Jessica Lang Dance, a New York-based dance company that has performed at top venues around the country including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., takes center stage at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on May 23.
The company was founded in 2011 by Lang, a former member of Twyla Tharp’s company THARP! and award-winning choreographer who has created more than 95 works on companies worldwide since 1999.
Five works choreographed by Lang are on the program including “The Calling,” a solo piece from 2006 that has become one of the company’s signature works.
“I feel extremely privileged and honored to perform it,” says dancer Julie Fiorenza. “What’s interesting about this dance is that it was originally choreographed for Jessica Lang’s husband but can be danced by either men or women.”
Lang’s piece “Her Road” will enjoy its fourth performance since its creation earlier this year in a studio in Wickenburg, Arizona.
“This dance was inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe and the centennial of her first solo show in New York,” Fiorenza explains. “We’re really excited to be bringing it to Santa Fe. The dance focuses on femininity, with an emphasis on gentleness and strength.”
Also on the program are Thousand Yard Stare (2016), which is dedicated to those who have served in the armed forces, White (2011), a dance created on film, and i.n.k. (2011), which is performed against a video backdrop of ink drips and plops.
Known for integrating a variety of movement genres into her work, Lang’s style isn’t easy to label. “Dancers wear four or five masks in one evening because each piece is unique,” Fiorenza adds. “Lang finds inspiration from a variety of sources. She’s just very creative in everyday life.”
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