Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Introspective new works by William Forsythe and Kyle Abraham embrace dance heritage

• By drediman
• October 20, 2019
• No Comments

This weekend, I caught the latest from two notable contemporary dance choreographers, Kyle Abraham and William Forsythe.

Kyle Abraham’s A.I.M performs at The Joyce Theater.

First up a The Joyce Theater in Chelsea was an eclectic evening of mostly new dances performed by sought-after choreographer Kyle Abraham’s young and talented dance company, Abraham.In.Motion, or “A.I.M” (RECOMMENDED). The main draws here were two introspective Kyle Abraham world premieres – a new solo “Cocoon” (set to a sublime arrangement of Björk’s “Jóga”, sung live by a gospel choir), as well as the elegiac ensemble piece “Studies on a Farewell” (set to “Four Rooms” by Nico Muhly, also played live). The striking thing about Mr. Abraham is his eagerness to incorporate various forms of dance into his works, from classical ballet, to Japanese butoh, to ball culture. Even if some of the hybrid results don’t always totally cohere, his attempt to draw inspiration these disparate forms of movement is almost always fascinating to watch. The evening also included the new work “Big Rings”, Keerati Jinakunwiphat’s exuberant if elementary ode to grace in athletics (and vice versa), as well the company premiere of “Solo Olos”, Trisha Brown’s revealing and rigorous 1976 exercise in intricate choreographic mathematics. The show-stopping dance, however, was “Show Pony”, Mr. Abraham’s sleek, eye-catching solo (set to music by Jlin and sensationally performed by Marcella Lewis).

“William Forsythe: A Quiet Evening of Dance” at The Shed.

Next up at The Shed in Hudson Yards, I caught William Forsythe’s new full length piece, unassumingly titled William Forsythe: A Quiet Evening of Dance (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). The two-act evening – a co-commission between The Shed, Sadler’s Wells in London, among other renowned institutions – finds Mr. Forsythe, one of the most significant contemporary dance choreographers of his generation, at the very top of his game, albeit (like Mr. Abraham) in a more introspective mode. The largely music-less first act (comprised of four short pas de deux: “Prologue”, “Catalogue”, “Epilogue”, and “Dialogue”) functions as a sort of warm-up for the rest of the evening. The soundtrack for this first half is essentially the dancers’ rhythmic breathing and the sound of the pounding of their steps (often masked by musical accompaniment) on the unadorned stage. By stripping dance of music and scenery, Mr. Forsythe exposes the discipline and aggressive athleticism underlying dance, not to mention the visual potency of unaccompanied gestures. In the second act – “Seventeen/Twenty One”, set to a gorgeous Rameau score (a refreshing shift from the angular electronic music he typically choreographs to) – we see the finished product.  More effortlessly than ever, Mr. Forsythe and his extraordinary dancers straddle classical ballet and contemporary dance, finding the intrinsic humanism in both both forms. In this respect, “Seventeen/Twenty One” calls to mind Jerome Robbins’ intimate “Dances at a Gathering” and the deeply moving pastoral touches of some of Mark Morris’s richest works.

A.I.M
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 20

WILLIAM FORSYTHE: A QUIET EVENING OF DANCE
Dance
The Shed
1 hour, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 25