Jack Ferver
Night Light Bright Light
World Premiere
WED JAN 14, 6:30 PM
FRI JAN 16, 10:00 PM
SUN JAN 18, 7:00 PM
Run time: 50 minutes
ABRONS ARTS CENTER PLAYHOUSE
466 Grand Street / tickets $20
In Night Light Bright Light, Jack Ferver draws inspiration from, and parallels between, his own life and the life, art, and death of Fred Herko.
“Fred Herko was a dancer, an actor, a choreographer, and he took a bath and got out and danced naked in front of his friend to Mozart, finally dancing out of a window to his death. I am a dancer, an actor, a choreographer, and I love taking baths and I have danced naked though have yet to jeté out a window. I have often talked about suicide with my childhood friend Reid Bartelme. Reid will join me in the work. Reid is a beautiful dancer. Reid will make sure I don’t jump.” – Jack Ferver
Night Light Bright Light was commissioned through New York Performance Artists Collective in partnership with Joshua Lubin-Levy and Department of Performance Studies (NYU). Residency support provided by Abrons Art Center’s AIRspace Residency Program.
photo by Jeremy Jacob Schlangen
Choreographed and Written by Jack Ferver
Performed by Jack Ferver and Reid Bartelme
Costumes by Reid Bartelme
Jack Ferver is a New York–based choreographer, writer, performer, and teacher. His work has been presented in New York City at The Kitchen; The French Institute Alliance Française, as part of Crossing the Line; PS122; the New Museum; the Museum of Arts and Design, as part of Performa 11; Danspace Project; Abrons Arts Center; and Dixon Place; at Bard College at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts; in Boston at the Institute of Contemporary Art; in Houston at Diverse Works; and in France at Théâtre de Vanves. Shorter and solo works have been presented at MoMA PS1, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Dance New Amsterdam, La MaMa E.T.C., the Culture Project, and NP Gallery (all New York City). His work has been written about in the New York Times, Financial Times, New Yorker, ArtForum, Modern Painters, Time Out New York, New York Post, Boston Globe, and Dance Magazine. As an actor he has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects. He currently teaches at New York University, and has taught at Bard College, SUNY Purchase, and has set choreography at The Juilliard School. For more information, go to www.jackferver.org.
Reid Bartelme began his professional life as a dancer. He worked for Ballet companies
throughout North America and Canada, and later in his career worked for modern dance
companies in New York including Shen Wei Dance Arts and the Lar Lubovitch Dance
Company. He has also performed in works by Jack Ferver, Liz Santoro, Burr Johnson,
Douglas Dunn, Christopher Williams, and Kyle Abraham. He went on to graduate from
the fashion design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology and began working as
a freelance costume designer. He has designed costumes most notably for Christopher
Wheeldon, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Jillian Peña and Liz Santoro. This is
Bartelme’s sixth work with Ferver. In collaboration with designer Harriet Jung, Bartelme
has designed costumes for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Pacific
Northwest Ballet, Justin Peck, Marcelo Gomes, Jodi Melnick, and Kyle Abraham.