Schimmel Center Blog

On Friday and Saturday, October 15th and 16th, the Taylor 2 Dance Company will leap back on to the Schimmel Stage to give our audience a reminder of what makes Paul Taylor one of the most remarkable choreographers of the modern era. The performance will include three of his most prolific pieces; “Aureole,” “Dust,” and “Piazzolla Caldera.” I had the chance to interview Johnny Vorsteg, one of Taylor 2’s brightest young talents and ask him more about what makes this group so extraordinary.

Johnny Vorsteg of Taylor 2 Dance Company
Photo: Whitney Browne

M: When were you first exposed to dance? When did you know you wanted to dedicate a career to it?

J: I was first exposed to dance as a musical theatre major my freshman year at NYU. Broadway was all I could see of tomorrow, but really I didn’t know much about the genre. I started training technically: singing and speech production, acting, storytelling and dance. I always knew I could carry a tune and quickly found out I was great at storytelling and awful at dance. Dance very quickly seduced me, tugging at my heartstrings more and more as time passed. It was the hardest for me but what I grew, pretty quickly, to care the most about. As invested as I became in the art, it wasn’t until after college though, after studying at the Taylor School, that I realized I wanted to pursue concert dance and shelf my broadway pursuits. 

M: When and how did you join the Taylor 2 Dance Company?

J: I auditioned 4 times for Paul. My first audition I think I was still in school, finishing up my degrees in dance and English at Montclair state University. (I transferred there after 2 years at NYU). I was still so new to dance and really knew nothing about the Taylor style. By the time the 2nd and 3rd auditions rolled around, I was already a Taylor diehard, happily putting all my eggs in the Taylor basket, taking class every day. I volunteered to help out at the studio, any way I could, for free class. I did everything from vacuuming to clerical. I loved every minute I spent at the studio and especially treasured my time watching the company rehearse. That was an education in and of itself. Paul later gifted me with a scholarship making my continued daily study there possible. 

M: Why is Paul Taylor’s choreography special to you? What separates him from other choreographers of the modern era?

J: When I did my first Taylor intensive, I remember so vividly how impossible it all felt, meeting the physical requirements and cardiovascular demands of the work: rich musicality, dynamic weight shifts, dizzying spatial patterns, a grounded athleticism that is at once fierce and graceful. I remember thinking through the burning fatigue and sweat of it all: “I could get used to this.” The work is so intensely satisfying because it is so diverse. Paul creates these entire worlds for us to live in that are as much fun to inhabit, as they are to watch. Each one like a perfect painting, spanning a huge emotional spectrum, each alive with nuance and passion and beauty and struggle. At any given moment you could feel like you’re luxuriating in a bubble bath, or a gladiator, charging into battle. As simple as a tender touch on your lover’s shoulder or as exhilarating as speedy floorwork and sailing jumps: physicalizing these extremes in the repertory is a great challenge and privilege. I think it is this inherent theatricality in the work that separates Paul from other choreographers of the modern era. 

M: Of the three pieces being performed at the Schimmel Center, is there a particular piece that resonates with you more than the others? Why is that?

J: I really do love all the pieces we’re doing at Pace! I love that each one calls for me to surrender my heart to the movement in a totally different way. Aureole is technical and classical. The Handel is unapologetically bright and happy. You feel buoyed by these sensations of space and freedom and love and light. Dust is darker, weirder. We’re in these nude unitards with blotchy spatters on them. The fragmented shapes and broken angles are thrown and tossed. The work I think celebrates the beauty of the distorted and damaged. It’s awesome and so physical. And the great Piazzola too! So much Latin heat and there’s not even a tango step in it! But it sizzles with sensuality. It’s earthy and erotic, it’s an amazing dance. Maybe this is my favorite…..but I really do love them all! 

M: Do you have an all-time favorite Paul Taylor piece? Why is that one your favorite?

 J: This is easy. I have two absolute favorite Taylor dances that are tied. Roses and Brandenburgs. Brandenburgs is one of the 7 pieces Paul has made using the music of J.S. Bach. He appears in an interview and says the dance is about gallantry. The costumes are green velvet. It is pure joy and happiness and elegance and I’m obsessed. Roses was the first bit of material I learned at my first Taylor intensive. It is probably the most romantic of all the Taylor works: all the couples stay together and nobody breaks up! I think it’s a celebration of love. It’s gorgeous and I’m equally obsessed. The men’s subtle gray tights are the perfect contrast for the women’s magnificent black gowns, stunning and flowing by William Ivey Long. The music is the sublime Siegfried Idyll. I love that Wagner gave his wife this piece of music as a birthday gift too! 

M: What advice would you give to a young dance student who dreams of being a part of a prestigious dance company one day?

