“There Might Be Others” Commissioned by New York Live Arts

 “Intrepid choreographer Rebecca Lazier has a penchant for musical interpretation and the infinite aesthetic and physical languages in its breadth, making her among the very best of her generation. And as the book attests, possessing of a vision that will bear influence on generations to come.”  —Tommy Kriesgsmann, New York Live Arts Director of Programs

I am thrilled to announce that we have been commissioned by New York Live Arts to premiere There Might Be Others March 16–19, 2016!  Directed and conceived by me, the work is a collaborative dance and music performance inspired by composer Terry Riley’s seminal work In C and will feature an international cast of 15 dancers and 12 percussionists performing a score by Dan Trueman created in collaboration with the acclaimed ensembles Sō Percussion and Mobius Percussion.

There Might Be Others examines the role of presence, performer agency, and collective decision-making to create emergent composition. It builds on traditions of open work in dance and music, in which performers compose in real time with predetermined content. Riley’s In C, with its interlocking modules of music, indeterminacy, and ability to house diverse musical genres, catalyzed Lazier and Trueman’s collaboration.

I am thrilled to be working with longtime collaborator Mary Jo Mecca for costume design and with award-winning Davison Scandrett for lighting design. Dramaturgy is by Naomi Leonard, a professor of aerospace engineering, who provided models for collective motion and evolutionary dynamics to provide additional real-time compositional tools.

Deep thanks to Creative Producer Meredith Boggia for building the scaffolding.