden Plate Award and was inducted into
the American Academy of Achievement. 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.
Garth Fagan Dance has appeared in many major venues and arts festivals
throughout the U.S., as well as internationally in France, Turkey,
Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Germany and Africa. Following its
Joyce Theater season, the company will perform in Rochester, NY
(December 2–7); Buffalo, NY (February 6); Geneseo, NY (February
8); Rochester, NY (February 17); and Atlanta, GA (March 5). Live
music by the Wycliffe Gordon Septet will accompany performances
of “Griot New York” in Boulder, CO (April 15); Davis,
CA (April 21); Stanford, CA (April 24); and Storrs, CT (April 29).
The evening curtain for Garth Fagan Dance’s season at The
Joyce Theater, Tuesday through Saturday, is at 8pm; and on Sunday
at 7:30pm. There will also be a 2pm matinee on Sunday. All tickets
are $40, and are available at The Joyce Theater box office or by
calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at www.joyce.org.
The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.
###
Leadership support for The Joyce Theater’s 2003-2004 season
has been received from the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.
Neuberger Berman, LLC and Pfizer, Inc. are partially underwriting
a performance each (11/11/03 and 11/21/03).
Garth Fagan Dance is supported, in part, with public funds from
the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council
on the Arts.
These performances are supported, in part, by the Anne Hayden McQuay
Arts and Cultural Fund and funds from the Mary W. Clarke Estate.
The Garth Fagan Dance 2003–2004 season made possible, in part,
by the generous support of
Altria Group, Inc., The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Eastman Kodak
Company, Gleason Foundation and The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation.
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