Oberon's Grove: Ready for Parsons Dance

With my appetite keenly whetted by the excerpts shown at their dress rehearsal, I'm looking forward to seeing both programmes offered by Parsons Dance at the Joyce. Re-connecting with the David Parsons Company this season has been a treat for me, starting with David's staging of the Piazzolla tango-opera MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES for Gotham Chamber Opera last Fall. David's current roster of dancers includes the can't-take-your-eyes-off-of-him Miguel Quinones (left); Miguel captured my imagination immediately when I walked into the MARIA DBA rehearsal and he was warming up. But Miguel's just one of ten in Parsons Dance and they are all unique; David has always had an eye for real energy and commitment when choosing his dancers.

Incredibly, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Parsons Dance and I've been thinking so much in these past few days about those magical midsummer times we spent at Jacob's Pillow in the late 80s and early 90s when David made his move out of the Paul Taylor Company and started on his own path. I kind of feel like I was a witness to the whole transition. (David floating in the sky in a 1990s publicity shot).

We all fell for David Parsons when he danced with the Taylor Company in a legendary ensemble that included such icons as Elie Chaib, Kate Johnson, and the late Christopher Gillis. Being tall and handsome certainly helped draw our attention to David, but those assets wouldn't have mattered much if he hadn't also been a fantastic mover, partner and shaper of dance. There was no reason to think that David would be leaving Taylor; for three or four summers we saw him dance frequently and it was a great time to be at the Pillow. (photo: Taylor's AIRS with Linda Kent).

We were pretty shocked when we went up to the Pillow in the summer of 1987 and found that David Parsons was making a big transition. Here's the little hand-out from Inside/Out that I've kept all these years from what I think must have been the very beginning of Parsons Dance; we walked over to the outdoor stage to watch David and maybe a half dozen young dancers trying out some of David's earliest choreography. I seem to recall they were working on SCRUTINY. Back in those days the Pillow was far less of a tourist attraction than it has since become and those who came over to the Inside/Out stagings were pretty intent on what they were watching. There was a lot of buzz about how daring it was for David to strike out on his own. That evening, one of David's works, THE ENVELOPE, was presented on a programme offered by Hubbard Street Dance Company. It was one of the most truly amusing dance pieces we'd ever seen. On the final weekend of the 1987 summer season at Jacob's Pillow, SCRUTINY was performed as part of the closing festivities. It is one of the Parsons works I've seen most often over the years.

In the summer of 1988, the David Parsons Company had their first full week at the Pillow and we were really excited to be there. It seems impossible that two decades have elapsed. I'm looking forward to the Joyce performances and to seeing both the familiar and the new-to-me works, and to watching David's dancers.