Choreographer Neil Ieremia dedicated this work to his parents, referring to it as “a celebration of life.” Ieremia founded the New Zealand-based Black Grace as an all-male ensemble in 1995. As an artist, his initial interest was in visual art. However, he was ill as a child and couldn’t participate in the sports that really mark young New Zealand men as men. He was alone in his house, dancing to music before he even knew what dance was. Black Grace’s movement is drawn from, as Ieremia puts it: “traditional Maori and Samoan dance, western modern dance, but also the football field, construction site, and streets of New Zealand.” The company made its acclaimed U.S. debut in 2004 at Jacob’s Pillow, presenting Minoi among other repertory works.
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