TIO NYC: Black Is Beautiful, Recently on Stage & More!

25 Nov TIO NYC: Black Is Beautiful, Recently on Stage & More!

This is New York, where black has always been and remains a thing, on and off the rack. And in this iteration, breathtakingly beautiful on stage. Don’t miss Complexions at The Joyce or “Edges of Ailey” at the Whitney. Sorry to say two other happenings worth mentioning are either over or ending, but were so good a nod feels necessary. And one, a great cabaret act, might just return to town.

Complexions at The Joyce, through 12/1:

When Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson founded Complexions 30 years (in 1994) their goal was, to put it gently, ambitious: to reinvent dance through a combination of styles, methods, and cultures and, by removing boundaries; reframe the world of movement and its variegated cultures as one interrelated whole. And please remember that was at a time when idea of having dancers of different genres, backgrounds, and body types perform together was revolutionary.

Embracing rock, pop and classical music as the backdrop to his choreography, Rhoden became known for musicality, innovation, and a clear ability to tell a story, with a focus – or better, a mandate – to lean into the individuality of each artist rather than flattening each one into sameness.

“Our message all along has always been about unity, bringing seemingly different things together and watching them fly,” Rhoden once told Dance Magazine.

And fly Complexions did at the performance we witnessed at The Joyce on November 20, each dance showcasing what have to be some of the most talented artist-athletes in the world. The ensemble delivered jaw-dropping, soul-stirring, virtuosic performances that electrified the audience, ourselves included.

The company, which celebrates 30 years at The Joyce this month, continues to forge “a path for what ballet can be instead of what it has historically been.” (The Guardian).

GO!

“Edges of Ailey” at The Whitney through February 9, 2025:

For the record, both Rhoden and Richardson are Ailey alums.

“Edges of Ailey” opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art on September 25. The art and associated performance is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey (b. 1931, Rogers, Texas; d. 1989, New York, New York).

The happening brings together live performance, visual art, music, archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation drawn from recordings of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) repertory to explore the full range of Ailey’s personal and creative life.

And it is one humdinger of a tribute.

The Museum’s 18,000 square-foot 5th floor galleries feature works by more than 80 artists, plus revelatory historical material, including performance footage, recorded interviews, notebooks, letters, poems, short stories, choreographic notes, drawings, performance programs and posters.

A dynamic montage of Ailey’s life and dances plays on loop across an 18-channel video installation. And over 80 artists conspire to celebrate Ailey’s life and work, among them: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Alma Thomas, Jacob Lawrence, Rashid Johnson, Kevin Beasley, Kara Walker, Sam Gilliam and Mickalene Taylor.

What’s more Ailey –  or at least its two repertory companies, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ailey II – are  in residence  one week each month, for a total of five weeks and over 90 bravura performances. Other major artists perform in the space when Ailey is not present.

Ailey once said, “I wanted to paint… I wanted to sculpt. I wrote poetry. I wanted to write the great American novel.” For him, dance was clearly all about all those things.

“Edges of Ailey” is, well, edgy, like the man who created the now-legendary company back in 1958.

Go here for a review of the show on the 5th floor from The New York Times. (Does not include the performances bit.)

Carolyn Montgomery Tribute to Rosemary Clooney at 54 Below:

Carolyn Montgomery, courtesy Broadway World.

Rosemary Clooney, she  of the warm, velvety voice, was renowned as versatile pop singer who rocketed to fame in the early 1950s with the novelty tune “Come On-a My House.” She overcame prescription-pill addiction and a nervous breakdown in the late ‘60s and began a comeback in the late ‘70s. Her return boosted her stature as one of the finest pop singers in show business.

A reviewer in the New York Times once wrote of Clooney. (The lady was as) “mellow as mature wine … she brings a naturalness, solidity and unpretentious personal honesty to whatever she sings.”

Same goes for Carolyn Montgomery, who pays tribute to Cooney in her one-woman show.

