Gibney Firm at The Joyce

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Lucinda Childs’ Three Dances (for prepared piano) John Cage embraces the rhythmic intensity of John Cage’s 1944-45 composition Three Dances, exploring the intricate interplay between music and movement. This breathtaking world premiere for eight dancers highlights Childs’ hallmark postmodern minimalist style and her profound commitment to structured repetition. Reflecting her enduring interest in transdisciplinarity and formalism, the work echoes her foundational days with the Judson Dance Theater, brought to life with striking precision.

In Echoes of Sole and Animal, Peter Chu incorporates qi gong and taiji principles, encouraging dancers to yield to the unseen and let inner sensations guide their motion. Drawing from traditional Chinese practices that nurture energy flow, balance, and breath, this piece explores the interplay of opposites—strength paired with softness, expansion alongside contraction, stillness woven into motion—embodying the yin-yang essence of harmony. Set against a richly immersive soundscape, Chu’s work and creative process deepens the dancers’ connection to their environment, creating a dynamic space where pulse and rhythm intertwine.

Roy Assaf’s A Couple debuts with the company, presenting a tender and powerful exploration of human bonds. Adapted from his larger work Figure No. 16, this duet serves as a poetic reflection on relationships—possibly romantic, possibly platonic, or perhaps transcending labels entirely. Accompanied by Johannes Brahms’ soulful piano compositions, brought to life by Glenn Gould, A Couple captures the evolving dynamics between two individuals, weaving a story that feels both intimately personal and broadly relatable.

“This season at The Joyce embodies what Gibney Company stands for—bringing together choreographers with distinct voices, movement languages, and artistic philosophies to shape a program that challenges, inspires, and moves us,” says Gina Gibney, Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO of Gibney. “Lucinda Childs, Peter Chu, and Roy Assaf each bring a unique lens to dance, offering profoundly different yet equally compelling perspectives on how movement can communicate, resonate, and evolve.”

“Gibney Company is built on the idea that dance is a conversation—between artists, disciplines, traditions, and generations,” adds Company Director, Gilbert T. Small II. “This program brings together choreographers whose work is shaped by their histories, their influences, and the questions they explore through movement. We are honored to collaborate with such extraordinary artists whose work expands the boundaries of contemporary dance.”