Surfer At The River Styx
Parkinson, Selya and Bowman perform at the American Dance Festival. Photo by Bruce R. Feeley.
Company dancers during dress rehearsal.
Bowman, Asnes and Selya perform at the American Dance Festival. Photo by Bruce R. Feeley.
Parkinson, Roberts and Huber perform at the American Dance Festival. Photo by Bruce R. Feeley.
Premiere
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Composer
Donald Knaack,
David Kahne
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Live Music by
Donald Knaack
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Lighting Designer
Scott Zielinski
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Costume and Scenic Designer
Santo Loquasto
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Assistant to Ms. Tharp
Laila Sales
Dancers
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Number of Dancers
6
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Runtime
00:28:00
Description
Tharp re-formed a company after completing work on two large ballets, The Beethoven Seventh (2000) and The Brahms-Haydn Variations (2000). One of the first works created for this group was Surfer At The River Styx.
The dance references elements of Euripides’ play The Bacchae, wherein the god Dionysus challenges the hubris of King Pentheus, a mortal. The two lead men, backed by a chorus of four dancers, compete in escalating displays of virtuosity. Bright footlights cast the men’s enormous shadows on the back wall as they outdo one another.
When the king is bested by the god, order is restored and the two men are reunified with the chorus. In a long, sustained lift, a woman is elevated in a stream of light high above the stage, a final image of transcendence.
Dedicated to the memory of Peggy Evarts Knaack.
From the original program: “The Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation thanks Jeff & Patsy Tarr, Charles & Stephanie Reinhart, Santo Loquasto, David Kahne, Scott Zielinski, Burr & Burton Academy, Mark Springer/Quad Recording Studios NYC. Ashley Tuttle appearing courtesy of American Ballet Theatre, Andrew Asnes and Francie Huber appearing courtesy of the Paul Taylor Dance Company.”
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Commissioned by
The American Dance Festival and the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
through the Doris Duke Millenium Awards for
Modern Dance and Jazz Music Collaborations,
and the National Endowment for the Arts,
Past Performances
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 (premiere) – Surfer At The River Styx (premiere) | Twyla Tharp Dance
Durham, NC
June 6 2000 Premiere
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Washington, D.C.
September 29 2000 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Newark, NJ
February 16 2001 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
New York, NY
February 20 2001 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Los Angeles, CA
June 21 2001 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Mozart Clarinet Quintet K.581 – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Columbus, OH
February 1 2002 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Westerly Round – Even the King (premiere) – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Scottsdale, AZ
January 11 2003 Premiere
Twyla Tharp Dance
Westerly Round – Even the King – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Houston, TX
January 24 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Westerly Round – Even the King – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Albany, NY
February 15 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Westerly Round – Even the King – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Kalamazoo, MI
March 26 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
Becket, MA
June 18 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Westerly Round – Even the King – Surfer At The River Styx | Twyla Tharp Dance
Durham, NC
June 26 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
London, United Kingdom
July 3 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
New York, NY
July 28 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
Princeton, NJ
September 25 2003 TTD Performance
Company C Contemporary Ballet
Surfer At The River Styx | Company C Contemporary Ballet
Rohnert Park, CA
April 24 2010 Repertory
Company C Contemporary Ballet
Surfer At The River Styx | Company C Contemporary Ballet
San Francisco, CA
May 8 2010 Repertory
Company C Contemporary Ballet
Surfer At The River Styx | Company C Contemporary Ballet
Walnut Creek, CA
May 14 2010 Repertory
Company C Contemporary Ballet
Surfer At The River Styx | Company C Contemporary Ballet
San Francisco, CA
April 30 2011 Repertory
Company C Contemporary Ballet
Surfer At The River Styx | Company C Contemporary Ballet
Walnut Creek, CA
May 13 2011 Repertory
The Washington Ballet
Push Comes To Shove – Surfer At The River Styx – Nine Sinatra Songs | Washington Ballet
Washington, D.C.
February 23 2012 Repertory
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012