rtb and I saw Bill T Jones/Arne Zane Company’s new dance Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn! The stage looks over New York Harbor and the dance commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Originally the company was supposed to dance at WTC plaza between the Twin Towers on 9/12/2001. Jones’ movements for his dancers are so precise and graceful in the most beautiful way. It was a moving piece in some places. And the music was a mix of recordings of well-known songs and original music, which served the dance well.
And this was the view right behind us (the new WTC):
First, I couldn’t find the park, even with Google Maps, because that area of the city always confuses me. So, I walked around more than I would if I had gone in the correct direction. Approaching the site, there was a gorgeous view of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty. And the sunset was more beautiful as we waited.
Finally found the area where the dance was by getting on the Downtown Connection bus that goes around Battery Park. While getting from the entrance to the park to the stage area, I saw Bill T Jones greeting some guests and taking them up to the VIP area. At the site, there are stepped wooden platforms, similar to bleachers, but bigger. I went to step onto the platform to sit next to rtb and my knee gave out and I tumbled off that platform, onto the one below and partly landing on a woman, and then rolling onto the concrete ground. I’m fine. Only my ego is bruised. All these people running over to see if I was all right. I was able to sit up and rtb was pulling me up and I almost fell again when making it up to the second level next to her. rtb said that I tumbled in slow motion, so it looked like a dance move. So that was my unexpected prelude to the dance. Riding the subway home, I was laughing at myself and the image of me rolling down the steps like a puppy who tumbles down the stairs because it doesn’t know how to use them.
The actual dance did have a prelude. There were four oil drums behind the stage and smoke started coming out of them. Several of dancers, spaced apart, stood at the fence behind the stage facing the harbor. There were some small moves with outstretched arms, etc, while the audience chattered away and I kept thinking, “The dance has begun. Why are you not watching?” There was music in the background. Later there would fog horn sounds, which of course sounded perfectly natural at the harbor.
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8453
Announcements were made and then there was “fire” coming out of the oil drums. At this point it already was getting emotional for me. All the 25th anniversary articles and programs on TV plus so much social media with people’s stories of that day – seeing the smoke and fire brought back the TV images from that horrific day.
The dancers stood off to the side in front of the band, making some arm movements. The music throughout the dance was a mix of original music played by the band and sung by three different singers and composed by Samora Pinderhughes or recorded music and text with Nina Simone’s version of Pete Seeger’s “Turn Turn Turn (To Everything There is a Season)” and someone else’s version of Janis Ian’s “Stars.” People telling their memories of that day were the hardest to listen to.
Many of the dancers were dressed in white with the occasional yellow, red, blue, or silver. Interestingly, the dancer who seemed to be portraying Death and pointing to various people was all in silver instead of black. Those in yellow or red or blue stood out not just because of the colors but usually for their part in a company dance or in a solo. And there was the switching of costumes among some of the dancers.
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8465
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8471
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8489
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8578
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8587
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8599
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Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn!-Bill T Jones-Robert F Wagner Park-20260913-8608
It is difficult to convey the despair and then the joy in our resilience in coming out of that dark period in just photos and videos of the dance. If we are lucky, the piece was filmed with the Statue of Liberty in the background. I remember Jon Stewart on his first broadcast after 9/11, saying that now that the Towers were gone, the view out of his window was the Statue of Liberty and that is a pretty great sight.
You can find the credits – the company, the singers, the band, and songs here.
By Carene Lydia Lopez
