February 2004 2004 Spring Season BAM Spring ENCORE Season sponsor: Altria Contents Feb 2oo4 Pericles 8 Th eatre for a New Audi ence 's cast in portraits By Peggy Jarrell Kaplan Nederlands Dans Th eater 12 Pericles, L-R, Christopher McCann, Julyana Soelistyo, This renowned co mpany bri ngs Tim Hopper. Photo, Peggy Jarrell Kaplan two wi de- ranging programs in March By Susan Yung A Midsumm er Night's Dream 24 Britain's all -male Pro peller Compa ny shows its fem inine side By Diane Snyder Program I The Movi es 26 Upcom in g Events 26 NDT Symphony of Psalms. Photo, Joris-Jan Bos BAM directory 27 Cover Artist Alex Katz was born in Brooklyn in 1927, raised in St. Albans, Queens, and studied at the Cooper Union (New York) and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (Maine). His career spans five decades. Katz's art has affinities with commercial adver­ tisements and fashion photography, reflecting his early interest in graphic design. His work is not centered around icons of pop culture, but rather generic objects and his personal acquaintances. Alex Katz fuses his interest in Egyptian art, the art of Utamaro, Matisse, and in the contemporary world in a cool, detached style uniquely his own. Since his first show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1974, his art has been the subject of monographs and catalogues, Cover: Alex Katz, The Sailor Hat, 2003 and numerous museum exhibitions, including the Brooklyn Museum Linocut on lyo glazed paper of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Art (Pittsburgh), the Saatchi 12" x 10-1/2" (image) Collection in London, and the Bonn Museum (Germany). He lives For BAMart information, in New York. contact Monika Wunderer at 718.636.4101 or [email protected] Pericles BAM commissioned photographer Peggy Jarrell Kaplan to take portraits of cast members from Theatre for a New Audience's production of Pericles, Feb 12-29 at the BAM Harvey Theater Kaplan remarked on the process. "The portraits were created from a quick reading of the play to discover its elements and directives about the concept behind the production. These included: two actors play the title role-the young Pericles and the older Pericles; one actor plays two roles-the evil daughter and the good daughter; translucent curtains; a twig; storms; and water." Portraits of Pericles cast members by Peggy Jarrell Kaplan: Julyana Soelistyo (left), Christopher McCann (below) 8 Pericles Portra its of Pericles cast members by Peggy Jarrel l Kaplan: Tim Hopper (right); Christopher McCann, Julyana Soelistyo, Tim Hopper (below, L-R) 9 Nederlands Dans Theater NOT: Classically Modern By Susan Yung Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) is a paradox- its name conjures the very latest in contemporary dance, yet the company celebrates its 45th anniversary this year. It was founded by a number of dancers who broke away from the traditional Ballet of the Netherlands. NDT has sustained a modern relevance in part due to its three companies, where a wide range of choreography and dynamics thrives. NDT I is the primary company, NDT II comprises 17- 22 year old dancers, and NDT Ill features dancers over 40 on a project basis. NDT I, recognized worldwide as one of the finest contemporary companies, will perform two programs at BAM in March. In addition to its triad of companies, NDT boasts another huge asset: an impressively rich repertory featuring works by Jiff Kylian, who stepped down as artistic director in 1999 after 21 years but rema in s ch ief arti stic advisor and a resident choreographer. Anders Hellstrom assumed the position of artistic director in January 2004, succeeding Marian Sarstadt. Hellstrom was previously artistic director at Goteborg Ballet (Sweden) and before that, a dancer with Ballett Frankfurt. On the primary artistic direction for NDT, Hellstrom noted tha t "the company's repertory will consist of work from the two house choreographers, Jiff Kylian and Paul Lightfoot/Sol Leon," a pair known as Lightfoot/Leon. The two bi ll s to be presented at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House March 9- 14 feature Kylian's work, plu s a dance by Johan Inger. Kylian's choreography is intensely powerful in many ways. He works with an expressionistic vocabulary that reaches audiences on a fundamental level. It is highly evolved and technically virtuosic, yet unlike the ballet in its bones, the phrases and moves do not boil down to a predictable emotional or representational palette. NDT attracts tec hnica lly superb dancers whose bodies eloquently deli neate the ever-important line, with special 12 Nederlands Dans Theater attention paid to highly shaped feet that caress the stage. Among the memorable signature movements are flexed extremities, limbs which intertwine in partnering sequences, and soaring, extended legs. And Kylian is a master of theater, often crafting a work's look on a scale approaching operatic. BAM will present an excellent cross-section