THE CARPET SERIES 2023: Flow and Diversion
Pigeonwing Dance’s Carpet Series is a compact outdoor performance taking place on an 8x10 Persian carpet in parks and on sidewalks across NYC. Showcasing the choreography of five highly trained contemporary ballet dancers, this virtuosic and intricate dance is a study in contrasts: silk with asphalt, structured choreography with improvisation, and private space in public. Since its July 2020 premiere, The Carpet Series has been performed over 150 times in all five boroughs. The Carpet Series has been featured in the New York Daily News and DANCE Magazine, where critic Nancy Wozny observed, "the geometric patterns of the Persian rug echo and amplify Lamb's idiosyncratic movement vocabulary, which is both intensely intricate and unusually syncopated. "
The 2023 edition explores the theme of "Flow and Diversion". It is inspired by the bodies of water that surround our city and the hidden streams that run beneath its streets. See below for locations across Manhattan.
Photo: Charles Roussel
Photo: Thomas Wilson
The Carpet Series: Flow and Diversion premieres on July 26, 2023, with new choreography and a rotating cast of seven dancers. Performances take place most Wednesdays and Saturdays.
2023 Schedule
Subject to change, check @Pigeonwingdance Instagram for latest updates! For same-day weather updates, please check our Instagram Stories.
Wednesday, July 26: Riverbank Park (6:30-8pm)
Saturday July 29: Castle Village (by invitation only)
Wednesday, August 2: Bennett Park -- first set with Jazz WaHi (4:45-6:15pm)
Saturday, August 12: Riverside Park @ 107th (5-6:30pm)
Wednesday, August 16: Schurz Park (6:30-8pm)
Saturday, August 19: Belvedere Plaza @ Battery Park
Monday, August 28: The Hudson @ Dyckman Marina (7-8pm)
Saturday, September 9: St. Nicholas Park (6-7pm)
Wednesday, September 13: TBD (6-7:30pm)
Wednesday, September 27: McGolrick Nights (Time TBD evening)
This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council and administered by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council -- as well as by UMEZ Arts Engagement, a regrant program supported by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and administered by the LMCC.
2023 Cast:
Robin Cantrell
Allegra Herman
Gabrielle Lamb
Tiffany Mangulabnan
Blue Richardson
Victoria Sames
Amy Saunder
(Bios here)
@carpetseriesnyc Instagram
Click and swipe the map squares to see photos and videos from iconic NYC locations we visited in 2020.
ABOUT PIGEONWING DANCE:
"to cut a pigeon wing": The Dictionary of American Regional English. To execute intricate dance steps gracefully...to dance in a fancy way
Under the direction of 2020 Guggenheim Fellow Gabrielle Lamb, Pigeonwing Dance performs choreography that provokes curiosity in lovers of both crossword puzzles and cat videos. Improvisatory abandon is counterbalanced by meticulous calculation, revealing intricate architectures where fleeting moments of resolution open into new wonderings. Described by The New Yorker as “eccentric...playful...curious”, PWD has been presented by, among others, Bryant Park, the 92Y Harkness Dance Festival, and Symphony Space, where they became the first dance company commissioned by Selected Shorts.
