Before the curtain falls on a truly remarkable year of heartwarming, surprising, shocking, breathtaking, hilarious, or otherwise unforgettable moments and milestones here at BAM, we asked our fellow staff members to take a look back and share some of their favorites. Were you here for any of these, or do you have your own? Share them with us, and please join or support us in making BAM a home for adventurous art, audiences, and ideas in 2020!
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Tuesday, December 31, 2019
The 40 Most Unforgettable BAM Moments of 2019, According to BAM Staff
Before the curtain falls on a truly remarkable year of heartwarming, surprising, shocking, breathtaking, hilarious, or otherwise unforgettable moments and milestones here at BAM, we asked our fellow staff members to take a look back and share some of their favorites. Were you here for any of these, or do you have your own? Share them with us, and please join or support us in making BAM a home for adventurous art, audiences, and ideas in 2020!
Monday, December 30, 2019
24 Hours with Alia Shawkat
Photo: NayMarie |
“The walls feel a little tight today,” remarked Alia Shawkat’s 62nd scene partner in The Second Woman. “Tell me about it,” she replies without missing a beat. This was about hour 17 of the 24 Alia (and I) spent in the Fishman Space of the BAM Fisher. For all but 15 minutes every two hours, Alia was in a small mesh room set with a table, chairs, stereo, and bar cart. While we could see in, she couldn’t really see out. The walls of her world were defined by the repetition of a short scene with different, mostly male-presenting non-actor scene partners. They have a drink, she asks for reassurance, she throws noodles at him, they dance, she asks him to leave. In between each scene, Alia would get down on her hands and knees to clean up the just-thrown noodles, and reset. Set and reset. Nearly 100 times. The walls of my world from 5pm Friday to 5pm Saturday—watching the world in the box—felt more than a little tight, until they suddenly expanded in new ways.
Monday, December 9, 2019
Holidays at BAM: Cabaret and Beyond
Note: BAM's new Artistic Director David Binder chose A Very Meow Meow Holiday Show to kick off an annual holiday block. Check out the seasonal photos after the jump from the BAM Hamm Archives.
By Sally Ollove
with contributions by John Jarboe
“What is cabaret?”
Thank you for asking! Cabaret is a musical by Kander and Ebb that once starred Liza Minnelli. It’s a kind of table. It’s a brand of cracker that 70s suburbanites served at key parties. It’s an indulgence, a secret, a cult, a radical experiment in community building, a trust exercise between performer and audience. An ephemeral queering of traditional performance modes. It’s an artform whose audience is living and getting younger.
Even as audiences get younger, the world around them seems to be collapsing. I used to think of cabaret as a place of beginnings, but more and more I see it as a place of endings or, really, of post-endings. Post-narrative, post-theatrical, post-pretension, post-perfection. At its most basic level, cabaret is a performer sitting metaphorically (or literally) in your lap sharing their virtuosity, vulnerability, and some laughs. Cabaret began on the site of the failed Paris Commune uprising and has a history of flourishing as people who don’t fit into the mainstream struggle: in post WWI Germany, in Harlem during the Renaissance, in Midtown during McCarthyism, and downtown post 9/11. As Brecht, a hanger-on of the Weimar cabaret scene, said: “In the dark times. Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.” When everything else has fallen away, we’ll still be huddling around a piano with someone to help us laugh through tears and sing songs that touch us in deep and unknowable ways.
Meow Meow. Photo: Magnus Hastings |
with contributions by John Jarboe
“What is cabaret?”
Thank you for asking! Cabaret is a musical by Kander and Ebb that once starred Liza Minnelli. It’s a kind of table. It’s a brand of cracker that 70s suburbanites served at key parties. It’s an indulgence, a secret, a cult, a radical experiment in community building, a trust exercise between performer and audience. An ephemeral queering of traditional performance modes. It’s an artform whose audience is living and getting younger.
