Karole Armitage to Present Werk!: The Armitage Gone Variety Show at Abrons Arts Center
A host of visual artists will collaborate with choreographer Karole Armitage to present Werk!: The Armitage Gone Variety Show, held May 2 – 5 at Abrons Arts Center.
The unique multimedia event will include short works by visual artists Will Cotton, Doug Fitch, Kalup Linzy, Richard Phillips, Aida Ruilova, and William Wegman, as well as the American premiere of Rave, a piece that mixes a number of movement forms including dance, voguing, and the Chinese martial art wushu, performed by Armitage Gone! Dance.
Rave was originally created in 2001 as a response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. The piece will feature Armitage Gone! Dance company members Sara Beery, Megumi Eda, Sean Hilton, Abbey Roesner, Bennyroyce Royon, Marlon Taylor-Wiles, Emily Wagner, Mei-Hua Wang, Jacob Michael Warren, and Masayo Yamaguchi, as well as guest dancers from the Ailey School. The piece, which has toured Europe, features a score by David Shea, costumes by Peter Speliopoulos, and lighting by Clifton Taylor.
Cotton will present a new iteration of his performance two-part piece Cockaigne, which celebrates the nature of whipped cream and cotton candy. Whipped Cream Dance is choreographed and performed by Miss Ruby Valentine, to music composed by Caleb Burhans. Cotton Candy Dance is choreographed by Charles Askegard to music composed by John Sorn.
Fitch will offer A Moment of Concern, a piece in which his disembodied head will occupy a miniature room that is eventually broken down into little pieces and blown away. Emily Wagner and Sean Hilton will join one of Wegman’s dogs for a special dance. Additional details about the program will be announced shortly.
