Artists at the Center
Dates
Nov 9 – 11, 2023
7:30pm
Tickets from $35
Approximately one hour
For groups of 10 or more people, email Info@NYCityCenter.org
Song of Songs
Pam Tanowitz
David Lang
Song of Songs is a thing of beauty.
This lush, physical work glows with ideas
A wondrous tribute to Jewish dance heritage
Direct from its five-star UK run, the NYC premiere of Song of Songs fuses Pam Tanowitz’s choreography with Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang’s “dreamlike” (The Guardian) choral settings of the Biblical love poem, performed live by six musicians, with movement mined and abstracted from Jewish folk dance. Tanowitz’s intricate assemblage of style, form, and emotion "fills the stage with love” (The Guardian).
One of the most sought-after choreographers working today got her start at City Center, booking studio space for others and using it herself in her off-hours. Now, Pam Tanowitz returns as the third featured creator in our Artists at the Center series, after creating Four Quartets, hailed by The New York Times as “the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century.” Tanowitz has been commissioned by London’s Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, and countless other renowned ensembles in addition to her own performance work.
Song of Songs, also known as The Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poem steeped with sensual imagery. The poem’s romantic tone is a notable departure from other parts of the Bible, which has led to multiple interpretations of the poem. Watch the trailer.
Pam Tanowitz’s choreography is known for being abstract yet playful. The movement in this piece is not a direct illustration of the lyrics but is in conversation with the score. The beauty of the nonlinear piece is in its form. Hear more from the choreographer.
Song of Songs is set to music composed by David Lang, performed live by six musicians: three vocalists, one viola, one cello, and one percussionist, who are onstage alongside the dancers. The music is meant to pose questions about the connections between love and spirituality. Hear more from the composer.
5 stars
It’s a work of profound connection which, without any obvious show of emotion, fills the stage with love
4 stars
Tanowitz’s dance imagery can be transparently beautiful, but always self-contained.
Tanowitz is making some of the most curiously satisfying choreography of the moment.
Leadership Support
Lynne and Richard Pasculano Fund for Programming and Education
Major Support for dance at New York City Center
Support provided by
Arlene Shuler Artistic Innovation Fund
The Fisher Center at Bard is Pam Tanowitz’s artistic home. Song of Songs is a co-commission of the Fisher Center, Barbican London, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.
Commissioning funds for Song of Songs were provided by Jay Franke and David Herro, with additional support received from the O'Donnell Green Music and Dance Foundation, Judith R. and Alan H. Fishman, Amy and Ronald Guttman, Lizbeth and George Krupp, Virginia and Timothy Millhiser, and King’s Fountain. The Fisher Center on behalf of Pam Tanowitz Dance received a 2020 NDP Finalist Grant Award for Song of Songs, made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to address sustainability needs during COVID-19. Co-commissioning support for the music of Song of Songs was provided by Flagey (Brussels), The Los Angeles Opera, Company of Music (Vienna), and The Crossing (Philadelphia).
Performance photos by Maria Baranova
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