60 x 60 Dance: October 23

Part of the Vox Novus Festival, 60×60 Dance pairs 60 choreographies with 60 composers for 60 one-minute performances. The free one-hour dance extravaganza was presented twice on Friday October 23 at the Winter Garden Atrium at Brookfield Place in downtown Manhattan: at 12:30 and 8:00pm.

A review of 60 x 60 written for The Dance Enthusiast by Erin Bomboy:

One hour. It’s such a trivial amount of time that one can slip away unnoticed. It’s lunch with a friend or a spin class. It’s a well-deserved nap or an episode of your favorite television drama. In the concert dance world, it’s the de facto length for a single-bill piece.  60×60 upends this notion of devoting one hour to any one thing. It presents 60 one-minute dances set to 60 one-minute music pieces, all created by contemporary choreographers and composers. The brainchild of Rob Voisey, Executive Director of Vox Novus, 60×60 was born of a mad, creative desire to present as much new music and dance in as short a time as possible. It sounds crazy. It is a little crazy. But gung-ho choreographers and dancers show that a little crazy makes for a vivid and varied hour.

Solid dancing is always appreciated, and 60×60 shows plenty of it. Jonathan Alsberry and Derek Crescenti from Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company bound with joyous physicality – crisp kicks and whip-fast turns – through several different scores.

Above, the dancers in Gala, a virtuosic sprint. Below, in Pair, a tender exploration of dependence. All photos by the wonderful photographer Darial Sneed.

Read the full review HERE.

DGDC dancers Derek Crescenti and Jonathan Alsberry perform two excerpts from the recent premiere of Accelerate. They perform together in two duets at each show. Gala, an exuberant sprint, challenges the dancers’ virtuosity, and Pair reveals a tenderness built on unexpected partnering and lifts.

Says Derek:
“The creative process for the material we are performing as part of 60×60 was quite ‘accelerated’ at first. It is a treat to have another opportunity to dig deeper into the work, to clarify and strengthen its voice. Working alongside Jojo (Jonathan), I feel a great comradery, energetic match and a fulfilling sense of play while performing. Even if just for two minutes!”