Did you know?

A fungus that grows on the dung of herbivores and The Olympic Games have something in common?

What?

Moses Pendleton, a founding member of the innovative dance group Pilobolus (which is also the name of the aforementioned fungus) choreographed the closing ceremony of the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid.

Why is this on The Joyce Blog?

The next year, he broke off from Piloblus and created Momix, a company of dancer-illusionists that has been celebrated for its ability to conjure up a world of surrealistic images using props, light, shadow, humor and the human body.

Momix takes the stage beginning Tuesday, May 13 for a two week engagement. Get your tickets today!

Did you know?

The Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to use numerals to represent numbers, dating back to around 3000 B.C.

What?

The Egyptians used a distinct hieroglyphic numeral system with a base of 10, like ours, that counted all the way to a million but did not include zero. These numbers are now referred to as natural or counting numbers. They are positive integers like our 1, 2, and 3 that are used primarily for counting or ordering things.

Why is this on The Joyce Blog?

Currently at The Joyce, we have the 1. 2. 3. Festival! This festival features the very talented young performers from ABT II, Taylor 2 and Ailey II.  One week left. Get your tickets today!

Did you know?

April 29th is International Dance Day!

What?

In 1982, the International Dance Committee, which was part of UNESCO’s International Theater Institute, introduced the holiday. The date was chosen in honor of the birthday of Jean-George Noverre, a French ballet master. The day is now promoted by the International Dance Council (CID) to increase awareness of the importance of dance and to encourage governments worldwide to provide a proper place for dance education.

Why is this on The Joyce Blog?
Because. . .  the mission of The Joyce Theater Foundation is to serve and support the art of dance and choreography, promote the richness and variety of the art form in its fullest expression, and enhance the public interest in, and appreciation of, dance and the allied arts of music, design, and theater.
Our programs embrace the entire spectrum of movement styles and traditions, from the time-honored to the untried, and are designed to encourage, sustain, and educate a diverse audience.
SO HAPPY DANCE DAY!!

“Hey” from downtown! This is Cathy Eilers, Joyce SoHo’s Program Manager (finally!) joining in the blog fun and filling you in on all you need to know about Joyce SoHo today.

You may have noticed that Joyce SoHo looks a little different these days! We’re diggin’ it and we hope you do, too! Over the past year, we’ve been busy sprucing up the space and making it more comfortable and user-friendly in a number of ways. We’re still a super affordable and in-demand rehearsal and performance venue – now we’re just showing it off!

What You’ll Find Now
• New stereo equipment in the studios
• The performance space has a completely new look and features new (flexible!) risers and chairs (no more numb buns 15 minutes into a show!)*
• The second and third floor walls are white again!**
• Thirsty? One buck for one bottle of cool, refreshing water.
• New paint in the office and conference room areas – calm colors attempt to soothe our echoes!
• Our custodial/maintenance staff has doubled, keeping the building cleaner and running better than ever before.
• For a few more days, a cameo in PS 122’s Democracy in America!

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In conducting research for my upcoming Master’s paper, I came across an interesting article in Dance Teacher from October of 2007. It spoke about the empowering force of dance for ESL (English as a Second Language) students. Dance was being used to facilitate learning English for students who were new to the U.S. and struggling to find a way to express themselves in their new home. Wow- who would have thought to use dance to teach language? The article goes on to explain that dance is part of almost every culture and the emotions expressed read the same across cultures. Additionally, it engages students in that it provides a familiar medium where they can feel safe and confident. Vocabulary is learned through technique, movement instruction, and direction. Not only are students learning a new language, but they are becoming more confident and are finding an outlet to express themselves. It makes you wonder…what else does dance have the power to do?

Each spring, The Joyce Theater celebrates another fantastic season with The Joyce Theater Gala. This year, as we are celebrating our 25^th Anniversary, this event is going to be more spectacular than ever. And as someone who has been spending their days preparing for this monumental evening (mark your calendars, May 5^th!), I know just how amazing this Gala is going to be. We are just a few weeks out, and with everything coming together so well, we are really ready to celebrate!

I am personally very excited for the special Gala performance that will happen at The Joyce Theater that night. As many of you know, during our 25^th Anniversary season, The Joyce Theater awarded 25 artists grants of $25,000 each to create new work. At the Gala, we will see the world premiere of one of those newly commissioned piece by choreographer Lar Lubovitch. Those of you who are familiar with Mr. Lubovitch’s work know that we are sure to see a program full of passionate musicality and stunning imagery. We will also the endlessly intriguing and fun choreography of Decadance, created by Ohad Naharin and performed by Cedar Lake (in their Joyce debut!). This company has such enormous presence when performing this piece that it is almost impossible not to be absorbed completely in Mr. Naharin’s choreography. With both Lubovitch and Naharin/Cedar Lake on one program, this one-night-only event is definitely going to be unforgettable!

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall-Difference in Dance 

Disclaimer, attention, big blaring light: I am by no means a slender, sinewy sylph. Really. There’s absolutely nothing dainty about me. I have sturdy thighs, fierce calves and hips that would put a grown woman to shame. Basically, I could hold my own in a back alleyway (without the help of nunchucks or brass knuckles, thank you). I don’t flutter or waver like a spring lilac. My five-foot-one, athletic, brown body tears through space like a hot bullet—like a sizzling firecracker. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

There is a big, fluffy pink elephant in the room that is the dance community. When I attend a performance, it becomes somewhat of a “Where’s Waldo” game, a struggle to spot that different body in a pool of “sameness.” There is a shortage, there is something missing, and it sure isn’t slender, middle-class White bodies.

So, why exactly don’t I see myself reflected onstage in the dance community? Why do so many other women and men fail to see themselves reflected, moving, living, breathing onstage alongside their counterparts in the arts community? Why is there so much fear in uncharted territory? Why is there a big, bright strip of caution tape marking off “the body taboo?” (more…)

Did you know?

April 1st used to be the first day of the New Year.

What???

Up until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII, replaced the Julian calendar with his new and improved model, the Gregorian calendar, New Years was celebrated around the time of April 1st following the vernal equinox. The legend goes that a bunch of people either rejected the new calendar or it took forever for them to hear about it, so they did not make the transition, thereby earning the name of April Fools. Since then, April 1st has gained reputation as the day of pranks and tom foolery.

Why is this on the Joyce Blog??

Well, only a fool would miss out on what we have coming this month at The Joyce! Beginning this week, we have:

Stephen Petronio Company April 1st- 6th

Ballet Tech April 8th- 20th

Scapino Ballet April 22nd- 27th

Click here for more info or tickets to any of these great performances! No foolin’!

The Joyce Theater is a well known presence in New York City, where theater-goers know to look for dance companies not only from the New York area, but also from around the country and the world. Dance troupes that have their home base outside the New York area have been extremely successful with The Joyce’s audiences, and we love having our friends, old and new, come back to visit us year after year. Now in our 25th year, what better way to celebrate our silver anniversary than by traveling across the country to visit our friends and colleagues on their home turf and say “thank you for helping The Joyce become New York’s home for dance.”

Our first stop was to San Francisco, CA, where the sun was shining from the moment we stepped off the plane. Truly, the weather could not have been nicer, but the real joy from our trip was the warm welcome we received everywhere we went. On Friday, March 7th, we were fortunate enough to attend a reception hosted by one of our Trustees, Jim Herbert of First Republic Bank, and his lovely wife Cecilia in their San Francisco home. Executive Director Linda Shelton, Director of Development Larry Henry and I arrived at Jim and Cecilia’s home, and were greeted with a glass of champagne and a lovely view of the bay. We were then joined by several choreographers that we have worked with at The Joyce and Joyce SoHo, as well as members of other performing arts presenting organizations and supporters. After some fantastic hors d’oeuvres and lively speeches from Linda, Jim, and fellow Trustee, Jane Goldberg, we were on our way to see the San Francisco Ballet. The program included such pieces as Carousel (A Dance), a beautiful pas de deux from After the Rain, the premiere of On a Theme of Paganini, and a daring new piece entitled Eden/Eden. It was a fantastic program, and I think all our guests truly enjoyed it. Having never seen the San Francisco Ballet perform before, I was in total awe. The grace and skill of these dancers is immeasurable, and they deserve every word of praise they receive. (more…)