Purchase Dance Company Announces Fall Concert

On December 7, 8, 9, and 10, the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY, will present the acclaimed Purchase Dance Company in a program of classical and contemporary works.

Members of the Purchase Dance Company are selected from the college's highly competitive Conservatory of Dance BFA program, which, according to the New York Times is “one of the country’s most highly regarded dance conservatories.” The fall concert shines a spotlight on two twentieth century masters, George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham. Balanchine’s renowned Concerto Barocco (1948) is a pristine choreographic response to Johann Sebastian Bach’s score. Cunningham’s acclaimed Change of Address (1992) epitomizes the choreographer’s groundbreaking use of chance operations.

The Company has the advantage of working closely with some of today’s most exciting choreographers. The concert will include a restaging of Lux (2006), the acclaimed work by multi-award winning Conservatory of Dance alumnus Doug Varone, and a new commissioned work by choreographer and filmmaker Deborah Lohse, which focuses on the timely topic of women and power.

“Our students’ training and exposure to classic, contemporary, and cutting-edge choreography uniquely prepares them for successful careers with a wide-range of companies,” said Nelly van Bommel, Director of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. “These opportunities to study and perform stylistically different works also enable the students to discover their strengths and passions as dancers.”

Performances will take place in the Dance Theatre Lab (lower level of the Conservatory of Dance building) on Thursday, December 7 at 8 p.m., Friday, December 8 at 8 p.m., Saturday, December 9 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday, December 10 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. A special pre-event discussion featuring several of the artists will take place on December 8 at 7:15 p.m. Darrah Carr, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance, will moderate.

Tickets are $15. Discounted tickets are available for seniors and the campus community. Purchase tickets by calling (914) 251-6200, in person at the box office, or by visiting www.artscenter.org.

About the Works

George Balanchine: Concerto Barocco (1948)

One of Balanchine’s greatest masterpieces, Concerto Barocco features two lead ballerinas depicting the instrumental soloists of a virtuosic double violin concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is staged by Professor of Dance Bettijane Sills.

Merce Cunningham: Change of Address (1992)

Cunningham wrote that choreography consisted of 32 phrases that were combined using chance operations. “Address is a fixed place,” Merce Cunningham wrote. “You change it by moving to a different fixed place. In the moving, you are discombobulated; your balance is upset; you boggle.” This exploration of the concepts of chance operations and unbalances is staged by Lecturer in Dance Jean Freebury and features music by Walter Zimmerman based on a text by Meister Eckhart.

Doug Varone: Lux (2006)

Alumnus Doug Varone’s lush piece, which is set to music by Philip Glass, has been called “luxuriant…and a resilient exploration of the space around him,” by The Washington Post.

Deborah Lohse: Cygnets: The Beauty of Being a Beast (2017)

A world premiere commissioned for the Purchase Dance Company, this piece for 26 women is set to the music of Swan Lake and focuses on themes of female strength, power, coming of age, and intimacy. Audience members join the dancers on the awkward, angry, scared, curious, and joyful journey to discovering their power.

About The Conservatory of Dance and Purchase College, SUNY

The Conservatory of Dance in the School of the Arts at Purchase College is one of only a handful of programs in the world where dancers can learn what it means to be a dance professional. The BFA program features rigorous training in classical ballet and modern/contemporary dance, a faculty of renowned professionals, and proximity to New York City dance companies and choreographers. Purchase boasts an award-winning dance building and opportunities to perform in the world-renowned Performing Arts Center.

Purchase alumni perform with many of the foremost contemporary modern and ballet dance companies in the world. They also teach, direct, choreograph major productions, and have founded their own companies all around the globe.

About Purchase College–SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.

Image by Christopher Duggan.