By Leigh Schanfein.

He knew that this was what he wanted to do. Not for a few years, not until the money ran out or until he’d made a name for himself, but indefinitely. He knew. And now, 30 years later, Igal Perry and the flourishing community of Peridance Capezio Center celebrate a milestone as one of the largest open dance studios in the U.S.

Dance students, teachers, and choreographers come from all over the U.S. and internationally to train, share, and perform at Peridance, with more than 700 individuals walking through the doors each day, choosing from a myriad of diverse dance styles, from ballet to tap to hip-hop and everything in between. It wasn’t an easy road to take; building a dance studio from the ground up requires a vision, dedication, support, and an excellent faculty.

“He took something from nothing…he’s a visionary,” shares Graciela Kozak, one of Peridance’s beloved instructors who has been teaching on the ballet faculty for 28 years. Graciela and Igal have known each other for about 40 years, a lifetime of dancing and working together. In fact, she danced in the first piece he ever choreographed at Bat-Dor Dance Company in Israel, and performed as part of the original Peridance Contemporary Dance Company (then the Peridance Ensemble) founded by Igal in 1984. She began teaching at Peridance the next year and has since found it to be a second home to her.

Igal Perry with a student from the School at Peridance. Photo by Jaqlin Medlock

“You feel like you’re part of a family. So many people have come through the doors here and come together. It’s the way that the place is run… it’s the open door policy. We have focus. It’s a place where people come to be a dancer.  There is consistency, stability. It’s like a generation who have been coming, and it’s kind of amazing.”

Igal Perry came to the U.S. from Israel in the 1970s when he worked as a dancer, ballet master, choreographer, artistic director, and repetiteur. And while founding a dance studio was not his first endeavor in the U.S., it had been on his mind.

“When I came here, there were not actually any big schools with open classes. There were some but on a small scale, and most of them were not for different styles; they had a concentration, for example mostly ballet. There was a need, and when I had the opportunity I jumped on it.”

He then went around to various studios in NYC to recruit the best teachers he could get, who brought with them their excellent reputations and student base. Of course, Igal taught as well. “My first class, the first day Peridance opened, I had two students! They knew me from having taught at another studio before. I think my next class had four, so that’s pretty good growth!”

The first ten years found the Center operating in the red, and Igal turned to his parents for support, some financial but mostly encouragement and advice. Leaving it’s first high-rent location and moving into a new building on 13th Street just south of Union Square in NYC’s East Village helped turn Peridance’s financial situation around. Eventually, in 2010, Peridance moved into its third and expectedly permanent home, a historic landmark building also on 13th Street just east of its previous dwelling and still in the vicinity of Union Square. Throughout its 30 years, Peridance never left the neighborhood, and this helped make the area a destination for dance.

A dance class at Peridance Capezio Center New York. Photo by Anna Sednova.

“We always struggled with getting the students to come down here. We sort of fell between the cracks…but we kept going forward with quality. Once we moved to [our current location] we did become a focal point, not just in this area but in the whole of New York and nationally. Now people don’t consider it out of the main stream.”

It may be Peridance’s local, national, and international blend that makes it so unique and contributes greatly to its longevity.  Students literally come from all over the world to take open classes and workshops at Peridance, and students enrolled in it’s various international professional training programs hail from more than 30 countries. Igal himself comes from Israel and is based in NYC, and keeping his home at Peridance allows him the opportunity to choreograph and teach around the world, and to then bring the world back to Peridance. He takes what he sees, hears, and feels in other places and gives it back to his students. Igal’s perspective is that art is not something local, it is global.

“Peridance brings in artists from all over the world. We are a hub of international art and are not just aware but a part of what is happening in the world.  Peridance was the first school that had formal classes in hip-hop. Same thing with workshops with international choreographers and master teachers. We started that trend. Now everyone does it, and we do it better! We don’t look to imitate others. We look for originality and ask, what is it that is needed now?”

Another artist who has benefitted greatly from Igal’s international sensibility who is now an integral part of the Peridance family is Yarden Ronen, Director of Development and PR and Executive Director of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company.  Yarden has known Igal for about 13 years, since Igal was invited to be a guest choreographer once again at Bat-Dor where Yarden was dancing.

