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MoMA invites six international choreographers to present their work
in a dance series guest-curated by Ralph Lemon
Some sweet
day is a three-week program of dance performances by contemporary
choreographers in the Museum's Marron Atrium. The series, which
pairs six internationally renowned choreographers engaged in an
intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogue, demonstrates how the current
state of dance can address a variety of subjects, including aesthetics,
gender, race, and history. Concurrently—by putting a focus on
choreography in an institution that traditionally showcases static
objects—Some sweet day argues for the extended potentials and
possibilities of the museum space.
Each Saturday, the
contributing artists and curators will be present for a response following
the performances. These conversations will be led by different respondents,
among them Daphne A. Brooks (Princeton University), Douglas Crimp
(University of Rochester), and Brent Hayes Edwards (Columbia
University).
More information on MoMA's Performance Program and
a detailed schedule are available at MoMA.org/performance.
Steve Paxton, Satisfyin' Lover and State
Steve Paxton (American, b. 1939) transformed the vocabulary of
dance through his contributions to the Judson Dance Theatre in the 1960s
and his development of the Contact Improvisation movement technique in
1972. For Some sweet day, Paxton presents his seminal postmodern
works Satisfyin' Lover (1967) and State (1968), which
question the established parameters of dance, such as virtuosity and style,
while also addressing the artist's fascination with the ideas of simple
everyday movements and the untrained body.
Wednesday, October
17, 1pm
Wednesday, October 17, 4pm
Sunday, October 21, 4pm
Jérôme Bel, The Show Must Go On
Jérôme Bel (French, b.1964) has produced highly
conceptual and critical works that expand the boundaries of what dance and
choreography can be. At MoMA, Bel stages The Show Must Go On (2001),
which, in many respects, serves as a response to the work of the Judson
Dance Theatre and Steve Paxton, whose work is shown in the same week.
Saturday, October 20, 1pm
Saturday, October 20, 3pm
Sunday, October 21, 1pm
Faustin Linyekula, What Is
Black Music Anyway…/Self-Portraits
Choreographer and
director Faustin Linyekula (Congolese, b.1974) creates works that reflect
the sociopolitical history and cultural struggles of his native Democratic
Republic of Congo. In What Is Black Music
Anyway…/Self-Portraits, Linyekula is joined by Congolese
guitarist and composer Flamme Kapaya (Congolese, b.1978) and South African
singer Hlengiwe Lushaba (South African, b.1982).
Wednesday,
October 24, 1pm
Saturday, October 27, 4pm
Sunday, October 28,
4pm
Dean Moss and Laylah Ali, Voluntaries
For his MoMA commission, Voluntaries, Dean Moss (American,
b. 1954) invited visual artist Laylah Ali to join him in a work reexamining
the legacy of John Brown, a white abolitionist who attempted an armed slave
revolt in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1859, resulting in his capture and
execution.
Wednesday, October 24, 1pm
Saturday, October 27,
3pm
Sunday, October 28, 1pm
Kevin Beasley, I
Want My Spot Back
In his sculptures, Kevin Beasley (American,
b.1985) explores spaces of ambivalence. His contribution to Some sweet
day consists of a two-day performance in which he takes on the role of
a DJ, mixing slowed-down a cappella tracks by deceased rappers from the
1990s with additional textures, rhythms, and feedback.
Thursday,
October 25, 3:30pm
Friday, October 26, 3:30pm
Deborah Hay, Blues
As a founding member of New York's
Judson Dance Theatre in the 1960s, Deborah Hay (American, b.1941), took
part in radically reshaping American dance by opening it up to other art
forms and by shifting it away from spectacle toward ordinary, everyday
movements. For Some sweet day, Hay contributes a new work that was
inspired by Hay's vision of a dance for 11 African American and 15 white
American dancers.
Friday, November 2, 1pm
Saturday,
November 3, 3pm
Sunday, November 4, 1pm
Sarah
Michelson, Devotion Study #3
The choreographic works of
Sarah Michelson (British, b. 1964) are recognized for their ongoing and
dynamic examination of the formal components and stylized tropes of dance.
By highlighting the design and architectural structure of the performance
space and dissecting the roles of choreographer and dancer, she explores
the potential for new forms of contemporary dance to arise.
Friday, November 2, 4pm
Saturday, November 3, 1pm
Sunday,
November 4, 4pm
Organized by Ralph Lemon, guest curator and
choreographer; with Jenny Schlenzka, Associate Curator, MoMA PS1; and Jill
A. Samuels, Producer, Department of Media and Performance Art, The Museum
of Modern Art. Presented as part of MoMA's ongoing Performance Program,
organized by Sabine Breitwieser, Chief Curator, Department of Media and
Performance Art.
Some sweet day is made possible by
MoMA's Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the
Annenberg Foundation.
Additional funding is provided by The
Modern Women's Fund.
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