Mon 8 October 2018 | 9:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Suzanne Dellal - Neve Tsedek, Tel Aviv,
L.A. DANCE PROJECT – USA
An evening of repertory: Martha Graham Duets by Martha Graham, Orpheus Highway and Bach Studies (Part 1) by Benjamin Millepied (“Black Swan”).
Post-performance discussion October 8
L.A. Dance Project, founded by Benjamin Millepied, presents an evening of flawless repertory contemporary ballet. The program features three works by Martha Graham and founder/artistic director Benjamin Millepied. Martha Graham Duets are three distinct pas de deux from larger Graham works. The first is inspired by the “White Duet” from Diversion of Angels (1948), a ballet widely considered to be the choreographer’s ode to love. “White Duet” communicates profound intimacy through Graham’s signature purity of form. The second and third duets, titled “Stars” and “Moon,” are rarely staged and are, in fact, the only surviving sections of Canticle for Innocent Comedians (1952) whose remaining choreography is thought to be lost. While “Stars” gives off a playful energy through Graham’s finely sculpted partnering, “Moon” remains more ethereal as the dancers yield to the piece’s wonderfully poetic and hypnotic core. Orpheus Highway explores the tragic love story of its eponymous mythological protagonist through an intricate juxtaposition of film and live dance performance, directed and choreographed by Benjamin Millepied. Nine dancers on stage echo and riff against a commanding cinematic backdrop in which they also star as Steve Reich’s suspended and strident Triple Quartet propels the work toward its dramatic conclusion. Inspired by the depth and complexity of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, Benjamin Millepied’s Bach Studies (Part 1) explores the Partita for Violin No. 2 in D Minor by applying the compositional techniques of counterpoint, fugue, and canon to choreography. Bach Studies (Part 1) masterfully translates music into movement, resulting in a work that is at once technically sophisticated, delicate, and emotionally compelling.
French-born Benjamin Millepied is a choreographer, filmmaker, and former professional dancer whose body of creative work, coupled with his 16-year career with New York City Ballet, distinguish him as one of the 21st century’s most notable artists. Mr. Millepied moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to found his company L.A. Dance Project (LADP) which has since given hundreds of performances at prestigious venues around the world. LADP is a platform for the development, creation, support and presentation of world-class dance in Los Angeles. Comprised of an internationally acclaimed dance company, a brand new performance space in Los Angeles’ burgeoning Arts District, and a program of media initiatives, LADP promotes dance not only as an artistic practice but as a way of being in the world. LADP seeks to foster dance-centered artistic collaborations across all disciplines, cultures and communities in Los Angeles and around the globe.
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