The Apollo 11 astronauts after landing on the moon. General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines in 1944. The Mets after beating the Red Sox in 1986. And now here’s another triumphant return.
Rioult Dance New York performs at Queens Theatre three times this weekend.
They’ve been there many times, but this one is extra special. The troupe spent a lot of money to create a state-of-the-art teaching and performance space in Astoria in 2018. The Covid lockdown came soon thereafter, forcing a complete shutdown.
Now they’re back with their artistic costumes, beautiful choreography, and a positive energy that will fill the venue on Saturday, March 8, at 2 pm and 8 pm (audio described), and Sunday, March 9, at 3 pm.
Ticket prices run from $32 to $42.
Normandy native Pascal Rioult moved to the United States in 1981 after winning a French Ministry of Culture fellowship to study dance. Over the following years, he performed with various legends, including Martha Graham, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Joyce Herring.
Then in 1994, he founded Rioult Dance and one of his first gigs was at Queens Theatre. Now he’ll offer a show with 10 dancers who will present three pieces: Views of the Fleeting World, which was inspired by woodcut prints by Japanese artist Hiroshige; Wien, which portrays humanity’s dark side; and Fire in The Sky, a new piece that expresses Rioult’s love for dance going back to the Disco Era.
Queens Theatre is located at 14 United Nations Ave. S. inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park. A few large, free parking lots are in the vicinity.
Images: Rioult/Queens Theatre