THE FIELD
A continuation and deepening of choreographer Zvi Gotheiner’s thematic exploration of the collisions between humanity and nature. A collaboration among Gotheiner, composer Scott Killian, lighting designer Mark London, and seven dancers–Piper Dye, Madison Elliott, Colin Heininger, Caitlin Javech, Kaylin Maggard, Leslie Merced, Joe Tennis–the piece explores a sense of space that is potent with the possibility of growth, and a deep connection to it, but also a space that is possibly infected with conflicts of ownership and possession.
Premiered on March 14, 2024, at New York Live Arts.
MIGRATIONS
MIGRATIONS is self-produced and is in line with Gotheiner’s previous works that reflect on the collision of humanity with nature. In MIGRATIONS, Gotheiner focuses his creative attention on bird migration imagery and tendencies as a poetic mirroring for the current acceleration of human migration as a result of wars and the diminishing of life-sustaining resources due to global warming. Bird’s migration patterns are made in response to changes in food availability, habitat, or weather. These days, war displaces people in Ukraine and the world experiences another wave of refugees. These concepts serve as a point of departure for the creation of MIGRATIONS.
Due to a health condition, Gotheiner had limited mobility of movement. This caused the creation of the new piece to be an interesting new challenge for the company. The goal was to create a specific movement vocabulary that would take inspiration from bird behavior, incorporating quick footwork and undulating torsos with highly coordinated arm patterns. The choreography utilized bird’s flocking imagery in the design of large group work and flight imagery for the creation of trios and duets. Killian’s cinematic electronic score supported a sense of heroic struggle when traveling through the elements, while London’s light design created landscapes that gave the work a transitory sense of place.
Migrations was made possible by a three-week residency in Hunter NY, hosted through the Catskill Mountain Foundation. The development of this project was greatly supported by the Gilman Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy C. Hochul and the New York State Legislature. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Additional support was provided by DiMenna Foundation, Barnard Stern Foundation, and the Harkness Foundation for Dance
THE ART OF FUGUE
THE ART OF FUGUE is an evening-length, multimedia dance performance collaboration between Artistic Director Zvi Gotheiner, composer Scott Killian, lighting designer Mark London, media designer Joshua Higgason, and eight dancers. Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is a point of departure for this choreographic exploration that highlights the individual contribution of each of his creative team. In music, a fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a short melody is introduced by one voice and successively taken up by others; Gotheiner introduces this compositional structure as a metaphor to portray a non-hierarchical society. Killian integrates electronic original music with Bach, anchoring the work in contemporary culture. Higgason’s live and pre-recorded video projection adds an additional “voice” to the complexity of the canonic composition.
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The creation of THE ART OF FUGUE is made possible with support by Gilman Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Dance/NYC’s Coronavirus Dance Relief Fund, DiMenna Foundation, Barnard Stern Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, NYSCA’s Long-Term Residency, Catskill Mountain Foundation.
MAIM
MAIM sets out to raise awareness to issues related to the global diminishing water resources due to global warming. Israeli Zvi Gotheiner grew up in Kibbutz Messilot on the slopes of Mount Gilboa, where King David cursed the land with no rain or dew in his biblical mourning elegy to his beloved Jonathan. Droughts, water shortage and the need for water conservation were powerful tensions in Gotheiner’s early years, epitomized by the government’s slogan “Every Drop Counts.” Later, Gotheiner would learn the significant role water, or lack thereof, played into the war politics of the region. This year, four million people in Cape Town, South Africa, will stand in line surrounded by armed guards to collect drinking water. And in Mexico City, many of the 21 million residents will only have running water part of the day… and these are only two examples for a growing global trend of water shortage. To bring awareness to such man-made devastation, Gotheiner will anchor his artistic investigation to his personal experience.
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ZviDance’s renowned creative team includes composers Scott Killian, Media designers Joshua Higgason, lighting designer Mark London and ZviDance’s eight athletic and expressive dancers.
ZviDance initiated MAIM‘s creative process during a three-week residency (supported by NYSCA’s Long-Term Residency Grant) in Catskill, NY, hosted and commissioned by Lumberyard, January 2019.
PAST
BEAR’S EARS (2018)
BEAR’S EARS sets out to raise awareness on the conflict surrounding Bear’s Ears National Monument in Southern Utah. While designated as a National Monument by President Obama, Bear’s Ears is now a symbol of the American Indian’s struggle due to the current Administration’s attempts to reverse Former President Obama’s designation.
DETOUR (2018)
Using the well-known traffic sign as a trigger for creative investigation, DETOUR investigates a reverse course to return to the “better times” in the past.
LIKE (2017)
LIKE is a multidisciplinary piece, utilizing dance, theater and video projection to reflect on the ever-increasing use of media in the way we socialize. LIKE encourages audiences to reflect on their own friendships, social belonging, loneliness and social hierarchy, while engaging with technology during the performance. Using their cellphones to “like” (or not), the audience is invited to participate in the TV reality dance competition to select a “winner” through a process of elimination. The audience vote is charted and projected on a screen to determine how the piece advances.
ON THE ROAD (2016)
Inspired by Jack Kerouac’s novel by the same title, ON THE ROAD is an evening-length, multimedia dance piece that contemplates the general upheaval of the 1960s and the Beat generation’s startling notions of social rebellion. Virtuosic in form and versatile in style, ON THE ROAD entwines the thrills of freedom, the sounds of jazz, and the perplexity of youthful American voices discovering their closeted and social selves.
ESCHER / BACON / ROTHKO (2015)
Set in three parts, “Escher/Bacon/Rothko” is inspired by the work of three of the most distinguished leaders in 20th century modern art: M.C. Escher, Francis Bacon and Mark Rothko, and utilizes an original movement vocabulary to investigate each artist’s notion of modernity.
SURVEILLANCE (2014)
Surveillance is a groundbreaking collaboration of contemporary dance, interactive video design and animation in which ZviDance explores how we respond to the omnipresence of technology in our daily lives. Video projections and animations designed by Hertog Nadler are live-streamed throughout the evening – blurring the line between voyeur and exhibitionist. Composer Scott Killian, in collaboration with chanteuse Alison Clancy and hip-hop artist Wilkis Ideology Figuereo, creat an aural landscape that explores and exploits sounds and music that are both familiar to us – and yet, oftentimes unheard. Ultimately, Surveillance is a multi-disciplinary piece which reflects on the ever-increasing use of surveillance technology in our contemporary lives.
DABKE (2012)
Recognized by The New York Times as one of Alastair Macaulay’s TOP TEN DANCE FAVORITES OF 2013, Dabke is based on a Middle-Eastern folk dance, a line dance often performed at weddings, holidays and community celebrations. The dance strongly references solidarity and traditionally only men participated. The dancers, linked by hands or shoulders stomp the ground with complex rhythms, emphasizing their connection to the land. Artistic Director, Zvi Gotheiner grew up on a Kibbutz in Israel – where Friday nights were folk dance nights. One of the most beloved of these dances is a Debka , an Israeli rendition of the Arab Dabke. When the European Jews moved to Israel during the first decades of the 20th captured the sound, color, taste and rhythm of the Levant. The Dabke is a case in point.
CHAIRS
BRAZILIAN DUETS
COUPLING