“He chose me to do a principal role in his piece and we became friends. That role really affected my life, so I’ve always had a really warm place in my heart for Igal,” he said.

When Yarden was dancing in NYC, he guested with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company several times and, in 2008 when Yarden was ready to stop performing, he called Igal for advice about moving on to a career after dancing. Their collaboration led to a new career path that kept Yarden within the field of dance but off the stage. “I did not want to teach and choreograph. I felt like I could contribute to the dance community, to dance education, to the artistic endeavor of dance overall much more as an arts director and administrator. I am very lucky because Igal lets me express myself, find my own voice and get creative. And now [as Executive Director] with the dance company it’s a lot of work but it’s quite amazing.”

And, what can we expect for the next 30 years?  After a huge Gala and festivities in the coming year, Peridance Capezio Center will continue to expand upon the definition of the dance studio.  They will strengthen the continuum from children’s program to pre-professional training to professional collegiate-level training to professional company.  They will expand the reaches of its resident Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, and make a name for its in-house Salvatore Capezio Theater.  Of course, Igal will continue to teach his open ballet classes each weekday morning and rehearse his company in the afternoon.  When asked about how many more anniversaries Peridance might have, Igal responds, “It’s really very fulfilling.  Another 30 years would be great!”

To find out more about Igal Perry and Peridance Capezio Center’s offerings as well as events for the 30th Anniversary, visit peridance.com.

By Laura Di Orio.

Sometimes crazy, usually superstitious and always repetitive, many of us have pre-performance rituals we engage in to help us get focused and ready for the stage.  Here professional dancers dish on their quirky traditions and share what they do to prepare themselves for a show.

Christopher McDaniel, dancer, Los Angeles Ballet

In my dressing room, I sit at my station and tear two sheets of paper towels – one to place foundations and eye shadows, and the other for the brushes in the order in which I’ll use them. I also place my performance shoes on the desk in the order I’ll dance in them. I like to then freshen up, sometimes with a full shower. Then I start my makeup. I try to stay in a quiet zone before a show because I get nervous. I put my iPod on and start to listen to music that’s calming and relaxing, usually something Gospel. The whole time I am snacking on mint Mentos and graham crackers. The chewing of Mentos, which is very different from gum, calms me down and simultaneously gives me a little sugar rush.

I started this ritual while I was on my first tour with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. I got yelled at by the ballet master for being too playful and excited backstage. So I explored the things that made me calmer. And as my repertoire on the tour began to increase and I started dancing more featured roles, I developed a love for my quiet time before a show.

Christopher Bloom, ­­­dancer, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company

I do sixteen entrechat-six before every performance. I began this during my freshmen year of college. At the Ailey School we have a very large studio that acts as a green room when we’re performing. With a whole bunch of energetic young dancers warming up, it is inevitable that little contests should break out. I got into an entrechat-six contest with a friend. Afterward, I realized that I had gotten very warm very quickly, so I remembered it for the future. So, doing them before a show gets me warm, as well as gives me confidence that I am indeed a capable dancer.

Thomas Bradley, dancer, Sydney Dance Company

I listen to Avicii’s “Levels” before every show. Adrenaline always comes knocking when it starts. Right before beginners call, I find a quiet place and rest my head against a wall and say, “Earth, fire, wind, water and spirit be with me.” It sounds immensely corny, but it’s what I do. When I get nervous, I tap my second, third, fourth and fifth fingers against my thumb back and forth as fast as possible. It’s great to distract you from being nervous and also focuses you. The reciting of the elements comes from my interest in their natural and somewhat untapped powers. I haven’t ever forgotten to do it, so I’m not sure if it’s all baloney! It certainly contributes to a stable and ‘ready’ state of mind pre-show.

Sarah Braverman of Parsons Dance. Photo by Evan Guston

Sarah Braverman, dancer, Parsons Dance

I have a few little quirks that I have noticed over the years. Pre-show, there must be Diet Coke on hand. In my dressing room, I perform my ‘shake the sillies out’ dance with the other ladies. It’s ridiculous, but it helps to get the adrenaline going. I have to get to the stage to warm up at half-hour. After doing abdominals and a little yoga, I have to crack both hips, then go through the ‘scary’ parts of the choreography.

