DANCE HEGINBOTHAM | AUGUST 10–14, 2022
Celebrated for its vibrant athleticism, humor, theatricality, and commitment to collaboration, Dance Heginbotham, led by Artistic Director John Heginbotham, is celebrating its 10th Anniversary having established itself as one of the most adventurous companies on the contemporary dance scene. Praised by The New York Times as having “a true theater artist’s instinct for commanding his audience,” Heginbotham is known for striking choreography that is perceptive, bright, and witty. A past recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award, he is most recently acclaimed for his choreography in the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!
The company performs an evening of work in collaboration with Ethan Iverson, the critically acclaimed jazz composer, pianist, and Blue Note Records recording artist. The program features three works: a revival and two world premieres. Easy Win (2015) draws inspiration from the collaborators’ shared experiences within a formal ballet class. A delightful ode to the repetition, drama, and humor of a dance class, Easy Win dissects its rituals with equal amounts of humor and sincerity through dancers that are “keenly alive to the main pulses of Mr. Iverson’s music” (The New York Times). The world premiere Adagio features two guest ballet artists to be announced. Finally, Dance Sonata, the program’s second world premiere, picks up where Easy Win left off. If Easy Win highlights the rigors and training in the context of a ballet class, Dance Sonata is the finale for which the performers have been preparing.