Contemporary Dance: Doug Varone and Dancers, Kyle Marshall Choreography, LaneCoArts

The 2024/25 season marks the Company's 39th year. On the concert stage, in opera, theater and on the screen, Varone's kinetically thrilling dances make essential connections and mine the complexity of the human spirit.

Varone, his dancers and designers have been honored with 11 Bessie Awards. The Company’s creative output is as varied as Varone’s interests. Recent projects include: everything is fine, a full evening movement play based on the poems of Billy Collins, with a new score by David Van Tieghem; The Scrapbook, a digital journal of 10 films created and directed by Varone, set to iconic songs from the 1940s-50’s, Somewhere, Varone’s acclaimed non-narrative version of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and To My Arms/Restore set to Handel baroque music remixed with club beats.

Doug Varone (Artistic Director) Award-winning choreographer and director Doug Varone works in dance, theater, opera, film, and fashion. His New York City-based Doug Varone and Dancers has been commissioned and presented to critical acclaim by leading international venues for over three decades.

Maybe
Choreography by Doug Varone (2024)
Music by Allan Flynn and Frank Madden, Maybe (recorded by Janis Joplin) 

Maybe is set to Janis Joplin’s rendition of the classic Maybe. Danced by Ryan Yamauchi and Courtney Barth, it is an intimate short story filled with nuance and storytelling. 

Rise
Choreography by Doug Varone (1993)
Music by John Adams, Fearful Symmetries
Dancers: Hollis Bartlett, Courtney Barth, Bradley Beakes, Joneice “JoJo” Boykins, Kanon Sugino, Kouryan Wiggins, Aya Wilson and Ryan Yamauchi

In Rise dancers take over the stage in swirls of controlled chaos, with composer John Adam’s Fearful Symmetries underlying each step. Varone’s “highly charged, physically exciting choreography” reinforces the complexity of the human spirit, deeming his inventive body of work “a rarity among his generation” (The New York Times).

Founded in 2014, Kyle Marshall Choreography (KMC) is a company that sees the dancing body as a container of history, an igniter of social reform, and a site of celebration. KMC believes in the creation, sharing, and teaching of dance as a way to deepen our knowledge of who we are as individuals, how we develop relationships, and ultimately societies. KMC has performed at venues throughout NYC including: The Joyce Theater, Chelsea Factory, BAM Next Wave Festival, Joe’s Pub, The Shed, Roulette, and Abrons Arts Center. National touring has included: Jacob’s Pillow, FringeArts (Philadelphia), and New World Center (Miami). Choreographic Commissions have included: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Baryshnikov Arts Center, “Dance on the Lawn” Montclair Dance Festival, NJPAC, and Harlem Stage. KMC has been in residence at Bethany Arts Community, Monira Foundation, 92Y, The Joyce Theater/280 Gibney Dance and American Dance Festival.

I & I

I & I (excerpt) is an exploration and affirmation of my Jamaican body. Set to music by The Congos, this excerpt dives into questions surrounding hyper-masculinity, queerness, and redemption. Making I & I  led me to discover my family’s migration story, learn about Caribbean dances, and uncover the history and global impact of this mighty Carribean island. 

I & I was instigated by a 2019 New Traditions Caribbean Explorations Fellowship from the Dance Carribean Collective. Additional support came from Bethany Arts Community and the Bernie Arts Center at Ramapo College. I am grateful to Caribbean dance scholar Dr. Adana K. Jones, and Jamaican mentors Charmine Warren and Kimani Frowlin for your insight, conversation, encouragement and wisdom.

Rise

Rise is inspired by the transcendence of pulse and aims to hold the joy that dancing brings to our lives. This dance celebrates life in our flesh, makes space for the spirit, and honors the power of witnessing.  

Rise was commissioned by The Shed with residency support at MANA Contemporary, Nimbus Arts Center, and a grant from the New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation.

In 2006 Lane Gifford founded LaneCoArts with a mission to explore the textured interplay that dance can have with diverse artistic mediums. Influences including her experiences abroad as a dancer, her interest in the graphic arts, and her work in film production all contributed to her multidisciplinary approach. Elements including audio, visual, or dramatic parts can be woven into the fabric of Lane’s movement conversations or examined as catalysts to ideas. With design at the core of her practice, she prioritizes collaboration with her dancers who play a vital role in the company’s creative process. “The choreography - innovative and striking, the dancers - both technically solid as a rock and sinewy….” (Dance Informa).

Performances include Jacob’s Pillow/Beckett, MA, NY International Fringe Festival/NYC,

McCallum Theater/CA, Dance Place/Washington D.C., Spring to Dance Festival/St. Louis, MO, Cove St. Arts/Portland, ME, and Boston Center for the Arts. Commissions include McKnight Artist Fellowship/St. Paul, MN, University of Kansas, Southern Utah University, and Joffrey Ballet School/NYC.

Pas De Deux
Artistic Director and Music Compilation: Lane Gifford
Dancers: Emily Aslin, Jonathan Colafrancesco, Mizuho Kappa, Robert Rubama, & Annie White.
Music: Trevor Gureckis with additional works by Jim Jarmusch, Bert Kaempfert and Milt Gabler (sung by Nat “King” Cole), Franz Kirmann, and Jacques Brel (sung by Regina Spektor).
Costumes: Lane Gifford. 

Pas De Deux is a work in three parts that explores the idea of the duet as a springboard to a wider visual interpretation of relationships, their meanings, variations, and the dynamic energy that grows, splinters, and entwines when people connect and communicate.  The ebb and flow of movement conversations is at the core of Pas De Deux.

Bryant Park lends out hundreds of free blankets on a first-come, first-served basis, or bring your own cotton or fleece blanket. To protect the lawn, please do not sit on waterproof materials such as plastic tarps, yoga mats, or inflatable chairs. 

Take a seat in one of the pre-set chairs on the lawn or grab a chair from the gravel. You can use a chair anywhere in the park except for the center lawn "blanket zone". 

Bring your own picnic or purchase food and drinks from tents on the east side of the lawn. Attendees can enjoy cuisine from the five boroughs with a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors curated by Hester Street Fair.

Stout NYC also offers giant pretzels, gourmet popcorn and other light bites as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.

Visit the Bryant Park Shop tent for exclusive Picnic Performances merchandise and more!

Find a parachute, hula hoops, and more fun on the east side of the lawn at select events. 

Dogs are welcome on the gravel and bluestone, but not on the lawn.

Performances are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors. In some cases, the lawn may be too wet to open but the performance may continue. Follow @bryantparknyc on Twitter and Instagram for day-of event updates. You can also check the lawn status on the bryantpark.org homepage.