LAR LUBOVITCH Dance Company at the Joyce

BWW Reviews:
LAR LUBOVITCH Dance Company at the Joyce
October 21, 2014
7:04
by Holly Kerr
Men’s Stories
The internationally renowned Lar Lubovitch Dance Companyreturned to The Joyce Theater
October 15-19, 2014. The program was entitled Ancient Tales, and the company presented two works
based on ancient myths and folk stories from which fairy tales were formed.
The first work on the program, Artemis in Athens, was a delightfully charming vehicle for an
illustrious and luminous human goddess of the dance, Alessandra Ferri as the mythical Greek
Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. Lubovitch originally choreographed this witty work for American
Ballet Theatre in 2003, when it was commissioned by the Cultural Olympiad in honor of the 2004
Olympic Games in Greece. Following its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House, it was
performed in Greece at the Herodes Atticus Odeon, an ancient outdoor Greek theater.
The staging at the Joyce evokes a starry night in Athens where gods and goddesses, nymphs, satyrs
and hunters frolic. In a delightful twist, we have a dance work within a dance work. The performers
are introduced as young people from a Boys and Girls Scouts summer camp in Athens, Georgia.
The Scouts are presenting a pageant based on the ancient Greek myth of Artemis and Akteon. In
the myth, Zeus has given his daughter, Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, a forest glade to play in
and declared that any mortal who lays eyes upon her will die. Akteon, a Hunter, enters her glade and
they fall in love. To protect Akteon from his certain death, Artemis turns him into a deer. Ms. Ferri
is still in her glamourous and glorious prima ballerina assoluta form, her pointe work shimmers, and
her dancing remains sensuous and fluid. Tobin Del Cuore was excellent as Akteon and the Juilliard
Dance Company, comprised of Kara Chan, Kelsey Connolly, Ruth Howard, Dean Biosca, Victor
Loranzo, Michael Marquez, Colin Fuller, Austin Goodwin, Jesse Obremski and Anthony Tiedeman,
were all wonderful. The score by Christopher Theofanidis was performed live by the superb Le
Train Bleu ensemble under the direction of Ransom Wilson.
The Black Rose was a world premiere. A macabre tale, it paints a dark and gothic psychological view
of humanity. The score by Scott Marshall is a hallucinogenic musical collage that mixes
Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake with popular love standards and several other musical
genres. The Black Rose opens with a chorus of party-goers. Mucuy Bolles as the female lead gave a
brilliant performance. Reid Bartelme, who played her loving suitor, and Barton Cowperthwaite, who
played her evil seducer were both outstanding. This piece drew on and echoed several dance
masterpieces and presented its story in a totally unique and contemporary way. Lubovitch's
choreography in the first half of this work was lustrous and evocative.
All of the great choreographers learned from and honored the masters who came before them. For
example, George Balanchine paid homage to Marius Petipa in his neoclassical ballets. Lubovitch's
choreographic genius lies in fact that he has learned from the greatest masters and then melds this
knowledge with own unique vision. The first half of The Black Rose echoes Balanchine's masterpiece
La Valse, The Black Rose's partygoers are reminiscent of Gene Kelly's brilliant Ring Around the Rosy
party scene from Invitation to the Dance. Artemis in Athens evoked shades of Sir Frederic Ashton's The
Dream, a ballet in which Ferri's Titania was considered one of her most iconic roles. With a clever
nod to the geniuses of the past and a great affinity for storytelling, Lubovitch is one of the
most brilliant, innovative, and original choreographers working today---it's a shame the
Joyce season of this superb company was so short.
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DANCE REVIEW
A Goddess Is Back, as Huntress
Alessandra Ferri Performs a Work by Lar Lubovitch
By GIA KOURLAS OCT. 17, 2014
Alessandra Ferri, center, with Juilliard School dancers in Lar Lubovitch's work "Artemis in Athens," at the Joyce
Theater. CreditMichelle V. Agins/The New York Times.
Alessandra Ferri retired from American Ballet Theater in 2007, but that hasn’t kept her off the stage.
