DANCE NOW at Joe's Pub Rings in the NYC Dance Season
Adam Barruch and Chelsea Bonosky, Photo by Elizabeth Romanski
Ringing in the New York City season in all its diversity is DANCE NOW at Joe’s Pub. Every fall, the festival programs a mix of seasoned dancemakers and newbies, of classic modern dance and off-the-wall performance art, and everything in between. This year, 40 dance artists will rise to the challenge: They must present a five-minute piece, be it cogent or chaotic, on the tiny stage at Joe’s Pub. It’s a cozy place to meet, chat, drink and soak in an evening of short stabs at choreography. After four nights of performances (Sept. 7–10), 10 dancemakers will be chosen for the encore night on Sept. 29. The final winner receives a $1,500 check and a weeklong residency on Kirkland Farm in Pennsylvania. (Yes, that’s Kirkland as in Gelsey, or rather Gelsey’s former family home, now owned by DANCE NOW producer Robin Staff.)
The dance artists this year include Nicole Wolcott, Paula Josa-Jones, Li-Chiao Ping and Megan Williams; the groups include Jane Comfort and Company, The Bang Group, Gibney Dance Company, ZviDance, Adam Barruch Dance, Raja Feather Kelly/the feath3r theory and Take Dance. For a rare treat, Gus Solomons jr will perform his funny/rueful solo, I Used to Be Taller. But if you can’t make it, get to know Solomons in his “Choreography in Focus.”
Gibney Dance Company with Nigel Campbell and Alexeya Eyma-Manderson, photo by Scott Shaw
If you live in NYC, you probably already know about DANCE NOW and may have chosen which night you want to attend. But what you may not know is that DANCE NOW provides teaching, rehearsing and performing opportunities through partnerships with several high schools and universities including DeSales University, Muhlenberg College and Lehigh Valley Charter School. That’s the serious side of this whole venture. But first, the fun. See you at Joe’s Pub!
