One of the challenges of living in Atenas is the lack of regular cultural stimulation. There are people engaged in the arts here, but no regular performances, exhibitions, or readings. There are some neat things that happen in San Jose but traveling to the city requires much planning, and considering transportation, and traffic to and from, it’s something I do only on special occasions such as when the Cuban ballet was here.
Opening my email two weeks ago I found myself smiling broadly, and excited to learn I could explore a virtual exhibit about modern dance at the Y and stream a recent performance that looked very interesting!
About the Y (“92NY”) and the Virtual Exhibit
The 92nd Street Y has been a major presenter in the field of modern dance. This was shown beautifully in a 2024 exhibit, Dance to Belong: A History of Dance at 92NY. A digital version of the exhibit is now available to watch online:
Envisioned by Jody Gottfried Arnhold and created to celebrate 92NY’s 150th anniversary, the exhibition gathered rare photographs, programs, film footage, and ephemera to tell the complete story — showing how 92NY became a space for artists to explore identity, community, and meaning, often when few others would open their doors. https://www.92ny.org/dancetobelong/
Online, I enthusiastically entered the exhibition which tries to create the experience of being in the hall by using dots on the floor and arrows to go to the exhibits. Alas, it was frustrating for me because I could not zoom in close enough to read text or know who a dancer was in a photograph. I hope they will put together a film or a more user-friendly way to view it. Its organization is thoughtful, with sections such as Black Modernism, Bodies of War, and Dance as Political Manifesto.
About the Streamed Performance
The streamed concert was performed by Jodi Melnick and Sara Mearns as part of the Y’s series Women Move the World, a season of works curated and created by women. The concert was performed on March 27-28, 2026, and streaming became available on Sunday, March 29, for 72 hours. That was super because I had the opportunity to watch it more than once.
Melnick and Mearns have worked together for 10 years. Melnick has worked with choreographers including Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown and Sara Rudner as well as doing her own choreography. Mearns is a member of the New York City Ballet who enjoys learning new repertory that is not available to her in that company. She has no interest in choreographing. Their backgrounds and what they bring to their work together is well documented, and I suggest readers who are interested in knowing more check out a recent article in The New York Times that also goes into detail about the concert I watched. Here’s the link: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/arts/dance/sara-mearns-jodi-melnick-superbloom.html
You might also want to check out this interview on Dance Talk with Joanne Carey, where I learned alot about Melnick and Mearns’ backgrounds, how they met, and their work together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUZAAiChfs
The concert opened with a short piece performed by Sara Mearns in the spirit of honoring the history of women choreographers at the Y. It combined movement from a piece by Anna Sokolow with movement from Sara Rudner. It featured shaking movement and was beautifully performed.
The main piece in the program was SuperBloom (Dancing into Choreographic Form). It opened with what sounded like rain, and Melnick in a single pool of light, with soft arms and gentle movement. The piece continued with a variety of different dance tempos, and dance groupings (duets, trios, quartets and more solos mainly done by the principal two dancers.) The dynamics changed, and for a piece that was probably 45 minutes long, it never got boring. The score for the piece was varied including nature sounds, chanting, and Melnick’s voice talking about the movement and her process.
A highlight was a duet between the two women done in silence with a mesmerizing backdrop by artist John Monti. The abstract backdrop of floral patterns constantly changed, enhancing the movement, and it was particularly meaningful when the patterns became part of Melnick and Mearns’ costumes.
In addition to the backdrop, Monti created two curving sculptural metal blossoms which Melnick and Mearns picked up and danced with.
The lighting was designed for the live event and this presented a challenge for those of us watching it online. I often lost the movement that was being done in darkly lit places.
While it wasn’t a wow artistic experience for me, I was very glad to be able to stream the concert and see what is happening in NYC now.
Most of all I was glad to sample a performance from the current season at the Harknes Dance Center at the 92nd Street Y, and it led me to reflect on a time 24 years ago when The Avodah Dance Ensemble, which I directed for over 30 years, performed at the Y as part of their Sundays at 3 series.
Avodah at the Y
Avodah shared the program, Dances of the Spirit, with two other choreographers, Kara Miller and Lynn Parkerson. Avodah presented two pieces, one of which was singled out by Jennifer Dunning in a review:
Ms. Tucker’s “Heroic Deeds” danced by her Avodah Dance Ensemble, distilled community need in a quartet as stark as its score by Ives. Isolated dancers made solitary journeys. Eventually all but one dancer interacted supportively. The dance built to a poignant moment when the hymn “Rock of Ages” filters through the score. (NY Times, April 10, 2002.)
For more information about “Heroic Deeds,” see this blog.
The performance on April 7, 2002, holds a special place in my memory. I am grateful that we were asked to participate in a program at this important venue of modern dance.
