Banderole
choreography with poem by Ian Spencer Bell
with dancers Joshua Tuason and Vanessa Knouse
and music by Max Richter (Sleep, “Dream 1,” “Cumulonimbus,” “Dream 2”)
Thursday, June 23, Friday, June 24, & Saturday, June 25, 2022
10-10:30 a.m.
at the West Side Highway and 24th Street in Chelsea
Free; no reservations necessary. Audience members follow the dancers as they whip, wave, and unfurl along paths, lawns, and promenades.
Directions: Set out on 24th Street. Walk west on the south side until you reach the highway. Cross, enter the park, make a right and walk north roughly 50 feet. Arrive at the triangular-shaped lawn between Meg Webster's "Stonefield" and the allée of crabapples. The dance starts here and moves throughout the pier.
In case of *heavy* rain, show is canceled. Check Instagram, FB, and website for updates.
banderole n. a flag, scroll, or sculptured band often bearing an inscription
Click here to read March 11, 2021, the poem Bell dances in the prologue.
Joshua Tuason has danced with Bell for a decade. He was a member of Martha Graham Ensemble and Stephen Petronio Company and a dancer in Merce Cunningham Trust’s Night of 100 Solos. He trained at San Francisco Ballet, Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, and Marymount Manhattan College, where he earned a BFA.
Vanessa Knouse originated a role in Goldwater, Bell’s dance and poetry work for patients of Coler-Goldwater Hospital in New York City. She has performed with Cornfield Dance, Douglas Dunn + Dancers, and the Merce Cunningham Trust. She is a graduate of University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Max Richter is a British composer, pianist, and producer whose work encompasses solo albums, ballets, concert hall performances, film and television, video art, and theater. He has collaborated with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Royal Ballet. Richter studied at Edinburgh University, Royal Academy of Music, and with composer Luciano Berio.
Lexie Thrash joins Banderole as an understudy and sound technician. She created a role in Bell’s Goldwater. Thrash, with Kelsey Kramer, is co-founder of the dance and film company JACKS. She has collaborated with visual artist Eric Gottshall and dance artists Mary Falls Kennedy, Joanna Kotze, and Debbie Mausner. Thrash is pursuing an MS in Dance/Movement Therapy from Pratt Institute and is a graduate of James Madison University.
Blue Richardson trained at Boston Arts Academy and graduated from Hartt School at University of Hartford. He co-directed and was a performer in Art Fuse, a Boston community arts festival. Richardson joins Banderole as an understudy.
“Windings 1” and the “Forecourt Duet” from Banderole premiered August 26, 2020 at the Mount in Lenox, MA. “Windings 2” premiered September 25, 2020 at Starlight Square in Cambridge, MA. A version of Banderole was danced on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at University Park at MIT, also in Cambridge. Banderole premiered on Sunday, August 15, 2021 at the Mount, a National Historic Landmark and cultural center that celebrates the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton.
Thanks to Berkshire Pulse, Dance Complex, and the Mount
Special thanks to Noah Dreier, Molly Hamill, and Nick Holliday
Banderole is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC.