Evening-Length Dance Theater Work with Cast of Eight Examines the Nature of Love Through Movement, Text and Sound
Two-time “Bessie” Award-winning choreographer Hope Boykin will premiere her newest production, “States Of Hope,” at The Joyce Theater in seven performances from October 17 through October 22, 2023. A fully scripted evening-length dance theater work written, directed, and choreographed by Ms. Boykin, “States Of Hope” is a memoir of sorts, which examines the hope and need to find in ourselves what we most often seek in others: confirmation, acceptance, and love. Ticket prices range from $10-$72 and are available at joyce.org.
Ms. Boykin’s seven characters – The Determined, The Cynical, The Angry, The Convinced, The Worried, The Conformist, Daughter of Job – are all slivers that live inside Hope and are always linked – tied together in figuring out the central question driving the work: “what is love.” Said Ms. Boykin, “Through a complex mixture of movement, scripted text, and sound, the work unpacks inner thoughts and questions, resolving we must love ourselves first before anything, especially loving others.”
An original member of Complexions, Ms. Boykin danced with Philadanco and completed 20 years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, for which she created three works. She has also choreographed for Philadanco, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theater, Ballet X, Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Ballet Black of London, American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, The Philadelphia Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She serves as Artistic Advisor for Dance Education for the Kennedy Center and Artistic Lead for the Kennedy Center Dance Lab. She is Artist-In-Residence at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and was an advisor for the Howard University Department of Dance for the 2021 spring semester. She is a Center for Ballet in the Arts Fellow 2022/23.
As a director and dance-maker, Ms. Boykin received a grant from the Mellon Foundation for her Covid Safe residency, #BoykinBubble, and in the fall of 2021, she premiered her choreography, “An Evening of Hope,” at the 92nd Street Y. In Summer 2022, she presented “Moments… a concert” as a Chelsea Factory Resident Artist, and she has been supported by Works & Process for choreographic and writing residencies. She released “Beauty Size & Color,” a short film commenting on what has changed in the first twenty years of the 21st century, on PBS.org, which was recently nominated for a 2023 New York Emmy.
CREDITS
“States Of Hope”
Choreographer, Director, and book by: Hope Boykin
Music Composer: Ali Jackson
Lighting and Set Designer: Al Crawford III
Dramaturg: Mahogany L. Browne
Costume Designer: Hope Boykin and Corin Wright
Produced by: Joyce Theater Productions
Location: The Joyce Theater
Dates: October 17-22, two-show day Saturday, October 21; seven shows in total
Tuesday, October 17, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.*
Thursday, October 19, 8:00 p.m.
Friday, October 20, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 21, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 21, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 22, 2:00 p.m.
*Curtain Chat: Wednesday, October 18
Length: Approximately one hour and twenty minutes with one intermission
The Joyce’s presentation of HopeBoykinDance is a HARKNESS FIRST Joyce Theater debut, generously supported by The Harkness Foundation for Dance. Supported by a Joyce Creative Residency awarded to Hope Boykin, made possible by generous funding provided by Mellon Foundation. Major support generously provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Additional residency support provided by a partnership project with Catskill Mountain Foundation.
Hope Boykin, a two-time “Bessie Award” winner, is an acclaimed dancer, choreographer and artistic advisor known for her 20-year tenure with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and her choreography for various companies worldwide. With a passion for pushing artistic boundaries, she has co-directed Off-Broadway and regional theater productions, while her virtual works have earned acclaim from institutions like Carolina Performing Arts and the Guggenheim Works And Process Virtual Commissions initiative. As a motivating force, Hope has served as a keynote speaker for Lincoln Center Activate and received a grant for her Covid Safe residency #BoykinBubble. Her creative endeavors extend to filmmaking, including the Emmy-nominated short film “Beauty Size & Color.” From premiering “An Evening of Hope” at 92nd Street Y to directing performances like “The Other Side” for the Kennedy Center, Hope’s artistry knows no limits.
