La MaMa’s Radical Dance Festival Turns Twenty: A Communal Atmosphere and Diverse Programming Celebrate 50 Years of Movement Revolution at La MaMa
For its 20th anniversary season, La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival is taking over New York City’s East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue with an intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and unapologetically queer celebration of dance.
La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival is an annual celebration of contemporary dance in New York City.
Founded in 2005, the festival showcases innovative and experimental works by renowned choreographers from around the world.
The festival typically features a diverse range of performances, including solo pieces, ensemble works, and site-specific installations.
La MaMa Moves! also offers workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions to engage audiences with the art form.
In 2020, the festival featured over 100 performances, attracting more than 10,000 attendees.
A Communal Atmosphere and Diverse Programming
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club has become a haven for experimental contemporary dance, building on its history of avant-garde theater and performance art. The festival’s curators have leaned into what makes La MaMa so unique: its communal atmosphere, diverse programming, and works that break open perceptions of what dance and performance can be.
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is a legendary Off-Broadway theatre in New York City's East Village.
Founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, it has been a hub for avant-garde and experimental theatre for over six decades.
La MaMa features multiple performance spaces, including the iconic Ellen Stewart Theatre.
The club has hosted countless productions, including works by renowned playwrights such as 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett and 'Rhinoceros' by Eugène Ionesco.
With its commitment to innovation and artistic freedom, La MaMa continues to be a driving force in the world of experimental theatre.
A Legacy of Innovation and Inclusion
La MaMa was founded by Ellen Stewart, who supported playwrights and experimental theater throughout her career. However, as she continued to innovate, she realized that sometimes words got in the way of communication. This led her to bring more movement-based works and invite multidisciplinary artists like Nicky Paraiso to curate the first La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival in 2005.
Ellen Stewart was an American theater producer, director, and actress.
Born on April 21, 1919, in Chicago, Illinois, she is best known for founding the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City's East Village in 1961.
The club became a hub for avant-garde and experimental theater, attracting artists from around the world.
Stewart was also a pioneer for women's rights in the theater industry, advocating for equal opportunities and challenging traditional roles.
She received numerous awards for her contributions to the arts, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award.
Guest Curators Bring New Perspectives
For the festival’s 20th anniversary, Paraiso has remained the curator alongside guest curators Martita Abril, Blaze Ferrer, and Adham Hafez. This collaboration has resulted in a diverse and intergenerational dialogue, with each curator bringing their unique perspective to the table.
Unapologetically Queer and Interdisciplinary
The festival’s line-up is pushing boundaries, with works that are unapologetically queer and interdisciplinary. ‘I think a lot of the works are unapologetically queer,’ Ferrer said. ‘I think they’re interdisciplinary and in sort of a border space between dance and theater and performance art that I find really interesting.’
A Celebration of Community and Art
The festival features a wide range of shows, from John Jasperse’s world premiere of his 20th evening-length work, Tides, to Keith A. Thompson’s danceTactics performance group. The closing show, El Club MEG, is the perfect representation of the festival’s spirit and history.
Live Streaming and Community-Oriented
La MaMa will be streaming three performances live for those who can’t attend in person: the Hunter/NYU MFA showcase on April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and the shared program of Nic Gareiss & Alexis Chartrand with Megumi Eda on April 27 at 3:00 p.m.
Recommendations
Don’t miss:
-
Xin Ying’s ritualistic, interdisciplinary group work Paper Dragon: Five Elements Matrix
-
Jordan Demetrius Lloyd’s new solo work alongside a duet by veteran contemporary choreographers Pamela Pietro and Jesse Zaritt
-
Nic Gareiss and Alexis Chartrand’s joyful collaboration with the U.S. premiere of Berlin-based ballerina and filmmaker Megumi Eda’s moving solo Please Cry
- observer.com | La MaMa’s Radical Dance Festival Turns Twenty
