Wednesday May 1, 2011 - Pascal Rioult's upcoming season at The Joyce (June 14th thru 19th) was heralded tonight when we attended a rehearsal by his troupe at Gina Gibney Studios. It was the hottest day of the year (so far) and despite the open windows in this gorgeous new Gibney studio, the dancers were literally bathed in sweat...as were Kokyat and I. But the beauty of Rioult's choreography and the passionate commitment of his elegant and sexy dancers made it all worthwhile.
Rioult's style is luminous and lyrical, and his musical choices are always appealing. From his upcoming Joyce repertoire, I am especially keen to see Black Diamond which is set to Stravinsky's Duo Concertant which of course Balanchine made famous. Also programmed for The Joyce are two more works set to J S Bach: City and View of the Fleeting World, as well as Ravel's Bolero.
As for this evening's rehearsal...
...a small invited audience watched a run-thru of the newest works in the Rioult repertoire as the Company prepares for their Joyce performances. The first was On Distant Shores, set to an evocative score by Aaron Kernis. Watch a brief excerpt from it here. The piece is set for four men and a single woman. It seeems to take place in a long-ago dream on some forgotten beach where the men slumber in the sunlight and are awakened by a female nymph. Charis Haines (above) is the lone female in this sensual work.
Josiah Guitian and Brian Flynn
Jere Hunt, Michael Spencer Phillips, Brian Flynn, Josiah Guitian
Walking aloft: Charis Haines
After a brief break to towel off and get hydrated, the dancers performed two movements from the second upcoming premiere work, Bare Bach set to music of J S Bach. This ensemble piece is danced by eight Company members. Above: Jane Sato and Jere Hunt.
Michael Spencer Phillips and Jere Hunt
Mariana Tsartalia and Josiah Guitian
Anastasia Soroczynski and Josiah Guitian
All photos by Kokyat. A gallery of additional images from this rehearsal appears here.
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