Alison Cook Beatty Dance Announces Creative Partnership with Award-Winning Violinist, Shem Guibbory

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alison Cook Beatty Dance, an emerging modern dance company based in New York City, is pleased to announce an artistic collaboration between company Founder and Artistic Director, Alison Cook-Beatty, and world-renowned violinist, Shem Guibbory, funded by a commission from Charles and Deborah Adelman. The two artistic forces will combine to create a new work based on music composed by Dmitri Shostakovich and Lera Auerbach that will premiere at the upcoming New York City performance season to be held November 2nd through November 10th at the Salvatore Capezio Theater at the Peridance Dance Center. The modern dance work will feature five company members dancing to Preludes from Shostakovich's 24 Preludes for Piano, Op. 34 (1933) and Auerbach's 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano, Op. 46 (1999).

"We aspire to reveal the inner stories we hear in the Shostakovich and Auerbach music," explained Alison Cook-Beatty.  "We will depict people very much like ourselves, overcoming their fears, being willing to love and hope, transcending and defeating the tyranny of the totalitarian regimes who seek to control their lives."

Mr. Guibbory will work with Ms. Cook-Beatty and her dancers to facilitate their dynamic rapport with the themes and emotions in the music. He and pianist Susan Sobolewski will also record the Auerbach/Shostakovich music used for these performances. Rehearsals for the new work start on October 19th and are open to members of the media upon request. The new work will be performed on Sunday, November 3rd at 5 p.m. and Saturday, November 9th at 8 p.m.

"Alison wants to put her deep spirit in this choreography, and it is exciting for me to be working with her. We are exploring a number of ways to bring out what many believe to be 'secret messages' Shostakovich embedded in some of his pieces.  Ms. Auerbach—a composer and visual artist living in Brooklyn—has picked up where Shostakovich left off and created some incredibly imaginative music!" explained Mr. Guibbory.  He continued, "I hope that my involvement will help focus attention on Alison and the 11 other guest artists' imaginative work that will be on display during their run."

Mr. Guibbory, an award-winning soloist, chamber musician, and creative artist, is the Founder and Artistic Director of Innovative Music Programs. Since 2002 he has developed imaginative musical programs with performers, composers, and visual artists.  Mr. Guibbory is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Alison Cook Beatty Dance was founded in 2012 by Artistic Director Alison Cook-Beatty with the goal of making dance accessible to diverse audiences. Ms. Cook-Beatty has danced with the Paul Taylor 2 Dance Company, and had her choreography commissioned by Ballet Next, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Infinity Dance, Carolina Ballet Theater, and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Entitled, Artist in Motion, the upcoming Fall performance season will feature Alison Cook Beatty Dance and 11 guest artists. For more info and tickets: https://www.alisoncookbeattydance.org/event/7th-new-york-city-fall-season/

Media Contact:

Jonathan Bowman
(917) 409-7773
[email protected] 

SOURCE Alison Cook Beatty Dance