Parsons Dance program

Friday

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APR 26

7:30 pm

This event is made possible through the generous support of the Tim and Jerrye Van Leer Education Endowment.

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Artistic Director DAVID PARSONS General Manager REBECCA JOSUE Resident Lighting Designer HOWELL BINKLEY Dancers ZOEY ANDERSON JUSTUS WHITFIELD DEIDRE ROGAN SHAWN LESNIAK HENRY STEELE JOAN RODRIGUEZ KATIE GARCIA SASHA ALVAREZ Stage Manager CHELSEA GILLESPIE Lighting Supervisor CHRISTIAN DEANGELES

APR 26 | Parsons Dance

APR 26 | Parsons Dance

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PROGRAM Round My World (2012) Choreography by David Parsons Lighting by Howell Binkley Music by Zoe Keating, “Arrival,” “Walking Man,” “We Insist,” “Legions (Reverie)” Costume design by Emily DeAngelis ZOEY ANDERSON JUSTUS WHITFIELD DEIDRE ROGAN SHAWN LESNIAK HENRY STEELE KATIE GARCIA Hand Dance (2003) Choreography by David Parsons Lighting design by Howell Binkley Musical arrangement by Kenji Bunch Costume concept by David Parsons FIVE DANCERS Eight Women (2019) Choreography by Trey McIntyre Lighting by Howell Binkley Music by Aretha Franklin Costumes by Sylvie Rood ZOEY ANDERSON JUSTUS WHITFIELD DEIDRE ROGAN SHAWN LESNIAK HENRY STEELE JOAN RODRIGUEZ KATIE GARCIA SASHA ALVAREZ Eight Women was commissioned by Parsons Dance for its 2019 season.

20-Minute Intermission Runes secret writings for casting a spell (First performed in 1975 by Paul Taylor Dance Company) Music specially composed by Gerald Busby Choreography by Paul Taylor Restaged for this production by Cathy McCann Buck Costumes by George Tacet Lighting by Jennifer Tipton

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ZOEY ANDERSON JUSTUS WHITFIELD DEIDRE ROGAN SHAWN LESNIAK HENRY STEELE JOAN RODRIGUEZ KATIE GARCIA SASHA ALVAREZ 1.......................................................................................................................... full cast 2.............................................Zoey Anderson, Justus Whitfield, Sasha Alvarez and cast 3.............................................. Henry Steele or Joan Rodriguez, Sasha Alvarez and cast 4....................................................................................................................Katie Garcia 5................................................................................................. Shawn Lesniak and cast 6........................................................................ Deidre Rogan, Joan Rodriguez and cast 7.......................................................................................................................... full cast Caught (1982) Choreography by David Parsons Lighting concept by David Parsons Lighting design by Howell Binkley Music by Robert Fripp, “Let the Power Fall” Costume design by Judy Wirkula ZOEY ANDERSON OR HENRY STEELE Caught is maintained in the active repertory of Parsons Dance through generous support from the Jim and Linda Ellis Foundation.

Please be advised that strobe lights will be used during this piece.

Nascimento (1990) Choreography by David Parsons Lighting by Howell Binkley Music by Milton Nascimento Costumes by Santo Loquasto ZOEY ANDERSON JUSTUS WHITFIELD DEIDRE ROGAN SHAWN LESNIAK HENRY STEELE JOAN RODRIGUEZ KATIE GARCIA SASHA ALVAREZ Nascimento was commissioned by the Festival in the Sun at the University of Arizona at Tucson. Special thanks to Milton Nascimento, who composed this score as a gift to the company and to A. Alexandra Jupin, executive director of the Festival in the Sun.

Program and casting are subject to change.

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PARSONS DANCE is a contemporary American dance company based in New York City that is internationally renowned for its energized and athletic ensemble work.

Founded in 1985 by Artistic Director David Parsons and Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley, the company has toured to more than 447 cities, 30 countries and 5 continents. The company has appeared at such notable venues as The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Sydney Opera House, Maison de la Danse, Teatro La Fenice and Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro.

Parsons Dance performs works selected from the vast and varied repertory of more than 75 works created by David Parsons. In addition, established choreographers like Trey McIntyre and Robert Battle are invited to re-stage works from the American canon on its dancers. And, through its GenerationNOW Fellowship, the company offers commissions to young American choreographers, whom Parsons mentors through the creative process.

Parsons Dance is committed to providing enriching experiences beyond its performances as it seeks to engage audiences of all ages through education and outreach programs; through post-show discussions, open rehearsals, studio showcases, video workshops, open company classes, summer workshops for preprofessional dancers; and in-school workshops for public school students. The company is especially proud of its Autism-Friendly Programs initiative, launched in 2016, it features sensory-friendly workshops and relaxed performances for audiences of all abilities.

All of these activities are driven by the vision of Artistic Director David Parsons, who, for more than 30 years, has combined his choreographic gifts and talent for training highly skilled dancers with a real passion for the art form.

