A weekly, highly personal and subjective list of performances and artists we want you to know about:
Leigh is sitting this week out.
Martha says:
I’d see anything by Annie-B Parson, a remarkably inventive choreographer and performance artist most identified with her company Big Dance Theater. Her intersections (she’s done a mash-up of “Dr. Zhivago” and “Terms of Endearment,” or choreographed the saga of Imelda Marcos to David Byrne’s music) take her audiences into unexpected places. This week, Parson’s unique vision is tuned to the work of Martha Graham. She has created a new piece called “I used to love you” (to the text of Will Eno) for the company’s season at The Joyce, Tuesday, February 14 at 7:30 pm through February 26. It will share the bill with classic works by Graham, and contributions by three other contemporary choreographers: Pontus Lidberg, Nacho Duato, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Parson’s piece will be featured in programs A and C.
I’m a big fan of well-assembled dance series that offer a window into new work by a mix of artists. DanceRoulette New Movement Series runs four days (February 15-18), and features 3-4 performances a night. This year’s series is curated by Jennifer Lafferty, and the opening program on Wednesday is especially compelling, featuring Rebecca Brooks, a meltingly fine contemporary dancer and choreographer, and Abigail Levine, a dance and performance artist whose intelligent work was featured at Mount Tremper Arts. It will be intriguing as well to see the two other artists, new to me, who have been curated that night, John Hoobyar and Jessie Gold.
Cover: Ben Schultz and Lorenzo Pagano rehearsing Annie-B Parson’s “I used to love you.” Photo © Brigid Pierce.
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