Keigwin + Company to Premiere Two New Pieces Set to Bernstein
By: Julie Musbach Jan. 09, 2018
KEIGWIN + COMPANY makes their Soraya debut on Saturday, February 3 with an all-Bernstein program, which includes two world premieres with live musical accompaniment: Three Plus One performed to Bernstein's Piano Trio and Sonata to Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, both commissioned by The Soraya.
The evening also features to works commissioned by the Kennedy Center: Episodes performed to Bernstein's On the Town Suite and Waterfront performed to Bernstein's On the Waterfront Suite. This performance is part of the global Bernstein at 100 Celebration. Founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Larry Keigwin and Associate Director Nicole Wolcott, KEIGWIN + COMPANY creates and presents Keigwin's electrifying brand of contemporary dance. The New Yorkersaid of the company in 2012, "[Keigwin] sought to capture the audiences with wit, a theatrical sensibility, and, mostly, terrific dancing...hitting our pleasure receptors over and over." The New York Times said Keigwin "bridges dance worlds, contrasting the light efficiency of ballet with the earthiness of modern dance."Music: Piano Trio by Leonard Bernstein
Premiere: February 3, 2018 at The Soraya in Northridge, CA Sonata choreographed by Larry Keigwin
Music: Sonata for Clarinet and Piano by Leonard Bernstein
Premiere: February 3, 2018 at The Soraya in Northridge, CA Episodes choreographed by Larry Keigwin
Music: On the Town Suite by Leonard Bernstein
Lighting Design: Burke Wilmore
Costumes: Sarah Laux
Premiere: May 7, 2014 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Waterfront choreographed by Larry Keigwin
Music: On the Waterfront Suite by Leonard Bernstein
Lighting Design: Burke Wilmore
Costumes: Courtney Ann
Premiere: May 7, 2014 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. About KEIGWIN + COMPANY
K+C reaches national and international audiences and invigorates diverse communities with a refreshing vision of dance that embodies a theatrical sensibility of wit, style, and heart. Community projects and education seek to physically engage audiences and aspiring dancers in movement and the choreographic process, and bring opportunities for individuals to become more invested in dance. Since K+C's premiere performance at Joyce Soho in 2003, Keigwin has created 29 dances, including the acclaimed large-scale community project, Bolero, which has been commissioned in 11 communities across the country, and Runaway (2008), a fashion-inspired choreographic ride, proclaimed a "thrilling coup d'theater' by James Wolcott of Vanity Fair. K+C celebrated its 10th Anniversary Season in 2013, generously supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2015, the company looks forward to enriching its mission with the commission of two bright choreographic stars, Adam Barruch and Loni Landon, and engaging even broader audiences nationwide through performances, outreach, and its first-ever film project, Bolero Senior Citizens. Over the decade, K+C has presented performances throughout NYC and nationwide at venues including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Summerdance Santa Barbara, New York City Center, The Joyce Theater, American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, and more. K + C has received grants and generous support from National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, American Music Center Live Music for Dance Program, The Greenwall Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, The O'Donnell-Green Music & Dance Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Christian Keesee Charitable Trust, and Dianne & Daniel Vapnek Family Fund. About Larry Keigwin (Artistic Director)
Larry Keigwin is a native New Yorker and choreographer who has danced his way from the Metropolitan Opera to downtown clubs to Broadway and back. He founded KEIGWIN + COMPANY in 2003 and as Artistic Director, Keigwin has led the company as it has performed at theaters and dance festivals throughout New York City and around the world. KEIGWIN + COMPANY presents Keigwin's electrifying brand of contemporary dance on a myriad of stages including, The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, New York City Center, among others. Since his company's premiere performance at Joyce Soho in 2003, Keigwin has created dozens of dances for himself and his dancers, as well as for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Martha Graham Dance Company, New York Choreographic Institute, The Juilliard School, Vail International Dance Festival, and many others. His work in musical theater includes choreography for the 2011 production of the musical Tales of the City at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and the off-Broadway production of Rent, for which he received the 2011 Joe A. Callaway Award from the Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation. In 2013, Keigwin choreographed the Broadway musical If/Then, starring Idina Menzel. He was most recently selected as one of the first choreographers to be commissioned by Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance. Keigwin has designed and choreographed special events including Fashion's Night Out: The Show in New York, which was produced by Vogue magazine and featured more than 150 of the industry's top models. Keigwin has also mounted 11 versions of Bolero, his acclaimed large-scale community project that has been commissioned by communities across the country. Keigwin has created Keigwin Kabaret, a fusion of modern dance, vaudeville, and burlesque presented by the Public Theater at Joe's Pub and by Symphony Space. As a dancer, Keigwin has danced at the Metropolitan Opera in Doug Varone's Le Sacre Du Printemps and Julie Taymor's The Magic Flute, in addition to his work with Mark Dendy (receiving a Bessie Award in 1998 for his performance in Dream Analysis), Jane Comfort, John Jasperse, Doug Elkins, Zvi Gotheiner, and David Rousseve. He appeared in the Broadway show Dance of the Vampires, the off-Broadway show The Wild Party and the Julie Taymor, Oscar nominated film Across the Universe. He is a co-founder of the Green Box Arts Festival in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, a multi-disciplinary festival designed to increase cultural opportunities in the region, as well as provide creative residencies to young, emerging choreographers. Keigwin is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society. About Bernstein at 100
Leonard Bernstein at 100, a two-year global celebration of the life and career of the 20th century cultural giant with more than 1,000 events on six continents, kicked off at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, September 22, 2017 and officially launched celebrations, which continue worldwide through the end of August 2019 Leonard Bernstein's range of accomplishments was uniquely broad; in the new millennium, his legacy resonates more than ever. Bernstein at 100 will celebrate the career of this monumental artist by focusing on four pillars of Bernstein's legacy: his work as a Composer; Conductor; Educator; and Activist/Humanitarian. "'Bernstein at 100 will explore my father's legacy from every angle - and that's a lot of angles," his daughter Jamie Bernstein said. "I'm thrilled to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect his multiple achievements to the 21st century, as well as introduce his legacy to new generations." Bernstein was a man of the globe, and so there will be major events in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Rome, Budapest, and Warsaw, as well as in Japan, China, India, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and Israel. Other Los Angeles performances include Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and more. For the complete calendar of events, visit LeonardBernstein.com/News/Calendar. About the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
The Soraya opened its 2017-2018 season on September 16 with a performance of AMADEUS Live (Milos Foreman's 1984 Academy Award-winning Best Picture with live orchestra) with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and members of the LA Opera Chorus. The evening honored the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Foundation in recognition of the family's recent $17 million gift that will rename VPAC as the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Performing Arts Center, known as The Soraya. The gift is one of the largest in the history of the California State University and the system's largest single gift to support the arts; gift to support the programming and operations of the award-winning Valley Performing Arts Center - which has become one of the cultural jewels of the region in the six years since it opened. The 2017-18 Soraya season signals a new era for the premier event venue. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, the renamed Younes and Soraya Nazarian Performing Arts Center expands its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances. The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of LA's rich and diverse communities. Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya's season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as "a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events."
Photo by: Erin Baiano
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