J: I think throughout the phases of our training as young artists, we’re encouraged to cast a wide net. Then upon graduating school, it’s thought prudent to stay available for many projects, say yes to everyone and do everything. All that can make for rewarding experiences and valid fulfillment, but I think it’s important to bravely put your eggs into the basket of dreams. Streamlining your artistic ambitions is scary, a risk, and can feel like the point of no return. But you don’t have to see the full staircase to take the first step. 

Taylor 2 Dance Company “Aureole,” “Dust,” & “Piazzolla Caldera”; Saturday, October 15th at 7:30pm and Sunday, October 16th at 2:00pm; Price $29; Schimmel Center at Pace University; 3 Spruce St, New York, NY 10038;(212) 346-1715; Tickets available at http://schimmelcenter.org/event/taylor-2-dance-company

 

On Saturday, October 1^st, New York Theatre Ballet brings its family friendly, one-hour production of Carnival of the Animals. The ballet is set to the classic suite The Carnival of the Animals by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. Although the piece was originally composed for a private concert, the piece found its way into the greater public conscience and has seeped its way into popular culture. Even if you have never heard the title, “Carnival of the Animals,” you have undoubtedly heard excerpts of the piece in numerous forums from cartoons to movies to Weird Al Yankovic.

A scene from NYTB’s Carnival of the Animals.
Photo Credit-Richard Termine

Following are two of the greatest moments in popular culture where the music has been used.

Walt Disney’s Fantasia 2000 used the finale from Carnival of the animals for one of their most amusing vignettes.

Bugs Bunny took on Daffy Duck in a piano duel of the piece in a classic Warner Brothers “Looney Toons” cartoon.

Come relive the musical memories of Carnival of the Animals this Saturday with the New York Theatre Ballet’s gorgeous interpretation.

The New York Theatre Ballet’s Carnival of the Animals;  Saturday, October 1st at 3:00pm;Child $10; Adult $20; Schimmel Center at Pace University; 3 Spruce St, New York, NY 10038;(212) 346-1715; Tickets available at http://schimmelcenter.org/event/carnival-of-the-animals

Can’t get enough of the Tony Award ® and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Hamilton? (We all can’t!) Can’t get a ticket? (We all can’t!) But you can still get the Hamilton experience by taking a trip down town. Remember that lyric, “Everything is happening in the greatest city in the world.” The FiDi district is home to Fraunce’s Tavern, Federal Hall and Trinity Church which are all mentioned in the Broadway smash hit.

Fraunces Tavern in downtown Manhattan

Fraunce’s Tavern has been in operation since 1762 and was a popular drinking spot for, “young, scrappy and hungry,” revolutionaries Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton.  The location is portrayed in act one of the popular musical when the young revolutionaries sing “The Story of Tonight.” It is said that Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr shared a meal there just one week before their fatal duel that ended Hamilton’s life. Today, it is both a fully functioning tavern and restaurant as well as a museum. You can either stroll through their galleries for an informative history lesson or you can sit down and have a pint in honor of our founding fathers.

Just down the street from the tavern is Federal Hall on 26 Wall Street. In 1788, the first congress met in Federal Hall to draft the Bill of Rights. The spot was also where George Washington took his first inaugural oath as our country’s first president in 1789. Alexander Hamilton’s home was located just a block away on wall Street.

Alexander Hamilton founded the Bank of New York in 1797. The site of that first bank is now the current Museum of American Finance. If you visit the site at 48 Wall street, you can visit their Hamilton room which features signed documents and examples of his written work.

Alexander Hamilton’s final resting spot in Trinity Church Cemetery.

End your Hamilton journey at Trinity Church Cemetery where the real Alexander Hamilton is laid to rest. His grave and monument attracts countless visitors per year. The church and adjacent cemetery are registered Historical landmarks and the church yard is open from 8am till sunset.

Of course the best way to wrap up a busy day in the FiDi district is to unwind and see a show at the Schimmel Center.  You can find the Schimmel’s entire line-up for the 2016-2017 season at SchimmelCenter.org. If you can’t get into the room where it happened,  you will be down the street from where it really did happen and you may discover the next big thing.

Fall is quickly approaching and young school aged children are dreading the shorter days because they know it means back to school. Fall weekends still pose an interesting question for parents, “how do I entertain the children while sticking close to home?” Make your answer this fall be, “Downtown Manhattan.” The quickly evolving neighborhood is full of ways to entertain your entire family.

Downtown is home to some truly incredible parks, museums and world renowned institutions. The historic South Street Seaport can be found under the Brooklyn Bridge and is home to many unique shops, restaurants and stunning views of the New York Harbor. Stroll the cobble stone streets and take in the unique shopping and stellar restaurants.