The latest sighting of the ballerina is as a guest artist with theLar Lubovitch Dance Company, a
pairing that makes sense. Mr. Lubovitch is in the mood to tell stories this season; Ms. Ferri is one of
the most cherished dramatic ballerinas of our time.
The first half of Mr. Lubovitch’s two-act program, “Ancient Tales,” which opened at the Joyce
Theater on Wednesday, is devoted to “Artemis in Athens,” a reimagining of a work created for
Ballet Theater in 2003. The new dance is set at a summer camp, where the cast, including Ms. Ferri
and an ensemble of 10 Juilliard dancers, wear scout uniforms by Naomi Luppescu. The musicians
aren’t let off the hook, either; Le Train Bleu performs Christopher Theofanidis’s score in regulation
khakis.
Ms. Ferri is Artemis, the goddess of the hunt; her father, Zeus, has given her a forest glade and
declared that if any mortal sees her, he will die. Akteon (Tobin Del Cuore), transfixed by the sight of
her, is smitten, just as Artemis is of him. They mesh in flowing lifts and balances in which Ms. Ferri,
wearing point shoes, delicately pricks at the floor with her finely arched feet.
Patiently gliding through the choreography’s twists and turns, and gamely partnered by Juilliard
students, Ms. Ferri — though, truthfully, more den mother than goddess — is as sensuous as ever.
To shield Akteon from death, Artemis transforms him into a deer; after the ensemble whips off
Akteon’s red beret and uniform to reveal a brown-speckled unitard — it’s an impressive
metamorphosis — his hands form loose fists as he cuts across the stage in loping, two-dimensional
leaps.
Mr. Lubovitch’s...whimsy — melding Greek mythology with an end-of-summer pageant —
reads...as if he had been watching Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” on repeat.
His second premiere, “The Black Rose,” more peculiar, veers into lurid young-adult territory. In this
macabre landscape, which takes place at a ball and a witch’s sabbath, Reid Bartelme, a sensitive poet
type, romances Mucuy Bolles with a red rose, until Barton Cowperthwaite shows up with a black
one. He seduces and rapes Ms. Bolles, blinds Mr. Bartelme — he’s left with bloody sockets — and
beats him.
Ms. Bolles gives birth, and Mr. Cowperthwaite, razor-sharp in his maliciousness, drops the baby on a
platter held by another dancer and chases it offstage with an enormous knife and fork. Accompanied
by Scott Marshall’s score, which borrows liberally from Tchaikovsky’s “The Sleeping
Beauty,”...petals fall from the ceiling, birds chirp, and the couple swoon...
The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company performs through Sunday at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street,
Chelsea; 212-242-0800, joyce.org.
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Lar Lubovitch: 46th Anniversary Season
Above: dancers Reid Bartelme, Mucuy Bolles, and Barton Cowperthwaite in Lar Lubovitch's THE BLACK ROSE;
photo/NY Dance Project
Friday October 17th, 2014 –
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company celebrating their 46th season with a double bill at The Joyce:
Lar's newest work, THE BLACK ROSE, is set for ten dancers to a commissioned score by Scott
Marshall. It's paired with a new production of ARTEMIS IN ATHENS, a ballet originally created
for ABT in 2003 to a score by Christopher Theofanidis.
For ARTEMIS, Lar Lubovitch draws on the Greek legend of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and her
fleeting love for Acteon, a mortal who has wandered into her sacred precinct. Death is decreed for
anyone trespassing in this secret glade, but Artemis saves Acteon by transforming him into a deer.
Nonetheless he is pursued by dogs and hunters; in the end he's immortalized as a constellation in the
night sky.
Above: Alessandra Ferri and Tobin Del Cuore in ARTEMIS IN ATHENS; photo/NY Dance Project
In this production, Lubovitch cunningly changes the setting from Athens, Greece to Athens,
Georgia; Artemis and her court become Girl and Boy Scouts on a camp-out. The setting is among
stylized (moveable) pine trees beneath a starry summer sky. Naomi Luppescu's khaki scounting
uniforms look authentic, and everyone is decked out with copious merit badges. Turned into a deer,
Tobin Del Cuore wears a sleek fawn-and-white body stocking with spotted markings...and a subtle
pair of horns.
