Going ‘Gaga-Gaku’ at Armitage Gone! Dance

William Isaac and Emily Wagner in “Three Theories.” Photos by Julieta


BY TAMARA BECK

BLEND Cambodian court theater, Japanese Noh and Balinese dance and the result is “Gaga-Gaku,” choreographer Karole Armitage’s latest work, making its world premiere at the Joyce Theater.

Gagaku, which means “elegant music” in Japanese, is a court music. In “Gaga-Gaku,” the Tony-nominated KA pairs her Armitage Gone! Dance hoofers with young ballerinas from the Dance Theatre of Harlem. “Gaga-Gaku" and a second program run from Tuesday (26 April) through 8 May.

Bennyroyce Royon and Abbey Roesner in “Gaga-Gaku.”

Sharing the “Gaga-Gaku” program are “Ligeti Essays” from 2006 and “Drastic Classicism.” The latter work, revised in 2009 and when originally created in 1981, earned KA the nickname “punk ballerina.” (See a video of "Drastic Classicism" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP-0bDaGGvI).

“Three Theories” (2010) is the title of the second program. It considers three bulwarks of 20th century physics – Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and String Theory.

Visit http://www.joyce.org/ to learn more about Armitage Gone! Dance at the Joyce Theater and http://www.armitagegonedance.org/ to learn more about the Armitage Gone! Dance company.