Richard Alston Dance Company

Boasting a “rich, pliant, full-bodied” style that transports audiences “to the heart of dance itself” (The New York Times), Richard Alston Dance Company returns to Peak Performances for its final American engagement before the company closes its doors after more than 25 years. A selection of recent works highlights the unflagging invention of this beloved group, led by Richard Alston, one of the world’s finest choreographers currently celebrating his 50th year of making dances. Performed to live music, Alston’s witty Brahms Hungarian is presented alongside Shine On, the last piece the choreographer will create for the company. The fast-paced Detour, created by associate choreographer Martin Lawrance, rounds out a thrilling program that celebrates a troupe still in top form, even as the curtain closes.

Voices and Light Footsteps – American Premiere
Choreography by Richard Alston
Music by Claudio Monteverdi
Lighting by Martin Lawrance
Costumes by Peter Todd

Detour [Part I & II] – American Premiere
Choreography by Martin Lawrance
Music by Michael Gordon from the album Timer Remixed
Lighting by Zeynep Kepekli
Costumes by Jeffrey Rogador

Shine On – American Premiere
Choreography by Richard Alston
Music by Benjamin Britten
Performed live by pianist Jason Ridgway
Soprano Gelsey Bell
Lighting by Zeynep Kepekli
Costumes by Fotini Dimou

Brahms Hungarian
Choreography by Richard Alston
Music by Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dances for solo piano
Performed live by pianist Jason Ridgway
Lighting by Zeynep Kepekli
Costumes by Fotini Dimou
Costume maker Hilary Wili

Engage

First Impressions
Saturday, February 22, 2019 – post-performance
Alexander Kasser Theater
Richard Alston; Janet Eilber, Artistic Director Martha Graham Dance Company; and Emily Coates, Director of Dance Studies and Associate Professor in Theater Studies at Yale University
For more information, please visit www.peakperfs.org/engage

Program

Amplify

Marina Harss, THE NEW YORKER: “Winter Dance Preview”
Last year, it was announced that the British modern-dance troupe Richard Alston Dance Company will shut its doors in 2020, after twenty-five years in operation; it’s a loss to anyone who loves the craft of dance, and to those who admire Alston’s lyrical voice and vivid response to music. The company will visit the area one last time, at Peak Performances (Feb. 20-23), in Montclair, New Jersey.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “Review: Richard Alston Dance Says Adieu in (Quiet) Character”
And that’s the thrust of the whole program here at Peak Performances. The last hurrah of the Richard Alston Dance Company, an institution founded in 1994 that has lost its principal source of financing, will come in March in its hometown, London. But this run in Montclair is its final United States appearance.

Credits

Richard Alston Dance Company is supported by Arts Council England and The Place.

Programs in Peak Performances’ 2019-20 season are made possible in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.