CITY OF ASHES
City of Ashes is a collaborative, multi-disciplinary contemporary dance work conceived by choreographer Matthew Westerby. The work marks the advent of the AIDS crisis in New York City – an epidemic that defined an era and forever changed the face of the city’s gay community. Drawing inspiration from the stories of lives taken too soon and the memories that many left behind, the work reflects upon the tragedy so many faced and the resilience that the community found in the face of stigma, ignorance and bigotry.
Through research of publications, artwork and media from the period, City of Ashes honors the powerful human relationships and personal histories of those lost to AIDS in New York City. The work is a collaboration with three composers – Bent Duo (David Friend & Bill Solomon) and John P. Hastings.
The project identifies artistic goals that speak to Westerby’s work – creating professional, collaborative dance works as a reflection of his identity as an immigrant, LGBTQ New Yorker and creating dance works that are accessible and open to all, showcasing Westerby’s athletic movement style and his abstract, emotional connection to music.
The work was performed in excerpt as part of MWC’s 15th Anniversary Performance Season in May 2024; the full-length work with live music will be premiered later in 2025. The work is supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts.
MIGRATORY PATTERNS
Migratory Patterns was created in 2023, conceived by Artistic Director Matthew Westerby in. collaboration with co-producer Jim Furlong and Hudson Guild Theatre Company. Inspired by the phenomenon of migration, the piece represents the personal heritage and identity of each performer.
Set to a commissioned score by composers Travis Just & John P. Hastings, the work was premiered on the High Line in October 2023, featuring a cast of MWC’s professional dancers and community performers from Hudson Guild community. Migratory Patterns was later performed at the Hudson Guild Theatre as part of MWC’s 15th Anniversary Performance Season in May 2024.
The piece was made possible with the support of Materials for the Arts, Hudson Guild and the High Line.
The Piers Project
First conceived in 2018, The Piers Project is inspired by the history and documentation of the world that existed on Manhattan’s west side piers in the 1970’s & 80’s. In the post-Stonewall era, the area became a space of sexual freedom and expression among the crumbling relics of the piers. Through the photos and writings of the Piers at the time, we imagine the moments and movements that occurred here, creating a dance work that evokes the freedom, the exuberance, the anonymity and the dangers of the Piers scene. The work will receive its full premiere in September 2022 on the High Line.
The program will also feature the premiere of Life/Space, inspired by Gestalt psychological theory. The piece explores a humanistic approach to the study of the individual and how the forces of attraction and repulsion affect our paths through space and time.
This work has been made possible by commissioning grants from the O’Donnell-Green Music & Dance Foundation and the Jamaica Dance Festival, and was developed partially through support from Speaker Corey Johnson and the Cultural Immigrant Initiative.
