Tag: Cherylyn Lavagnino

Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance ~ Gallery

Above: dancers Gwendolyn Gussman and Malcolm Miles Young in TRIPTYCH; photo by Charles Roussel

Photographer Chares Roussel has produced a beautiful portfolio of images from Cherylyn Lavagnino’s production TALES OF HOPPER, given at the DiMenna Center on February 25th and 26th, 2020. You can read about the event here. Below is a selection of Mr. Roussel’s photographs from this wonderful evening of dance.

The program opened with TALES OF HOPPER, a series of danced vignettes inspired by eight of the artist’s paintings:

Justin Faircloth

Sharon Milanese

Sharon Milanese

Malcolm Miles Young, Dervia Carey-Jones, Philip Strom

Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez

Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez

Kristen Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart

Corinne Hart, Justin Faircloth, Claire Westby

Claire Westby

Emma Pajewski and Malcolm Miles Young

Following the interval, TRIPTYCH, a ritualistic ballet, was preformed:

Justin Faircloth and Emma Pajewski

The ensemble

The women in TRIPTYCH

The men in TRIPTYCH

Malcolm Miles Young, Gwendolyn Gussman, Dervia Carey-Jones

Oscar Rodriguez and Justin Faircloth

Dervia Carey-Jones

Gwendolyn Gussman and Malcolm Miles Young

VEILED was the closing work:

VEILED is a ballet for six women

Emma Pajewski in VEILED

The ensemble

Claire Westby in VEILED

~ All photographs by Charles Roussel

February 26, 2020
Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER

Above: dancers Justin Faircloth, Corinne Hart, and Claire Westby in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER; photo by Charles Roussel

~ Author: Oberon

{Note: this article has been updated with production photos by Charles Roussel}

Tuesday February 25th, 2020 (dress rehearsal) – Today, choreographer Cherylyn Lavagnino kindly invited me to attend the dress rehearsal of her newest creation: TALES OF HOPPER. It’s a collaboration between Ms. Lavagnino and composer Martin Bresnick, inspired by the works of the American painter Edward Hopper. Two earlier works from Ms. Lavagnino’s treasure chest were also on the bill: Triptych and Veiled.

Hoping to get the clearest possible vision of the Hopper piece, I had asked the choreographer if I might attend the dress rehearsal rather than a performance so that my concentration would be unbroken. As a further enhancement, I had earlier watched a studio rehearsal of one of the ballet’s solos danced by Sharon Milanese; Ms. Milanese’s dancing that afternoon really moved me, and made me eager to see the entire piece. Although a dress rehearsal, the participating dancers and musicians were all at performance level.

This evening’s musicians: Elly Toyoda, Lisa Moore, and Ashley Bathgate; photo by Charles Roussel

TALES OF HOPPER is a dance-theater work in which eight of Edward Hopper’s Americana masterpieces are brought to life. Mr. Bresnick’s original score is performed live – and excellently – by Lisa Moore (piano), Elly Toyoda (violin), and Ashley Bathgate (cello). Transparent set pieces, designed by Jesse Seegers, are re-configured to suggest the locale and mood of each of the Hopper paintings. The set changes are carried out by the dancers during blackouts between the vignettes. Frank DenDanto III created the lighting designs, and Christopher Metzger designed the ‘period’ costumes (the Hopper period, that is: the 30s thru the 60s); both gentlemen get top marks for their work, which were key elements in the evening’s success.

A Prologue opens TALES OF HOPPER; violin and piano are heard in music with a nostalgic air; the cello soon joins in. All of the Company’s dancers take part, costumed as the ‘characters’ they will eventually play.

Sharon Milanese (above) appears as the woman in Hopper’s 1952 painting Morning Star. As the lights come up, the dancer is slowly awakening. The music is thoughtful, and Ms. Milanese – a compelling dancer with a strong theatrical sensibility – is perfect as this restless and vulnerable creature. The music becomes quite passionate; as the lights fades, the dancer is left to her thoughts.

Above: Emma Pajewski, Phil Strom, Gwendolyn Gussman, and Dervia Carey-Jones in People of the Sun

Five dancers bring folding chairs to the stage for People of the Sun, Hopper’s 1960 painting showing a group of people enjoying the sunshine on a patio as they gaze out over an open field. The silence is broken by brief commentary from the violin, and by quiet laughter from Gwendolyn Gussman; she, Dervia Carey-Jones, Emma Pajewski, Malcolm Miles Young (reading a book), and Philip Strom constantly re-align their chairs so as to get the full benefit of the sunshine.

