Last June, Lincoln Center Plaza came alive with a rainbow of light, while also serving as the backdrop for a short film, Ces noms que nous portons, co-produced by New York City Ballet and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Ces noms que nous portons is a world premiere solo choreographed by Kyle Abraham for NYCB principal dancer Taylor Stanley. The film was shot on June 30, 2020 on the Josie Robertson Plaza, lit in celebration of Pride.
“When we first worked together on “The Runaway” for NYCB in 2018, an instant bond was created. There was a synergy of shared experiences and shared narratives. And although our pathways and audiences may differ, we share a united sense of a weighted experience that holds our history and our art form alike,” say Kyle Abraham and Taylor Stanley.
“This collaboration aims to celebrate our queerness and our color in a way that hopefully stresses its importance, its fragility, and its strength. We dance, and create dances for those who have yet to see themselves on a stage. We dance, and create dances for our community and beyond. We dance, and create dances to nourish our souls. We make dances to reflect, to ask, to heal. We want to honor the lives of those who we have lost due to the color of their skin or their identity. May they remain close to our hearts and at the forefront of our actions as we continue to create, reflect, and dance. For the both of us, we commemorate our history… in PRIDE.”
Andrew Grant designed the lighting: “I was honored to be asked to do the project, which was up from June 15 through June 30,” he says. “Lincoln Center Campus had been closed and dark since mid-March. The goal was to bring light and life back to the campus in celebration of Pride. It was the first time the buildings had been so illuminated in the 60-year history of the campus. I also lit the facade of the Juilliard building along 65th street in the same color scheme a few nights later, which remained up for the duration of the installation.”
Grant partnered with WorldStage for the equipment. “I used 86 Astera AX5’s—mostly for their outdoor durability and small profile—and 14 ETC Lustre2 LED fixtures for Juilliard. There was no console or programming as all the fixtures were utilized in standalone mode.
