Kyle Abraham's New Commission Comes to Park Ave Armory

This December, Park Avenue Armory presents the world premiere of a new Armory-commissioned work by celebrated choreographer Kyle Abraham, harnessing Abraham’s signature style—a blend of modern dance techniques ranging from ballet to hip hop—to explore the growing sensitivities of life and transition and the delicate interplay of nature and humanity in our ever-changing world. An expressive evening-length performance created for the Armory’s Wade Thompson Drill Hall, Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful unfolds against an Armory-commissioned score composed and performed live by the critically acclaimed new music ensemble yMusic and a visual backdrop of digital designs by visionary new media artist Cao Yuxi (JAMES). The work is deeply personal to Abraham, who himself takes part in the performance alongside a large ensemble of dancers from across the country, including many of his past and present collaborators. Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful runs at the Armory from December 3 through December 14, 2024.

“Crafted and performed by one of our generation’s most influential figures in dance, Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful, is a striking odyssey that finds empathy amidst a changing world,” said Park Avenue Armory’s Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director Pierre Audi. “As Armory audiences have come to expect, this production bridges a range of genres and disciplines, layering Abraham’s choreography atop a heart-stirring original score from yMusic, a large-scale set, and captivating digital nature-based artwork by JAMES.”

“We are proud to welcome Kyle Abraham to the Armory. He is one of the most sought-after choreographers and dancers working today, so it is an honor to have him not only create but also perform in this touching new work commissioned for the Drill Hall,” said Rebecca Robertson, the Adam R. Flatto Founding President and Executive Producer of Park Avenue Armory. 

Known for his distinct and layered choreographic vocabulary, MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham creates work that invites audiences to reflect on the human condition and celebrate its resiliency. In addition to founding and serving as the Artistic Director of his company A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, he has been commissioned to create work by such notable dance companies as New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paul Taylor American Modern Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Royal Ballet, and The National Ballet of Cuba. He has also choreographed for many of the leading dancers of our time, including Misty Copeland, Calvin Royal III, and Wendy Whelan.

For Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful, Abraham builds from the work of Richard Powers’ The Overstory with choreography heavily inspired by the themes of life, transition, nature, and empathy. The evocative work migrates through the fragility of time and an ever-changing ecology, employing layers of counterpoint to find intimacy and evoke empathy amidst the anxiety of contemporary life. The work is performed by an ensemble of more than 15 dancers, including Abraham himself, with a commissioned live score by yMusic, a 6-member chamber ensemble that straddles classical and popular music with their singular sound. New media artist Cao Yuxi (JAMES) creates an evocative visual landscape with lush, colorful video projections that accompany the dancers’ emotive movements and yMusic’s commanding score.

“I’m thrilled to premiere Dear Lord, Make Me Beautiful at Park Avenue Armory alongside a team of incredible artists, dancers, and musicians. When the Armory commissioned me to create this work, I knew I wanted to push my creative limits and connect it with the immensity of the space and with who I am at this moment as a person, choreographer, and performer,” said Kyle Abraham. “During the creation process, I thought deeply about how I could express the delicate nature of aging and how we live a full life with all of its joys and sorrows, and I knew because of my personal connections to the work, I had to join my fellow collaborators in performing the work on stage.”