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A Classic and Contemporary Cohesion
The 1.2.3. Festival at the Joyce Theater
Ailey II’s Ghrai DeVore in Essence by Christopher Huggins (Photo: Eduardo Patino, NYC)
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The classical and the contemporary converge in performances by the esteemed dance companies Ailey II, ABT II, and Taylor 2, comprising the 1.2.3. Festival at the Joyce Theater. These revered companies bring an exquisite display of athleticism, precision, and passion to the stage as they perform diverse selections from their repertoires, inviting audiences to explore the diverse realms of emotion each of the pieces evokes.
Ailey II, the second dance company of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, celebrates its return to New York after touring for the majority of last year. The performance features energetic young talent and three poignant numbers that convey themes of ritual, memory, and self-discovery. Artistic Director Judith Jamison’s Divining portrays “runners going out into virgin unknown territory to make sure their leader can proceed safely. The leader then blesses the ground, checking out the spirits that are about, sensing the air, and making sure the ambiance is right before the celebrants gather. Divining is mysterious; its title suggests a search or a quest.” Tang Dao’s Echoes depicts the elegiac nature of memory, leading audiences into a distant and haunting past, while Christopher L. Huggins’ Essence explores a range of emotion through the development of a female soloist.
ABT II, a company of twelve professional dancers under artistic director Wes Chapman, combines classic works such as Swan Lake and Le Corsaire with fresh material, including the world premiere of Ballo Per Sei by former New York City Ballet soloist Edwaard Liang and the New York premiere of Roger VanFleteren’s Pavlovsk. ABT II has aspired to serve as a “cultural ambassador to communities around the nation,” reaching more than 25,000 students each year with academic residencies, lecture-demonstrations, and national performances. Ballo Per Sei is set to the score of Antonio Vivaldi with costumes by Holly Hynes. Pavlovsk, set to the music of Karen LeFrak, conveys the tragic narrative based on the true story of a Russian general assassinated in 1799 and his wife. Le Corsaire, roughly based on The Corsaire by Lord Byron, is a classic piece concerning a young slave girl who is seized by the Pirate Conrad, who professes his love for her, but in undermined by his right-hand man’s jealousy. Tchaikovsky’s renowned Swan Lake, an elegant and stirring piece, traces the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a wicked sorcerer.
Taylor 2, established by Paul Taylor in 1993 to bring his stylistic vision to communities throughout the world, will perform four masterworks from their diverse repertoire. The company has toured in a wide range of communities internationally, including tours that sent dancers to he African nations of Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. They will perform Areole, one of the first modern dances choreographed to music composed more than two centuries earlier; the comedic 3 Epitaphs, which is choreographed to early New Orleans Jazz; Company B, which gained Paul Taylor the renown of being “among one of the great war poets”; and Esplanade, which showcases the Taylor 2 companies athleticism and ability to evoke emotion from audiences.
The 1.2.3. Festival will run at the Joyce Theatre April 13-25. For a complete schedule, please visit joyce.org. Call JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 for $10 tickets. All other tickets can purchased online.