June 2017 is New York Music Month

Celebrating its 45th season, GARTH FAGAN DANCE has changed the landscape of movement with its innovative blend of modern dance, ballet and Afro-Caribbean dance. Fagan was born in Jamaica and educated in Detroit – he "fuses technical virtuosity with conceptual depth" (LA Times) by imbuing his work with the characters, issues, and cultural climate of his surroundings. Over half a century he has developed his own vocabulary, known as Fagan technique, which marries the sense of weight in modern dance, torso-centered movement and energy of Afro-Caribbean, the speed and precision of ballet, and the rule breaking experimentation of the postmoderns.

As the Tony and Olivier award-winning choreographer for Broadway's The Lion King, he brought this singular style into a new, blockbuster setting, and now he brings it right onto our doorstep in Prospect Park! The program will feature several pieces: "Prelude: Discipline is Freedom" (Garth Fagan), an excerpt from "So You See" (Norwood Pennewell), "No Evidence of Failure" (Norwood Pennewell), and "Geoffrey Holder Life Fete … Bacchanal" (Garth Fagan), performed by Natalie Rogers, Norwood Pennewell, and Steve Humphrey. Fagan has lived and worked in Rochester, NY, since 1970, during which time he has choreographed for Alvin Ailey, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Limon Dance Company, along with his own company's work. Join us for an evening of "power, grace, and high-octane ebullience." (Fjords Review)