Ariel Rivka Dance to Kick Off Ninth Season Festival with Guest Artists, Today
By: BWW
News Desk May. 19, 2016
New York City, NY (For Release 3.30.16) - Known for capturing the duality of strength and grace, Ariel Rivka Dance (ARD) celebrates its ninth season with a special, contemporary dance festival comprising five world premieres by four of today's top choreographers all on one stage. Curated by ARD, this elegant array of diverse dance and live musicians showcases new works by Ariel Grossman of ARD, soloist Elisa King, Heidi Latsky of Heidi Latsky Dance, and Pascal Rioult of RIOULT Dance NY. (Program details are below.)
"We are thrilled to be joining forces with these remarkable artists," said Ariel Grossman, artistic director of Ariel Rivka Dance. "By hosting multiple choreographers, dancers, and musicians as part of this annual festival, we strive to make dance more accessible by giving audiences the opportunity to see a plethora of dance styles all in one evening at an affordable price."
Leading the program are four classical works by ARD, all of which meld a range of elegant and bold movements with live, original music by David Homan performed by four amplified cellists. In Hallelujah Eva, five women dancers explore solitude, and consequently find empowerment through shared experience. Beatrice's Rainbow features a sprightly trio reveling in the innocence and purity of early life. Variations on a Box drives the full ARD company of eight dancers to explore the constraints of shape and sound. In addition, ARD reprises Ori (2015), meaning "light," from its acclaimed repertoire. Described by Theatre is Easy as "contemporary and fresh," this spirited program piece features seven women creating "architecture between them."
Modern dancer/choreographer Elisa King premieres her own solo choreography, Sky Blue, to the song by Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra. Heidi Latsky Dance, a pioneering company dedicated to working with both disabled and non-disabled performers, presents the world premiere of TIMESTAMPed, several short timestamps about endurance, persistence, and survival that will eventually become part of an evening- length work.
Bookending the program are two of RIOULT Dance NY's most recognizable works: Wien and Bolero, both bold and unique interpretations of Ravel's most famous musical compositions. Wien (1995), set to Ravel's "La Valse," turns the Viennese waltz's revered image of grace, clarity, and social refinement inside out, using it as a metaphor to expose the decadence and moral disintegration of a society. Its perpetual motion and ever-changing patterns build to an inevitable climax, creating a riveting tour de force. Bolero (2002), set to Ravel's piece of the same name, "is a masterpiece...wrought into a vivid pageant of contemporary movement as the eight dancers in silvery-sleek, body- revealing tights took on a particular luminosity; they became the working parts of a massive mechanism that churned on and on to the relentless rhythm of the immortal score." (Oberon's Grove)
About Ariel Rivka Dance
Founded in 2008 by dancer/choreographer Ariel Rebecca (Rivka) Grossman (Joffrey Ballet School, Skidmore College), Ariel Rivka Dance (ARD) is a contemporary ballet company based in New York City committed to creating work that explores raw emotion in the context of strong technique and form. ARD's most recent work, The Book of Esther, tours nationwide including performances at the Gershman Y in Philadelphia, PA, and the Center for Jewish History in NYC. In 2014 ARD was awarded a residency at MANA Contemporary through Armitage Gone! Dance and a grant from the Nathan Cummings foundation. Recently, ARD was presented at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, Saratoga ArtsFest and Greenspace Blooms Festival and was the recipient of a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) grant.
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