Even as audiences get younger, the world around them seems to be collapsing. I used to think of cabaret as a place of beginnings, but more and more I see it as a place of endings or, really, of post-endings. Post-narrative, post-theatrical, post-pretension, post-perfection. At its most basic level, cabaret is a performer sitting metaphorically (or literally) in your lap sharing their virtuosity, vulnerability, and some laughs. Cabaret began on the site of the failed Paris Commune uprising and has a history of flourishing as people who don’t fit into the mainstream struggle: in post WWI Germany, in Harlem during the Renaissance, in Midtown during McCarthyism, and downtown post 9/11. As Brecht, a hanger-on of the Weimar cabaret scene, said: “In the dark times. Will there also be singing? Yes, there will also be singing. About the dark times.” When everything else has fallen away, we’ll still be huddling around a piano with someone to help us laugh through tears and sing songs that touch us in deep and unknowable ways.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Perfecting the Vibe: Wisdom From Four Brooklyn Barbers
Interviews by Akornefa Akyea
Photographs by Sam Polcer
Written by Nigerian-British poet and playwright Inua Ellams, international sensation Barber Shop Chronicles, which comes to BAM Dec 3—8 for its US premiere—is set in cities across the African continent (Lagos, Johannesburg, Accra, Kampala, and Harare) and London, and conjures the sacred space where men—in this case Black men—come together not only for a good trim, but for necessary and unfiltered discussion on black masculinity, immigration, identity and more.
While the services provided at barber shops around the world are similar, each shop has its own unique atmosphere and distinct character. We visited four shops on Fulton St., home also to the Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, where the play will be performed, to find out how they foster a sense of community.
Labels:
Barber Shop Chronicles,
barbers,
Next Wave,
Next Wave 2019,
theater
Monday, November 25, 2019
Africa Unite!: A Playlist Inspired By Barber Shop Chronicles
Photo: Marc Brenner |
Labels:
Africa,
Barber Shop Chronicles,
Next Wave,
Next Wave 2019,
playlist,
theater
Monday, November 18, 2019
The Barber Shop as a Sacred Space
Photo: Marc Brenner |
One of the bastions of unfiltered African-American discourse—the barber shop—is the setting for a Next Wave show. When contemplating where a Black man can have a safe space to express his feelings and engage in unbridled debate and dialogue, a business where one gets haircuts may be the last place that comes to mind, but it’s true. Making its New York debut on December 3 at the Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, Barber Shop Chronicles (Fuel/National Theatre/Leeds Playhouse) finds six cities throughout the African Diaspora united by two commonalities—getting a fresh trim and speaking your mind.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Future Unknown: A Conversation with Brett Story
Photo courtesy of Grasshopper Film |
Brett Story is an award-winning filmmaker and writer based in Toronto. The Hottest August is her third documentary feature and screens exclusively at BAM Nov 15—27.
Beyond the Canon: In the Cut + Klute
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Jane Campion’s In the Cut (2003) with Alan J. Pakula’s Klute (1971).
By Caden Mark Gardner
At the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017, directors of past Palme d’Or winners were invited back to celebrate the Festival’s history. At the center of one photo for this occasion was Jane Campion surrounded by an overwhelmingly male swath of contemporaries—a damning visual of the festival’s historic gender inequality. Sharing the top prize for The Piano in 1993 with Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), Campion remains the only female director to win the award. The Piano went on to achieve world cinema renown, winning three Oscars, and reaping $140 million in global box office. That type of success is seldom replicated. Since The Piano, Campion’s works have been predominantly female-focused and specifically concerned with portraying femininity in relation to toxic masculinity and patriarchy, an impulse most recently realized in her limited run series Top of the Lake (2013—17).
Labels:
BAM Film,
Beyond the Canon,
film,
film series,
In the Cut,
Klute
Monday, November 11, 2019
“Poke fun in a way that makes you feel optimistic”: A Conversation with Maira Kalman
Maira Kalman, Marie-Laure de Noailles in Her Paris Salon, 2019, courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Projects |
By Loney Abrams
Illustrator,
author, and beloved BAM artist Maira Kalman generously
partnered with Julie Saul Projects and BAM to release a new edition to benefit
BAM’s artistic and educational programs; it’s available online through Artspace. Signed and
numbered by the artist, the print was produced in an edition size of 75. Artspace’s
Loney Abrams sat down with Maira Kalman to discuss Kalman’s most fascinating
multi-disciplinary projects, where she finds inspiration, and her newest BAM
benefit edition. Condensed highlights from their conversation are shared below.