Justin Faircloth (above) has a solo vignette in the 1940 painting Gas, wherein a young service station attendant fritters away his time between customers by bouncing a ball. The piano offers jagged chords, the cello rocks gently, the violin stammers. The attendant pumps gas, gives a car wash, tinkers with an under-body. Then he hits the floor for some pushups.

Above: Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez in The Office at Night

A plucking cello interlude takes us to the Office at Night (1940) where a secretary (Lila Simmons) and her boss (Oscar Rodriguez) are carrying on an after-hours affair. A mysterious dropped document is a bone of contention between them; they are alternately amorous and antagonistic. They embrace, have a steamy duet, and find tenderness at the end.

The magnetic Kristen Foote (above) is a cinema usherette in NY Movie (1940). Aside from some latecomers, the audience is already enjoying the film, and the usherette is biding her time by occasionally breaking into dance steps or miming lines from the movie.

Above: the duet from NY Movie, with Ms. Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Pensive music heralds the appearance of a handsome man (Malcolm Miles Young) who is perhaps real or perhaps a silver-screen illusion. They dance a romantic/passionate duet; a brooding atmosphere develops musically, and the usherette resumes her solitary post. This might have been my favorite “Hopper tale” tonight, but I think if I were to see the piece repeatedly, I would probably favor a different episode every time.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Claire Westby in Sunlight in a Cafeteria

Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958) commences with shimmering piano sounds. Justin Faircloth is nursing a cup of coffee when Claire Westby saunters past, intentionally dropping a glove. Justin is captivated. Then the openly provocative woman passes her admirer a note…and wanders off.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart in Nighthawks

With Nighthawks (1942), Ms. Lavagnino continues the ‘story’ of Sunlight. As Justin’s wife (or girlfriend), Corinne Hart (fetching in a deep green frock, which sets off her auburn hair) has found Claire’s note; the music (cello and piano) has a searching quality. Feeling betrayed, Ms. Hart confronts Mr. Faircloth: their romance breaks down. Claire Westby returns, and, after a tense trio, Justin chooses Claire over Corinne.

Above: Claire Westby in Automat

Automat (1927) extends the story line of the two previous movements to its finish. Ms. Westby, disheveled and run down, is alone with a cup of coffee. What’s transpired in the interim, we don’t know. Claire’s gorgeous flower-flecked dress – now rumpled – reveals her legs as she rolls about on the floor in a sensual frenzy. She finally composes herself and again sits alone. The dancers now all return to the stage for a final tableau which unites the characters of all the eight tales of Hopper.

Following the interval, the stage has been cleared for Cherylyn’s ballets Triptych (excerpt – 2012) and the 2016 Veiled. Both works explore spirituality in different contexts, and they looked wonderful in this open and finely-lit space…and both were beautifully danced.

Above: from Triptych

Triptych is performed to the music of François Couperin: his Troisième Leçon à deux voix). With the men of the Company aligned upstage, Claire Westby performs a quiet solo with expressive port de bras; Claire prepares us for the entrance of the women – Dervia Carey-Jones, Gwendolyn Gussman, Emma Pajewski, and Lila Simmons – each a unique beauty and personality. The men – Mssrs. Faircloth, Strom, Young, and Rodriguez – come forward now, and Ms. Carey-Jones distinctively leads off a series of dances.

A duet for Malcolm Miles Young and Gwendolyn Gussman has a rapturous quality, whilst Emma Pajewski and Justin Faircloth’s lyrical partnering is poignantly musical. A pas de quatre for Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Westby, and Pajewski follows: they are dancing in a state of grace. A pas de trois joins Lila Simmons, a dancer whose wide-ranging emotional palette always captures my attention, with Phil Strom and Justin Faircloth. Ms. Carey-Jones joins this trio, leading on to a finale for the full cast. Of Triptych tonight, I wrote in my notes: “…a slice of Heaven.”

Above: from Veiled

The notion of Heaven was sustained as the evening concluded with Veiled, a dance for female ensemble set to Martin Bresnick’s Josephine the Singer, performed by violinist Elly Toyoda. Danceworks that speak of sisterhood always end up fascinating me, and I found Veiled to be a particularly engrossing experience: one of those ballets I could watch over and over.

