On the run with Parsons Dance

Parsons Dance rehearsing Run to you

(photo: Paula Lobo)

What better match for the exuberant, jazz-infused dance of David Parsons than the gutsy, jazz-saturated rock tunes of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker?

And so, as it launches its Joyce Theater season next week, Parsons Dance will rock out to the music of Steely Dan. Run to you opens with a romantic stroll for two that expands into a buoyant romp ("Aja"), a contentious, despairing walk on the wild side ("The Royal Scam"), a dynamic batch of saucy boy-girl duets ("The Fez") and a big, sweeping finish ("Reelin' In The Years"). Watching the company run through the piece, I found "Royal Scam" too controlled and pictorial to be convincing, but the more upbeat sections have an easygoing musicality, polish and charm. The Joyce crowd is bound to come hungry and leave happy. 

Parsons is blessed with a radiant crew that includes Eric Bourne, Sarah Braverman, Elena D'Amario, Abby Silva Gavezzoli, Christina Ilisije, Jason MacDonald, Miguel Quinones, Ian Spring, Melissa Ullom and Steven Vaughn.

The season (January 26-February 6) will feature three programs of Parsons repertory and includes two other world premieres--Portinari, inspired by the Brazilian artist/activist Candido Portinari, and Love, oh Love, a commission by acclaimed choreographer Monica Bill Barnes, set to music by Kenny Rogers, Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross.

For complete programming, scheduling and ticketing details, click here.

The Joyce Theater

175 8th Avenue (between 18th and 19th Streets), Manhattan

(directions)