of Kylian's work. Symphony of Psalms (1978) is an elegant formalist study to Stravinsky featuring crystal-clear formations, while the dancers' bodies sculpt supple geometries in the intriguingly-named Click-Pause-Silence (2000). In 27'52" (2002), whose title describes the running time, Kylian deconstructs the stage, interchanging roles between dancers and props at times. Claude Pascal (2002) mixes period-costumed characters with modern ones; they speak enigmatic text and move within a dazzling Alice in Wonderland mirrored stage set, also designed by Kylian. Last Touch (2003) is the most overtly theatrical of Kylian's 2004 BAM offerings, employing a viscous, slowed-down pace and a wistful Victorian air. _.....,_..., Johan Inger contributes Walking Mad (to Ravel's Bolero), which through its shifting openings and clever sleight of stagecraft touches metaphorically on the mixed blessings of conscious deception, and of the essential solitude of man. Inger was a company member between 1990 and 2002. Hellstrom remarked, "I will actively seek and encourage dancers within the company who have the talent to choreograph ... and the passion. Through the years many now well­ known choreographers have had the opportu­ nity to start their choreographic career at NOT That is a continuous process that shall be part of the company's future." Inger's name is not as recognized as those on the list of other featured choreographers, which includes Hans Van Manen (company co-founder), William Forsythe, Nacho Ouato, Mats Ek, and Ohad Naharin, but his presence is part of a deliberate, fresh direction. That direction includes Lightfoot/Leon, NOT's other resident choreographic team, which hails respectively from the U.K. and Spain; the pair met in 1987 when they started dancing with NOT They began to collaborate in 1991, and since then have choreographed more than 20 works for the NOT collective. They were named to their current post at NOT beginning in 2002. Hellstrom adds, "in addition to their work, I will bring in choreographers from outside, emphasizing new creations." Toward that end, Hellstrom has cast his glance outside the confines of NOT's headquarters in The Hague, and has begun discussions on joint projects. "We will have collaborations between NOT and other European theaters. At the moment, I can mention Luxembourg and Frankfurt" Other collaborations are too early in development to mention. For the first time since 1994, BAM audiences will be able to see firsthand the remarkable company that helped to build a strong foundation for many renowned European modern choreographers whose work has also been presented at BAM in recent years. It is a chance that should not be missed. - Susan Yung, BAM's publications manager, writes frequently about the arts. 13 The Campaign for BAM The Campaign for BAM was initiated in 1992 to create Phase Two (1996-2000) combined operating, endow­ Brooklyn Academy of Music's first endowment. Phase One ment, institutional development, and building renovation (1992- 1995) established a $12 million nucleus which needs into one unified effort and achieved the endowment has provided BAM with a strong financial foundation and goal of $20 million. The continued growth of the endow­ supports all BAM operations through annual distribution ment is critical to the success and future of BAM. Phase of interest income. Three (2001-2005) of the Campaign is now underway with a goal of expanding the endowment to the level of $40 million. BAM sincerely thanks the many contributors who have made major gifts to the endowment effort. Endowment $5,000,000 and above $250,000 and above Mr. & Mrs. Ame Vennema The Marion Petschek Smith The Peter Jay Sharp The Bohen Foundation Verizon Communications Fund for Choreographers Foundation William I. Campbell & The lsak and Rose Judge Franklin R. Weissberg Lila Wallace-Reader's Christine Wachter Weinman Foundation & Judge Marylin G. Digest Endowment Fund Th e Charles & Valerie in honor of Madame Diamond (CC) for Community, Diker Dance Lilliana Teruzzi Educational, & Public Endowment Fund $10,000 and above Affairs Programs The Horace W. Goldsmith $50,000 and above Alta Mechanical Corp. Foundation Robert & Joan Catell Bloomberg $1,000,000 and above Alex Hillman Family Kathleen & Neil Chrisman Mr. & Mrs. Norman J. Altria Group, Inc./Next Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Henry Buchan Wave Forward Fund Maxwell Family Fund in Christensen Ill Credit Lyonnais Doris Duke Charitable Community Funds, Inc. European American Bank Ms. Anne Delaney Foundation HSBC Bank USA Beth Rudin DeWoody Emily H. Fisher $100,000 and above Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Dwight & Ann Ellis Richard B. Fisher & Michael Bailkin, Marvin Foundation, Inc. Gail Erickson & Christa Rice Jeanne Donovan Fisher Levine, Jesse Masyr, KeySpan Foundation Mallory & Elizabeth Factor Judith R. & Alan H. David Stadtmauer Mr. & Mrs. Ed gar A. Lampert Joan Fields Fishman Charles J.