Catch up-and-coming dancers at an up-and-coming performance space.
The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble’s Presents JOY: Dances for Midwinter is at Ridgewood’s Stone Circle Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 12, and Friday, Dec. 13.
To bring light to this dark time of year, the troupe is preparing a program of soaring dances – by Anna Sokolow, Claudia Gitelman, and Charles Weidman – that manifest joy in deep and nuanced ways. (One piece is a premiere by two company members.)
Tickets are $25.
Here’s info on the program.
Sokolow’s “Ballade” explores the restlessness and inconclusiveness of young love as performed to the passionate music of Alexander Scriabin.
Sokolow’s “Preludes” is a rich and expressive homage to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was reconstructed by Tonia Shimin, for whom it was created.
For “JOY,” the company has expanded its repertory to include works from other modern dance lineages and invited expert guest directors in those traditions to provide an authentic understanding of the movement and its intent.
Gitelman’s “Schubert And The Birds” is a poignant and dynamic work that showcases Gitelman’s Hanya Holm roots and her own brand of abstract storytelling. It’s set to a Franz Schubert Impromptu and reconstructed by guest director Pamela Levy.
Weidman’s rarely seen “Christmas Oratorio” is set to music by J.S. Bach and reconstructed by guest director Gail Corbin.
The program will also debut “Forecast,” which is choreographed and performed by STDE dancers Margaret Mighty Oak Brackey and Krista Jansen. Inspired by memories of snow and the loss of its magic in a changing climate, this piece unites delight, mourning, and reminiscence.
Over a 70-year career, Sokolow continuously broke the boundaries of modern dance, focusing on the human experience and drawing upon whatever genre best served her artistic purpose. Her masterpieces remain relevant today and touch hearts with the universal issues of living, regardless of differences in place and culture.
Showtimes are at 7 pm on both nights.
Stone Circle Theatre is in the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church at 59-14 70th Ave. Parking is on the street, but public transportation is encouraged. The closest subway stations are Halsey St on the L line and Forest Av on the M line.
Images: Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble