Bard SummerScape
SENS | Noémie Lafrance RAPTURE
September 25 – October 5, 2008
Click here to purchase performance and bus tickets!
Noémie Lafrance, choreographer
Dancers
Gary Lai
Kevin O’Connor
Corey Harrower
Chelsea O’Brian
Heather Hammond
Jeffrey Lyon
Janek Schaefer, composer
Thomas Dunn, lighting designer
Celebrating the architecture of Frank Gehry, Rapture is a contemporary aerial work featuring dancers suspended in mid-air, utilizing a lateral custom rigging system. Commissioned by the Fisher Center, Rapture invites the audience to the foot of the building to view a dance performance staged on the outside of the fluid structure. In this, her most ambitious production to date, Lafrance is visually and conceptually challenging the scale of the human body against the scale of the architecture and staging dance on the vertical plane.
Rapture will be preceded by Ms. Lafrance’s work Manor Field, exploring topography and time, set in the adjacent field at sunset. Manor Field will be performed by Bard College dance students and accompanied by live piano. Both Rapture and Manor Field were work-shopped as part of Dance Across Borders, an international dance symposium hosted by the Fisher Center in June 2007.
“The idea for Rapture is inspired by Gehry’s bold architectural style, made of irregular shapes and curves: his buildings express the essence of movement, constantly challenging your perceptions depending on your vantage point, says choreographer Noémie Lafrance. “Gehry’s iconic building will be brought to life with Rapture, a performance that will animate their innate quality of motion.” Lafrance has selected eight Gehry-designed buildings on which she aspires to adapt Rapture: Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, the Weisman ArtMuseum in Minneapolis, the Experience Music Project in Seattle, DZ Bank in Germany, and the AGO
in Toronto.”
For more information about the production, please go to www.sensproduction.org
FISHER CENTER LAWN
September 25 (preview), 26 (opening), 27, 28 at 7 pm
October 2, 3, 4, 5 at 7 pm
Tickets: $25
SPECIAL GROUP DISCOUNT!
*10 tickets for $100*
A Group of 10 Tickets may be purchased for $100 by contacting Elena Batt, Fisher Center Box Office Manager, at (845) 758-7948. Additional single tickets may be purchased for a 20% discount.
To fully experience Rapture, the audience is invited to travel around the building and view the performance from different vantage points.
Rapture is an outdoor performance; please dress warmly.
Please, no pets or folding chairs
For additional information about RAPTURE including running times, weather updates, parking and attire, click on
this link to download the Event information Sheet in PDF form
+ Sens Production has organized round-trip transportation by coach from 14th Street & 3rd Avenue (NY) to the Fisher Center for all performances. Round-trip fare is $45 per person. Pre-paid reservation is recommended, you may also purchase a ticket at the pick-up point, with cash, on a first-come, first served basis. For information, please call the Box Office at 845-758-7900. Tickets may be ordered online.
The world premiere of Rapture is made possible through the generous support of Lead Corporate
Sponsor, Tiffany & Co. This partnership is a direct result of the renowned jeweler’s own collaborative
efforts with Mr. Gehry, who designs a signature collection of jewelry and table top for the company. “We
are excited to be a part of this project, which brings Mr. Gehry’s designs to life in a unique way,” said
Caroline Naggiar, chief marketing officer, Tiffany & Co. “Tiffany has a long tradition of supporting the arts.
Ms Lafrance’s dance provides another facet through which to view Mr. Gehry’s work.”
Photo by Douglas Baz<span