The Joyce Theater Ends LAST TOUCH FIRST

The Joyce Theater ends its New York premiere of Last Touch First, an evening-length work created by Ji?í Kylián and Michael Schumacher, tonight, April 15.

Renowned Dutch choreographer Jirí Kylián, former artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater, and American expat dancer Michael Schumacher created Last Touch First for the 2008 Holland Dance Festival.  Based on Kylián’s Last Touch, which he created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2003, this highly-theatrical hour-long piece is set against the backdrop of a Victorian drawing room defined by immense dust covers and sepia-toned lighting.  As the six characters dressed in extravagant period costumes move back in time, their meticulous movements suggest a world of ghosts and memories and an intense yearning for communication.  Only occasionally is their stillness broken by what seem like acts of surreal rebellion.  This is a haunting work performed in profound slow motion that calls to mind Chekhovian themes of desperation and isolation.   

JI?Í KYLIÁN

For over 30 years, Ji?í Kylián has been the choreographer-in-residence at the Nederlands Dans Theater.  His acclaimed choreography can be found in the repertoire of numerous dance companies all over the world.  Kylián has a special and long-lasting relationship with the Holland Dance Festival, resulting in many unique projects.  In 1991, the Festival opened with his first piece for Nederlands Dans Theater III, and in 2005 he celebrated the 30th anniversary at Nederlands Dans Theater by opening the Holland Dance Festival with a production for Nederlands Dans Theater II. 

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

The versatile dance-artist Michael Schumacher is a master of improvisation.  He was a dancer with the Frankfurt Ballet, Twyla Tharp Dance, the Feld Ballet, and the Pretty Ugly Dance Company.  He has made guest appearances for Peter Sellars and appeared in productions with artists such as Dana Caspersen, Anouk van Dijk, and Sylvie Guillem.  He also performs with the Magpie Music Dance Company, a collective of improvisation artists and gives workshops in movement analysis and improvisation techniques.

The Joyce Theater FOUNDATION

The Joyce Theater Foundation, a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences for three decades. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce Theater is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant home for more than 320 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists, as well as special residency opportunities for selected choreographers to support the creation of new work. In 2009, The Joyce opened Dance Art New York (DANY) Studios to provide affordable studios for rehearsals, auditions, classes, and workshops for independent choreographers, non-profit dance companies, and the dance/theater communities. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce’s Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through informative Dance Talks, Joyce Pre-Show gatherings, and post-performance Dance Chat discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.