A World Premiere Unfinished…a way out
Heidi Latsky Dance Company
About This Show
Three dancers express literal and figurative acts of repetition through an immersive sequence of ritualized patterns related to the many connotations of completion, including Latsky’s current interest in death and dying. Whether spanning a linear path or rhythmically pounding on a spot, each section explores different movement styles while integrating the individual characteristics of the dancers – Meredith Fages’s speed and precision, Jerron Herman’s limitless vigor, and Jillian Hollis’s juicy dynamism. Featuring a prologue danced by Heidi Latsky and Tiffany Geigel, the fashion of notorious gown designer Timothy Westbrook, original music composition by world-renowned concert pianist John Bayless, with arrangements by experimental musician Ximena Borges, Unfinished…a way out exemplifies the company’s dedication to diversity, accessibility, and inclusive collaboration.
“Heidi Latsky-a choreographer and dancer of uncommon intelligence and fluidity…” ~The New York Times
Meredith Fages is a “remarkable dancer…adept in some society of the future, [a] primal, near-aquatic creature slipping around in a watery world…” ~Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal
“…the inexhaustible” Jerron Herman ~The New York Times
“…Red-haired [Jillian] Hollis moves voluptuously, powerfully.” ~Deborah Jowitt, Arts Journal
Ximena Borges is the “pop diva of opera” ~Parenthesis Magazine
“John Bayless has an extraordinary imagination, sly wit, tremendous musicality and an imposing technique…” ~High Fidelity Magazine
This Dixon Place commission was supported with private funds from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Jerome Robbins Foundation and New Music USA; and public funds from the NY State Council on the Arts w/the support of Gov Andrew Cuomo, and the NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs in partnership w/the City Council.
Support from New Music USA is made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Howard Gilman Foundation, Helen F. Whitaker Fund & Aaron Copland Fund for Music.
If you have accessibility needs, download the Heidi Latsky Dance App. The Heidi Latsky Dance App features an innovative take on audio description, company bios, a screen readable program for the blind, and captioning of the score for the Deaf. Through the app you will have an opportunity to stay connected with the company during and between shows (available for Android and iOS devices).
PLAYBILL of this show HERE!
About the Artists
Heidi Latsky, a native Montrealer, first received recognition with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (1987-1993) and Goldhuber & Latsky (1993-2000). In 2001, she founded Heidi Latsky Dance and in 2006 began incorporating people with disabilities. In 2009, she was chosen by Creative Capital Foundation as one of four choreographers nationally to receive a three-year award for her work GIMP. Latsky’s range of work is as varied as guest speaking at venues like Harvard University and Chicago Humanities Festival, creating works for students and contemporaries, teaching performance skills and performing at TEDxWomen. Latsky advocates for disability rights serving on the Disability Task Force Dance/NYC. She has a BA in Psychology with Honors from Carleton University, receiving the Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement. She was the recipient in 2016 and 2017 of the Arts for ELLs & Students with Disabilities Grant Program. Latsky’s training technique is currently being taught at Gibney.
Meredith Fages has performed with Karole Armitage, Alexandra Beller, Monica Bill Barnes, David Hallberg/Francesco Vezzoli, Deborah Hay, Heidi Latsky, Elisabeth Motley, Palissimo, Jimena Paz, Laura Peterson, Sarah Skaggs, Steeledance, Virginia Ballet Theatre. Graduated from Columbia University, Pre-Medical Concentration in English. Mother of Graham Sterling Proskin. Joined HLD in 2007.
Tiffany Geigel is a dancer, model, and activist. She was born with a rare disorder called Jarcho Levin Syndrome. Tiffany started dance training at the age of 3 with Rita Hamilton Dance in Brooklyn NY. Her dance training includes Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Salsa, as well as Bollywood. In 2014 Tiffany joined the Heidi Latsky Dance Company. In 2009 she appeared on Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance. She has also pursued a career in modeling and acting.
Jerron Herman is a principal dancer with cerebral palsy and Development Director at HLD, joining the company in 2011 having never danced before. Jerron is currently on the Board of Trustees at Dance/USA. He’s featured on Great Big Story, being called “the inexhaustible Mr. Herman” by The NY Times.
Jillian Hollis originally from Syracuse, is a Point Park University graduate who joined HLD in 2002 and is now the company’s Rehearsal Director. Her dancing has been described as “blithely irrepressible” by The NY Times. Jillian collaborates with other artists, is a burlesque performer and Miss Coney Island 2018.
John Bayless, a world-renowned concert pianist, blends classical training and piano technique with popular and film music in dashing and imaginative improvisations. After a stroke, Bayless lost the use of his dominant right hand and learned a one-handed method to provide the same sound. He now tours widely, playing around fifty concerts a year. He frequently appears at Pops concerts, and since the mid-1990s also appears often in Europe. As a composer, he has been commissioned to write for the Newport Music Festival, the University of Maryland International Piano Competition, and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the latter for a score to a film about its Lila Acheson Wallace Exhibition of 20th Century American Art.
XI.ME.NA BORGES (Music Director, Composer), a New York/Venezuelan experimental musician, is an extremely eclectic songwriter and composer. Armed with an array of digital and analogue technologies, she uses her voice to blend the music of disparate times and places, creating alluring sonic collages. Borges migrates confidently between avant-garde opera and electronic pop, from stacked harmonies and joyful hooks to moodier, reflective moments that showcase her sophisticated vocals. Beloved in her native Venezuela, she has performed concerts and festivals with renowned musicians such as Aquiles Baez,Galeica, Los Hermanos Naturales, and La Vida Bohème and has appeared regularly in national TV and radio. She is currently musical director for Heidi Latsky Dance. Borges released her latest album, CORNERS, in late 2017.
Timothy Westbrook (Fashion) is a sustainability driven fiber artist native to Wanakena in the Adirondack Mountains in NYS. He received a BFA in Fiber Arts and Material Studies from Syracuse University. His work has won numerous awards nationally and has been featured in publications from the Huffington Post to Italian Vogue.
May 3, 4, 9, 10, & 11, 2019 at 7:30pm
$21 at-the-door
$15 in advance
$18 at-the-door
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Credits
Choreography: Heidi Latsky in collaboration w/the dancers
Performers: Meredith Fages, Jerron Herman, Jillian Hollis, Heidi Latsky, Tiffany Geigel
Music arrangement: Ximena Borges
Music: John Bayless, Ximena Borges, Chris Brierley, David Homan, Ainesh Madan
Original Costumes: Timothy Westbrook
Additional costumes: Jillian Hollis, Heidi Latsky