Jonathan E Alsberry (why no dancing, JJ?) appears from the audience, perches on the edge of the
stage, and sets up the story for us. He and the musicians ofLe Train Blue are all in uniforms and
caps.
As Artemis, Ms. Ferri is on sensational form; dancing on pointe, she shaped her limbs into athletic
yet lyrical poses, filling the space not only with her sweeping combinations but also with her
distinctive perfume. It's marvelous to encounter her again, partnered by the dynamic Tobin Del
Cuore who was especially impressive in his portrayal of the stag after his transformation, showing
uncomprehending wonderment and fear. An ensemble of young dancers from Juilliard Dance filled
out the cast, portraying hunters and attendants to Artemis.
In the pit, Ransom Wilson led the ensemble Le Train Bleu in Christopher Theofanidis' colourful,
movie-soundtrack score. The meshing of live music, stage setting, costuming, narrative, and dance
assured a lovely success for this imaginative work: what might have been merely a spoof is so artfully
handled that we are drawn in.
Darkness prevails in THE BLACK ROSE. Scott Marshall (who also composed the score for
Lar's MEN'S STORIES) creates a nightmarish soundscape where disco, Tchaikovsky, and popular
songs from various periods weave into a restless, ominous sonic tapestry. This fragmented fusion of
musical references overcomes its initial somewhat off-putting quality to become an absolutely
essential element of the work.
The scenario is a bit like that of Balanchine's LA VALSE; a glamourously hopeful young woman
enters a ballroom seeking romantic thrills only to be consumed by the dark forces. Her shy poet of a
suitor seeks to protect her but - in a gruesome Witches Sabbath - is savagely blinded by the crowd
who are under the sway of a vampiric warlock, a death-figure of predatory sexual allure. The girl is
impregnated; her baby is delivered and serves as food for the fiendish dark lord. In the end, the
ravaged maiden - having been left for dead - is reunited with her sightless lover. Together they will
seek to find hope in their joint misery.
Themes from SLEEPING BEAUTY's Garland Waltz and the Rose Adagio are heard at the
opening ball where the guests move in a drugged stupor to the improbable mixing-in of a house
beat. The lovers' reconciliation is set to "Beautiful Dreamer' sung as a hallucinatory lullabye. Gloom
reigns overall, even at the end as the lovers struggle into a bleak future.
Like a Hollywood horror story, this cinematic ballet is both alluring and disturbing. In a sensational
performance as the bewitchingly predatory master of death, young Barton Cowperthwaite used his
long-limbed figure and boyishly appealing face to create a Lestat-like figure, glamoring his victims
and dancing with ferocious elegance.
Two marvelous dancers emerged from "retirement" ("Once a dancer..." as Allegra Kent reminds us)
to dance roles ideally suited to their personal attributes. Mucuy Bolles, radiant in black and bloodrubies as she enters the ballroom, will end up shattered, tattered, and in rags. She looked gorgeous
and moved beautifully: a veritable triumph. Of equal perfection, Reid Bartelme as the hesitant lover
imbued the character with a bookish shyness aligned to romantic hopefulness; once drawn into the
hallucinatory turmoil of the sinister coven, Reid's familiar lyrical qualities as a dancer made it
obvious why Lar needed him for this role: it's hard to imagine anyone else being as perfect.
Update: Some additional production photos by Yi-Chun Wu have come my way:
Alessandra Ferri and Tobin Del Cuore in ARTEMIS IN ATHENS.
Mucuy Bolles and Reid Bartelme in THE BLACK ROSE
Mucuy Bolles and Barton Cowperthwaite in THE BLACK ROSE
Ephemeralist
by Susan Yung
Friday, October 17, 2014
Lar Lubovitch's Cheeky Side
Alessandra Ferri & Tobin Del Cuore. Photo: Phyllis McCabe
Lar Lubovitch's choreography is so flowing and elegant that to serve it up in a kitschy vehicle such
as Artemis in Athens is, well, refreshing. This production premiere takes as its bones a 2003
commission for a paean to Greek culture given by ABT, with gauzy toga-inspired costumes and Julie
Kent and Marcelo Gomes as leads.
This week, at the Joyce, no less a (retired from ABT) prima ballerina than Alessandra Ferri danced
the lead, but instead of a toga, she wore Naomi Luppescu's saucy interpretation of a Girl Scout
uniform, in keeping with the entire cast and even the pit band, Le Train Bleu, looking like dutiful
scouts rehearsing a march (but sounding grown-up, edgy, and expressive playing Christopher
Theofanidis' composition). You got the sense that Lubovitch had watched Wes Anderson's Moonlight
Kingdom not long before sitting down with the designer to sketch out ideas.
Tobin Del Cuore & Alessandra Ferri . Photo: Phyllis McCabe
A cheeky intro given by a fresh-faced scout with a clipboard alluded to the Athens in the title as the
town in Georgia, which would explain, in part, the change to an American woodsy milieu, populated
by roving pine trees. Despite her khaki uniform, Ferri appeared as evanescent and goddess-like as
ever, lithe, buoyant, and flashing her gorgeously arched feet in Girl Scout issued pointe shoes. Tobin
Del Cuore was her foil, Akteon, transforming into a faun (in a skillfully toned unitard with smart
white lapels) after his BSA uniform was swiftly disbanded, like Shaq ripping off his sweats. The tall
Del Cuore lifted Ferri as if she were weightless. Clasping his hands in hoof-like fists, he bounded
through, appropriately, stag leaps. Hunted down by a scout troop armed with bows (whose arcs
served Lubovitch's fondness for curves). Akteon's image was immortalized in the heavens, twinkling
in a starry sky. It was a bit of enchanting, whimsical fun.
The Black Rose. Photo: Phyllis McCabe
The company also danced the premiere of The Black Rose, a twist on The Sleeping Beauty, whose score
Scott Marshall quoted generously in his collaged score. (He mixed the hallucinogenic music for
Lubovitch's renowned Mens' Stories.) Mucuy Bolles danced the central character opposite Reid
Barthelme, who is blinded and crippled by the heartless Barton Cowperthwaite (sinister, roguish, and
knife-limbed), who also impregnates Bolles, and hilariously chases after her newborn baby with
oversized cutlery.
A group of party-goers formed the chorus, swirling and flowing in Lubovitch's signature cursive
movement. Barthelme morphed into a 60's mod-like chap with Lennon glasses and a ruffled shirt
(costumes by Fritz Masten). While this dance thumbs its nose at tradition while drawing from it, its
goth undertones paint a dark picture of humanity. Together, the two short dances make for a
welcome respite from the bounty of mostly serious dance prevalent in New York.
Posted by Susan at 9:00 AM
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Y:\shared_all_2\Feature articles\2014\LLDC ‐ The New Yorker ‐ Goings On About Town 10‐13‐14.docx "To me, the body says what words cannot. I believe that dance was the first art. I believe
that dance was first because it's gesture, it's communication. That doesn't mean it's telling
a story, but it means it's communicating a feeling, a sensation to people. Dance is the
hidden language of the soul, of the body." ～Martha Graham, 1985
And here are the bodies ...
OCTOBER 13, 2014
Barton Cowperthwaite
“In all the dancers with whom I choose to work, I look for an intuitive, poetic spark. It’s
something with which certain dancers automatically imbue their movement. Of course, my
work requires extreme technical ability as well. But dance is, as I see it, a form of poetry for
which physical prowess is merely a means but surely not an end. Dancers who get stuck
emphasizing only the athletic aspect of dance seem to have only one note they strike
repeatedly. They appear to be shouting all of the time. It’s the difference between yelling
and singing. Barton sings. It’s a choice.” - Lar Lubovitch
We at NYC Dance Project think that Barton Cowperthwaite is a name you will be hearing a lot of in
the near future.
