November 3, 2005

MEET THE COMPANY'S 16 DANCERS:
7 long-time company stars + 9 new stars.

Part 1 (below): 7 long-time stars.
Rebecca Rigert, Scott Rink, Kevin Scarpin, Michael Leon Thomas, Jason McDole, Griff Braun, Roger C. Jeffrey

Part 2 (to follow): 9 new stars

Appearing November 8-12 in performances of
"Elemental Brubeck" (US premiere) and "Men's Stories" at
NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

To purchase tickets, call (212) 279-4200.
For NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, click here.
For more info about the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, click here

Rebecca Rigert

Rebecca Rigert first danced with the Lubovitch company in 1988.  Originally from Tacoma, Washington, she has performed with major New York dance companies since 1983.  Rigert has held the position of principal dancer with the Joyce Trisler Danscompany, the Elisa Monte Dance Company, the Jamison Project, the Lubovitch company, Stars of American Dance, rhythMEK and Complexions.  Rigert had the honor of performing as partner to Mikhail Baryshnikov in his White Oak Dance Project, and was chosen to recreate the role of Mary in Martha Graham's El Penitente, among other roles.  Rigert has worked as Choreographic Assistant to Lubovitch, coaching stars from ballet and modern companies around the world, including American Ballet Theater, and such Broadway productions as The Red Shoes, The King and I and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  She has also had the privilege of working on projects with choreographers Mark Morris, Garth Fagan, Dwight Rhoden, Irene Hultman and Zvi Gotheiner.  Rigert was featured as a guest artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performing Lubovitch's acclaimed Fandango in 1997.  She is a guest teacher at the Juilliard School, as well as a computer animator/web designer and sculptor.

Scott Rink

Scott Rink first danced with the Lubovitch company in 1990.  He formed DanceRink in 1995 and has since created a number of works seen in NYC most notably at the American Theatre of Actors, HERE, The Kitchen and Riverside Church as well as other national and international venues.  Rink's commissioned works include dances for Ailey II, ABT Studio Co., NCSA, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Austin Contemporary Ballet, Compagnia Dansa Contemporaria of Portugal and dances for various university dance programs in the US.  In addition to dancing principal roles with the Lubovitch company, Rink has also performed in the companies of Eliot Feld and Elisa Monte.  As a teacher, Rink has taught at North Carolina School for the Arts, University of Minnesota (Cowles Chair 1996, 2000, 2003), University of Utah, among others and taught master classes throughout the US, Europe and South America.

Kevin Scarpin

Kevin Scarpin first danced with the Lubovitch company in 2000.  He was born and raised in Cypress, California.  He began his dance training at UC Berkeley while studying rhetoric and ethnic studies, and continued training at North Carolina School of the Arts where he received his BFA in 2000.  Since moving to New York, Scarpin has danced in Mark Morris's The Hard Nut and L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, Doug Varone's Les Troyens at the Met Opera, several productions at New York City Opera, with Bill Young and Dancers, and many others.  Scarpin currently also dances with the Sean Curran Company and continues to work with Mark Morris.

Michael Leon Thomas

Michael Leon Thomas first danced with the Lubovitch company in 2000.  A performer, director and choreographer, he made his professional debut with renowned dancer and artistic director Judith Jamison.  The Daily News reporter Charles Jurrist wrote, "And Michael Thomas, who attracted notice in the original company, is now clearly a star waiting only for adequate recognition.  In even the briefest passages, he evinces prodigal virtues - control, suppleness, speed and unfailing elegance of line."  Thomas continued his career with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, featured in Ulysses Dove's Urban Folk Dance, Donald McKayle's Rainbow Round My Shoulder, and the beginning of an over decade long choreographic relationship with Dwight Rhoden in his ballet, Beyond a Cliff.  In 1991, Thomas resumed his work with Ms. Jamison, joining the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where he gained instant recognition for his passionate performances of Alvin Ailey's Love Song's, Billy Wilson's Winter in Lisbon, Jawole Zollar's Shelter and Dwight Rhoden's Frames.  Thomas was also featured in Judith Jamison's Emmy Award-winning PBS special, A Hymn for Alvin Ailey, performing a solo to his own words as interpreted by actress/playwright Anna Deavere-Smith.  Jennifer Dunning of the NY Times wrote, "Michael Thomas scorched the stage with his quiet intensity during his years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."

