Lar Lubovitch Dance Company

The Lar Lubovitch company will perform a memorable program of new and retrospective work that underscores Lubovitch’s passionate musicality and deep humanity. Imbued with poetic and musical eloquence, this program features his masterpiece North Star, set to the mesmerizing music of Philip Glass.

“Some dance troupes are dance-theater ensembles. Others are just dance dance dance. Lar Lubovitch Dance Company falls forthrightly in the latter category. It offers no stories, no plots. Instead, it’s light and limber, with its focus entirely on how music and movement can interpenetrate to produce pure footloose delight” (Seattle Times). More information

18 Replies to “Lar Lubovitch Dance Company”

  1. It was beautiful. They are a superb dance troupe. My only problem was that the music was just TOO LOUD. Why??

  2. Love everything, but if pressed, I guess Dance Trance was my absolute favorite. This was better than any of the wonderful dance I’ve seen in recent memory (and I went to Jacob’s Pillow last summer too!)

  3. The first piece was my favorite. My jaw was dropped from the opening moment until the end. It was perfection of movement and emotion.

  4. OK, I’m prejudiced: Lubovitch has been my favorite choreographer for over 25 years now, and after Tuesday, he stays on top. So lyrical, so powerful, so musical. The duet from “Meadow” showed what a master he is at partnering; think of the strength, control and trust it took (though it put me in mind of his legendary “Bolero” duet, which I’d give a lot to see again). And how much fun was “Favorite Things,” with its nods to Robbins and cool ’50s jazz dance? You could tell that the dancers were having a ball. One surprise: The male dancers seemed more flexible and limber than the women, which is not usually the case.

  5. The corps of young dancers performed admirably. The music for /Coltrane’s Favorite Things/ was simply too loud, and I didn’t understand the set. Some would probably have found /North Star/ and /Marimba/ repetitive and boring, but if you got swept up in the rhythm and movements, they became mesmerizing instead. I loved /Duet from Meadow/ — it was definitely my favorite of the four pieces.

  6. They were wonderful..the fluid movement…the work as a group..I loved each piece…the simplicity of their costumes..it was all about the dance..

  7. Very glad to have finally caught the Lar Lubovitch Dance Co. The best of the four dance pieces, IMO, was the Duet from Meadow -excellent choreography and beautiful interaction between the dancers.

    Thanks for bringing more dance to UMass Fine Arts Center!

  8. One of the greatest performances since Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal .
    The only thing that struck a wrong note?
    The costumes were too flashy.
    A Joke!

  9. Each dance was a separate very rich experience, but all of them were like color moving across the canvas; the moment two colors interacted, a spiral of activity spatially affected all the other colors. The dancers are entir307.funtionely skilled and fluid. I was entranced at every moment. I wondered if the choreography inspired the choice of music, or if it was the other way around.

  10. I see that I’m going to be in the minority, but here goes…….. I rarely leave before the end of any performance — check with my husband —- but I was generally so bored and unmoved that we left at the last intermission. The choreography of the first number might have been fresh in 1978, but to me it seemed like contract, release, leap, fling arms into air over and over in varying size and configurations of groups. The duet was, of course, a virtuoso performance, but so “cool” that it did not reach me. I looked forward to the new Coltrane piece, but it seemed like a speeded-up version of the much more lyrical first number….contract, release, fling, leap. The male soloist was the high point of the night and made me wonder whether a company of better dancers might have enlivened the choreography throughout the evening.

    Cedar Lake was so fantastic and reached the audience so fully, and even Tyler Tyler, which was less audience-friendly was still mesmerizing. This third performance to me was a disappointment. On to the next —–

  11. Some of the pieces were a bit repetitive, and sometimes the music was too loud and sometimes rather dissonant, or repetitive; however, the dancers were superb, and Lubovitch’s choreography was fascinating….On the whole, my husband and I enjoyed the performance, and we couldn’t keep our eyes off the dancers and most of the pieces.

  12. I loved the first piece and was amazed at how the choreography resembled waves again and again but in different formations from one moment to the next.

    As the evening progressed, I became disappointed at the lack of variety in the movements. So many of the movements in each dance seemed to resemble the movements in prior dances, and even the costumes weren’t varied much. Even the music began to feel overly repetitive as well. I still enjoyed the performance for the most part, but I was not as impressed as I was with Cedar Lake where there was a much richer vocabulary of movement from piece to piece.

  13. I particularly liked the first piece. It was exciting from the first step to the end, with its various “movements”. The solo part struck me as a piece of fascinating choreography demanding for the (excellent) dancer. Another, in my eyes noteworthy aspect are the many great male dancers which are introduced in most various constellations, in groups and alone but also as couples, with both smooth and energetic movements. I’d love to see also earlier pieces from the 1960s.

  14. Overall I enjoyed the performance. As it turned out, I enjoyed the dances in decreasing enjoyment per the order of the program. The first piece seemed to almost immerse us immediately in waves of liquid movement. The duet, though it risked being somewhat stylized, worked well enough with its emphasis on control and balance and brevity. The mix of jazz and broadway movement in the 3rd piece was fine though I know some people didn’t care for the broadway choreography. The music of the 4th dance put me to sleep (“Trance Dance” is aptly named)…maybe that’s just me. Maybe they should have done it first.

  15. Been thinking a long time about why I id not enjoy this evening that promised a special dance experience. Although I was at first moved by the fluidity of the choreography in the first piece, it didn’t go anywhere! Maybe avant garde 30 years ago, but monotonous today. It needed seasoning!
    Glad to see the couple, who showed dance virtuosity, since it was difficult to tell whether the rest of the performers were disciplined dancers or people with varied dance training encouraged to fling their arms around and express themselves.
    I like to experience joy, sorrow, sympathy, amazement, amusement– something. It was not there for me. The work was dated and dull. BUT I WILL KEEP BUYING TICKETS FOR DANCE.

  16. Having studied with Lar over 30 years ago, I was excited to see him and the company once more. Lar has been one of the most versatile choreographers of his generation. The revival of classics North Star and Marimba was a wonderful choice, especially for me. I could recall the movements and viscerally re-experience these pieces (parts of which I had learned) along with the dancers. The music, essence, and flow of the dance did recall an era, but also created a mesmerizing mood for a contemporary audience. The duet was beautifully danced- sweet. However, while the Coltrane piece, ‘My Favorite Things’ was fascinating for it’s reference to the historical development of American theatrical jazz dance – smooth lyrical jazz, with amusing movement ‘quotations’ from legendary choreographers and teachers like Jack Cole and Luigi, it did not capture the raw and energetic essence of Coltrane’s musicians. Lar said this piece was tightly constructed musically, and he wished to capture and convey the structure as well as the beat era spirit, yet it would have been wonderful, and perhaps had more impact, to have the dancers break loose either in improvisational sections or within the choreography with more of an earthy Afro-American and vernacular jazz vocabulary and ‘attitude’. The piece, except for one duet, came aross as cute and tame, rather than ‘hot’ and kick-ass powerful and complex like Coltrane. Having seen other works of Lar, I know he can capture and convey power and energy. Lar said he chose these pieces for continuity, and some of the audience enjoyed the consistency and were carried along with the flow from start to finish. Yet Lar’s range of repertoire includes many dramatic and varied pieces. I wished he had included some for a change of perspective and style. I think the FAC audience would welcome this company back with a more varied program of works; different stylistic focus, dramatic themes, costuming, and energy. All in all, thank you FAC for reaching out to bring us great dance, and please continue to do so!

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