The women are prostrated as Veiled ballet commences, with Ms. Todaya’s violin sounding in its highest range. As the piece unfolds, rituals of prayer, supplication, and consolation pass before our eyes; the atmosphere is paradoxically intense and calming.

I can’t find words to sufficiently praise the six women who danced Veiled tonight: Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Hart, Pajewski, Simmons, and Westby each had an inner glow that made them captivating to watch. Two duets passages – one for Claire Westby and Corinne Hart and another for Lila Simmons and Emma Pajewski – particularly moved me, but in fact everything about this ballet resonated richly.

After a series of brief, fleeting solos, the women form a circle; then they dance in a stylized chain, holding hands. The violin shivers, a prelude to hesitant lyricism that finally reaches unearthly high notes. As the light fades, the women huddle; they seem wary, but also safe in the community of sisters.

Near the end of Veiled, Emma Pajewski (above), kneeling in prayer with an expression of hope on her lovely face, became an iconic image for me. In this Year of the Women, Ms. Lavagnino’s Veiled is truly something to behold.

All photos in this article are by Charles Roussel. A gallery of additional production images from Mr. Roussel may be viewed here.

~ Oberon

February 26, 2020
Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER

Above: dancers Justin Faircloth, Corinne Hart, and Claire Westby in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s TALES OF HOPPER; photo by Charles Roussel

~ Author: Oberon

{Note: this article has been updated with production photos by Charles Roussel}

Tuesday February 25th, 2020 (dress rehearsal) – Today, choreographer Cherylyn Lavagnino kindly invited me to attend the dress rehearsal of her newest creation: TALES OF HOPPER. It’s a collaboration between Ms. Lavagnino and composer Martin Bresnick, inspired by the works of the American painter Edward Hopper. Two earlier works from Ms. Lavagnino’s treasure chest were also on the bill: Triptych and Veiled.

Hoping to get the clearest possible vision of the Hopper piece, I had asked the choreographer if I might attend the dress rehearsal rather than a performance so that my concentration would be unbroken. As a further enhancement, I had earlier watched a studio rehearsal of one of the ballet’s solos danced by Sharon Milanese; Ms. Milanese’s dancing that afternoon really moved me, and made me eager to see the entire piece. Although a dress rehearsal, the participating dancers and musicians were all at performance level.

This evening’s musicians: Elly Toyoda, Lisa Moore, and Ashley Bathgate; photo by Charles Roussel

TALES OF HOPPER is a dance-theater work in which eight of Edward Hopper’s Americana masterpieces are brought to life. Mr. Bresnick’s original score is performed live – and excellently – by Lisa Moore (piano), Elly Toyoda (violin), and Ashley Bathgate (cello). Transparent set pieces, designed by Jesse Seegers, are re-configured to suggest the locale and mood of each of the Hopper paintings. The set changes are carried out by the dancers during blackouts between the vignettes. Frank DenDanto III created the lighting designs, and Christopher Metzger designed the ‘period’ costumes (the Hopper period, that is: the 30s thru the 60s); both gentlemen get top marks for their work, which were key elements in the evening’s success.

A Prologue opens TALES OF HOPPER; violin and piano are heard in music with a nostalgic air; the cello soon joins in. All of the Company’s dancers take part, costumed as the ‘characters’ they will eventually play.

Sharon Milanese (above) appears as the woman in Hopper’s 1952 painting Morning Star. As the lights come up, the dancer is slowly awakening. The music is thoughtful, and Ms. Milanese – a compelling dancer with a strong theatrical sensibility – is perfect as this restless and vulnerable creature. The music becomes quite passionate; as the lights fades, the dancer is left to her thoughts.

Above: Emma Pajewski, Phil Strom, Gwendolyn Gussman, and Dervia Carey-Jones in People of the Sun

Five dancers bring folding chairs to the stage for People of the Sun, Hopper’s 1960 painting showing a group of people enjoying the sunshine on a patio as they gaze out over an open field. The silence is broken by brief commentary from the violin, and by quiet laughter from Gwendolyn Gussman; she, Dervia Carey-Jones, Emma Pajewski, Malcolm Miles Young (reading a book), and Philip Strom constantly re-align their chairs so as to get the full benefit of the sunshine.

