The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company will present the world premiere of Jones’ “Story/Time” at Peak Performances at Montclair State University, January 21-22 & 26-29. “Story/Time” marks Jones’ third commission from Peak.
Two years in the making, the 70-minute dance-theater work is inspired by John Cage’s 1959 classic, “Indeterminacy,” in which Cage read 90 one-minute stories while David Tudor performed on piano. Jones created his own one-minute, highly personal stories of which he reads 70 per evening while members of his dance company perform around his seated figure. Played live by composer, the music is an original score created by Ted Coffey. The set designer is Bjorn Amelan and the costumes are by Liz Prince. Robert Wierzel is the lighting designer. The order of the music, stories and choreography is determined through chance operations.
“Story/Time” will next be seen February 16-19 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN, which co-commissioned the work along with Peak, followed by performances at Cal Performances in Berkeley, CA, February 24-25; UApresents in Tucson, AZ, March 3; and at FirstWorks in Providence, RI, March 10.
ABOUT Bill T. Jones
Bill T. Jones (Artistic Director/Co-Founder/Choreographer), a choreographer, dancer, theater director and writer, has received major honors ranging from a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award to Kennedy Center Honors in 2010. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2009 and named “An Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition in 2000. His ventures into Broadway theater resulted in a 2010 Tony Award for Best Choreography in the critically acclaimed “FELA!,” the new musical co-conceived, co-written, directed and choreographed by Mr. Jones. He also earned a 2007 Tony Award for Best Choreography in “Spring Awakening” as well as an Obie Award for the show’s 2006 off-Broadway run. His choreography for the off-Broadway production of “The Seven” earned him a 2006 Lucille Lortel Award.
Mr. Jones began his dance training at the State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY), where he studied classical ballet and modern dance. After living in Amsterdam, Mr. Jones returned to SUNY, where he became co-founder of the American Dance Asylum in 1973. In 1982 he formed the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (then called Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane & Company) with his late partner, Arnie Zane. In 2011, Mr. Jones was named Executive Artistic Director of New York Lives Arts, an organization that strives to create a robust framework in support of the nation’s dance and movement-based artists through new approaches to producing, presenting and educating. For more information visit www.newyorklivearts.org.
In addition to creating more than 140 works for his own company, Mr. Jones has received many commissions to create dances for modern and ballet companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Boston Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet, and Berlin Opera Ballet, among others. In 1995, Mr. Jones directed and performed in a collaborative work with Toni Morrison and Max Roach, “Degga,” at Alice Tully Hall, commissioned by Lincoln Center’s Serious Fun Festival. His collaboration with Jessye Norman, “How! Do! We! Do!,” premiered at New York’s City Center in 1999.
