Under the artistic direction of Bradley Shelver, the STEPS REPERTORY ENSEMBLE is the contemporary dance company of STEPS BEYOND FOUNDATION, a non-for-profit organization in residence at the prestigious Steps on Broadway. The Ensemble commissions choreographers, both established and emerging, to create new works and to restage repertory, thereby connecting to America's rich modern dance legacy. This season the Ensemble will present three different programs of dances by Mike Esperanza, Francesca Harper, Jae Man Joo, Lar Lubovitch, and Company Artistic Director Bradley Shelver, featuring two world premieres, April 30 and May 1 & 2 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55 Street.
Le Monde Est Fini, Pas De Panique (2015), a world premiere by Bradley Shelver, translates as "The World is Finished, Do Not Panic." The work references the influence and power of mass hysteria and panic in the modern world. Shelver comments on the era of suspicion, mass media, war, the death of romance, and the disconnection of mankind from each other, while at the same time recognizing the increased connection we share through social networking.
Recur (2013) by Jae Man Joo was originally created for Complexions Contemporary Ballet. "Life is about things that happen to us that are only important when we look back at them. If they stay with us they become part of us. If not they are cast off."
She and Him, Him and Her, He and I, Us and Them (2014) is set by choreographer Shelver to music by Bach, Scarlatti, Chopin and Beethoven. Originally performed in an excerpted form for the Inaugural Brooklyn Dance Festival in 2012, the work is divided into four duets, exploring the emotional, physical, spiritual and hopefully the eternal bond in relationships.
The Legend of Ten (2010), a work by Lar Lubovitch for ten dancers that maps the complex, shifting terrain of Brahms's Quintet for Piano and Strings in F Minor, Opus 34 (first and fourth movements).
Sandscript (2015 - World Premiere) was created by Mike Esperanza, the REVERBdance Festival commission winner. Music is "Die Luftseilbahn" and "Bird Watching" by contemporary Norwegian composer Biosphere.
Apex, by Francesca Harper, premiered in 2002 as part of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 44th annual season at New York's City Center. "In the opaque world that is Apex, the darkness only reveals fragments of one's pure self. Time cycles and habits repeat until a conscious choice is made to find the missing pieces."
3114 BCE (2010) set to Ravel's Bolero, is choreographer Shelver's commentary on the lack of human evolution, making the observation that deep down, we have remained the caveman, craving nothing more than food, sex and self-preservation. The work was named for the year 3114 BCE, the start of the 5000 year Mayan Calendar that was rumored to predict the apocalypse for December 21, 2012.
STEPS REPERTORY ENSEMBLE has performed both nationally and internationally at many venues, including the Baruch P.A. Center, Kumble Theater for the P.A., Oude Libertas Amphitheater in Stellenbosch South Africa, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the Dumbo Dance Festival, to name a few. Their New York seasons, presented annually at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, present an eclectic repertory of critically acclaimed works. The current repertory consists of dances by Aszure Barton, Cherice Barton, Camille A. Brown, Donald Byrd, Sean Curran, Louis Falco, Shannon Gillen, Zvi Gotheiner, Larry Keigwin, Andrea Miller, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Nathan Trice, Bill Young, Manuel Vignoulle, Elisa Monte, Francesca Harper, Lar Lubovitch, Jae Man Joo, Mike Esperanza, William Forsythe, and Bradley Shelver. The Company is comprised of dancers who hail from all over the globe, bringing a rich diversity to the works and bridging the cultural gaps between audiences and younger dance students through their lecture-demonstrations and master classes.
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