Jason McDole

Jason McDole (rehearsal director) first danced with the Lubovitch company in 2000.  He was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.  He received his formal dance training from Paula Scriva, Buddy Thompson and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.  McDole received a BFA from the Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy in 1997.  He has danced in the companies of Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch and David Parsons.  McDole is a dancer and assistant to Robert Battle of Battleworks Dance Company.  He has been privileged to work on projects with Zvi Gotheiner, Mark Dendy and Graciela Daniele.  Mr. McDole has taught and staged works throughout the US and abroad.

Griff Braun

Griff Braun first danced with the Lubovitch company in 2000.  This year he appears with the Lubovitch company courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet.  Braun has danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera Ballet, the Lubovitch company, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Complexions, the Dallas Ballet, and Feld Ballets, NY, among others.  He has performed principal roles in original ballets and repertoire of such choreographers as Agnes DeMille, Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris, Doug Varone, John Neumeier, James Kudelka, José Limon, Eugene Loring, Eliot Feld, Dwight Rhoden, and Stanton Welch, among others.  Mr. Braun is an NFAA "Scholar in the Arts," and in October of 2003 was honored by the Dance Council with a "Legacy Award": the Nathalie Skelton Award for Artistic Achievement.

Roger C. Jeffrey

Roger C. Jeffrey first danced with the Lubovitch company in 2000.  He was born in New York City where he began his training at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center.  He is a graduate of the Performing Arts High School and the Juilliard School.  Jeffrey has performed in the companies of Bernice Johnson, Kevin Iega Jeff, Twyla Tharp, Zvi Gotheiner, Martial Roumain and Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project.  He has also worked with Gary Deloatch, Dudley Williams, Eleo Pomare, Benjamin Harkarvy, Debbie Allen, Doug Varone and Obediah Wright.  Inspired by his mentor Kevin Iega Jeff, he began to explore his full artistic potential as both a teacher and choreographer and has subsequently worked at the Bernice Johnson Cultural Arts Center, Edge School of the Arts, the Juilliard School, Elisa King and Dancers, Ulster Ballet Company, Philadanco!, CityDance Ensemble, State University of Purchase, University of the Arts, Goucher College, University of Santa Barbara, Long Island University (C.W. Post), the Joffrey School (Texas), La Companyia (Spain), Tanz Project (Germany), Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, American Ballet Theatre, Dancespace Center and Peridance Center.

Lar Lubovitch

Listed last, but not least:   Lar Lubovitch is one of America's most versatile, popular and widely seen choreographers.  He founded the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 1968.  This year the company is celebrating its 37th anniversary with an outpouring of 4 new works.

1 -- Lubovitch created Do You Be in honor of Meredith Monk's 40th anniversary;

2 --  Love Stories was set on Lubovitch's hometown company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago;

3--  Elemental Brubeck was created in collaboration with San Francisco Ballet for their debut at this year's new summer dance festival (Les Etes de la Danse) in Paris; and

4 -- Recordare (created in honor of Jose Limon) premiered just last weekend in Boston.

The Lubovitch company has performed throughout the United States and toured internationally, frequently under the auspices of the U.S Department of State.  The company's dances have also appeared worldwide with companies such as American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Danish Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paris Opera Ballet, New York City Ballet and many others.

Lubovitch made his Broadway debut in 1987 with the musical staging for Into the Woods, for which he received a Tony Award nomination.  In 1993 he choreographed dance sequences for the Broadway show The Red Shoes.  For this work, he received the 1993-94 Astaire Award.  In 1996 he created the musical staging (and two new dances) for the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of The King and I.  Most recently he devised choreography for Walt Disney's stage version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in Berlin.

Lubovitch has also made a notable contribution to the advancement of choreography in the field of ice-dancing.  He has created dances for Olympic gold medalists John Curry, Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill.  He has choreographed a full-length ice-dancing version of The Sleeping Beauty starring Olympic medalists Robin Cousins and Rosalyn Summers (that was broadcast throughout Great Britain and America).  He has created an ice dance for Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay (silver medalists for France at the 1992 Olympics) based on The Planets by Gustav Holst, which was broadcast by the A&E-TV network and was nominated for an International Emmy Award.  And he has created solos for Paul Wylie.