CUNY Dance Initiative and John Jay College in collaboration with Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre present The World Premiere of Anna

February 16 – February 17, 2018
7:30PM

CUNY Dance Initiative and John Jay College, in collaboration with Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre, present the World Premiere of Anna at the Gerald Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 W. 59th Street, NYC on February 16 & 17, 2018 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $30 ($20 for students and seniors) and are available at https://dusantynek.eventbrite.com.

Anna is an evening-length contemporary dance-theater performance by choreographer Dušan Týnek inspired by Tolstoy’s classic Russian novel, Anna Karenina. An exploration of love and infidelity within the structures of stifling social mores, Anna side steps a conventional re-telling of the novel, focusing instead on the essence of its characters and their situations.

“Structurally, dealing with such a well­-known work of literature gives me freedom to leave out parts of the story without losing the general narrative,” said Dušan Týnek. “Each segment will oscillate between abstraction and literal representation as a way of exploring and being in conversation with the plot, characters, moods, and psychological themes that appear in the novel. Anna will not only investigate the romantic image of Anna Karenina but also other female archetypes as victims of gender inequality and social pressures. I want the experience to be less like seeing a play or a ballet of one of the great novels of western civilization, but of falling asleep with the book on your chest and dreaming of it.”

Anna features an original composition by frequent collaborator Aleksandra Vrebalov, known for her recent commission by the Kronos Quartet, and lighting design by Roderick Murray. The premiere of Anna is the culmination of the company’s two-week residency via the CUNY Dance Initiative at John Jay College’s Gerald Lynch Theater.

“Intelligent and inventive dancemaking” – Dance Magazine

“The work is marvelous … Mr. Týnek is an undoubted talent, a choreographer who seems fascinated by movement itself and the strange, subtle ways in which it communicates strange, subtle things.” – The New York Times

Organized by

Michelle Tabnick Communications