Fresh out of college, the 22-year-old is the youngest dancer in the cast of Lar Lubovitch’s new
work,Ancient Tales, but holds his own sharing the stage with ballet greats such as Alessandra Ferri.
Barton was plucked from the corps to learn the lead role in The Black Rose, which he’ll perform this
week at the Joyce (Oct 15-19).
We talked with Baron after his photo shoot with NYC Dance Project and discussed the show, his
life, and what’s next.
I was always sort of in the right place and the right time.
When I auditioned for Lar, I was drawn to the movement. It was very interesting contemporary
ballet movement, and very musical.
I researched a lot after the audition to learn more about his work.
You hear the term, “Master Choreographer” and you think of a drill sergeant, which can be
intimidating. But Lar is really the nicest, smartest, kindest man.
After the first week of learning the corps movement, Lar told me, “Everyone has off tomorrow,
except for you. There’s a part I want you to try, but I’m not sure you’re right for it.”
I came in to rehearsal the next day at the Ailey studios. It was this transcendent experience
because I was in the studio with Lar and I was like, “Oh my god. I’m here this is really happening.”
It hit me so hard towards the end of the rehearsal when Alessandra Ferri came into the studio. She
was watching me dance and I was thinking, “What is happening”. It was incredible. He was setting
this really awesome wavy movement that I loved. It just felt so good in my body.
The next day Lar announced, “Everyone, Bart is The Black Rose“, which is the title of the piece.
My partner in the dance (Mucuy Bolles) has had a 23-year career and is coming out of
retirement to do this performance. I’m the youngest person in the studio. I don’t feel like it, but it’s
the case and I get along with them so well. I’m grateful and humbled to be working with them.
The fact that I get to watch these amazing dancers everyday warms my soul.
Lar choreographed the heck out of my body. Stretched me to places I didn’t know I could go.
He’s done such a good job with me as a mover, and he’s why I’ve learned so much. I’m a physical
dancer, and he’s made me move my mind and cognitive ability a lof more in my dancing. He taught
me to push less physically and use more of my mental ability.
He makes you think.
Written by Cory Stieg
Hair and Makeup by Juliet Jane, Costumes by Fritz Masten, Shoes by Capezio
Copyright © 2014 NYC Dance Project. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company at 46 years returns to
The Joyce
Posted on 08 October 2014.
By Katherine Moore of Dance Informa.
“If one is there to create, then that is the bottom line. Determination to create again is what sustains
the company more than anything else. It is the reason you do what you do,” says internationally
renowned choreographer Lar Lubovitch.
Founded in 1968, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company has created over 100 new dances and performed
in over 30 countries in its 46-year existence. The company employs versatile dancers who are
capable of performing an eclectic range of repertory. Often referred to as a “modern” dance
company, Lubovitch takes issue with that title that he considers dated.
Unlike the work of modern dance icons such as Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, and Jose
Limon, Lubovitch’s work has not focused on developing a distinctive movement language. Instead,
he has delved into crossing the borders between dance styles, choosing to embrace a range of
movement vocabularies to suit his vision.
“I don’t care to be called a modern choreographer. It’s a misnomer. My work, I call it ‘dance’,”
Lubovitch says.
“From my point of view, it’s all inclusive. Modern dance movement ended sometime in the 60s, but
writers like to put title to things,” he says with humor.
From ballet companies such as ABT to Broadway productions like Into the Woods, this inclusive
approach to dance has led Lubovitch to choreograph across all genres. With an honorary doctorate
from the Julliard School, his alma mater, Lubovitch has also been the recipient of Emmy and Tony
Award nominations, was named a Ford Fellow, and received the Dance/USA Honors, one of the
highest honors in the field. His work has even led to notable contributions to the field of ice
dancing by creating dances for Olympic skaters John Curry, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Brian
Orser, JoJo Starbuck and Paul Wylie.
While his skills as a choreographer allowed him to lead a diverse and varied career across genres,
Lubovitch asserts that the center point of his work stems from his own company.
“I’ve learned from working in other genres…but working with my own dancers, there’s a feeling of
getting home again,” he says.
