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noviembre 2015
¡hola, difus@s!
october was, on the whole, much more satisfying than september across the performing arts, and lowered expectations aren’t the reason. (heaven knows i’ve lowered my expectations far enough elsewhere to keep them high here…)
the month started and ended with two extraordinary performances. claire chase’s density 2036: part iii was absolutely stunning, a boundary-busting program with works for contrabass flute and the “expanded instrument system” (in a piece that began with an apparent nod to beckett’s not i). if last year’s part ii felt like discovery, part iii felt like revelation. the performance was so fully realized, with so many elements brought together as a whole that far exceeded the sum of its parts. conversely, anne teresa de keersmaeker’s partita 2 deliberately examined its constituent parts (bach’s music performed live in complete darkness, her dancing with boris charmatz in silence) before bringing them together. de keersmaeker’s rigor (aesthetic, intellectual, physical) is as exigent as it is rewarding, provoking as much feeling as thought (i’ll be digesting this piece for weeks to come)—and their encore was one of the most generous and tender gestures i’ve seen at a dance performance.
falling in between those two, teatro patologico’s production of medea was one of the most affecting works of the past month (and, to some extent, the year). as theater per se, the performance was not as accomplished as either chase’s or de keersmaeker’s—to be honest, the principal acting was far from it—but this was work of a different kind, inseparable from its conditions of production (whereas much art works to obscure those conditions). casting “14 actors with diverse abilities (including epilepsy, neurological disabilities and down syndrome)” as the chorus was, on the one hand, pragmatic but, on the other, artistically and politically poignant, all the more so for being refreshingly understated. (take, as a point of comparison, carlos reygadas’ choice to work with non-professional actors, all members of a mennonite community in northern mexico, in silent light, a choice that profoundly transformed the work as a whole.) the curtain call was deeply moving, a coda that went far beyond breaking down the fourth wall to recovering the origins of theater as a community (of) ritual. in the end, the work was more jean vanier than jérôme bel, but that’s still a very, very good thing.
among the rest, ivo van hove’s a view from the bridge was a welcome corrective to his antigone at bam last month. the staging is gorgeous (and had me recalling peter brook’s lecture on “the holy theatre” in the empty space), the acting is deft and devoted, and van hove’s direction is often incisive, with some moments of genuine magic (if still fewer and farther between than in last year’s scenes from a marriage and angels in america). william kentridge, whose refuse the hour played at bam (and not, tellingly, as part of performa 2015) is a remarkably assured performer and an exceptionally generous collaborator, someone i definitely want to see (and, based on the text, read) much more. i could only attend two-thirds of the jack quartet’s six-hour marathon, but fortunately i got to see them perform with sō percussion (whom i’d been wanting to see for some time)—and i’d readily watch the eight of them play together for another six hours or more. finally seeing sankai juku live was worthwhile, even if usuma: memories before history isn’t their strongest work (but what a committed, enthusiastic audience!). gob squad’s before your very eyes was also worthwhile, even though i wish they’d wrestled with their conditions of production (i.e., working with different groups of child actors) more (rather than seeming a bit overdetermined or hamstrung by them). damien jalet’s half of aakash odedra’s inked + murmur (the former) was by far the stronger, but the latter (which needed some heavy editing) had some of the most brilliant tech i’ve seen since chunky move’s mortal engine. basil twist’s sisters follies: between two worlds also had some spectacular technology (both high and low), along with fabulous costuming by machine dazzle, but, as a show, it felt overly burdened by its commitment to site-specificity. even so, i’ll take any chance to see julie atlas muz. in james thierrée’s tabac rouge, design (dazzling, to be sure) eclipsed dramaturgy, so much so that i’ll probably be skipping his future productions. i’ll definitely forego future performances of seán curran company, as dream’d in a dream was the worst of earnest but woefully misguided “first world” encounters with “the other”: the choreographic—and sartorial, thanks to some egregious costuming—equivalent of putumayo records.
with all that behind us, here’s what’s on my short list for the coming month:
dance: two of the world’s most formidable ballet performers, wendy whelan and sylvie guillem, grace our stages this month. ms. whelan, working with an incredible team that includes david neumann and the international contemporary ensemble, brings hagoromo to bam. (full disclosure: i absolutely loathed david neumann and advanced beginner group’s i understand everything better at abrons in april—and have lost so much respect for the bessies as a result—but i have full faith in ms. whelan’s discernment and direction.) ms. guillem gives her farewell performance, life in progress, at city center, which is sure to be a bittersweet event. if you have children in your life, gold at lincoln center would be an excellent way to get them engaged with dance. the lec / dem series at roulette (with different programs on november 16, 17, and 18) and draftwork: kora radella / miguel gúzman at danspace project should offer some interesting insight on the process of dancemaking. the dance historian is in: yvonne rainer should be an excellent history lesson (and, i’m thinking, worth taking off that pre-holiday afternoon).
art: performa 2015 is the biggest art event this month, and, if you have a high tolerance for organizational ineptitude (i don’t, cf., new york film festival, whose ineptitude is mercifully limited only to ticketing…), indulge away! to be fair, i have enjoyed some of performa’s past offerings, but mostly when they’ve been in partnership with actual performing arts presenters (e.g., new york live arts, bam). the bronx museum opens martin wong: human instamatic this month, which is easily my top museum priority this fall. also new this month and on my list are unorthodox at the jewish museum, frank stella: a retrospective at the whitney, ocean of images: new photography 2015 at moma, and åzone futures market presented online and at the seaport culture district by the guggenheim and the center for architecture. outside the museums, i definitely want to find time to see abounaddara: the right to the image at parsons, bring your own body: transgender between aesthetics and archives at cooper union, max ernst at paul kasmin, francis bacon at gagosian, vaginal davis at invisible exports, ralph lemon at the kitchen, andrew masullo at tibor de nagy, and rineke dijkstra at marian goodman.
performance + theater: lazarus at new york theatre workshop combines the talents of ivo van hove, enda walsh, and david bowie. i bought a membership last spring (as soon as the show was announced) just so i could get tickets well in advance; need i say more? marjorie prime opens at the end of the month and has me intrigued. hir and futurity have both been extended, and i plan to see the flick (finally) and catch the closing of barbecue. a view from the bridge and before your very eyes continue this month. other shorter-running, more experimental performances on my radar are wunderbaum’s looking for paul, or how i became an ice princess, toilet fire, opus, boys don’t wear lipstick, and hi, are you single?
music: you us we all is probably what i’m most looking forward to, both because andre ondrejcak’s open studio at the park avenue armory was fantastic and because i’ve never heard shara worden (whose talent seems limitless, even in brazilian karaoke bars!) live. william kentridge’s production of lulu is the only met production i want to see this season. the international contemporary ensemble performs four different programs (“new dialogues i, ii, and iii”, as well as “pierre boulez at 90”) at national sawdust, the jack quartet performs with andrew mcgill at roulette, and new work by missy mazzoli and robert sirota premieres at new york live arts. remarkable classical pianist leif ove andsnes is back at carnegie hall, and the international festival of text-sound poetry takes place at various venues around the city.
film: todd haynes’ new film, carol, has critics abuzz, and, more importantly, has the film society at lincoln center presenting a retrospective of his work along with personal selections. bam hits the best of high- and low-brow with jacques rivette’s seldom-seen out 1: noli me tangere and “turkeys for thanksgiving” (including showgirls!). anthology film archives has a great mathieu amalric series, a provocative austrian premiere, and a posthumously curated film series from jack smith. doc nyc takes place all over the city, and peggy guggenheim: art addict opens at ifc.
as usual, a fuller list is below. let know what you think, and please do share this all with your friends… (and, last but not least, a huge, huge, huge thanks to the kind folks at bam for two illuminating stage tours this past month!)