Then comes the ‘unity breath’ and ‘whoosh’. [The whole company does] a series of big inhales and exhales and relevés to check our balance. Before the fourth time, I always have to say, ‘Last time.’ Then comes the ‘whoosh’, when we all gather our hands on each other’s over center-center and have a pre-show talk from our artistic and rehearsal director. Then I have to kiss my hand and touch the center-center mark. Everyone takes turns doing this and puts both feet, one after the other, on the mark and makes a ‘smooch’ noise. I always have to go last!

During the show, there are certain moments when I make eye contact with certain people at the same time every show, or the same inside joke is repeated at the same point in the program. Ritual or habit, I’m not sure, but I haven’t skipped these ‘rituals’ yet and don’t plan to!

Christina Ilisije, dancer, Parsons Dance

Our Parsons family has a pretty long list of pre-show rituals. Personally, I always kiss my fingers and put my smudged lipstick over the center mark. I also always have Ian Spring from the company fly me like Superman – my hip creases in his elevated legs. Apparently, this ridiculous position lengthens my back and stretches his hips. A win, win for us both. To top it off, he always proceeds to talk to me in Spanish at this point. A fun bonus!

I’m not particularly superstitious, but there is something that feels comforting in the routine. The stage is a special place that forever remains unpredictable, and a few rituals help bring some peace of mind for what’s to come. That being said, there are definitely shows when we are all running late and we only get one ‘unity breath’ in and maybe I don’t get lifted and fly with Ian or get to smooch center. To be honest, once the music starts, my partner is staring me in the eyes and my legs are in the air, none of that matters, and those thoughts of missed rituals are the furthest thing from my mind.

Kimberly Giannelli, soloist, Ballets With a Twist

There are three things that have to happen before I am about to go on stage. I must have one water and one red fruit punch-flavored Gatorade positioned next to one another at all times. In my makeup bag, I have a medallion from Bali that my old boss gave me of Dancing Shiva. Just before I begin applying my stage makeup, I hold it in my hands for a few seconds and then place him back in the right-hand corner of the makeup bag. Then, just after finishing my makeup, just before putting on my costume, I call out to my dance partner, Aengus Ortiz, for a very important job. I reach into my bag and pull out the same thin purple instrument: the neck shaver! He performs a very attentive haircut, making sure the nape of my neck is free from any fly-aways.

I am a very superstitious person. I have to walk the same pathway down the sidewalk into the theater for the entire run of the show. Depending on how long the run is, and if it was a good show, I have to wear the same pair of tights. If I had a bad show for whatever reason I have to change everything – pathway, tights, order of my makeup, and hair.

Alisha Coon, dancer, Sydney Dance Company

After morning rehearsals, I eat lunch at my favorite restaurant, usually choosing the same meal on each performance day. It is really important to eat properly on a show day, and I can never be bothered to cook, so I go to my favorite restaurant and choose something that I know will give me enough energy for the show but won’t make me bloated or leave me hungry mid-show.

I am admittedly easily distracted, so mental preparation for a performance is really important for me. This means getting to the theater early to do my hair and makeup, and making sure I have plenty of time to warm up so I never feel rushed. I will always go on stage before a performance as a part of my warm-up to think through entrances and corrections, and I will also dance out certain sections to get my body into the piece.

Top photo: Christopher Bloom, a dancer with the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, does 16 entrechat-six before every performance. Photo by Daniel Bloom.

Salvatore Capezio Theater, New York
May 2012

By Laura Di Orio.

For its second season after a hiatus from 2007-2010, the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, under the direction of Igal Perry (who originally founded the company in 1984), took the stage at its home theater, the Salvatore Capezio Theater.  Over two weekends, May 5-6 and May 12-13, the company presented an evening of works not only by Perry but also by guests Sidra Bell and Kristin Sudeikis. Jose Manuel Carreño also joined the company during its first weekend, as he danced a Perry solo, Ave Maria.

