Stephen Petronio Company and

Grammy Winning-Violinist Jennifer Koh with

Special Guest Dancer Jerron Herman

 

November 2 - 4, 2023

 

Stephen Petronio Company’s Breath of the Beast,  an evening-length, full company work to inaugurate the company’s 40th season, will premiere November 2-4, 2023, at NYU Skirball. Breath of the Beast is a collaboration with Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh, who will be performing live improvisation for these celebratory performances, and features guest dancer Jerron Herman.

The evening will feature company members Larissa Asebedo, Liviya England, Jaqlin Medlock, Tess Montoya, Ryan Pliss and Nick Sciscione, with costumes by New York designer Michelle Rhee and Lighting by long-time collaborator Ken Tabachnick.

Petronio tracked and recorded his dancing throughout the pandemic, working in isolation and returning to his dancing roots as an improviser, catching the sources of his personal history expressed through a body now in its mid-60s. Petronio’s signature language and prowess are offered as an ignitor for the dancers to tap their own histories set free in a churning creative process that urges emotional exposure and access to their deepest physicality. Breath of the Beast is a dialogue with the sophisticated intelligence and intuition that drives these dancing collaborators. 

Stephen Petronio is an acclaimed American choreographer, dancer, and artistic director known for his innovative and boundary-pushing work in contemporary dance. Petronio has made a significant impact on the dance world through his unique artistic vision and his commitment to pushing the limits of movement and expression. In 1984, he founded the Stephen Petronio Company, a contemporary dance company based in New York City. Touring and performing throughout the world, the company quickly gained recognition for its bold and visually stunning performances that combined elements of modern, ballet, and postmodern dance. Petronio's choreography challenges traditional notions of movement and explored themes of sexuality, gender, and identity. 

Violinist Jennifer Koh  won the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Solo for her recording “Alone Together.”  She is recognized for intense, commanding performances delivered with dazzling virtuosity and technical assurance. Koh is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring a broad and eclectic repertoire while promoting equity and inclusivity in classical music. She has expanded the contemporary violin repertoire through a wide range of commissioning projects and has premiered more than 100 works written especially for her. 

Jerron Herman is a dancer and writer who is compelled to create images of freedom. His process is supported by personal histories and social legacies of disability aesthetics that undermine notions of production in favor of welcoming. He has premiered works at Danspace Project, Performance Space New York and The Whitney Museum, and his piece VITRUVIAN premiered in NYC and across the country.  Jerron is also the choreographer and co-director of Sensorium Ex, a new opera. His writings have been published in the U.S. and abroad and his play, 3 Bodies was published in Theater magazine. Jerron is also a part of INTERIM, a boutique management consortium centering joy for disabled artists, and he serves as an Ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. 

Michelle Rhee is a New York-based ready-to-wear designer womenswear brand, founded in 2023 by Michelle Rhee. Originally from Los Angeles, Rhee moved to New York to pursue degrees in art history, studio art, and fashion - all of which are ongoing important influences on her design process. Prior to launching her namesake label, Michelle honed her craft working with the creative teams at Marc Jacobs, Derek Lam, and AREA.  

NYU Skirball is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, historically a center of resistance, dissent and free thinking. NYU Skirball’s programing reflects this history and embraces today’s renegade artists and companies, presenting works that aim to engage, provoke and inspire audiences. NYU Skirball is NYC’s home for cutting-edge performance, artistic research, and discourse, holding close to James Baldwin’s dictum that “artists are here to disturb the peace.” The 800-seat theater provides a home for internationally renowned artists, innovators, and thinkers and presents ground-breaking events ranging from re-inventions of the classics to cutting-edge premieres, in genres ranging from dance, theater and performance arts to comedy, music and film.

 

TICKETS

Tickets are $46 and can be purchased online, by visiting the box office in person, Tuesday – Saturday from 12:00 pm -  6:00 pm, or by calling 212.998.4941. NYU Skirball is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. www.nyuskirball.org. 

 

NYU Skirball’s programs are made possible in part with support from the National Endowment for the Arts; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and by Howard Gilman Foundation; FUSED (French U.S. Exchange in Dance), a program of FACE Foundation in partnership with Villa Albertine; General Delegation of the Government of Flanders to the USA; Collins Building Services; Korean Cultural Center New York, Marta Heflin Foundation; Harkness Foundation for Dance; as well as our valued donors through memberships, commissioning, and Stage Pass Fund support.