Justin Faircloth (above) has a solo vignette in the 1940 painting Gas, wherein a young service station attendant fritters away his time between customers by bouncing a ball. The piano offers jagged chords, the cello rocks gently, the violin stammers. The attendant pumps gas, gives a car wash, tinkers with an under-body. Then he hits the floor for some pushups.

Above: Lila Simmons and Oscar Rodriguez in The Office at Night

A plucking cello interlude takes us to the Office at Night (1940) where a secretary (Lila Simmons) and her boss (Oscar Rodriguez) are carrying on an after-hours affair. A mysterious dropped document is a bone of contention between them; they are alternately amorous and antagonistic. They embrace, have a steamy duet, and find tenderness at the end.

The magnetic Kristen Foote (above) is a cinema usherette in NY Movie (1940). Aside from some latecomers, the audience is already enjoying the film, and the usherette is biding her time by occasionally breaking into dance steps or miming lines from the movie.

Above: the duet from NY Movie, with Ms. Foote and Malcolm Miles Young

Pensive music heralds the appearance of a handsome man (Malcolm Miles Young) who is perhaps real or perhaps a silver-screen illusion. They dance a romantic/passionate duet; a brooding atmosphere develops musically, and the usherette resumes her solitary post. This might have been my favorite “Hopper tale” tonight, but I think if I were to see the piece repeatedly, I would probably favor a different episode every time.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Claire Westby in Sunlight in a Cafeteria

Sunlight in a Cafeteria (1958) commences with shimmering piano sounds. Justin Faircloth is nursing a cup of coffee when Claire Westby saunters past, intentionally dropping a glove. Justin is captivated. Then the openly provocative woman passes her admirer a note…and wanders off.

Above: Justin Faircloth and Corinne Hart in Nighthawks

With Nighthawks (1942), Ms. Lavagnino continues the ‘story’ of Sunlight. As Justin’s wife (or girlfriend), Corinne Hart (fetching in a deep green frock, which sets off her auburn hair) has found Claire’s note; the music (cello and piano) has a searching quality. Feeling betrayed, Ms. Hart confronts Mr. Faircloth: their romance breaks down. Claire Westby returns, and, after a tense trio, Justin chooses Claire over Corinne.

Above: Claire Westby in Automat

Automat (1927) extends the story line of the two previous movements to its finish. Ms. Westby, disheveled and run down, is alone with a cup of coffee. What’s transpired in the interim, we don’t know. Claire’s gorgeous flower-flecked dress – now rumpled – reveals her legs as she rolls about on the floor in a sensual frenzy. She finally composes herself and again sits alone. The dancers now all return to the stage for a final tableau which unites the characters of all the eight tales of Hopper.

Following the interval, the stage has been cleared for Cherylyn’s ballets Triptych (excerpt – 2012) and the 2016 Veiled. Both works explore spirituality in different contexts, and they looked wonderful in this open and finely-lit space…and both were beautifully danced.

Above: from Triptych

Triptych is performed to the music of François Couperin: his Troisième Leçon à deux voix). With the men of the Company aligned upstage, Claire Westby performs a quiet solo with expressive port de bras; Claire prepares us for the entrance of the women – Dervia Carey-Jones, Gwendolyn Gussman, Emma Pajewski, and Lila Simmons – each a unique beauty and personality. The men – Mssrs. Faircloth, Strom, Young, and Rodriguez – come forward now, and Ms. Carey-Jones distinctively leads off a series of dances.

A duet for Malcolm Miles Young and Gwendolyn Gussman has a rapturous quality, whilst Emma Pajewski and Justin Faircloth’s lyrical partnering is poignantly musical. A pas de quatre for Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Westby, and Pajewski follows: they are dancing in a state of grace. A pas de trois joins Lila Simmons, a dancer whose wide-ranging emotional palette always captures my attention, with Phil Strom and Justin Faircloth. Ms. Carey-Jones joins this trio, leading on to a finale for the full cast. Of Triptych tonight, I wrote in my notes: “…a slice of Heaven.”

Above: from Veiled

The notion of Heaven was sustained as the evening concluded with Veiled, a dance for female ensemble set to Martin Bresnick’s Josephine the Singer, performed by violinist Elly Toyoda. Danceworks that speak of sisterhood always end up fascinating me, and I found Veiled to be a particularly engrossing experience: one of those ballets I could watch over and over.

