Doug Varone and Dancers celebrates 35 years with the New York premiere of Somewhere and the 1993 masterwork Rise, Tuesday, May 31, 2022 through Sunday, June 5, 2022 at The Joyce Theater, 175 8th Avenue, NYC. Tickets are $26 - $61 and can be purchased online at joyce.org/performances/doug-varone-and-dancers or by phone at 212-242-0800.

 

Somewhere reimagines Leonard Bernstein's timeless West Side Story by stripping the orchestral score of its narrative connotations. The result: pure choreographic vibrancy, brimming with nuance and emotional heft generated by the musical structure. "Filled with the most sublime invention, Somewhere seems destined to become a classic work of contemporary dance." – Santa Barbara Independent

 

In Rise, dancers take over the stage in swirls of controlled chaos, with composer John Adam's Fearful Symmetries underlying each step. Varone's "highly charged, physically exciting choreography" reinforces the complexity of the human spirit, deeming his inventive body of work "a rarity among his generation" (The New York Times).

 

"I couldn't think of a better place to commemorate 35 years of dance than The Joyce, in our home base of New York City," said Doug Varone. "I'm immensely proud of the artistry that we've shared and the impact the work has had through these many years. Both 'Somewhere' and 'Rise' are important dances in my canon of works and having them share an evening together feels monumental."

 

There will be a Curtain Chat following the performance on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 7:30pm and a Family Matinee on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 2pm. 

 

Artistic Director: Doug Varone

Company dancers: Courtney Barth, Hollis Bartlett, Bradley Beakes, Jake Bone, Joniece Boykins, Quaba Ernest, Daeyana Moss, Aya Wilson and Ryan Yamauchi.

Designers and Collaborators Include: Lighting Design: Derek Van Heel, David Ferri; Costume Design: Lynn Steincamp, Liz Prince. 

 

The Joyce is requiring audiences to be fully vaccinated and to wear masks at performances. Health & safety protocols can be found at joyce.org/health-safety-protocols.

 

About Doug Varone and Dancers

The 2021/22 season marks the Company's 35th year. On the concert stage, in opera, theater and on the screen, Varone's kinetically thrilling dances make essential connections and mine the complexity of the human spirit. On tour, the company has performed in more than 125 cities in 45 states across the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. Stages include The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, San Francisco Performances, London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, Toronto's Harbourfront, Moscow's Stanislavsky Theater, Buenos Aires' Teatro San Martin, the Venice Biennale, Marble Hall in Tokyo, and the Bates, Jacob's Pillow and American Dance Festivals. In opera and theater, the company regularly collaborates on the many Varone-directed or choreographed productions that have been produced around the country. Doug Varone and Dancers are among the most sought-after ambassadors and educators in the field. The company was selected to tour as part of the DanceMotionUSA(SM) program, a joint project between BAM and the US Department of State, touring, performing and teaching in Argentina, Paraguay and Peru for a month. This project culminated in in the premiere of a new commissioned work for Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival, in collaboration with the Argentina-based Brenda Angiel Aerial Dance. For the past 20 years, the company's annual summer intensive workshops at leading universities attract students and professionals from around the globe. The DEVICES Program, a mentoring initiative for emerging choreographers began its pilot year in 2014. This unique program mentors 12 artists over the course of several months in the creation and presentation of new works. Other educational initiatives include Virtual Varone, a program which creates virtual residencies around the globe and the Education/Performance Project which enfolds college dance students into the company's repertory, directly sharing the stage with company dancers. The Project has been a corner stone in the company's teaching and mentorship programs, creating an important dialogue with young dancers about their artistry and the affect they can have in the world today. Varone, his dancers and designers have been honored with 11 Bessie Awards. The Company's created output is as varied as Varone's interests. Recent projects include everything is fine, a full evening movement play based on the poems of Billy Collins, with a new score by David Van Tieghem; The Scrapbook, a digital journal of 10 films created and directed by Varone, set to iconic songs from the 1940s-50's and Somewhere, Varone's acclaimed non-narrative version of Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. In celebration of their 35th year, the Company will be touring and reconstructing major dances from past repertory. To learn more about the Company, visit dovadance.org.

 

About Doug Varone

Doug Varone (Artistic Director) Award-winning choreographer and director Doug Varone works in dance, theater, opera, film, and fashion. His New York City-based Doug Varone and Dancers has been commissioned and presented to critical acclaim by leading international venues for over three decades. In the concert dance world, Varone has created a body of works globally. Commissions include the Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance Company, The Limón Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Rambert Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Batsheva Dance Company, Bern Ballet, among others. In addition, his dances have been staged on more than 100 college and university programs around the country. In opera, Doug Varone is in demand as both a director and choreographer. Among his productions at The Metropolitan Opera are Richard Strauss' Salome, the world premiere of Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps, designed by David Hockney, and Hector Berloiz's Les Troyens. He has staged multiple premieres and new productions for Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera, among others. His numerous theater credits include choreography for Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters across the country. Recent projects include directing and choreographing MasterVoices production of Dido and Aeneas at NY's City Center, starring Tony Award winners Kelli O'Hara and Victoria Clark, staging Julia Wolfe's Pulitzer Prize winning oratorio, Anthracite Fields for the Westminster Choir and the Bang on a Can All-Stars and choreographing the revival of Kurt Weill's musical Lady in the Dark for City Center Encores. Varone received his BFA from Purchase College where he was awarded the President's Distinguished Alumni Award. Numerous honors and awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, an Obie Award, the Jerome Robbins Fellowship at the Bogliasco Institute in Italy, two individual Bessie Awards, a Doris Duke Artist Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Guild. He currently teaches Choreography at Purchase College and is an Artist in Residence at USC's Glorya Kaufman School of Dance.

 

About The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and to outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K–12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances – both digital and in-person – for audiences in excess of 150,000.​