April, 25 2012
Nile Rodgers. Courtesy of Lincoln Center Out of Doors
Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors performance series, July 25–August 12, celebrates its 42nd birthday with customary panache. The “small festival of street theater,” as it was described at its launch in 1971, has become one of the annual summer events most eagerly anticipated by New Yorkers and savvy visitors from all over the world. They will undoubtedly fill the Lincoln Center plazas again this year to enjoy over 100 performances and events—all of them free.
The Out of Doors aficionados know to expect out-of-the-ordinary events, which dramatically expand Lincoln Center’s already rich programming palette. Here is a small—very small—sampling.
Among the 17 premieres, there will be a dance theater work by Finland’s Kimmo Pohjonen, Accordion Wrestling, which does, in fact, include both wrestlers and an accordion. Mr. Pohjonen has acquired an international reputation for experimenting with the instrument’s sonic potential.
Equally renowned are The Bad Plus, the piano-bass-drums avant-garde trio known for its unique melding of jazz sensibilities with music from other spheres: in this case, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
As part of Lincoln Center’s celebration of African-American artists, the visitors will hear and see the legendary Nile Rodgers (who, joined by the Chic Organization, will be on hand for opening night), Swamp Dogg, and Lincoln Center Institute alumni Black Rock Coalition, among others. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble will bring its multimedia piece Lush Life¸ created with Maya Angelou, to the Damrosch bandshell.
Nona Hendryx (who appeared here 40 years ago!) will give voice to the music of Laura Nyro, while Gil Scott-Heron’s work will be honored by an all-star lineup.
Cumbia, salsa, and other Afro-Colombian rhythms and music will be represented by Los Irreales de Ondatrópica, while the bands Viento de Agua and Grupo Esencia, as well as singer Lalo Rodriguez, pay homage to Puerto-Rican salsa icon Tite Curet Alonso.
Buskers, poets, dancers, folk musicians, Irish rockers, classical Indian music, and so much more—find all the details at www.LCOutofDoors.org.
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