Even without the ballet star and obvious crowd draw, PCDC danced to a sold-out house during its second weekend of shows, proving its professional and artistic worth. The 10-member ensemble executed an impressive and expansive evening of interesting work. Most of the dancers performed in every piece -a seemingly exhausting feat – but came back refreshed and ready at the start of each work.

The evening opened with the premiere of Perry’s Conflicted Terrain, which began with a lone dancer, the tiny yet powerful Midori Nonaka, dragging a rope connected to a platform carrying an empty musician’s chair and music stand. A live string quartet quietly started to play, with each musician on a similar platform. One by one, and two by two, the dancers appeared in dim light, welcoming us to a series of recurring partnerships.

Joanna DeFelice and Leigh Lijoi in Kristin Sudeikis' 'I am you'. Photo by Krista Bonura.

Perry seemed to play with the sense of space and also the occasional separation or unity of audience, stage and “orchestra pit”. When the dancers performed a traveling box-like step, the stage appeared to move; and the space transformed again each time the dancers dragged the musicians to change their formations.

Conflicted Terrain was an opportunity to showcase the talent and technical capacity of the PCDC dancers. Leigh Lijoi’s long lines and Joanna DeFelice’s striking presence became recognizable right away.

In I am you, a premiere choreographed by Kristin Sudeikis, the dancers appeared almost bare (the women wore nude halters under their black leggings) and seemed to embody the phrase “dance like nobody’s watching” as the piece opened in a light, fun way as the dancers swayed and interacted with one another. In a musical change, the dancers moved in near slow motion.

The dancers soon lined up to face the audience and voiced self-proclamations: “I am so nervous,” said one dancer. They were naked in a new way – their honesty was exposed and raw. The moment passed, however, and the performers broke into fits of dancing freedom. Despite the musical changes seeming slightly too random, Sudeikis’ piece did showcase the PCDC dancers as once again being talented artists and movers.

During a pause in the program, the house proceeded to fill into a foggy cloud. This was an interesting effect, although it may have made the audience in a small, converted studio-theater space feel uncomfortable at first. Nikki Holck opened Sidra Bell’s The Ungathered with a stunning solo, and she became an interesting character and mover to watch throughout the remainder of the work. The dancers, dressed in variations of black leather bondage, continued to become more trapped, more possessed, in a cell-like world, at times pulling at the walls to try to escape.

Bell created interesting shapes, even in a sickled foot or a simple balletic grand plié. She also incorporated repetitive tendus – a darting of the foot as it slides along the floor to point – that made the step appear tedious and mad. Bell is interesting in her vocabulary and ideas, but the story of The Ungathered went on for just a bit too long.

The audience seemed to be most excited for Perry’s El Amor Brujo, the program’s closer. Perry impressively placed almost an entire orchestra at the back of the stage behind a cloudy scrim, and the live music was so nice in such a small concert venue. El Amor Brujo was a dramatic piece filled with Spanish dance nuances and a lovely balance of structure, stillness and movement.

Attila Csiki made his first appearance of the evening in El Amor Brujo and was a stand-out in the work, serving as a partner for Holck and as a remarkably fluid performer on his own. Holck and Csiki looked lovely together, and again eyes were also drawn to DeFelice.

Flamenco singer Marija Temo wandered on and off the stage, singing and acting as a storyteller for the love tale. Nothing seemed forced in El Amor Brujo; rather, the piece was seamless and natural in visual swings and levels, and also in mood.

PCDC is a wonderful ensemble of dancers, and the works presented in this season’s program allowed a chance for each to individually shine. I am glad that Perry also welcomed the work of other choreographers, as it was a nice balance for the audience and also for the dancers.

Top photo: Midori Nonaka and Kentaro Kikuchi in Sidra Bell’s The Ungathered. Photo by Karli Cadel.

Salvatore Capezio Theater
January 21, 2012

By Katherine Moore.

The Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, newly re-organized after a three-year hiatus, presented an intimate preview performance at the Salvatore Capezio Theater last Saturday. The program contained four works that will appear in their NYC Spring Season in May of 2012, two of which  Igal Perry choreographed, alongside two works by choreographers Greg Dolbashian and Kristin Sudeikis.

