DANCE

Featuring four reconstructions and one newly commissioned piece by internationally recognized contemporary dance artists, Fast Forward stuns with a wide range of styles and technical approaches that bring the audiences to the forefront of today’s dance scene.

Among the pieces being performed is Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June Suite, created to the captivating vocals of the legendary Etta James. Declared “one of ballet’s most surprising young talents” by Jennifer Dunning, McIntyre’s work stretches the ballet vocabulary in innovative and exciting new directions, as highlighted by his Blue Until June Suite.

La Giornata Omicida (The Deadly Day), choreographed by Boston Conservatory faculty Tommy Neblett, has been called “a romping, stomping tour de force that veers between a celebration of girl power and a critique of the ideals of feminine beauty” (Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe) and is sure to empower viewers. First inspired musically by the contemporary Italian folk opera, La Gatta Cenerentola, then visually by a real-life scene that the choreographer witnessed in Copenhagen, in which a group of women tackled and restrained their assailant through sheer determination, La Giornata Omicidais a passionate declaration of strength and desire.

Three (excerpts), by world-renowned choreographer and Batsheva Dance Company Artistic Director Ohad Naharin, is considered Naharin’s most well-known piece. Three (excerpts) will be reconstructed by Danielle Agami, who has also been commissioned to create a new work to premiere in this dance concert.

Fast Forward will also explore Paul Taylor’s masterwork, Cloven Kingdom,reconstructed by Sandy Stone and performed by The Boston Conservatory junior dance class. Considered a quintessentially American choreographer, Taylor’s work has been central in defining American modern dance. “Such masterpieces as Mr. Taylor’s …Cloven Kingdom… are among the dance world’s most important treasures, and the chance to see works of this caliber from a living artist is too precious to miss,” says Jean Battey Lewis, Washington Times.