The women are prostrated as Veiled ballet commences, with Ms. Todaya’s violin sounding in its highest range. As the piece unfolds, rituals of prayer, supplication, and consolation pass before our eyes; the atmosphere is paradoxically intense and calming.

I can’t find words to sufficiently praise the six women who danced Veiled tonight: Mlles. Carey-Jones, Gussman, Hart, Pajewski, Simmons, and Westby each had an inner glow that made them captivating to watch. Two duets passages – one for Claire Westby and Corinne Hart and another for Lila Simmons and Emma Pajewski – particularly moved me, but in fact everything about this ballet resonated richly.

After a series of brief, fleeting solos, the women form a circle; then they dance in a stylized chain, holding hands. The violin shivers, a prelude to hesitant lyricism that finally reaches unearthly high notes. As the light fades, the women huddle; they seem wary, but also safe in the community of sisters.

Near the end of Veiled, Emma Pajewski (above), kneeling in prayer with an expression of hope on her lovely face, became an iconic image for me. In this Year of the Women, Ms. Lavagnino’s Veiled is truly something to behold.

All photos in this article are by Charles Roussel. A gallery of additional production images from Mr. Roussel may be viewed here.

~ Oberon

February 25, 2020
Rehearsal: Cherylyn Lavagnino’s Monsters of Grace

Above: Dorrie Garland and Dervia Carey-Jones of Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance

Monday November 26th, 2019 ~ In the early afternoon, I went down to the NYU/Tisch studios where Cherylyn Lavagnino was running a rehearsal of her latest creation, Monsters of Grace, set to the aria “In The Arc of Your Mallet” from the almost-forgotten Philip Glass opera Monsters of Grace.

Here is the text of the aria, drawn from the writings of the Persian poet and scholar Rumi (1207-1273):

“Don’t go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don’t see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.
I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.
There’s nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don’t know where I’m going.
You’re the road, and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.”

It seems very…contemporary, doesn’t it?

And here are some photos from the rehearsal, courtesy of Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance:

Dervia Carey-Jones, Dorrie Garland, Kaitlyn Yiu, and Lila Simmons

Corinne Hart and Dervia Carey-Jones

Kaitlyn Yiu and Dorrie Garland

Kaitlyn and Dorrie

Cherylyn’s choreography strikes me as ideally suited to the music; the ballet has the feeling of ritual…a feeling I love.

My thanks to Cherylyn and her beautiful and generous dancers Dervia Carey-Jones, Dorrie Garland, Corinne Hart, Lila Simmons, and Kaitlyn Yiu for this engaging studio experience.

~ Oberon

November 27, 2019
Rehearsal: Cherylyn Lavagnino’s Monsters of Grace

Above: Dorrie Garland and Dervia Carey-Jones of Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance

Monday November 26th, 2019 ~ In the early afternoon, I went down to the NYU/Tisch studios where Cherylyn Lavagnino was running a rehearsal of her latest creation, Monsters of Grace, set to the aria “In The Arc of Your Mallet” from the almost-forgotten Philip Glass opera Monsters of Grace.

Here is the text of the aria, drawn from the writings of the Persian poet and scholar Rumi (1207-1273):

“Don’t go anywhere without me.
Let nothing happen in the sky apart from me,
or on the ground, in this world or that world,
without my being in its happening.
Vision, see nothing I don’t see.
Language, say nothing.
The way the night knows itself with the moon,
be that with me. Be the rose
nearest to the thorn that I am.
I want to feel myself in you when you taste food,
in the arc of your mallet when you work,
when you visit friends, when you go
up on the roof by yourself at night.
There’s nothing worse than to walk out along the street
without you. I don’t know where I’m going.
You’re the road, and the knower of roads,
more than maps, more than love.”

It seems very…contemporary, doesn’t it?

And here are some photos from the rehearsal, courtesy of Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance:

Dervia Carey-Jones, Dorrie Garland, Kaitlyn Yiu, and Lila Simmons

Corinne Hart and Dervia Carey-Jones

Kaitlyn Yiu and Dorrie Garland

Kaitlyn and Dorrie

Cherylyn’s choreography strikes me as ideally suited to the music; the ballet has the feeling of ritual…a feeling I love.

My thanks to Cherylyn and her beautiful and generous dancers Dervia Carey-Jones, Dorrie Garland, Corinne Hart, Lila Simmons, and Kaitlyn Yiu for this engaging studio experience.

~ Oberon

November 26, 2019
Rehearsal: Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance

Above: dancer Justin Flores, photo by Kokyat.

Sunday March 24, 2013 – Today I went over to to the studios at Tisch/NYU where Cherylyn Lavagnino was working with her dancers on a new ballet set to the Schubert piano trio in E-flat, a piece that has always evoked dance images for me. Entitled TREIZE EN JEU, it is an ensemble work that features intimate duets mixed into a larger and finely-structured setting.

Stepping off the elevator to the second-floor studio space, the sounds of the Schubert score at once made me feel that I was in for something special, and that was indeed the case. A roomful of dancers, many of whom I know, were mid-phrase when I walked into the studio. It took only a few seconds of observation to determine that this would be a truly pleasing afternoon, as much to the ear as to the eye.

Cherylyn Lavagnino’s works, though fresh in detail, are rooted in the traditions of classical ballet. The girls are on pointe and the vocabulary is rich. Subtle nuances in the port de bras and partnering put a distinctive gleam on the choreography, and transitions from unison ensemble passages to a focus on individuals or couples are accomplished in the twinkling of an eye. The dance springs ever from the music, and what heart-filling music it is.

For this large work, Cherylyn has assembled a group of dancers with a high level of technical accomplishment and with distinctive personalities. They work beautifully as a collective yet their individuality is never submerged; thus in the bigger moments of the work the eye is constantly lured from dancer to dancer.

A series of duets give us a chance to savor some lovely partnerships: Claire Westby and Eric Williams, Laura Mead and Justin Flores, Ramona Kelley and Adrian Silver, and the long-limbed and lithe pairing of Giovanna Gamna and Michael Gonzalez. Each couple creates a unique atmosphere; it was so satisfying to watch them ironing out the details under Cherylyn’s watchful eye. Justin later worked on the piece with the delicious Selina Chau – there will be double-casting during the performance run at Baruch College in June. Samuel Swanton joined in an energetic male quartet, and two very attractive apprentices – Kristin Deiss and Lila Simmons – filled out a double-trio of women who weave patterns while the sumptuous Claire and Eric are dancing. Laura Mead who made such a lovely impression in Pontus Lidberg’s WITHIN for Morphoses last October, looks fetching indeed, and the elongated shapes created by Giovanna and Michael gave their duet a particular appeal.

It was particularly meaningful for me to see Ramona and Adrian dancing together again, for it was in this very studio in 2009 that I first met them when they were rehearsing a John-Mark Owen duet. Their partnership remains an intriguing combination of delicacy and strength.

As the dancers dispersed after a final run-thru, Selina and Justin remained to do some intensive work on the partnering. Their dedication and keen focus on detail gave a clue as to why Cherylyn’s works always end up looking so good.

This new Schubert ballet can be seen (with the score played live!) from June 12th thru 19th when Cherylyn Lavagnino joins Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre and Zvi Gotheiner as part of the inaugural year of a new festival
celebrating music and dance at Baruch College. Exact dates and times will be announced soon, and the festival extends thru June 22nd with solo nights for Zvi and Dušan.

March 24, 2013
Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance: Gallery

Above: Eric Williams and Sarah Bek in Cherylyn Lavagnino’s Ménage. Photo by Kokyat.

Since we weren’t able to attend their performances at St Mark’s Church on these final days of June 2012, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance very kindly invited Kokyat and me to watch/photograph their dress rehearsal. The performance space at St. Mark’s is really impressive: the high ceiling, the polished floor, the wrap-around mezzanine, the stained glass windows.

The three danceworks were beautifully lit and the overall atmosphere was tranquil, well-suited to the lyricsm of Ms. Lavagnino’s choreographic style.

The opening work, Ménage has a Degas feeling; it is set to music by Scott Killian, Jacob Lawson and Jane Chung.

Here is a series of Kokyat’s images from Ménage:

Selina Chau, Sarah Bek, Laura Mead, Claire Westby

sarah Bek, Claire Westby

Eric Williams, Justin Flores

Eric Williams

Selina Chau, Eric Williams

Laura Mead, Justin Flores

Laura Mead, Justin Flores

Sarah Bek

Eric Williams, Sarah Bek

Laura Mead, Josh Palmer

Josh Palmer and Laura Mead in Ménage.