The gorgeous SeaGlass Carousel at Battery Park.

The Bronx may be up but the Battery is definitely downtown. The gorgeous Battery Park has been a staple in many films and television shows because of its gorgeous views of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty. Take a leisurely walk down its main promenade. The Battery Conservatory is also a perfect place to pick up many different harbor cruises for stellar views of the Manhattan Skyline. Be sure to take the kids on the magnificent Sea Glass carousel for a ride they won’t soon forget.

Downtown is also home to two wonderful and insightful museums about two diverse groups that are both part of the fabric of New York’s rich history. A branch of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of the American Indian displays artifacts from the culture of the native people who originally called our land home. From intricately woven baskets to beaded buckskin shirts and even contemporary work, the exhibits rotate regularly so there’s always more to come back and explore.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage details Jewish life throughout the last century and is a living memorial to the Holocaust. The collection consists of 24 documentary films, 2,000 photographs and 800 cultural artifacts including textiles, toys and musical instruments. Again, the main collection rotates so there is always more to see.

New York Theatre Ballet’s Carnival of the Animals.
Photo Credit- Richard Termine

The perfect corner stone to your family trip downtown is taking in one of our fabulous child friendly performances at the Schimmel Center. This October we welcome the New York Theatre Ballet’s Carnival of the Animals. The one hour presentation is perfect for the little ones as it offers an engaging story with bright sets and costumes, enchanting music and a run time that won’t test their attention span.

We hope to see you downtown this fall!

In the midst of this July heat wave we are excited to offer you some good news. The Schimmel Center is proud to announce the 2016-2017 season. We are thrilled to continue our mission of presenting internationally acclaimed productions in an intimate space with a focus on the areas of music, dance, cabaret, film and lectures. We have expanded our offerings this season to include renowned bluegrass ensembles and uproarious comedy.

This season we welcome NPR favorite, Paula Poundstone as she brings her signature style and hilarious wit to the Schimmel stage for one night of stand-up comedy you won’t want to miss. The riotous masters of Shakespearean brevity, The Reduced Shakespeare Company bring the New York City premiere of their newest play, William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (Abridged).

You have two chances to celebrate the holidays this season with two festive concerts. Grammy® Award winning arranger, Rob Mathes brings his acclaimed holiday concert to the Schimmel stage for its New York City debut with a cast of world class musicians and vocalists. Rock band Cloverton celebrates the holidays with their Hallelujah Christmas tour including classic hymns such as, “What Child is This?” and “Joy to the World,” as well as new favorites such as “Carol of the Bells and “A Hallelujah Christmas.”

We are happy to welcome back audience favorites such as Fred Barton’s popular American Showstoppers series celebrating the work of Frank Loesser and Kander and Ebb. Dr. Janetta Benton’s intellectually stimulating Art History Alive lectures return with two exciting series. Explore the changing ideals of the human form in “Body Beautiful” and take a virtual field trip to homes of history’s greatest artists in “Home is where the Art Is.”

We are once again your family entertainment destination with New York Theatre Ballet’s Once Upon a Ballet Series. Three classic children’s stories are presented in an accessible, hour-long format with inventive choreography, colorful costumes and engaging sets. Marvel in the whimsy of Carnival of the Animals, relive the classic rags-to-riches story of Cinderella and take a trip down the rabbit hole with all of your favorite Lewis Carroll characters in The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies. These productions are perfect for the whole family.

Both Taylor 2 Dance Company and the New York Theatre Ballet leap back on to our stage with exciting new programs to engage the entire family.

Delight in the athletic and rousing traditions of the Argentinian gauchos in Che Malambo. Marvel at the spectacular Chinese martial artists and acrobats of Immortal Chi. Revel in the mastery of Kayhan Kalhor’s soulful Persian melodies and be transported to ancient India with Bickram Ghosh and his ensemble of Indian percussionists. By Popular demand, DakhaBrakha is back for one night of their enchanting and hypnotic Ukrainian music. They will also be debuting music from their yet to be released album.

We’ve made it even easier and affordable for our patrons to subscribe with our curated subscription series. Each series includes three performances that work to complement each other, further adding to your enjoyment and appreciation of our programming. For those patrons who want a taste of everything, we continue to offer our popular, “Build Your Own” series.

Subscriptions are all on sale starting today, Monday, July 18. The curated series is available online and all subscriptions are available by calling the Schimmel Center box office at 212 -346-1715. To learn more, visit SchimmelCenter.org/Subscribe. Single Tickets go on sale, Monday August 8th. The Schimmel Center box office will resume their regular operating ours on Monday, August 8th.

From all of us at the Schimmel Center, we look forward to seeing you this season.