On October 15-19, 2014, Lubovitch’s company returns to The Joyce Theater in New York to
present the world premiere of The Black Rose and a new production of Lubovitch’s Artemis.
Originally created in 2003 for American Ballet Theater’s tribute to the Cultural Olympiad, this
rendition ofArtemis will feature guest artist Alessandra Ferri. Based on the Greek myth of the
goddess of the hunt,Artemis also features Lubovitch Company dancer Tobin Del Cuore as Aktaion,
10 young dancers from the Julliard School, and live music by Le Train Blue performing Christopher
Theofanidis’s original score.
“I’ve always had an affinity for storytelling,” Lubvoitch says about his attraction to myths and
legends in relationship to his work.
Continuing with the theme of narrative and derived from these ancient folk tales, Lubovitch has
written the plotline for The Black Rose, a project partially underwritten by the National Dance
Project. Choreographed for ten dancers, this dramatic work also features a commissioned score by
Scott Marshall.
For a choreographer who has often created dances that follow “the story of the music” or an
“emotional thread in relationship to music,” these works truly represent a return to literal
narrative. Lubovitch says his interest in these tales stems from the fact that while the details have
changed over time, the essence of these stories has remained the same for hundreds of years.
“These stories have been rewritten, but the basic underlying morals have remained consistent. These
tales were originally dark, cautionary tales, horror stories, but over time they were brightened,
cleansed, turned into children’s stories, “says Lubovitch.
With a lifetime of choreography under his belt, the choreographer perseveres into his company’s
46th year with never-ending curiosity about his art form.
“I’ve always tried to make very good dance. Along the way I’ve made some fine pieces,” he says.
“I’m always endeavoring, and I’m obsessed with getting it right, finding the stimulus in trying again.
I’m intrigued with the idea of stretching, furthering. Is there more dimension to what’s possible?”
When asked about what it takes to make a dance company survive for 46 years in an uncertain
economic climate for the arts, Lubovitch isn’t cavalier about the commitment involved. He
explains, “It takes a great deal of courage. In dance, the economy is always a bad time. Learning to
keep the spirit is essential for the long haul.”
The renowned company will continue working as it has for years: performing nationally and
internationally and by participating in teaching residencies at schools such as Julliard and Skidmore
College, as well as in NYC public schools.
“Where we’ve been is a good indication of where we’re going,” Lubovitch says. “Survival is
something you confront on a daily basis. You’re either in favor of survival or demise.”
For tickets to The Joyce season visit www.joyce.org/performance/lar-lubovitch-dance-company.
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Lar Lubovitch Dance Company 46th Anniversary
– Ancient Tales
October 22, 2014
Review by Joel Benjamin
The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company presented two world premiere story ballets at the intimate
Joyce Theater celebrating its 46th Anniversary. “Artemis in Athens,” a gloss on the Greek legend was
an opportunity to see the super-star ballerina, Alessandra Ferri back on stage again and “The Black
Rose,” was a vampirish noir fairytale.
“Artemis” used the conceit of a troupe of boy/girl scouts from Athens, Georgia visiting their “sister
city,” Athens, Greece to perform their version of this Greek myth. Artemis the huntress (Ms. Ferri)
lived in a secluded glade given her by Zeus, her father. Zeus declared that if any mortal dared to
intrude into her clearing in the forest he would have to die for the crime of glancing at his daughter.
Even so Artemis falls in love at first sight with Akteon (Tobin Del Cuore) a hunter who innocently
wanders by. To save him from death she turns him into a deer who will roam her idyllic glade
forever.
