Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance Salon Performance

This “Salon” will feature a reimagined reprise of “Mythologies,” Lavagnino’s (2021) choreographic work inspired by the stories of Ancient Greece, and a first look at her newest theater-dance work in process, “The Winter’s Tale,” based on Shakespeare’s play. Sexual politics and gender norms are explored.

Mythologies, which premiered in 2021, features sensual sirens, ferocious Amazonian warriors, and the devoted Band of Thebes in this reimagined dance work. Mythologies considers the interchanging nature of gender roles, with Amazonian warriors demonstrating how strength, grace, and femininity can co-exist in a single body by using the percussive and ethereal qualities of the pointe shoe. Lavagnino intermingles her characters in a partnering section bringing the male and female warriors into combative, ardent, and tender coupling, congruent with the fluid sexual practices during this period.

The November City Center Salon will also include a sneak peek at Cherylyn Lavagnino’s work in process, The Winter’s Tale, based on one of William Shakespeare’s last great plays. The Winter’s Tale is the story of improbabilities, loyalty, love and forgiveness, themes which align with Lavagnino’s long history of illuminating the various societal challenges faced by women. At times a comedy and others a tragedy, the plot resides in a patriarchal society in which the role of women is constantly thwarted and limited by male dominance.