Friday, September 21, 2007
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER
Choreographer Doug Varone has fond memories of the Delacorte Dance Festival of the '60s and '70s, where he once performed as a dancer. The festival brought together prestigious companies and emerging young talent in an outdoor Central Park extravaganza.The fourth annual Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center carries on the Delacorte's populist tradition. For $10, dance aficionados and novices alike can catch one of six omnibus shows on 10 nights.
[Above: Camille A. Brown, who will perform at the Fall for Dance Festival. Courtesy of unsexiestmen.net]
"At a certain point, the Delacorte disappeared, and I think what Fall for Dance is doing is filling in that void again," said Varone.
"Dance is in everything we do and in every aspect of our lives," he added. "As an artist, I love trying to find ways to make people understand that -- as opposed to making people feel at a loss for what it is we do."
CEO Arlene Shuler, another Delacorte veteran, launched the Fall for Dance Festival three years ago when she took over City Center. She was inspired by her memory of the Delacorte, as well as by the center's mission to serve the public.
The different programs of the festival aren't arranged by theme so much as by a principle of diversity, said Shuler. "We wanted to have at least one major company an evening to draw audiences, sort of as an anchor," she said. "But from the beginning, we brought in young, emerging choreographers alongside the well-known companies."
Varone is "anchoring" an evening with his company's performance of "Lux." Since the days of the Delacorte, he has become a force to be reckoned with in the world of dance.
This year's new kids on the block include choreographer Camille A. Brown, who will perform a solo of her own fashioning titled "The Evolution of a Secured Feminine."
"This is the first time I'm going to be performing my own work in such a huge house," said Brown, adding that the largest venue she has shown her pieces in so far was less than a tenth the capacity of City Center.
"It gives you such a chance to really get your work out there and have it seen by such a variety of people," she said.
Shuler agreed. "Someone who comes to City Center to see the American Ballet Theatre may not be exposed to a downtown choreographer like Larry Keigwin," she said. "So they see Larry's work, and all of a sudden they say, 'Well, that's exciting.' The cross-fertilization works in both directions."
The festival features an expanded international presence this year, thanks to the addition of four repeat performances. International companies find it easier to justify the travel expense if there is more than one performance, explained Shuler.
Among the companies making their U.S. debut are Srishti – Nina Rajarani Dance Creations, which performs classical Indian dance with a contemporary twist, and Via Katlehong, a South African group that performs traditional gumboot.
Prestigious companies from abroad, like the Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg, Russia, will also make an appearance. "I don't know if we can call New York the capital of the world, but the capital of dance -- definitely," said spokesman Sergei Danilian.
The commute, however, can be quite tiring. Two dancers from the Kirov Ballet will fly in to perform the "Middle Duet" before flying straight back for the beginning of their St. Petersburg season.
Similarly, domestic dance artists from out of town will travel into New York expressly for the festival. Minnesota Fringe Festival's "Best in Fringe" performance, Buckets and Tap Shoes, will make the trip with a tight group of six dancers and musicians, said group leader Rick Ausland. This will be their New York debut.
"Sometimes people are like, 'Oh, you performed in New York. You must be doing something right,' " said Ausland. "Hopefully, it will give us more gigs."
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
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