Per Yacooba:

Back by popular demand, Carolyn Montgomery returns to 54 Below, showcasing the remarkable artistry of one of America’s most beloved vocalists.

Accompanied by a world-class band that includes members from Clooney’s own ensemble, Montgomery captivates audiences with her powerhouse vocals as she performs iconic hits like Hey There, Come On-A My House, and Tenderly, blending laughter, tears, and the joy of music into a spellbinding experience.

Renowned for her storytelling ability and recognized with multiple awards, Montgomery transforms each song into a heartfelt journey, inviting everyone to sing along and dance in their seats during this unforgettable tribute.

The operative word in the above is “back.”

Montgomery first honored the life and work of Rosemary Clooney in “girlSINGER: A Celebration of Rosemary Clooney” in January 2024 at Birdland in New York City.

“Carolyn Montgomery, multi-award winning star of the concert stage returns to 54 Below on Wednesday May 22nd at 7 pm in girlSINGER, a celebration of Rosemary Clooney. With a world-class band featuring members of Clooney’s own musical ensemble, and Montgomery’s critically acclaimed powerhouse vocals belting out hits like ‘Hey There,’ ‘Come On-A My House,’ and ‘Tenderly,’ audiences sing along, laugh, weep, and dance in their seats. Montgomery’s talent for storytelling elevates the music into a spellbinding, one-woman tour-de-force,” raved Broadway World.

For background about the show, go here to read Broadway World’s interview with the provocative, powerhouse performer.

Giorgio Morandi, Time Suspended, Part II, at Galleria Matta De Luca, through 11/26:

Giorgio Morandi (July 20, 1890 – June 18, 1964) was an Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still lifes. His work is renowned for its tonal subtlety in depicting everyday objects, mainly vases, bottles, bowls, flowers, and landscapes.

And the man, a relative hermit who lived in Bologna, Italy, marched to his own drum. Yes, he flirted with Cubism for a short while, but otherwise avoided the “isms” du jour over the decades.

With a sparse selection of household objects and familiar landscapes, Morandi painted in muted tones and warm light, bridging the grand legacy of Italian art and 20th-century modernism. His tightly unified body of work appears to be all about painterly beauty and simplicity.

From the gallery:

…Born in Bologna in 1890, Morandi lived a quiet life, rarely traveling outside of Italy and preferring the solitude of his home and studio. A towering figure of 20th century art, Morandi lived through two world wars and there is no question that the weight of conflict and disorder impacted his life and work. His search for mental order and harmony of form is clearly reflected in his instantly recognizable still life arrangements where he transforms doubt and chaos into a period of waiting – suspending time and judgement to avoid the realities of the era.

While Morandi largely remained in Italy, his work was exhibited internationally and widely admired both during and after his lifetime. His legacy is preserved in institutional collections around the world – from The White House and the Museum of Modern Art, New York to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. His aesthetic has permeated all aspects of the cultural realm, with paintings appearing in celebrated films including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and artists including John Baldessari, Frank Gehry, Vija Celmins, Edmund de Waal, Wayne Thiebaud, Zeng Fanzhi and Robert Irwin, among others, citing his inspiration.

His influence can be seen in the distinguished and varied ownership histories of many of the works in this exhibition – from works previously owned by Robert Rauschenberg, the legendary Italian director Vittorio De Sica, and noted dealer Curt Valentin, and a painting that was shown at the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1957 when Morandi beat out Jackson Pollock and Marc Chagall for the grand prize for painting by a jury led by MoMA Director of Alfred Barr, to a work that has been cherished in the same family since it was acquired directly from the artist in 1947.

Giorgio Morandi – Time Suspended II aims to enhance the figure of Morandi as a man and artist firmly anchored to the 20th century: a man who lived through two world wars and felt the weight of disillusionment, the loss of references, the defeat of all beliefs. To stem the drift of the human, the painter seeks a mental order, a harmony of form, a matter that becomes light, without however erasing the thrill of doubt that is found in each of his images, transformed into waiting and suspension.