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Monday, September 25, 2017

In Context: Principles of Uncertainty



In this dance-theater collaboration, choreographer John Heginbotham brings author and illustrator Maira Kalman’s candy-colored musings on travel, beauty, and mortality to life. Inspired by the various walks the two acclaimed artists took together over many months, The Principles of Uncertainty is a meditation on the objects, memories, friends, and strangers that fill our days.

Context is everything, so get even closer to the production with this curated selection of related articles and videos. After you've attended the show, let us know what you thought by posting in the comments below and on social media using #BAMNextWave.

Program Notes

The Principles of Uncertainty (PDF)

Watch

Video
The Principles of Maira Kalman (The New York Times)
Kalman and Paul Holdengräber of the New York Public Library talk about aging, donuts, and Kalman’s process. And then Nico Muhly and friends perform a little opera inspired by Kalman’s work.

Video
The Principles of Uncertainty at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2017 (YouTube)
Kalman and Heginbotham speak about the piece before its 2017 premiere.

Talk
The illustrated woman (TED Talk)
“I’m trying to figure out two very simple things: how to live and how to die. Period.” Maira Kalman speaks about her life and herself and and being “lucky enough to be completely ignored.”

Read

Article
Between Birth and Death, Some Dancing and a Little Mystery (The New York Times)
“Like so many things in this intimate work and in life, the image feels both private—unknowable — and oddly familiar.”

Illustration
And the Pursuit of Happiness: Finale (The New York Times)
The final iteration of Kalman’s New York Times column includes this Bauschian gem: “If Pina was lifted up in the air as a child, did she laugh? Or did it seem dangerous? Very dangerous?”


Now your turn...

What did you think? Tell us what's on your mind in the comments below and on social media using #BAMNextWave.

4 comments:

  1. The dancers and musicians were wonderful and worked very hard. The last 15 minutes or so got a bit boring and samey; it could have been edited and would have been more
    effective. Some sweet and some touching moments at times. And some humorous bits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We were oddly unaware of Dance Heginbotham and Maira Kalman until last Wednesday evening. What a treat to meet them in 'Principles of Uncertainty' AND at the Fisher (a venue that somehow gets better with every visit).
    A delightful and colorful stream of uncertain life moments, mischievously subversive and thought prompting. Kudos to all the performers, musicians, artists, directors, writers, videographers, projectors.

    We had a fine time.

    ReplyDelete

  3. A delightful, musical and colorful stream of uncertain life moments, mischievously subversive and thought prompting. Kudos to all the performers, musicians, artists, directors, writers, videographers, projectors.

    We had a fine time.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have long been an admirer of Maira Kalman's work, and had never seen Dance Heginbotham perform. I was enchanted. The word that kept coming to mind was flânerie — aimless idle behavior of the most delightful kind. What a great start to this year's Next Wave Festival.

    ReplyDelete

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