In 2008-2009, the company will premiere a new work, “Zydeco,” choreographed by Elisa Monte to a musical score by Jonno Frishberg that features a six-piece Zydeco band. Inspired by the style of folk music originating from African-American and Creole descendants of slaves and freed slaves in Southern Louisiana in the late 1800’s, this innovative new work will incorporate the syncopated sound and movements that are found in Zydeco, along with Monte’s authentic choreography. The project has been commissioned by the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana in Lafayette, Louisiana.
In addition to “Zydeco,” Elisa Monte Dance will offer on the same program a revival of “Feu Follet” from 1995. The New York Times called the work “an imaginative and loving look at the history and culture of the Cajun people.” From variations on jubilant community jigs to more elaborate character-driven dance that is fluid, flexible, and passionate, “Feu Follet” traces the 300-year history of the Acadian people. The odyssey follows the people from 17th century France through their migration to Nova Scotia and forced expulsion to the swamplands of southwestern Louisiana. “Feu Follet” has a commissioned score by the noted American composer, Richard Peaslee, and draws on literary sources, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic poem “Evangeline.”
When Elisa Monte Dance opened the 2006 dance season at the Joyce Theatre in New York City, John Rockwell of The New York Times commented: “She likes formalism and she likes humanistic expression. She evokes rigorous patterns yet leavens them with the theatrical emotionality of earlier modern dance. Above all she loves intricate leaps and lifts and knotty combinations of bodies. Add to that an octet of fine dancers, handsome lighting and a strong feeling for alluring new music, and you have the ingredients for a fine evening of dance. Impressive!”
Commemorating its 26th anniversary this season, the 8-dancer company is celebrating its rich history and intimate connection to many of the century’s greatest masters such as Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, and George Balanchine. The company’s work has been choreographed by Elisa Monte (formerly a principal dancer with Martha Graham Dance Company, Pilobolus and others) and David Brown, and is widely recognized for its emotional and sensual style, its technical and physical acuity.
Creative collaboration is a key element in the creation process and Ms. Monte has enjoyed partnerships with photographers, musicians, and authors. In addition to “Feu Follet” and “Zydeco,” these collaborations include “The World Upside Down” with sets by renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien and a score by Glenn Branca; and “Volkmann Suite" with company photographer, Roy Volkmann. In 2004, Elisa Monte was commissioned by Leonard Nimoy to create a new dance work, “Shekhina," based on his controversial book of photography of the same name.
Since the company’s inception, Elisa Monte has choreographed over 40 works, performed by her company as well as by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet Gulbenkian of Portugal, Teatro alla Scala Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theater, the Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, the PACT Contemporary Dance Company of South Africa, and Philadanco.
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