Divine Mythologies

Kanopy Dance Opens
Divine Mythologies:
Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes” + Other Luminous Voices
A groundbreaking collaboration between Kanopy Dance & NYC’s Sokolow Theatre/ Dance Ensemble featuring a Fusion Performance of Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes”.
Two Exciting Modern Dance Companies Performing Together in Two Cities

The collaboration marks the first time ever that two companies jointly perform Anna Sokolow’s (Sokolow) epic masterpiece “Odes”, a 20-minute-long choreography in three sections that debuted in 1965. A luminous vision of humanity inspired by the turbulent world of Greek mythology, Sokolow’s “Odes” is set to the music of Edgard Varèse, a progressive French/American composer and acclaimed pioneer of electronic music.  

Sokolow (February 9, 1910 – March 29, 2000) was an international cultural icon, daughter of immigrants, and social activist whose powerful theatrical choreography profoundly shaped the course of modern dance. Her transformative work remains a vital force--a powerful choreographic voice that has never been silenced. 
 “Odes” demands intense physical concentration and dramatic depth, with choreography that posesmultiple challenges in timing, dynamics, balance, 
and projection through space. It is a singular artistic challenge that will require the 20 dancers (cast from the two companies) to work in harmony as one---yet sensitively maintain their individuality.

The program also features Kanopy co- artistic director’s Lisa Thurrell’s (Thurrell) Ekstasi, a celestial journey inspired St. Peter’s Basilica, the cathedral of art in the Vatican City, that chronicles the ecstasy and the agony of pursuing a divine path or transcendence. Staged against a tableau of Renaissance Baroque masterpieces, including those of Bernini, Giotto and Michelangelo, Thurrell’s choreography artfully lifts the dancers—costumed in ethereal in flowing silks- in their spiritual ascent with a stunning series of ensemble pieces, a solo and duets.
And Kanopy’s co-artistic director, Robert E. Cleary, presents Transformations, a tumultuous and poignant solo, examining the search for individual growth and mindfulness.
Divine Mythologies: Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes” + Other Luminous Voices