DAVID PARSONS (artistic director/co­founder) has enjoyed a remarkable career as a director, choreographer, performer, master teacher and producer. Raised in Kansas City, Parsons made it to New York at the age of 17 when he received a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey School. After Ailey, he became an understudy with the Paul Taylor Dance Company and then joined the company as a principal dancer. He stayed for eight years. During summers, he toured with MOMIX; he appeared with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Mark Morris in the first White Oak tour; and he launched his choreographic career by setting work on the Taylor Company and on the National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Batsheva Dance Company and the Paris Opera Ballet.

After leaving the Taylor company, Parsons was a guest artist with the New York City Ballet for four years before his artistic prowess led him to undertake such diverse projects as choreographing Aida at Arena di Verona and producing and cochoreographing María de Buenos Aires at the Skirball Center as well as creating the choreography for Fool’s Fire, a 1992 film directed by Julie Taymor. Perhaps one of his most thrilling assignments was choreographing and directing the dance elements for Times Square 2000, the 24-hour festivities in Times Square celebrating the turn of the millennium. Parsons continues his involvement in diverse projects, with his most recent gig taking him to Japan, where he choreographed A Knight’s Tale, a new

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musical theater work directed by John Caird, who previously directed the Broadway and West End productions of Les Misérables and the London National Theatre’s production of Candide. Staged at Tokyo’s iconic Imperial Theatre from July 25 through August 29, 2018, the work featured Japanese pop stars in leading roles.

In addition to the more than 75 works that he has created for Parsons Dance, Parsons has received commissions from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow, the Spoleto Festival and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, among dozens of others.

Heralded by The New York Times as “one of the great movers of modern dance,” Parsons has received many accolades throughout his career, including three Choreography Fellowship Grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the American Choreography Award, the Dance Magazine Award, a Howard Gilman Fellowship and the Dance Masters of America Annual Award. In May 2018, he received the Capezio Award, one of the most prestigious awards in dance.

HOWELL BINKLEY (resident lighting designer/co-founder) is the proud co-founder of Parsons Dance for which he has designed more than 70 pieces. His Broadway designs include: Come From Away (2017 Tony nomination), Allegiance, After Midnight (2014 Tony nomination), How to Succeed… (2011 Tony nomination), West Side Story (2009 Tony nomination), Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, In The Heights (2008 Tony nomination), Avenue Q, The Full Monty, Parade, and Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1993 Tony nomination). He has made extensive regional and dance works for Alvin Ailey, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street and The Joffrey Ballet’s Billboards. He is a five-time Helen Hayes Award recipient and received the 1993 Sir Laurence Olivier Award and the Canadian Dora Award for Kiss of The Spider Woman. Howell also received the 2006 Henry Hewes Design Award, the 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award and the 2006 Tony Award for Jersey Boys. In addition, he won both the 2017 Tony Award and the 2018 Sir Laurence Olivier Award for the lighting design of Hamilton.

TREY MCINTYRE (choreographer, Eight Women) is a choreographer, filmmaker, writer and photographer. Born in Wichita, Kansas, he trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy. McIntyre spent 13 years as choreographic associate to Houston Ballet, a position that was created especially for him. He has also created works for American Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, Queensland Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet, to name a few.

In 2005, he founded his own dance company, Trey McIntyre Project, which lauded both critically and as a new model of an arts organization. In 2014, he transitioned the company to focus on photography and video projects. He continues to choreograph worldwide and is working on two books of photography, a patreon site (patreon.com/ treymcintyre) as well as a documentary entitled Gravity Hero. McIntyre has received numerous awards and is a United States Artists Fellow.

PAUL TAYLOR (choreographer, Runes), one of the most accomplished artists this nation has ever produced, helped shape and define America’s homegrown art of modern dance from the earliest days of his career as a choreographer in 1954 until his death in 2018. Having performed with Martha Graham’s company for several

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years, Mr. Taylor uniquely bridged the legendary founders of modern dance— Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Doris Humphrey and Ms. Graham—and the dance makers of the 21st Century, with whom he later worked. Through his initiative at Lincoln Center begun in 2015 (Paul Taylor American Modern Dance), he presented great modern works of the past and outstanding works by today’s leading choreographers alongside his own vast repertoire. He also commissioned the next generation of dance makers to work with his renowned troupe, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, thereby helping to ensure the future of the art form. Mr. Taylor continued to win public and critical acclaim for the vibrancy, relevance and power of his dances into his ‘80s, offering cogent observations on life’s complexities, while tackling some of society’s thorniest issues. His repertoire of 147 works covers a breathtaking range of topics, but recurring themes include the natural world and man’s place within it; love and sexuality in all gender combinations; and iconic moments in American history. The New York Times hailed him as “among the great war poets.” While some of his dances have been termed “dark” and others “light,” the majority of his works are dualistic, mixing elements of both extremes. Mr. Taylor left an extraordinary legacy of creativity and vision not only to American modern dance, but to the performing arts the world over.

Please see your pre- and post-performance emails for biographies of the full company.

PARSONS DANCE 229 West 42nd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10036 212-869-9275 • info@parsonsdance.org www.parsonsdance.org Artists’ Representative: Margaret Selby, Selby Artists Management 262 West 38th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10018 212-382-3260• mselby@selbyartistsmgmt.com