Keely Garfield Dance's POW Set for 92Y, 2/26-28

Keely Garfield is described by the New York Times as "an artist working at the height of her powers" whose choreography "is worth watching multiple times. There is so much to see, so much to delight in and puzzle through, that once is rarely enough!" Pow, making its world premiere at 92Y's Harkness Dance Festival, is a Frankenstein of a performance in which Garfield's acclaimed dances are radically reconfigured, sutured, amplified and left to run amok, creating a shocking new version of events. In Pow, resilience is palpable as the performers rise to the physical challenge, emotional engagement, and complex sequential contests of the work.

According to Garfield: "More and more, the notion of valor propels me artistically and personally. A koan from the Blue Cliff Record, a collection of 12th Century Buddhist teachings, perfectly captures my sentiments on this subject, and greatly inspired me in creating Pow: 'How is it when the tree withers and the leaves fall?' asks the student. The master replies, 'Body exposed in the golden wind.' After close to 30 years as a choreographer, this koan illuminates inextricable conditions about the ephemeral and valiant nature of dance. My dancing body is always exposed to the golden wind. No matter what you make, perfect or not, it fades away. No matter which way you move, perfectly or not, the end point is stillness. The intention to make something from nothing is imbued with inherent vulnerability that must necessarily be embraced to allow the scratch at the surface to deepen and widen until one has cut and been cut to the marrow."

Pow is surrounded by sound evoking a warped super-hero movie soundtrack - tough, stirring, surprisingly sensitive. A concoction that surges and swells cinematically before dovetailing into silent valleys. Singer/songwriter Matthew Brookshire performs songs of travail and triumph. Composer and artist Cyrus Ra, Garfield's son, contributes driving original reggae and world-music inflected electronic soundscapes. Lights and wardrobe are conducted in bold hues and textures adding to the kaleidoscopic patterns of dance.

92Y Harkness Dance Festival presents five artists over five weeks, from February 11 through March 20, 2016: