Jazzdance by Danny Buraczeski, Joyce Theater, May 13-18, 1997.Among the freshest works presented this season were the three New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of premieres choreographed by Danny Buraczeski, truly a singular voice in the genre of jazz dancing. Buraczeski's rhythmic movement has an affinity for modern dance and the earth: high flying, yet securely grounded; poignant, with no hint of sentimentality. His Minneapolis-based dancers are an unusual assortment of sizes and shapes who lead spectators on a romp through the unexpected from the moment the curtain goes up. For the first time since 1944 (when the result was Appalachian Spring Appalachian Spring is a ballet score by Aaron Copland that premiered in October 1944, and achieved widespread popularity as an orchestral suite. The ballet, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created at the request of choreographer and dancer Martha Graham ), the Library of Congress has commissioned a dance with original music. The result is the exquisite Among These Cores, set to a score by Roland Hanna Roland Hanna (February 10, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan – November 13, 2002 in Hackensack, New Jersey) was an American Jazz pianist. Hanna studied classical piano as a boy, but was strongly interested in jazz. This increased after his time in military service. , the legendary pianist and composer, recorded with violinist Sanford Allen. Buraczeski's warmly human dancers embark on a choreographic odyssey in which art is, indeed, a metaphor for life events. Across the empty stage, the egalitarian troupe glides and sashays, wearing pretty pastel frocks by Mary Hansmeyer. Slowly, a narrow, vertical painting -- like a giant bookmark A stored location for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses (URLs) of favorite sites. Most electronic references, large text databases and help systems provide bookmarks that mark a location users want to revisit in the future. or a Japanese scroll -- flies in from above, changing the shape, dimension, and ambience of the space. As the dance unfolds, three other paintings enter, further punctuating and altering the performer's environment. Visual artist Susan Weil Susan Weil (born in 1930 in New York) is an artist best known for her experimental three-dimensional paintings, which combine figurative illustration with explorations of movement and space. In the late 1940's Weil was involved in a relationship with Robert Rauschenberg. has intermingled color, texture, runes, and images to evoke universal benchmarks and to provoke the triumph of human imagination against all odds. Among These Cares is a moving and seamless collaboration in which the sun of its parts summons a broad spectrum of aesthetic delight. Scene Unseen (1997), the second New York premiere, is a duet for Burraczeski and Kenneth Parkhill to a prelude to what might be a number by Fred Astaire, transforming the ritual of preparation into an act of choreography: a pair of men thoughtfully arrange chairs, tailcoats, and handkerchiefs into perfect portraits of masculine elegance. Bone Matter (1997) -- set to music by Count Basie, James Rushing, Ed Durham Edward Fant Durham [Bull] (August 17, 1907 - April 27, 1976) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1929 through 1933 for the Boston Red Sox (1929-1932) and Chicago White Sox (1933). Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Durham batted left-handed and threw right-handed. , and Walter Page -- incorporates all eight of the company dancers, plus Buraczeske, into an exuberant series, "Stroll," "Thump," "Bump," and "Swing." Long-limbed ladies lope and are borne skyward sky·ward adv. & adj. At or toward the sky. sky  wards adv. like airplanes. The women lift the men as well, or dominate the scene, as in the sequence with Buraczeski, Joanne M. Horn, and Mariusz Olszewski, Like Merce Cunningham in recent years, Buraczeski places himself in wry counterpoint to his sassy sas·sy 1 adj. sas·si·er, sas·si·est 1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent. 2. Lively and spirited; jaunty. 3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat. ensemble in this section. The program ended with Swing Concerto (1993), danced by the company to recordings by Brave Old World, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman. |
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