DANCE NEW AMSTERDAM: RAW DIRECTIONS Dance New Amsterdam’s “Raw Directions” showcases the work of five post-emerging and mid-career choreographers. In the world premiere of “Charles” (by Netherlands native Pascal Rekoert), the Flexicurve company performs a fast-paced piece set to Beethoven and Mozart, inspired by Charlie Chaplin. David Appel’s untitled piece employs a series of short dances (and five dancers) to explore the way we structure our lives and how we engage with our environment. A live, original score by Galen Bremer accompanies “Light House” — Anne Zuerner’s work drawing from her years spent on the Rhode Island coast. In “This Is No Waltz,” by Megan Bascom (with a score by Cal Hawkins), the interplay of reciprocal and mutual action is seen in fleeting partnerships, both tender and reckless. In the New York premiere of Lane Gifford’s “land·scape,” the maddeningly intense pace of our lives is explored through consumption, convolution, sensory overload, self-image and accumulation — in an animated setting, through a dynamic dance narrative.
Wed., Jan. 30 through Sat., Feb. 2 (Wed., Thurs., Fri at 7:30pm, Sat. at 3pm & 7:30pm). At 280 Broadway (entrance at 53 Chambers St.). For tickets ($17 general admission, $12 in advance), call 212-227-9856 or visit dnadance.org.
MONK IN MOTION: THE NEXT FACE OF JAZZ There will never be another Monk — but this concert series serves as a showcase for the best of those young artists who are building on his legacy of precision and innovation. A partnership between BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center and the Thelonious Monk Institute, “Monk in Motion: The Next Face of Jazz” pays tribute to the three winners of the annual Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition by giving them a stage to perform on and a chance to show New York audiences the breadth and depth of their talents. First up, it’s first place winner Jamison Ross — a 24-year-old drummer from Jacksonville, FL. Before the concert, Willard Jenkins moderates the panel discussion, “21st Century Drummer’s Roundtable” (with Carl Allen, Allison Miller and more). The series continues Feb. 16 with second runner-up Colin Stranahan (a 26-year-drummer from Denver, CO), and concludes March 2 with the runner-up: 28-year-old Richmond, CA native Justin Brown (another drummer!).
The concerts begin at 8:30pm on Sat., Feb. 2 & 16 and March 2 — preceded by the free panel or film screening at 7pm. In Theatre 2, at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (on the Borough of Manhattan Community College campus; 199 Chambers St., btw. Greenwich & West Sts.).Concert tickets are $25 ($15 for students/seniors). For more info, visit tribecapac.org and monkinstitute.org.