Mr. Lubovitch told the story in a straightforward, decorative manner, with the witty touch of having
all the chorus members wear scout uniforms. Members of Juilliard Dance portrayed nymphs and
satyrs. The nymphs attending Artemis had little wings. (Costumes by Naomi Luppescu.) Satyrs also
surrounded the huntress completing a little tranquil community. They danced in Mr. Lubovitch’s
signature style: voluptuous large circular arms, lines of dancers interweaving in sequential modes and
witty sculptural arrangements. Akteon is an Eagle Scout, of course, and his friends, the hunters
carried little bows. Mr. Lubovitch eschewed Martha Graham style heavy handed psychology in favor
of pleasant directness. His choreography for Ms. Ferri was mostly simple ballet steps, performed, of
course, with her inimitable panache, often partnered and framed by her little corps de ballet. She
might have been less composed and more lighthearted and spritely. Mr. Del Cuore, a smoothly fullbodied dancer, was properly smitten and partnered Ms. Ferri with passion. When he is transformed
into the deer, his uniform stripped off him in a wonderful coup de theatre, his physical embodiment
of the animal was sensual and weighty. Christopher Theofanidis’s lovely score was played live by the
chamber group Le Train Bleu (also in scout uniforms!), conducted by Ransom Wilson, the
internationally famous flutist.
“The Black Rose,” to a score by Scott Marshall that had dreamy references to Tchaikovsky and
Disney soundtracks, was like a Disney animated film on hallucinogens: sweetness destroyed, love
thwarted and a newborn eaten! Lovely Mucuy Bolles was romanced by the entranced, youthfully
ardent Reid Bartelme who gifted her a red rose. Their idyll was interrupted by the sexy Draculaesque Barton Cowperthwaite, in black from head to toe, whirling his cape hypnotically. His black
rose represented his evil heart. He beat up and blinded Mr. Bartelme and raped Ms. Bolles. The
resulting baby is cut out of her and carried off on a dinner platter. The choreography was more
disjointed for this work, using lots of floorwork, but still had the Lubovitch sweep.
The choreography dancing, costuming, lighting and music all came together to tell two very
different stories.
Photos: Yi-Chun Wu
Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Ancient Tales – October 15-19, 2014
The Joyce Theater 175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St. New York, Ny
Tickets for Joyce events: 212-242-0800 or www.joyce.org
More Information on the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company: 212-221-7909 orwww.lubovitch.org
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Lar Lubovitch Dance Company Returning to
Joyce Theater, 10/15-19
August 13
12:552014
👤by Dance News Desk
The internationally renowned Lar Lubovitch
Dance Company returns to The Joyce Theater
with two dances based on ancient myths: the
world premiere of The Black Rose and a reconceived production of Artemis, originally
created for American Ballet Theatre in 2003.
The company's newest dance, The Black Rose,
tells a dark tale drawn by Lubovitch from the
ancient folk stories from which fairy tales
originally arose. This dramatic work for ten
dancers is set to a commissioned score by Scott
Marshall (composer of Lubovitch's Men's Stories).
Based on the Greek myth of the goddess of the
hunt, Lubovitch's new production of Artemis
features the extraordinary Alessandra Ferri in the
title role and Lubovitch Company dancer Tobin
Del Cuore as Aktaion. Also featured as guest
artists, performing the ensemble in Artemis, are
ten young dancers from The Juilliard School.
Artemis includes a newly commissioned
orchestration of Christopher Theofanidis's
original score, performed live by Le Train Bleu
under the direction of Ransom Wilson. At the
time of Artemis' premiere in 2003, as part of
ABT's tribute to the Cultural Olympiad, dance
critic Jennifer Dunning wrote that Lubovitch "created a delicate aura of mystery and magic that is
unusual on the ballet stage today" (The New York Times).
Lighting design for both works is by Lubovitch's longtime collaborator Jack Mehler. Costumes by
Fritz Masten.
The company's eleven dancers are: Reid Bartelme, Anthony Bocconi, Mucuy Bolles, Nicole M.
Corea, Barton Cowperthwaite, Chanel DaSilva, Tobin Del Cuore, Josh D. Green, Robbie Moore,
Kamille Upshaw, and Eric Williams.
Performances will take place Wednesday, October 15 at 7pm; Thursday, October 16 and Friday,
October 17 at 8pm; Saturday, October 18 at 2pm and 8pm; and Sunday, October 19 at 2pm and
7:30pm. Tickets range from $10 to $59 and can be purchased through JOYCECHARGE at (212)
242-0800 or online at www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th
Street) in Manhattan.
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