The Day
Maya Beiser, Wendy Whelan, Lucinda Childs, David Lang
JANUARY 18, 2020
About The Day
THE DAY is a new music/dance work by cellist Maya Beiser, dancer Wendy Whelan, choreographer Lucinda Childs, with music by David Lang. A collaboration among legends from the worlds of ballet and contemporary dance and music, THE DAY is an evening-long sensory exploration of two journeys—life and the eternal, post-mortal voyage of the soul. This bold, highly collaborative work explores universal themes through the shared language of music and dance.
Renowned avante-grade cellist Maya Beiser, who conceived the piece, has been described by the Boston Globe as “a force of nature” and by Rolling Stone as a “cello rock star.” Wendy Whelan, widely considered one of the world’s leading dancers, spent 30 years as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and originated numerous roles in new works by the world’s most esteemed choreographers. The two will be onstage all evening, embodying the iconic choreography of Lucinda Childs (a Commandeur in France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and 2018 inductee in Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance) to the original music of Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lang.
Presented With Support From
“A gut punch . . . nothing short of life itself: by turns hopeful, funny, surprising and tragic.”
— The New York Times
“America’s greatest contemporary ballerina.”
— The New York Times on Wendy Whelan
“Exquisite…you felt transported to a glorious hereafter”
— The Washington Post
“Like no other…Very, very beautiful”
— LA Times
Performers Wendy Whelan and Maya Beiser
Choreography Lucinda Childs
Words and Music David Lang
Scenic design Sara Brown
Sound design Dave Cook
Projection design Joshua Higgason
Lighting design Natasha Katz
Costume design Karen Young
Creative producer Maya Beiser
Managing producer Christina Jensen
Production manager Emily McGillicuddy
Lighting supervisor Alejandro Fajardo
Projections supervisor Jessica Medenbach
By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. music publisher and copyright owner.
THE DAY was conceived by Maya Beiser.
THE DAY was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
THE DAY was co-commissioned by Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Carolina Performing Arts at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jacob’s Pillow; The Joyce Theater; and Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA; and was supported, in part, by the Inaugural Artist Fellowship at The Joyce Theater Foundation’s Artist Residency Center. Substantial development support was provided by LUMBERYARD Contemporary Performing Arts and Summer Stages Dance @ ICA/Boston, with additional support from Baryshnikov Arts Center.
THE DAY was supported in part by a Fay Chandler Faculty Creativity Grant from the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology.