Boston Conservatory at Berklee to Present Five Iconic Works at Spring Dance Concert: Limitless

The annual showcase will include José Limón’s The Unsung, performed for the first time by an all-woman cast of dancers.

By
Tori Donahue
April 3, 2024
Four dancers leaping in the air with toes pointed; image is half black and white and half of the image has a dark to light blue overlay.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Center Stage series will conclude its season with the annual Spring Dance Concert: Limitless from Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28 at Boston Conservatory Theater.  

This year’s program will feature five notable works. Boston Conservatory faculty members Adriana Suarez and Gianni Di Marco have choreographed a new piece, Eclipse, to be world-premiered by student dancers. Plod, by Dan Wagoner, is an exuberant piece set to Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, which will be performed by the Boston Conservatory Orchestra. Snatched Back from the Edges, by Dwight Rhoden, is a tour-de-force contemporary ballet expressing the anxiety, loss, and loneliness of the COVID-19 lockdown. 

Lift, by Aszure Barton, was originally commissioned by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and is being restaged for Limitless as part of Barton’s creative partnership with the Boston Conservatory Dance Division, which began earlier this spring. In preparation for the performance, student dancers were able to work directly with Barton, who has choreographed for the world’s leading dance institutions, including Martha Graham Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. 

This year’s Limitless program also features The Unsung by José Limón, an undisputed masterpiece of modern dance that honors Native Americans. This special showcase of Limón’s work, originally intended for male dancers, will be the first time the piece is performed by an all-woman cast. Associate Professor of Dance Kurt Douglas, a Limón-trained dancer, will reconstruct this special performance.

“Limitless is an annual celebration of our tremendously talented dance students, and this year’s program is incredibly special,” said Tommy Neblett, dean of dance for Boston Conservatory at Berklee. “It is an honor to have our students perform Aszure Barton’s Lift, the first piece since the establishment of her four-year creative partnership with the Dance Division and the first of many great collaborations to come. Additionally, the performances of Dan Wagoner’s Plod, Dwight Rhoden’s Snatched Back from the Edges, and a beautiful reimagination of José Limón’s The Unsung will make this year’s Limitless an exciting and memorable experience.” 

Spring Dance Concert: Limitless will be presented at Boston Conservatory Theater, located at 31 Hemenway Street in Boston, Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27, and at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28. Tickets are $25 to $30 for regular seating and $18.75 to $22.50 for children, senior citizens, WGBH members, and non-Berklee students. Learn more and purchase tickets here.