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Terry Adkins
The sculpture “Matinee,” from 2007-13, is an
affecting anchor in a succinct, decades-span-
ning show of works by this influential artist
and musician, who died in 2014, at the age
of sixty. A tribute to Bessie Smith, the piece
doubles as a performance prop—many of
Adkins’s hybrid constructions were worn,
played, or otherwise used in collaborative
events that he called “recitals.” A big drum,
its head printed with an enlarged image
of Smith’s eye, rests at the base of a cloth-
ing rack poignantly outfitted with empty
wooden hangers, each one etched with a
song title associated with the blues singer.
Found objects and materials with an evoca-
tive, worn character and mysterious prove-
nances—parachute silk, microphone stands,
milk crates, and a taxidermied peacock fea-
ture here—were key to Adkins’s deep and
imaginative engagement with Black history.
The implication of usefulness—be it ritual,
theatrical, or more quotidian—in these ob-
jects lends them an anarchic spark, which
balances their innate melancholy.—Johanna
Fateman (Paula Cooper; through May 28.)
“Faith Ringgold: American People”
Ringgold, now ninety-one years old, is
sorely overdue for canonical status after
American Ballet Theatre finally gets
its New York première of the ballet “Of
Love and Rage,” by the company’s cho-
reographer-in-residence, Alexei Rat-
mansky. The work, which débuted in
California days before the lockdown, is
a large-scale, evening-length spectacle,
inspired by a first-century adventure-
romance from the Greek author Chari-
ton of Aphrodisias. It opens during
A.B.T.’s summer season, at the Metro-
politan Opera House ( June 13-July 16),
which also features “Don Quixote” (with
a promising début by the young dynamo
Catherine Hurlin), “Swan Lake” (of
course), and a new work by the Califor-
nia-based Alonzo King.
At the Joyce, the Paul Taylor Dance
Company performs three intriguing
programs ( June 14-19) that combine
reconstructions of early Taylor experi-
ments not seen in years—among them
“Events II,” from 1957, and “Fibers,”
from 1961—with new pieces by con-
temporary dancemakers. Later, the
theatre hosts Dormeshia ( July 26-31),
a tap artist of enormous warmth and
finesse. The Joyce has also orches-
trated the return of the highly regarded
Pacific Northwest Ballet (at the David
H. Koch, June 22-26), its first visit in five
years. The run includes works by Ulysses
Dove, Crystal Pite, and Twyla Tharp.
For Summer for the City (May 14-Aug. 14), Lincoln Center transforms
into an outdoor playground devoted to
performance, relaxation, and audience
participation. The festival introduces a
giant dance floor, called the Oasis, on
Josie Robertson Plaza, which will host
classes and social dancing on warm
summer nights. The BAAND Together
Dance Festival (Aug. 9-13) returns, with
mixed bills of major New York com-
panies. At the Rose Theatre, Aug. 11-
13, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham performs a
danced version of Mozart’s Requiem,
through the lens of electronic music.
For those itching to get out into na-
ture, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, in
Becket, Mass., offers shows both indoors,
at its newly renovated Ted Shawn The-
atre, and out, on a stage with a sweeping
view of the Berkshires. Along with ap-
pearances by the Brazilian-inflected tap
troupe Music from the Sole ( July 20-24)
and Miami City Ballet (Aug. 24-28),
there is a program designed by the
New York City Ballet dancer Taylor
Stanley ( July 27-31). Stanley’s “Dichot-
omous Being” reveals his remarkable
shape-shifting qualities through solos
created by the former Batsheva dancer
Shamel Pitts and by the ballet maver-
ick William Forsythe; also included is
a quartet from Andrea Miller’s recent
piece “sky to hold.”
—Marina HarssDANCE
SUMMERPREVIEW
New Ballets, Paul Taylor, Tap Artistryamid some of its costumes, as the Four Parts
Quartet plays John Cage’s “String Quartet
in Four Parts.”—B.S. (Hudson Hall; May
14-June 5.)
Bijayini Satpathy
Satpathy, known for her explorations of the
classical Indian dance form Odissi, and also
for her vivid, fluid dancing, is a resident
artist at the Metropolitan Museum this
year. As part of that residency, she has been
considering her relationships to the art of
different eras and places. A new series of
solos takes its inspiration from works in
various corners of the museum’s collections;
each solo, performed at 2 and again at 3,
lasts about thirty minutes. (Attendance is
included with a museum ticket.) On May
14, Satpathy dances in the Islamic wing. On
May 15, her solo addresses the museum’s
modern and contemporary collections. And
on May 21 her dance takes place in the Astor
Court, a re-creation of a Ming-dynasty-era
garden.—M.H. (Metropolitan Museum of
Art; May 14-21.)
Ogemdi Ude
On the heels of presenting three solos at
Abrons Arts Center in March, this Nigerian
American choreographer joins forces with
two other dancers. Ude’s new piece, “I know
exactly what you mean,” part of Danspace
Project’s Platform 2022: The Dream of the
Audience (Part II), extends her investigation
into the processing of grief. This time, she
plays with storytelling and lies. The danc-
ers make funny faces and groove together to
the Atlanta trap music that they love.—B.S.
(Danspace Project; May 12-14.)