Ariel Rivka Dance Comes To Baruch Performing Arts Center

Award-winning contemporary choreographer Ariel Grossman and her company of seven female dancers will celebrate the 12th Anniversary of ARIEL RIVKA DANCE (ARD) with two premieres, repertory and guest artists at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (25th Street) in New York City. The program will take place in four performances, Thursday, March 28 through Saturday, March 30 at 7:30pm, with a family matinee on March 30 at 11:30am. The two ARD works in premiere, Mossy and Rhapsody in K, will feature newly commissioned scores by composers David Homan and Stefania de Kenessey. Live music will be included at all performances. *The full ARD lineup below.

Founded in 2008, Ariel Rivka Dance is a critically acclaimed all-female contemporary dance company led by married choreographer/composer team Ariel Grossman (Artistic Director/Choreographer) and David Homan (Executive Director/Composer). Ms. Grossman's choreography emanates from a female worldview, often using the lens of motherhood, nursing and child rearing as a platform for emotional yet organized thematic contexts. Inspiration is drawn from the struggles and joys of the human experience. She and the dancers work together to transform these emotions into shapes and stories.

"The dance world has been full of male choreographers, for centuries... choreography is yet another lens of expression that has been influenced mainly by men. But I have a lot to say and so do many other women," said Ms. Grossman. "I am inspired by the juxtaposition of grace and strength, and I choreograph to capture those seemingly opposite qualities. My dancers embody that spirit," she said.

Three to six guest companies will join Ariel Rivka Dance during their performance season, with the guest artist application process to be completed in mid-January. Each choreographer selected will present work at one of the ARD performances. Choreographers at all career stages: emerging, mid-career and established, have been invited to participate. Past ARD seasons have included guests Seán Curran Company, Carolyn Dorfman Dance, RIOULT Dance NY, Taylor 2, Amy Marshall, Chanel DaSilva, Michael Spencer Phillips and others.

Along with presenting accessible, beautiful dance, Ariel Rivka Dance continues to engage new audiences through education and community initiatives. Ariel Grossman holds Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and has curated programs that successfully expose all audiences to dance. Using common ARD themes of strength, community, and resolve, the dancers and original music provide unique and palpable power to families, students, and new audiences alike.

*FULL ARIEL RIVKA DANCE LINEUP (not in performance order):

"Mossy" (2018) Premiere - A duet that reflects the physical, emotional and intellectual consequences of constant interruption. Created from a mother's perspective, familial love evokes positive and negative impulses where frustration and desire compete with the need for space and independence. Feelings of claustrophobia conflict with a mother's responsibility to provide a sense of happiness and well being for her children. Composer Stefania de Kenessey incorporates her own experience as a mother in the creation of the electronic and melodic score. It is Ms. de Kenessey's second musical collaboration with Ariel Rivka Dance. Choreographer: Ariel Grossman Composer: Stefania de Kenessey Dancers: Caitlyn Casson and Casie O'Kane Costume Design: Marianna Tsartolia

"Rhapsody in K" (2018 World Premiere) evolved from the choreographer's observation, as mother and teacher, of the raw emotion and freedom of spirit in children. Inspired by watching her own child's uninhibited dance, Ms. Grossman reimagined her world in adult form. The constant interplay between naive innocence and adult complexity is explored. Self-awareness and the need for predictable behavior patterns and boundaries combine with child's freedom of movement. How would it look if we let our bodies move without too much thought? What would we say? How would we relate to one another? The dance work explores how adult consciousness and insecurities prevent us from expressing our true selves. The new work investigates humor and lightness that children bring to our world, which the Ms. Grossman believes is needed and appreciated. Music for Rhapsody in K was commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. Choreographer: Ariel Grossman Composer: Stefania de Kenessey and David Homan Dancers: Amy Ashley, Cassandra Bowser, Caitlyn Casson, Kristin Licata, Casie Marie O'Kane, Danita Shaheen and Hana Ginsburg Tirosh Costume Design: Marianna Tsartolia

"She" (2018) reflects the challenge of unattainable goals, and the wish for perfection in child rearing and its inevitable disappointments. The choreographic juxtaposition of anguish and joy, one mother's depression and communal bonding, is echoed by the paradox of the music. The choreography grows out of Ariel Grossman's own postpartum depression, aggravated by the difficulty in breastfeeding her second child. With "stress about breastfeeding, lack of sleep, and constantly being pulled in every direction and never landing," in what Ms. Grossman calls, "the emotional wave of motherhood," she turned to Stefania de Kenessey, a leading figure in contemporary music for a score that she could then choreograph. The choreographer suggested building a score on the sounds of a breast pump. The breast pump, the work's only sound, was manipulated by de Kenessey in terms of tempo, filers, and dynamic range. "Creating a score to match the dance, rather than the other way around," was for the composer called "an eye-opening experience." Choreographer: Ariel Grossman Composer: Stefania de Kenessey
Dancers: Cassandra Bowser, Kristin Licata, Casie Marie O'Kane, Danita Shaheen and Hana Ginsburg Tirosh Costume Design: Marianna Tsartolia

"Ori" (2015) - One of ARD's signature works, Ori is a layered contemporary exploration of light and athleticism accompanied by four amplified cellos. A work for seven dancers, Ori offers depth and nuance, and perfectly pairs with composer David Homan's original score. The rights to Ori were recently acquired by Ballet Vero Beach, which premiered the work at their 2019 Winter Season. Ori has since been added to the Ballet Vero Beach repertoire. Choreographer: Ariel Grossman Composer: David Homan Dancers: Amy Ashley, Cassandra Bowser, Caitlyn Casson, Kristin Licata, Casie Marie O'Kane, Danita Shaheen and Hana Ginsburg Tirosh Costume Design: Mondo Morales

ARIEL RIVKA DANCE 12TH ANNIVERSARY AT BARUCH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
55 Lexington Avenue
(25th Street between Lexington & 3rd Aves)
New York, NY 10010

TICKETS - Coming soon! baruch.cuny.edu/bpac/
$75 VIP includes opening/closing reception
$35 General Admission
$15 Student/Senior/Artist/Teacher
Phone: (646) 312-1000

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES:
Thursday, March 28 (7:30)
Friday, March 29 (7:30pm)
Saturday, March 30 (11:30am Family Matinee)
Saturday, March 30 (7:30pm)

Photo: Ariel Rivka Dance - "She." Photo credit: Shannel Resto