Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Lands in New York
The contemporary dance festival is enlivening storied venues across the city through December.
After a successful debut in London last year, the contemporary movement festival Dance Reflections alights in New York City this fall. Presented by Van Cleef & Arpels, the fine jewelry house with a longstanding connection to the world of dance (early friends of the maison include legendary ballet choreographer George Balanchine; core designs include jeweled brooches in the shape of dancers), the festival runs from October 19 through December 14, and offers something for everyone at storied venues all over the city.
The fun kicks off this weekend with a rendition of the seminal 1979 piece Dance, by Lucinda Childs and Philip Glass, at New York City Center. The energetic, minimalist ballet feels just as bracingly fresh today as it did the year of its debut, proving that post-modern dance still has plenty to say to today’s audiences.
Venues include the Park Avenue Armory
Simultaneously, for those well-versed in history and looking to immerse themselves in the language of movement today, the troupe (LA)Horde’s collaboration with the Ballet national de Marseille runs Friday and Saturday evening at NYU’s Skirball Center. Later this month, in a synergistic twist, Childs, (LA)Horde and the Ballet de Marseille will present a collaborative evening performance that also includes work by the voguing icon Lasseindra Ninja.
Another presentation that is sure to enchant: a collaboration between the French choreographer Dimitri Chamblas and the rock icon Kim Gordon, featuring nine dancers and five electric guitars, on November 17 and 18.
Throughout the rest of the season, more than a dozen performances by masters like Pina Bausch, Ola Maciejewska, and Dorothée Munyaneza will hit the stages at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The Joyce Theater, the Park Avenue Armory, and many more. (A full schedule of events can be found on the Dance Reflections site.) For both longtime lovers of the medium and those curious about learning more, it will be a feast for the senses.