The pas de deux entitled Deux en Peu was created to the Andante con moto from Franz Schubert’s Trio in E-flat major. In the photos below, the dancers are Selina Chau and Josh Palmer.

All photos by Kokyat. A second gallery featuring images from Cherylyn Lavagnino’s Triptych (a premiere) appears here.

June 29, 2012
Cherylyn Lavagnino’s Autumn Soiree

Thursday September 22, 2011 – A really fine evening of dance from Cherylyn Lavagnino‘s beautiful Company, enhanced by live music and performed in a “salon” setting at the Chelsea Art Museum. Above, violinist Jane Chung and dancer Luke Manley in QUIET PLACE, the evening’s final offering.

Two duets, a quartet and a large ensemble work were danced in different areas of the museum’s large upper gallery. The audience, despite being urged to walk about, mostly remained in their seats, moving their chair as the performance shifted from space to space.

Composer Scott Killian provided the original score for DUET #3 in which two men move thru scuptural poses, often linked like conjoined twins. There’s no hint of romance or physical attraction between the two dancers – Justin Flores and Josh Powell (above). Instead the piece has a rather brotherly feel, and though the pacing in general is slow it is quite demanding in terms of stamina and strength.

As DUET #3 ended, Josh walked away from the space leaving Justin in a pensive pose; he was soon joined by the lovely Selena Chau for the artful duet A BIRD CAME DOWN THE WALK, set to an entrancing score by Toru Takemitsu. This pas de deux seems a perfect companion piece to DUET #3 and some of the same motifs appear in the choreography, subtly altered. Selena and Justin (above) gave a lyrical performance; Ms. Lavagnino’s partnering settings are very appealing and persuasively interpreted by her excellent dancers.

Moving to another area in the large gallery, four dancers appeared to perform WILL which is set to a score by Jane Chung which the composer, a polished violinist, played live tonight. Above, dancers Sarah Bek and Selena Chau.

The work opens with two duets: in the first Ms. Chau and her partner Justin Flores (above) dance with expressive lyricism – Selena’s vulnerable quality is so appealing and Justin a fine and attentive partner. Meanwhile…

…the second couple (Sarah Bek and Patrick O’Neill) stand to the side, facing one another silently.

Sarah and Patrick’s duet has a more edgy element to it; these tall and attractive dancers match up well and danced with commanding assurance.

Justin Flores in WILL.

Justin and Patrick in WILL.

A large ensemble then took over the central space of the gallery for the concluding QUIET PLACE; Ms. Chung played the Passacaglia for Solo Violin by Heinrich Ignaz Biber as the dancers moved thru ever-shifting pairings and sub-groups in patterns that evoked images of reverence and ritual.

The individual dancers have ample opportunities for expressiveness: Josh Powell, above…

…Luke Manley and Eric Williams…

…Darion Smith, with Ms Chung in the background.

Violinist Jane Chung, dancers Luke Manley and Claire Westby

Julia Mayo, Josh Palmer, Jane Chung

Josh Palmer

Luke Manley, Eric Williams

Ms. Lavagnino’s choreography in this larger-scale work impressed in its musicality and underlying sense of passion for movement. She’s becoming one of my favorite contemporary choreographers.

A note about violinist/composer Jane Chung, from the Musica Bella website:

“Jane Chung, violin/viola, has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician across the United States and Europe, including the festivals of Prussia Cove, Aspen, Taos, Britten-Pears, Utah and Spoleto. She has collaborated as a chamber musician with Joel Krosnick, Rostislav Dubinsky, Luba Edlina, and Steven Isserlis, and the dance company TERRAIN. An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Ms. Chung has been a regular guest artist of the Naumburg Award-winning Da Capo Chamber Players since January 2003, including tours to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Minsk. She has also appeared with the Elements Quartet, Non Sequitur, Azure Ensemble, odeonquartet, and worked with Mario Davidovsky and Eric Chasalow.

Ms. Chung trained primarily at Yale University, where she received a Master of Music degree and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in architecture, and was winner of both the graduate and undergraduate concerto competitions. She then studied in Vienna as a Fulbright grant recipient. Her main teachers include Peter Oundjian and Donald Weilerstein. Ms. Chung has served on the faculty of Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp and the Great Neck Music Center, and she has taught violin and chamber music at Yale. She is also worked with American Ballet Theatre’s orchestra and has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra.”

All photographs by Kokyat. Visit his Leica photoblog here.

September 23, 2011