Erik Abbott-Main Boy Friday New York City Dance Choreographer Performance

The Copeland/Vine Project, aka SPRING, was commissioned by the Johnstone Fund for New Music, and Sunday at Central and included live accompaniment of Copland's "Appalachian Spring," and the premiere of a contemporary score by Anthony Vine, which bookended the classical score. The open and lush musical landscapes in Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” persist as symbols of the American heartland. As a choreographer, the thought of revisiting such a cherished work, in many ways kept by Martha Graham, was a daunting one. However, I found myself drawn to Graham’s conversation of community and partnership considering these topics prime for further consideration. What does a community think of, crave for, believe in and obsess over in contemporary America? Drawing upon these questions, this dance is an accumulation of events that speak to, confirm and challenge, what it means to be a part of a community today. Together with Vine’s score, the event tells a cyclical narrative about togetherness and power, painting a surrealist picture of a young community’s journey toward individual vs. group identity.

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Choreography/Direction: Evik Abbott-Main

 

Music: Aaron Copland, Anthony Vine

 

Dancers: Dante Brown, Quentin Burley, Effy Grey, Melanie Gallo, Adam Houston, Madeline Irmen, Emily Jones, Alyssa LeRose, Fiona Lundie, Tyisha Nedd, Alexandra Runyon, David Thill

 

Runtime is approx 50 mintues without intermission