New Bill T. Jones piece, started at Skidmore, earns raves

A brand-new dance work by modern-dance icon Bill T. Jones?co-commissioned by Skidmore?earned terrific reviews in its world premiere performance last weekend (Nov. 30, Dec. 1-2) at Montclair State College?s Alexander Kasser Theater. The work , A Quarrelling Pair, took its baby steps at Skidmore last June, when the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company polished it during three weeks in residence.

Based on a 1945 Jane Bowles puppet play about the entwined relationship of two sisters, A Quarrelling Pair was transformed by Jones?s use of projected video, imaginative costuming, and an original score that brings humor and a vaudeville exuberance to the sisters? story. The New York Times called A Quarreling Pair ?a funny, almost painfully tender theater-dance? a wonder.?

It was an eye-catching piece even when, early in last summer?s residency, the 10-dancer company presented it as a work-in-progress in the Dance Theater, complete with live music, lighting, and a clever suggestion of a set. A second performance three weeks later was a highlight of the inaugural SaratogaArtsFest?and a startlingly different dance, offering regional audiences a rare chance to be in on the evolution of an important new dance work.

Last summer?s Skidmore dance residency was the third for Jones, whose choreography for the Broadway musical hit, Spring Awakening, had just won him both a Tony and an Off-Broadway ?Obie? award. While at Skidmore, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs. Jones is known worldwide for his boldly original dance movement, powerful social themes, and theatrical flair.