Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker: Mitten Wir im Leben Sind

DANCE
THURSDAY – SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13 – 15, 2020
7:30 PM

Skirball Center, NYU
566 LaGuardia Place, Greenwich Village, Manhattan

$40-$50
https://nyuskirball.org/events/anne-teresa-de-keersmaeker-mitten-wir-im-leben-sind/

I assert elsewhere that Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker is the world's leading avant-garde choreographer, and I'm sticking with it.  Her great contribution was to imbue Minimalism with Expressionism; the first time I saw her breakout piece Rosas Danst Rosas, the night of its U.S. premiere, I was floored:  I didn't know Minimalism could pack such an emotional punch (OK OK I didn't know Julius Eastman's music back then).  De Keersmaeker has kept on since then; her work may no longer be surprising (well West Side Story will be surprising), but it's still engrossing — and it still packs that punch.  Here, she and her Rosas company set Bach's six Cellos Suites:  music of great intellectual acuity with a strong emotional/spiritual undertow, perfect for De Keersmaeker's ministrations.  And it will be played, live, by no less than Jean-Guihen Queyras (whose recording of these towering pieces I commend to you with all possible enthusiasm)!

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT:  If you want to spend more money than you thought possible for the best raw-bar food you'll think possible, ZZ's Clam Bar is your spot.  (On Friday, stay away from this or any restaurant:  either go to Joe's for a slice or eat at home.)