Gibney Company Returns To At The Joyce Theater This May

Gibney Company returns to New York City's The Joyce Theater May 7 – 12 (Tuesday - Sunday) with a dynamic program that features the historic restaging of two iconic works by Twyla Tharp, a world premiere by Jermaine Spivey and Spenser Theberge, and a Gibney Company tour favorite by Yue Yin.

The seven-performance run marks Gibney Company's third Joyce Theater appearance, following sold-out engagements, and the Joyce debuts of Yin Yue and Jermaine Spivey. Led by Gibney Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO Gina Gibney and Gibney Company Director Gilbert T Small II, Gibney Company commissions and performs work from internationally renowned and emerging choreographers. Gibney Company is committed to exploring connections between the rigorous physicality of dance and responsive, humanistic storytelling.

Gina Gibney, Founder, Director and CEO of Gibney and Artistic Director of Gibney Company said, “We are thrilled to return to The Joyce Theatre with this extraordinary program highlighting U.S. choreographers and featuring two seminal works from one of dance's greatest choreographic forces, Twyla Tharp. As with past seasons, we are committed to commissioning new work and are thrilled to premiere a work  by Jermaine and Spenser in collaboration with the dancers of Gibney Company. And we are delighted to bring a work we commissioned by Yue Yin to the Joyce, marking her debut at the theatre.

Gibney Company Director Gilbert T Small II added, “The dancers of Gibney Company will, once again, use their extraordinary talent  to bring an array of works to life. Whether collaborating with Jermiane and Spenser to create a wholly-original work or bring new life to iconic works from an undisputed legend like Twyla, they approach everything as a unique opportunity to connect deeply with audiences through the work.”

For its highly anticipated return to The Joyce, Gibney Company has commissioned Remains, a world premiere from  Jermaine Spivey and Spenser Theberge. The duo worked with the Company in a collaborative choreographic process to create the work, which features an original score by Spivey and text by Theberge. The performers use their bodies and voices to form layers within the space, reacting in real time to the choices others are making on stage to demonstrate their individuality as human beings.

Two iconic works by Twyla Tharp: Bach Duet and The Fugue will be restaged for Gibney Company. Performed to live musical accompaniment of Bach's Jesu, Der Mo Miene Cantata BWV 78, Gibney's performances of Bach Duet will be the first time the work has been performed by anyone other than Twyla Tharp's original cast members Kenneth Rinker and Rose Marie Wright. Although it has no music to accompany the dancers, Tharp's The Fugue is also inspired by Johan Sebastian Bach. A beautiful emulation of the composer's gift for variation, the work is modeled on the composer's “The Musical Offering” and consists of a 20-count theme which is developed into 20 variations through reversals, inversions, retrogrades and repetitions.

Rounding out the program is Yin Yue's A Measurable Existence, originally commissioned for Gibney Company in 2020. With this work, Yin Yue delves into how we discover aspects of ourselves by discovering others. The moment we realize our journeys parallel, intersect, repel, or collide with others' experiences, we begin a new understanding of our own existence that may frighten, challenge, and, at the same time, sustain us.

Gibney Company's 2023-2024 season began with a featured performance of Sonya's Tayeh's OH COURAGE! at the 20th Fall for Dance Festival and included international tour stops at prestigious festivals including Fall for Dance North in Toronto, Holland Dance Festival, and Dance Victoria in British Columbia. This summer the Company tours to Jacob's Pillow, Chautauqua Institution, and Quebec's Festival of Saint Sauveur.

Tickets starting at $10 are available at joyce.org.

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