Monday, November 4, 2019
What’s in a Name: When Eddy Became Édouard Louis
Photo: Sarah Walker |
By Violaine Huisman
Édouard Louis was sitting very straight, looking deliberately into the interviewer’s eyes. I was sitting next to him, on the other side of a two-tone couch—part grey, part red. We were on the set of La Grande Librairie, a talk show about books, broadcast live in hundreds of thousands of French homes weekly.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Nudity and the Work of Dimitris Papaioannou
By Jess Barbagallo
Dimitris Papaioannou—creator of The Great Tamer and other works of virtuosic dance-theater spectacle since 1986— employs nudity in his live performances. Among other things. His stagecraft, in the lineage of Pina Bausch and Robert Wilson, could be described as anthropomorphic; he treats his sets like bodies too. Ideal in their beauty and mutant in their potential, his floors are always gamely ready to be stripped. They keep coming undone, erupting in raised anomalies designed to unmoor his dancers. I don’t normally conceive of stages as flesh, yet all metaphors point in this direction.
Labels:
2019 Next Wave,
dance,
Next Wave,
Pina Bausch,
Robert Wilson,
The Great Tamer,
theater
Friday, October 25, 2019
RIOPOP: An Inoah-Inspired Playlist
Inoah, a gravity-defying work from the mind of Brazilian choreographer Bruno Beltrão, comes to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Oct 31—Nov 2. His company, Grupo de Rua, was founded in Niteroi, a municipality of the bustling state of Rio de Janeiro. With a mix of street style, athletic hip-hop, and weightless physicality, they express the energy of this region in a 50-minute, heart-stopping experiment. Before immersing yourself in this intoxicating, urban work, prep your mind and soul with the sounds of Rio de Janeiro!
Labels:
2019 Next Wave,
Brazil,
Grupo de Rua,
Inoah,
Next Wave,
playlist
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Fantástico! Your Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Playing Like a Brazilian in NYC Before and After Inoah
Labels:
2019 Next Wave,
Brazil,
Grupo de Rua,
Inoah,
Next Wave
Friday, October 18, 2019
A Preview of the 2019 BAMkids Movie Matinee and Music Series
Our BAMkids programming, which inspires young audiences with a delightful and diverse lineup of concerts, workshops, movie matinees, and live performances for kids ages 2—11, begins October 20 and runs through December 7. We spoke with Steven McIntosh, the lead curator and BAM’s Director of Family Programs, about what he’s looking forward to this season.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Plotting a Journey Through Race and Time: Programming Garrett Bradley’s America
At some point, most film programmers working in theatrical exhibition will be confronted with a
question: what, exactly, to do with a film of unconventional length? It’s hard to give a concrete answer. At BAM, we’re proud to showcase short films at our annual BAMcinemaFest. We’ll sometimes slot a short or mid-length film alongside a feature, or include multi-artist shorts programs in our curated series. We might also dedicate an evening to celebrate the short- and mid-length work of a single filmmaker, as we’ve done recently with brilliant artists like Sky Hopinka, Ephraim Asili, and Kevin Jerome Everson.
Larry Ossei-Mensah & Glenn Kaino: A Conversation
Larry Ossei-Mensah (Left) and Glenn Kaino (Right) in front of Blue |
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Darkness and Delight: The Choreography of Michael Keegan-Dolan
Photo: Marie-Laure Briane |
By Susan Yung
The highest compliment to Michael Keegan-Dolan’s choreography? It makes you want to get up on stage and dance alongside his company, Teaċ Daṁsa. Its kinetic simplicity and emotional lucidity are irresistible and highly relatable. Swan Lake/Loch na hEala (Harvey Theater at BAM Strong, Oct 15—20) presents a rare chance to catch this internationally praised director/choreographer’s work stateside.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Beyond the Canon: Girlfriends + Husbands
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends (1978) with John Cassavetes’ Husbands (1970).
By Chloe Lizotte
At the beginning of Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends (1978), Susan (Melanie Mayron) bursts into a laundromat to tell her best friend Anne (Anita Skinner) that her photographs were selected for a gallery show. Riding on Susan’s high, Anne shares her own personal news: she’s engaged to her bland suburbanite boyfriend (Bob Balaban). “How can you be sure when you’re so unsure?” Susan asks Anne, as their mundane surroundings clash with the fragility of imminent change.
Labels:
BAM Film,
Beyond the Canon,
film,
film series,
John Cassavetes
Friday, September 13, 2019
Beyond the Canon: Invisible Adversaries + Invasion of the Body Snatchers
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Valie Export’s Invisible Adversaries (1977) with Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).
By Courtney Duckworth
Women are always doppelgängers. Critic John Berger wrote that a woman is “almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself” through a prickly self-surveillance. Such double vision imbues the oeuvre of Austrian artist-agitator Valie Export—an alias she adopted to shed the encumbering surnames of father and ex-husband—who gummed up masculine voyeurism with her puckish, impertinent performances of the 1960s and ’70s. Export’s energetic experiments infuse Invisible Adversaries (1977), her debut feature, a brisk bricolage of improvised dialogue, sight gags, (re)staged performances, grainy documentary footage, and reenactments of her studio practice that together, she said, “put alternative artistic media into a discourse with conventional film.”
Monday, August 26, 2019
Beyond the Canon: Wadjda + Alice in the Cities
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Haifaa al-Mansour’s Wadjda (2012) with Wim Wenders’ Alice in the Cities (1974).
By Simran Hans
The bicycle is Christmas tree–green and shiny, its ribbon-festooned handlebars wrapped in new-toy plastic. It is the bike of 10-year-old Wadjda’s (Waad Mohammed) daydreams, so perfect it’s as though she wished it into existence. It appears like a dream, too, seeming to cycle itself along a brick wall. The bike, it turns out, is being carried by a truck; it’s not a magic trick after all. She follows the bike to find it for sale, priced at a very real 800 riyal.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Beyond the Canon: 3 by Maya Deren + Mulholland Drive
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs three films by Maya Deren with David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001).
By Shelley Farmer
Without Maya Deren, the filmmaker widely recognized as the mother of American avant-garde cinema, there is no David Lynch. Their works overlap both thematically—in their interest in doubles, dance, and the darkness underlying the mundane—as well as in visual and formal aspects: their use of mirror imagery, negative photography, and superimposition, to their dreamlike narrative logic and pacing.
Labels:
BAM Film,
Beyond the Canon,
David Lynch,
film series,
Maya Deren
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
The Problem-Solving Production Managers Working Behind the Scenes at the BAM Fisher
Everybooty, 2018. Photo: Santiago Felipe |
By David Hsieh
The black box Fishman Space in the BAM Fisher was built to be flexible, and since it opened in 2012, artists have come up with unexpected ways to test that flexibility. There have been shows in the round, on three sides, with the audience sitting on stage, with rocking chairs as seats, and with no seats at all. In the most recent Next Wave, for instance, there were productions that made audiences see the theater in completely new ways: Michelle Dorrance’s Elemental went above audience’s heads to dance on the lighting grids; Andrew Schneider’s NERVOUS/SYSTEM turned the theater into a magic lantern with each blackout revealing a new tableau; Jesper Just’s Interpassivities made audience walk on “terra infirma” the whole time. And this Pride Weekend, it will become a nightclub with Everybooty.
So how do we bring these artists’ ceaseless creative ideas to the stage? The secret lies with our ingenious production managers/supervisors, Collins Costa and Courtney Wrenn. Here, they reveal their magic.
Beyond the Canon: Touki Bouki + Breathless
Touki Bouki (1973) + Breathless (1960) |
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Djibril Diop Mambéty’s Touki Bouki (1973) with Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960).
By Devika Girish
Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty is often described as an “African Godard.” His debut feature, Touki Bouki (1973), bears striking similarities to Jean-Luc Godard’s own firecracker first feature Breathless (1960). Both films center on a young couple as they swindle their way through the city with impossible, punk-ish cool; both are shot in a handheld, improvisatory style replete with jump-cuts.
Monday, June 24, 2019
Go Behind the Scenes with Two of BAM’s Most Dynamic Staff Members
Daisy Desnuda (photo by Doug Ross) and Flower Tortilla (photo by Michael Avance) |
By David Hsieh
They have double identities. To BAM staff and patrons, they are Leo Paredes and Hector Rios, with the totally normal job titles of, respectively, Operations Coordinator for Education and Community Engagement and Special Events Coordinator. But to New York’s night crawlers, they are known as Daisy Desnuda, burlesque thespian, and Flower Tortilla, drag queen. But once in a while, the two lives converge. Such is the case when Flower Tortilla performs at Everybooty, BAM’s annual Pride party, joining many other New York night life glitterati in celebration of diversity and creativity. We talked to them about what it’s like pursuing two parallel career paths.
Labels:
Burlesque,
Daisy Desnuda,
Drag,
Everybooty,
Flower Tortilla
Friday, June 14, 2019
Meet the Projection Team That Keeps BAMcinemaFest Rolling
Mike Katz, Head Projectionist |
By Sam Polcer
The film festival The New Yorker called “The city’s best independent showcase” is in full swing, which makes Mike Katz, who has been the Head Projectionist here at BAM since the cinemas opened in 1998, along with Jesse Green, our Cinema Technical Manager, currently two of the busiest men in show business. We thought we’d make their day even more complicated by sneaking into their submarine-like lair to ask them a couple questions about the unique challenges posed by such a unique cinema experience. (You’re welcome, guys.)
Labels:
BAM Film,
BAMcinemaFest,
BAMcinemaFest 2019,
festival,
film,
filmmaker,
movies
Thursday, June 13, 2019
In Context: Espæce
Photo: Christophe Raynaud de Lage |
An enormous moveable wall splits and folds like a book. Five performers—three dancers, a soprano, and an actor—navigate this stunning monolith to create a shape-shifting tableau. Aurélien Bory’s playful, poetic work of physical theater is inspired by the life and work of writer-trickster Georges Perec, best known for his wordplay and droll wit. Using Perec’s Species of Spaces as a jumping-off point and diving into a physical riddle of arrivals and departures, presence and absence, Espæce destabilizes our expectations to moody and mischievous effect.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #espaece.
Labels:
2019 Winter/Spring Season,
Espaece,
Espæce,
physical theater
When the Wall is On Stage
Photo: Michael Slobodian |
By David Hsieh
In the conventional sense, the stage is defined by the space between the three visible walls and the fourth invisible wall. The three visible walls separate the theater from the real world, and the fourth wall separates the audience from the performers. A wall is a divider. It blocks the audience’s view; it reduces performing space. So setting up additional walls on stage is tricky. But when it’s done right, the effect can be quite, shall we say, theatrical.
Monday, June 10, 2019
In Context: Ballet BC
Photo: Michael Slobodian |
Canada’s beloved contemporary ballet company celebrates 10 years of excellence under the leadership of artistic director Emily Molnar, a former soloist with Ballett Frankfurt. In a kind of career-spanning reunion, this evening-length trio sets a new piece (To This Day) by Molnar alongside Enemy in the Figure, a masterwork by her former mentor William Forsythe, as well as Solo Echo, choreographed by fellow Frankfurt alum Crystal Pite. Emotive, expansive, and supremely theatrical, these three daring works embody the innovative spirit and tenacious artistry for which Ballet British Columbia has become known.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #BalletBC.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Katy Clark & David Binder: A Conversation
Photo: Jesse Winter |
Katy Clark: You once told me that while you didn’t know it at the time, your career, as varied and winding as it has been, has been preparing you to come to BAM the whole time. What did you mean by that?
David Binder: When you’re moving through life, it’s impossible to see how the dots will connect, but looking back, you can see how perfectly they align. That’s the case for BAM and me.
See, I grew up in Los Angeles, where I was mostly exposed to musicals—you know, the barricade-busting, chandelier-dropping kind. Once in a while, a great play would come to town; I remember seeing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s epic Nicholas Nickleby in 1986, or the Broadway company version of Fences, but mostly it was about big touring shows. When I went to UC Berkeley, I spent a lot of time at Cal Performances. Everybody performed there. We had Bill T. Jones with Arnie! I feel so lucky to have seen that. I also remember seeing Mark Morris in a long wig, dancing with a remote-controlled Tonka truck! After college I moved to New York to work on Broadway, not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I had so many jobs. I was in the costume shop running errands for the legendary designer William Ivey Long on Assassins—even though I couldn’t sew. I worked as a PA on a play called The Sum of Us at the Cherry Lane; it starred Tony Goldwyn, who is now starring in Ivo van Hove’s Network, which I’m producing. I was a PA on The Secret Garden. That’s where I met John Cameron Mitchell, who I ended up spending the next 20 years with, working on a show that became Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Twenty-Five Years of Legendary Performances at MetroTech
Labels:
BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech,
festival,
live music,
music,
R&B
Friday, May 31, 2019
In Context: Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #Triptych.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
BAM Artists and the Culture Wars of the 80s and 90s
Triptych (Eyes of One on Another), Photo: Maria Baranova |
By Susan Yung
Triptych (Eyes of One on Another), coming to the Howard Gilman Opera House June 6—8, is a paean to photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, whose work was key in the culture wars of the 1980—90s. The Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, and its Director Dennis Barrie, were acquitted of obscenity charges stemming from an exhibition of Mapplethorpe photographs. Bryce Dessner, who composed the score for Triptych, grew up in Cincinnati and recalls, “I was told by the authorities that I was not allowed to look at Mapplethorpe’s photographs—that these tremendous works of art were not art at all, but pornography … Barrie was jailed and art was put on trial in municipal court. It was a huge moment for me.”
In Context: in the shelter of the fold / epilogue
Photo: Erin Baiano |
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #shelterofthefold.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
In Context: Youssou NDOUR
Youssou NDOUR graces the stage of the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, joined by his band the Super Étoile de Dakar. With a soaring tenor that brims with passion and nuance, the Dakar-born singer-songwriter is a global music icon and tireless cultural ambassador. An early emissary of the mbalax style—a blend of bubbling Senegalese griot percussion, Wolof lyrics, and Afro-Cuban influences—he has gone on to become one of the most revered figures on the world stage.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #YoussouNDOUR.
Labels:
2019 Winter/Spring Season,
Africa,
live music,
music,
Senegal,
Youssou NDOUR
Friday, May 24, 2019
Bryce Dessner on Triptych (Eyes of One on Another)
By Susan Yung
Triptych (Eyes of One on Another), at the Howard Gilman Opera House (Jun 6—8), features large-scale projections of the photography of Robert Mapplethorpe and combines music by Bryce Dessner with a libretto by Korde Arrington Tuttle, performed by Roomful of Teeth with Alicia Hall Moran and Isaiah Robinson, directed by Kaneza Schaal. We spoke to Dessner (whose band The National released its eighth album last week) about his connection to Mapplethorpe’s photography, how he structured his composition, and how Tuttle’s libretto influenced the music.
Thursday, May 23, 2019
The Three Choreographers Bringing Contemporary Ballet to BAM in June
To This Day, photo: Michael Slobodian |
By Susan Yung
Vancouver-based Ballet BC bears its geographical stamp in its name, but the “C” might just as well stand for “contemporary.” The company makes its BAM debut at the Howard Gilman Opera House from June 13 to 15. The three repertory dances to be performed are by choreographers whose paths have crossed previously—William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, and Emily Molnar, the artistic director of Ballet BC.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Next Wave 2019 Reading List
The Great Tamer, photo: Julian Mommert |
Want to go deeper into Next Wave? We asked this year’s presenting artists for some suggested reading to give greater context for their productions or practice. Reference copies of these books and others can be found in venue lobbies, and this list will be updated throughout the summer.
Labels:
2019 Next Wave,
books,
Next Wave,
reading,
Reading List
In Context: DanceAfrica 2019
This year’s DanceAfrica performances (May 24—27) offer a taste of the rich culture and traditions of Rwanda, under the leadership of artistic director Abdel R. Salaam. In acknowledgement of the 25th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the undaunted national movement toward reconciliation and renewal, DanceAfrica offers a moment to celebrate a path forward.
This year’s visiting company is the globally recognized Rwandan dance troupe Inganzo Ngari. Founded in 2006, the ensemble is utterly beloved by Rwandans for its dedication to traditional forms and movement idioms, from warrior dances to a variety of crop rituals. They are joined onstage by Rwandan-born spoken word artist Malaika Uwamahoro, composer Michael Wimberly, percussionist Kofi Osei Williams, percussionist Frank Molloy IV, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and the beloved RestorationArt Dance Youth Ensemble. Together, with the DanceAfrica and BAM community, they rejoice in the transcendent power of movement and music.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #DanceAfrica.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
A Guide to DanceAfrica 2019
Photo: Adreinne Waheed |
By Akornefa Akyea
DanceAfrica is the longest-running program at BAM. The festival founded in 1977 by traditional African dance choreographer Dr. Charles "Chuck" Davis (1937—2017) began as a three-day event in the Lepercq Space; a note in the program read:
“In essence, you are visitors to our village which is wherever we are. We welcome you with Dyembes (Drums) and Eparoro (Chant). Through the chant we ask that you not only enjoy your stay with us but form with us a comradeship that will remain a lasting association.”
In its 42nd year and now under the artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam, DanceAfrica is almost two weeks long, taking place in several venues, with a community that is very much alive and well. This year we celebrate the rich movement and dance traditions of Rwanda in acknowledgement of the 25th anniversary of the government-sponsored genocide against the Tutsi.
Here’s your guide to this expansive event, which has everything from performances, classes, and screenings to the sprawling DanceAfrica Bazaar, a late-night dance party, and a chance to talk and interact with Rwandans in real time.
Labels:
Africa,
African dance,
dance,
Dance Africa,
DanceAfrica,
DanceAfrica 2019,
festival,
Rwanda
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Beyond the Canon: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling + All That Jazz
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986) + All That Jazz (1979) |
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Richard Pryor’s Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling (1986) with Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz (1979).
By Christina Newland
“He tore his ass on the freeway of life,” says Richard Pryor, to peals of laughter from an audience. This is his eulogy to himself, delivered onstage in Pryor’s own inimitable fashion, and the last scene of the only film he ever directed: Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.
Labels:
Beyond the Canon,
Bob Fosse,
film,
film series,
Richard Pryor
Friday, May 3, 2019
Rwanda Gets the Spotlight at DanceAfrica 2019
When this year’s DanceAfrica opens at the Howard Gilman Opera House stage on May 24, audiences will see a dance tradition that has never been presented in the 41 years of this treasured festival—the dance of Rwanda. It will be the fulfillment of Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam’s longtime dream—using the festival to expand our understanding of African dance and demonstrate the healing power of dance.
Thursday, May 2, 2019
In Context: Pepperland
Photo: Mat Hayward |
Mark Morris continues to redefine the relationship between music and movement in his homage to a monument of 20th-century art: The Beatles’ 1967 revolution in sound, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Commissioned by the City of Liverpool in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, Pepperland teases out the album’s colorfully avant-garde heart and omnivorous influences—from Bach to Stockhausen, music hall to raga—straining it through a theremin- and harpsichord-laced score by jazz composer Ethan Iverson, performed live by a remarkable seven-piece music ensemble. Morris’ company transforms the stage into a candy-colored kaleidoscope of modish 60s dance crazes and balletic intricacy that hovers, like its inspiration, between pop pleasure and exhilarating abstraction.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #pepperland.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Mark Morris: Mastery at BAM
Mark Morris (kneeling) joined an all-star lineup celebrating the 15th Next Wave in 1997. First row, L-R: Jene Highstein (artist), Kristin Jones (artist), Merce Cunningham (choreographer), Mark Morris (choreographer), Harvey Lichtenstein (BAM President/Executive Producer). Back row: Andrew Ginzel (artist), Susan Marshall (choreographer), Joanne Akalaitis (director), Bill T. Jones (choreographer), Lou Reed (musician), Bob Telson (composer), Ping Chong (artist), Howard Gilman (benefactor), Pina Bausch (choreographer), John Kelly (artist), Joseph V. Melillo (BAM Producing Director). Photo: Joanne Savio. |
By Susan Yung
BAM has presented work by Mark Morris since 1984, when his debut program took place in the Lepercq Space and included one of his early milestone works, Gloria. Since then, more than 60 of his dances have graced BAM’s stages, with live music on every program. Pepperland—a tribute to The Beatles’ landmark album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, with a new jazz score by Ethan Iverson—will be at the Howard Gilman Opera House May 8—11. Here’s a look back at some of Morris’ previous choreographic mastery at BAM.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Beyond the Canon: Sidewalk Stories + The Kid
It is no secret that the cinema canon has historically skewed toward lionizing the white, male auteur. Beyond the Canon is a monthly series that seeks to question that history and broaden horizons by pairing one much-loved, highly regarded, canonized classic with a thematically or stylistically-related—and equally brilliant—work by a filmmaker traditionally excluded from that discussion. This month’s double feature pairs Charles Lane’s Sidewalk Stories (1989) with Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid (1921).
By Jourdain Searles
Cinema informs our hearts, guiding our sympathies towards those who reflect ourselves and the people we want to be. This is largely why American cinema skews so often towards whiteness—showcasing white faces, bolstering the concept of white identity as the everyman, the default, and ultimately the most sympathetic. It remains a medium dominated by white creatives who instinctively create narratives that reflect their understanding of the world.
Labels:
Beyond the Canon,
Charlie Chaplin,
film,
film series,
Silent Film
Monday, April 15, 2019
Seven Eras of Merce Cunningham at BAM
Photo: James Klosty |
By Susan Yung
On April 16, in performances staged concurrently at BAM, the Barbican in London, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, we will celebrate what would’ve been Merce Cunningham’s 100th birthday. Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event will feature 100 solos—performed by 25 dancers on each stage—drawn from more than seven decades of Cunningham’s work. Cunningham has performed at BAM since 1952 and before that, he danced here with Martha Graham Dance Company. He forged his inventive modern style alongside his creative/life partner, composer John Cage, another radical innovator; they spent time at Black Mountain College, which fomented experimentation. The company struggled early on, yet one constant was performing at BAM with some regularity while gaining acknowledgment. With help from the Merce Cunningham Trust and our archivists, we remember the legendary choreographer by looking back at seven eras of Merce’s brilliant work at BAM.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
A Veloso Family Playlist
Photo: Rafael Berezinski |
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
How a Jazz Composer Reinvented a Revolution in Sound
Photo: Beowulf Sheehan |
By Susan Yung
Mark Morris Dance Group’s Pepperland, which has its evening-length New York premiere at the Howard Gilman Opera House May 8—11, takes as inspiration The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which debuted 51 years ago. An original score by jazz composer Ethan Iverson, performed live, riffs on the original album, with new sections written by Iverson and performed by the MMDG Music Ensemble. We spoke to Iverson about instrumentation, the singer’s presentation, and how he incorporated different classical forms into the score.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
In Context: Ofertório
Photo: Ney Coelho |
Brazilian cultural revolutionary Caetano Veloso has been a transformative international force since the 1960s, when he swirled bossa nova, art rock, and psychedelia into the world-shaking phenomenon known as Tropicália—a musical manifesto that wrapped anti-authoritarian political dissidence in a kaleidoscope of sound. In this special two-night engagement, the ever-evolving singer, composer, and activist is joined by his three sons—Moreno, Zeca, and Tom—for a family affair that zigzags across Veloso's restlessly innovative body of work: from swaying samba rhythms to pop experimentation and lyrics that swerve from the hallucinogenic to the subversive to the sublime.
After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #caetano.
Labels:
2019 Winter/Spring Season,
Caetano Veloso,
Ofertório
Monday, April 8, 2019
In Context: Night of 100 Solos
Over the span of his 70-year career, choreographer Merce Cunningham developed a repertoire of nuanced movement and effortless precision. Known for his experimentalism and dexterous use of both chance and control, he left behind a substantial oeuvre when he died in 2009. The Merce Cunningham Centennial commemorates what would be the 100th birthday of the esteemed choreographer in this one-night Event, staged concurrently at BAM, the Barbican in London, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance. With live music and special set design, 25 dancers on each stage perform 100 solos drawn from more than seven decades of Cunningham’s work. The selections range in length from 30 seconds to four minutes, and include more than a dozen of his own solos.
Reflecting Cunningham’s embrace of technology and the Merce Cunningham Trust’s commitment to accessibility, Night of 100 Solos will be streamed live online and available for the next few months at mercecunningham.org.
Dressing the 81 Dancers in Night Of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event
By Susan Yung
On April 16, Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event marks what would have been Merce Cunningham’s 100th birthday. Concurrently at BAM, the Barbican in London, and UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, 81 dancers (25 per city, plus understudies) will perform 100 solos drawn from the choreographer’s body of work; the Event will be livestreamed. Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung (Reid & Harriet Design) designed the costumes. On top of that monumental task, Bartelme—who has danced professionally with numerous companies—will perform at BAM. Here’s what he had to say about this experience.
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