abrazos,
p
noviembre / november
1: lionel popkin (dance)
1: it came from within: a david cronenberg horror weekend (film)
1: maurice pialat (film)
1: amplify 2015: exploratory (music)
1: #itgetsbitter (performance)
1: full service (performance)
1: barbecue (theater)
1: the elephant in every room i enter (theater)
1-3: heart of a dog (film)
1-3: re-visions: american experimental film 1975-90 (film)
1-3: the apu triology (film)
1-5: royal road (film)
1-5: scary movies 9 (film)
1-6: the alcoholic movie musical (theater)
1-7: frederick wiseman's new york (film)
1-8: mathieu amalric: renaissance man (film)
1-8: eclipsed (theater)
1-8: student body (theater)
1-14: eliza bent: toilet fire (performance)
1-15: first daughter suite (theater)
1-21: the room (theater)
1-22: performa 15 (art, performance)
1-22: futurity (theater)
1-29: before your very eyes (theater)
1-29: lost girls (theater)
1-: a view from the bridge (theater)
1-: hir (theater)
1-: the flick (theater)
2: daedalus quartet: a legacy of czech music (music)
2: eric wubbels & mivos quartet: “being time” (music)
2: oratorio society of new york (music)
3: underexposed (dance)
3: julie taymor's a midsummer night's dream (film, theater)
3: american classical orchestra: st. john passion (music)
3: evgeny kissin (music)
3: hommage to princesse de polignac (music)
4: peter evans solo (music)
4-7: niall jones + nico brown (dance)
4-8: opus (performance)
4-19: out 1: noli me tangere (film)
4-22: chang(e) (performance, theater)
5: axiom (music)
5: boys don't wear lipstick (theater)
5-6: yoshi wada: earth horns with electronic drone (music)
5-7: neil greenberg – yvonne meier – jennifer monson: together & separately (dance)
5-8: hagoromo (dance)
5-22: puppet festival 2015 (theater)
5-: lulu (music)
6: out loud: poor edward (theater)
6-7: volmir cordeiro: inês (dance)
6-8: 360 dance company: human (dance)
6-12: in the basement (film)
6-17: action and anarchy: the films of seijun suzuki (film)
6-19: peggy guggenheim: art addict (film)
7-10: international festival of text-sound poetry (music, performance)
10-11: 3 by tom dicillo (film)
10-15: new york comedy festival (performance)
11-14: dynasty handbag + nibia pastrana santiago (dance, performance)
11-14: you us we all (music)
11-14: clytigation: state of exception (performance, theater)
11-14: wunderbaum: looking for paul (performance, theater)
12: 1b1 presents: holberg variations & album release (music)
12: the nielsen cycle (music)
12-14: sylvie guillem: a life in progress (dance)
12-14: or how i became an ice princess (performance)
12-18: madam phung's last journey (film)
12-19: doc nyc (film)
12-22: ronald k. brown / evidence, a dance company (dance)
12-: sound and fury: the films of cy endfield (film)
13: michelangelo quartet (music)
13-: jack smith selects (from the grave) (film)
13-: the great divorce (theater)
14: farah siraj traditional & contemporary arab song (music)
14: songs of hope (music)
16: lec / dem curated by kyli kleven: mariana valencia, joey kipp, tess dworman (dance)
16: leif ove andsnes (music)
16: tastiskank: f@#k the police (performance, theater)
17: lec / dem curated by kyli kleven: marissa perel, ayano elson, millie kapp (dance)
17: international contemporary ensemble (ice) presents: new dialogues i (music)
17-19: berliner philharmoniker (music)
17-21: jean butler: this is an irish dance choreographed by jean butler and composed by neil martin (dance)
18: lec / dem curated by kyli kleven: the bureau for the future of choreography, jessica cook, emily wexler (dance)
18: bridget everett & the tender moments (music, performance)
18: international contemporary ensemble (ice) presents: new dialogues ii (music)
18-19: hi, are you single? (theater)
18-21: nami yamamoto + manami fukuoka (dance)
18-22: julliard opera double bill (music)
18-28: todd haynes: the other side of dreams (film)
18-: lazarus (theater)
19: international contemporary ensemble (ice) presents: new dialogues iii (music)
20: nate weida: controversy, scandal, redemption (music, performance)
20: anthony mcgill and the jack quartet (music)
20: ymusic: come around part iii: missy mazzoli & robert sirota world premiere commissions + repertory (music)
20: a canary torsi performance portrait: live (work-in-progress) (performance)
20-22: thomas adès: concentric paths—movements in music (dance)
20-29: turkeys for thanksgiving (film)
20-: pilobolus: shadowland (dance)
20-: mustang (film)
20-: marjorie prime (theater)
21: draftwork: kora radella / miguel guzman (dance)
21: gold (dance)
21: fluffing for beginners (music, theater)
21: gamelan kusuma laras with i. m. harjito & guest dancer anang totok dwiantoro javanese music & dance (music)
21: international contemporary ensemble (ice) presents: perspectives: pierre boulez at 90 (music)
21: stefan jackiw, violin; jeremy denk, piano; new york polyphony, vocal ensemble (music)
21-22: emily sundblad and guests (music, performance)
22: daniil trifonov, piano (music)
22: the meeting hosted by justin sayre (performance)
24: music on the edge (music)
25: the dance historian is in: yvonne rainer (dance)
25-: juliana francis kelly: the reenactors (theater)
30-: chung mong-hong (film)