Lydia Johnson Dance Explained

Lydia Johnson Dance
Founded:1999[1]
Founders:Lydia Johnson
Founding Choreographers:Lydia Johnson
Formation:1999

Lydia Johnson Dance is a contemporary dance company that performs the choreography of Lydia Johnson, primarily in New York City and New Jersey. It is notable for combining ballet and modern dance,[2] [3] [4] [5] sometimes isolating and reworking "components of classical ballet technique."[6] The company was founded in 1999[5] by Johnson, a choreographer.[7] She has choreographed dance works to various composers including Beethoven,[8] the alternative rock band Cake,[5] Philip Glass,[5] Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, Polish composer Henryk Górecki,[9] and others. Since 2008 the company has received annual support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.[10] Performances tend to have six or seven[2] to twelve dancers,[11] and the company has performed in numerous venues in New Jersey and New York City,[12] and it is based in northern New Jersey.[13] In addition, Lydia Johnson Dance runs a school to teach dance and choreography.

Reviews

Critics have described the company's performances as infusing "ballet with a contemporary sensibility,"[14] romantic,[15] handsome,[16] with a calm deliberateness,[9] and invoking a "harmonious world."[17] A New Yorker critic described her performances as "simple, tasteful, and unhurried."[18] A dance critic described a performance as "the most organic choreographic fusion of ballet and modern-dance techniques ever invented."[1] The New York Times critic Brian Seibert wrote:

New York Times critic Jennifer Dunning wrote that Johnson created "a sense of life flowing unhurriedly over mysterious human stories."[19] The New Yorker's Marina Harss wrote that "Johnson is a craftsman and a poet; her works, which stress the ensemble and attend closely to the music, have an ebb and flow in addition to a strong emotional current. The basis of her technique is ballet, and her dancers are strong." New Yorker, June 21–23, 2017.

Dance instruction

Lydia Johnson Dance has a dance school for children of all ages.[2] [20] Classes in ballet, dance, hip hop, and choreography are held at venues such as the Burgdorff Cultural Center in Maplewood.[2] In addition, a dance camp of several weeks duration is offered during the summer for children from first through tenth grades.[21] Company members sometimes serve as mentors to students.[21] At the end of a semester, students present dances they have choreographed.[22]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lisa Jo Sagolla . Dance Reviews: Unassuming Opulence . Backstage Magazine . April 22, 2008 . 2012-12-24.
  2. News: Lydia Johnson Dance . South Orange Patch . 2012-12-24 . 2012-12-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130908072419/http://southorange.patch.com/listings/lydia-johnson-dance . 2013-09-08 . dead .
  3. News: Peter Filichia . Curtain's up on SOPAC's second season . Star Ledger . August 20, 2007 . 2012-12-17.
  4. News: Staff writer . Dance Listings . The New York Times . March 23, 2007 . 2012-12-17.
  5. News: Robert Johnson . Lydia Johnson Dance inspired by classical, but doesn't stop there . The Star-Ledger . June 12, 2010 . 2012-12-17.
  6. News: JENNIFER DUNNING. Jennifer Dunning . DANCE IN REVIEW; Primal Human Tales, Hinted at but Untold . The New York Times . March 23, 2004 . January 8, 2013.
  7. News: JENNIFER DUNNING . CLASSICAL MUSIC AND DANCE GUIDE . The New York Times . 2000 DANCES. Five choreographers -- Lydia Johnson, . July 7, 2000 . January 8, 2013.
  8. News: Staff writer . Dance . The New York Sun . June 2, 2006 . 2012-12-17.
  9. News: Robert Johnson . Cool and calm emerge from the streets of South Orange . nj.com . July 17, 2009 . 2012-12-17.
  10. News: Cotton Delo . Dreamcatcher, Lydia Johnson Dance Receive Dodge Foundation Grants . South Orange Patch . July 24, 2009 . 2012-12-24 . https://archive.today/20130131085049/http://southorange.patch.com/articles/dreamcatcher-lydia-johnson-dance-receive-dodge-foundation-grants . January 31, 2013 . dead .
  11. News: Claudia La Rocco . Dance Listings . The New York Times . March 26, 2009 . 2012-12-17.
  12. News: Staff writer . Dance Listings for June 22–29 . The New York Times . June 21, 2012 . 2012-12-17.
  13. News: Saed Hindash . The South Orange Performing Arts Center's gala and benefit, called "Small Town, Big Talent." . The Star-Ledger . June 20, 2010 . 2012-12-17.
  14. News: Roslyn Sulcas . Lydia Johnson Dance . The New York Times . 2012-12-17.
  15. News: Robert Johnson . Dancing with the breezes at the Downtown Dance Festival . nj.com . August 16, 2011 . 2012-12-17.
  16. News: Staff writer . Dance: Goings On About Town . The New Yorker . July 20, 2009 . 2012-12-17.
  17. News: GIA KOURLAS . Hip-Hop, Folk and Karate Through a Strainer on a Hot Afternoon . The New York Times . August 14, 2011 . 2012-12-17.
  18. News: Staff writer . Dance: Goings On About Town . The New Yorker . January 24, 2011 . 2012-12-17.
  19. News: JENNIFER DUNNING . Dance Listings . The New York Times . LYDIA JOHNSON DANCE Ms. Johnson ... sense of life flowing unhurriedly over mysterious human stories. . March 11, 2005 . January 8, 2013.
  20. News: NJ.com staff . The South Orange Maplewood Chapter of Mothers & More's first annual Kidstock Event . nj.com . May 25, 2012 . 2012-12-17.
  21. News: Ellen Kahaner . Unique Dance Camp High-Steps into Town: With the help of professional dancers, kids choreograph at Lydia Johnson summer camp. . South Orange Patch . June 15, 2009 . 2012-12-24.
  22. News: Marilyn Joyce Lehren . LJD Lifts the 'Barre' for Choreography by Students: At end-of-semester showing of works, Lydia Johnson Dance showcases student-created dance. . South Orange Patch . May 9, 2012 . 2012-12-24.

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