PCDC is a repertory company devoted to demonstrating the elegance of classical ballet while still exploring more contemporary notions of movement and design. As such, it is no surprise the dancers of PCDC performed with ease of movement and clarity of line, each one of them skilled and highly-trained.  This is an asset that all three choreographers used to their advantage in their works.

Perry’s excerpt from Constructs for 4 presented an austere and linear demonstration of his dancers’ advanced technical skills, and each dancer gained the opportunity to take the limelight within the work. In Leading From Behind, by Dolbashian, the dancers also rotated the chance to perform individually, but this time with far more intricate, sensual, and internally-focused movement that the dancers clearly relished. However, I hope to see a deeper, more mature grasp of this movement style by the time their NYC Season rolls around.  Sudeikis, likewise, choreographed opportunities for each dancer to shine in I am you, and even orchestrated this to occur via talking instead of dancing. I would also encourage the dancers and Sudeikis to deepen their understanding of the theatrical components of the work so that these spoken words might be more natural and less forced.

This visible showcasing of each individual’s talent and potential was a little obvious at times, but a pleasure to watch nonetheless. Once these young performers learn to channel their sizeable talents more towards the success of the choreography as an ensemble and not simply towards the achievement of their individual performance, this group will produce dynamic and moving work.

Indeed, while Dolbashian’s movement invention and Sudeikis’ sense of drama were interesting, I found the most enjoyable piece of the evening to be Perry’s  El Amor Brujo, a more traditional ballet piece inspired by a Spanish gypsy love tale.  Here, both Perry and his dancers excelled with their vibrant and intricate partnering, providing a lively and sweeping stage of movement that was lacking in the first half of the program. The dancers were able to shine as individuals while maintaining their connection to the ensemble. Perhaps the music, video, and theatrical elements helped tie it all together, but it seemed to me that this group, at present anyway, performed best within the constructs of a classical ballet drama.  For me, the traditions of classical ballet worth upholding in contemporary dance often have less to do with the elegance of the body, and more to do with the elegance of spirit, which was obvious in El Amor Brujo.

Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, formerly known as the Peridance Ensemble, was established in 1984 by Peridance Capezio Center’s Founder and Artistic Director Igal Perry. After hibernating for the last five years while the center transitioned into its current state-of-the-art new space, the company is stepping back onto the stage this year with new repertory and artistic collaborations.

Dance Informa was there to watch the auditions on July 31^st as 75 eager artists danced up a storm for a chance to join the new company. In total eight dancers were hired, some from the open audition and some from private auditions.

The not-for-profit repertory company is housed within Peridance Capezio Center in New York and is a resident company at the center’s in-house Salvatore Capezio Theater. As part of its quest for originality and unique identity, the company seeks out choreographic and compositional collaboration. Over the years, company repertory came to include original work by world-renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, John Butler, Danny Ezralow, and Benjamin Harkarvy, in addition to the work created by Artistic Director Igal Perry. The company has presented many works with original compositions by young composers including John Mackey, Quentine Chappetta, and Avner Dorman.  Mr. Dorman’s collaborations with Mr. Perry and his company have since been presented by companies in the USA, Israel, and Italy.

Dancers auditioning for the company

The identity of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company is shaped by original choreography, versatile dancers of diverse backgrounds, classical and contemporary accompaniment, and collaborations with live musicians. Artistic Director Igal Perry has structured the Company to experiment with new forms of classical expression while continuing to uphold the fundamental building blocks of dance.

During the 2011-12 season, the Company will be presenting contemporary ballet and modern work created by a diverse group of choreographers. Igal Perry has been commissioned to create the ballet El Amor Brujo with the company and the Post Classical Ensemble Orchestra in Washington DC, for a special evening of Stravinsky/De Falla, to be premiered at the Gonda Theater in DC on December 3rd and 4th. The company will also have a season in the early spring at the Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance. This season will present Igal’s work and a newly commissioned work by New York based choreographer Sidra Bell.

We look forward to seeing the new face of this company evolve.

Photos by Daniel Searle