On The Road: July 2023

The incredible group of artists who came together to perform at the Fire Island Dance Festival. Photo by Rory Pottruck.

This month is packed with great gigs! On July 15 and 16, we were thrilled to return to the Fire Island Dance Festival, where, despite the pounding rain, the captivated crowd cheered us on as we performed excerpts from Whirlaway, the 2014 David Parsons work set to a fabulous Allen Toussaint score.  Our thanks goes out to the folks at Dancers Responding to Aids for hosting this annual festival.  We’re always proud to partner with you!

And we won’t be away from water for long! Our next stop is Saturday July 29, when we appear at the Westhampton Beach Project, the annual outdoor free event created by local resident and artist Steven Colucci.  The evening promises to be delightful, featuring Swing Shift and In The End, two of our most engaging repertory works.

August brings us back to NYC and to The Duke on 42nd Street at New 42 Studios to continue our educational outreach efforts by joining Barkha Dance Company and Ballet Hispánico for New Victory Dance, the much applauded series centered on performances curated for young audiences. We will be on stage for four school shows running from August 1 through 4 and one public performance on August 3, with Balance of Power on tap for all. Although David Parsons created the work as a solo, New Victory Dance audiences will have the special treat of seeing Zoey Anderson and new dancer Joseph Cyranski perform it as a duet. Grab your favorite kids and make plans now to see the show!

"Fun and clever" - The New York Times

See the David Parsons premiere of Mr. Withers and more during our Joyce season, running now through March 26, to experience what The New York Times describes as the “freshness” of the entire program, including live music and a new work by Rena Butler, all of which “bring a youthful energy to a company that is approaching 40—one whose co-founder the great lighting designer Howell Binkley died in 2020.  That’s comforting from a group that reliably provides comfort. The shared vision of Binkley and Parsons is still going strong.”

Header photo courtesy of Paula Lobo
Video courtesy of Suspension Productions

20th Anniversary of "Swing Shift" at The Joyce

Swing Shift photo by David Parsons in 2003, its premiere year.

Throughout our upcoming Joyce season, taking place from March 15-26, audiences will not only be treated to two world premieres; they will have the chance to experience Swing Shift, a cherished David Parsons piece built around a series of duets and trios that he describes as “a study of speed and partnering.”  To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of this compelling work, a piano, violin and cello trio, appearing live on evening programs, will perform the original commissioned score created by Juilliard-educated, Oregon-based composer Kenji Bunch. The fervor of the dancing and the jazzy propulsion and “wide emotive appeal” (The New York Times) of Bunch’s music are a perfect match, one that creates what David describes as “just a joyous piece.”