Duke Performances welcomes choreographer Ralph Lemon for a residency, Monday, November 1 through Saturday, November 7, 2010. While on campus, Lemon and members of his company, Cross Performance, will also present their most recent work How Can You Stay In The House All Day & Not Go Anywhere?, (fresh from its run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music), a multimedia meditation on loss, longing, history and memory. The New York Times describes the 3-part performance as “replete with intimate resonances.” Mr. Lemon invokes Albert Camus’s “Myth of Sisyphus” as a touchstone both for the subject matter and the process of creating this piece: “Most of us just deny that [life is a struggle]. We think, “Why do I have to do that? Why does one have to lose someone? Why does one have to experience crises? Well, because that’s real life. The other is the illusion” (The New York Times 3 Oct. 2010).
Below is a schedule of open rehearsals, class visits, master classes, and performances. Remember student prices for Duke Performances are $5! A steal of a price to see world-renowned artists on your very own campus.
Monday, Nov. 1
Company member Djedje Gervais visits Advanced African Technique class at the Ark Studio (East Campus), 6-7:30pm. Class observation is free & open to the public.
Tuesday, Nov. 2
Company member Okwui Okpokwasili visits Intro to Acting class in the Bryan Rehearsal Studio, Room 127 10:05-11:20am. Class observation is free & open to the public.
Company members Gesel Mason & Darrell Jones will offer a Dance Master Class at the Ark Studio, 6-7:30pm. Class observation is free & open to the public
Wednesday, Nov. 3
The company will hold an open rehearsal which will conclude with a conversation with Ralph Lemon in the Reynolds Theater (West Campus) from 5-6:30pm. The rehearsal is free & open to the public but space is limited. Contact Duke Performances’ Coordinator of Artists Engagements, Megan Stein at megan.k.stein@duke.edu or 919.660.3379 for information.
Thursday, Nov. 4
“Ralph Lemon: In Conversation” at the Nasher Museum of Art, 7pm. Mr. Lemon will discuss How Can You Stay In The House … and his artwork that is included in the “The Record” exhibit currently running at the Nasher.
Friday, Nov. 5 – Saturday, Nov. 6
Performances of How Can You Stay In The House All Day & Not Go Anywhere in Reynolds Theater at 8pm. Tickets are $34 & $26 for the general public. $5 for Duke students.
As companion to the performance (best viewed after the show, but open throughout the evening) is the installation Meditation created by Ralph Lemon and video artist Jim Findlay. Meditation is housed in Sheafer Theater (Bryan Center) and is free & open to the public between the hours of 5-11pm.
Sunday, Nov. 7
Your last chance to experience at least a piece of Ralph Lemon’s work. Meditation is open for viewing in Sheafer Theater from 2-5pm.
