Baruch Performing Arts Center presents the New York premiere of Abdul Latif's EYESPOT from March 26-28, 2020 at 7:30pm at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (25th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues), NYC. Tickets are $11-$26 and can be purchased online at http://bit.ly/ALatifEyespot.

 

Choreographer Abdul Latif premieres EYESPOT, an evening of original work set to classical Brahms compositions overlaid by live vocal rhythms. Latif's hybrid choreography embodies a ferocious intricacy and fearless physicality, tracing a movement etymology that connects multi-armed Hindu god modality and theorizations on da Vinci's Vitruvian Man with intersections between classical ballet port de bras and house vogueing. In EYESPOT, Latif remixes Brahms' Three songs for 6 part Choir, Op. 42 with vocal rhythm percussion compositions, performed live by Latif himself, and accompanied by bassist Ron Wasserman (New York City Ballet Orchestra member and New York Jazz Philharmonic Orchestra founder).

 

This season, which marks the premiere of Mr. Latif's artist collective, harnesses the talents of collaborators including dancers Georgina Pazcoguin (NYCB) and Calvin Royal III (ABT), plus visual artist Chellis Baird, lighting designer Jimmy Lawlor, scenic designer D'Vaughn Agu, sound designer Avi Amo and costume designer, Hollie Nadel. Running time: approximately 2 hours.

 

Initiated in 2013 and underway with its next stage of producing, Abdul Latif - D2D/T is a New York based urban-contemporary dance entity dedicated to the creation of original works by Abdul Latif and nurturing the careers of young artists, while stimulating the imagination of diverse audiences through collaborative partnerships. 

 

Latif's breakout work was a commission as part of the 2015 Joffrey Ballet/Winning Works Concerts. An inaugural Lincoln Center Education Artist-in-Residence at Lincoln Center Institute, Latif has also been awarded the Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship. Following his Lincoln Center Institute residency, Latif received the Chicago Winning Works Prize and the National Capezio ACE Finalist Award. Latif premiered his 2015 commission, A Year From Now Ago, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, in concert with his full-length work, 20/20. In 2017, MATCH[ed]-Latif's first choreography and visual arts installation, supported by Gallery 151, Wallplay and Alfa Development and premiering at the Fire Island Dance Festival with Glenn Allen and Línda Celeste Sims (Alvin Ailey). In 2018, commissioned for The Joyce Theater Ballet Festival, Latif created Alas~ for the Ashley Bouder Project, performed by dancers of New York City Ballet. Latif is currently a Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU 2019 - 2020 Fellow.

 

This program is supported by the CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), a program that opens the doors of CUNY campuses to professional choreographers and dance companies. CDI receives major support from the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Jerome Robbins Foundation, the SHS Foundation, the Harkness Foundation for Dance, and Dance NYC's New York City Dance Space Subsidy Program, made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. CDI is spearheaded and administered by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College.  www.cuny.edu/danceinitiative

 

Baruch Performing Arts Center is an acclaimed performing arts presence. Located in the heart of Manhattan just east of Chelsea and the famed flatiron building, BPAC presents renowned classical music, opera, jazz, theater, dance, discussion, film, and innovative cross-genre programming. BPAC has presented over 1,000 cultural programs in its 5 spaces since 2003. Its curated season of 30 programs annually emphasizes new work experienced in intimate settings, the diversity of American culture as exemplified by Baruch students (who come from 130 different countries) and work that lives at the confluence of art and social justice. 

 

Past presentations have included theatre companies such as the National Asian American Theatre Company, Folksbiene, Blessed Unrest, and The Acting Company. Dance companies such as Caleb Teicher & Co, Dusan Tynek, Heidi Latsky Dance, José Limón, and Urban Bush Women. BPAC is the New York home of the Alexander String Quartet and presents a rich chamber music season including artists such as the Israeli Chamber Project, Cantata Profana, violinist Tessa Lark, cellist Joshua Roman, and pianist Sara Davis Buechner. BPAC offers a jazz series named for bassist and faculty member Milt Hinton, which has featured artists such as Grammy-Award winner Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and the Aaron Diehl Trio. Discussion program have included writers Teju Cole, Colum McCann and Amitav Ghosh, actress Linda Lavin, and thought leaders such as Gloria Steinem and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Visit www.baruch.cuny.edu/bpac for complete and up-to-date information on the 2019-2020 Season.