Bowen McCauley Dance Co.

12/30/2021

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the untimely passing of Broto Roy (EMI India recording artist) a local VA tabla percussionist and composer. Originally from Kolkata, West Bengal India, Broto was a guest musician who performed with guest dancer Manish Chauhan of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company at Bowen McCauley Dance Co. 25th and Final Season show at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater on September 14, 2021. His wife, Teresa Gibbs acknowledged that the September 14 performance was not only his final but a bright star for him in 2021. So many performing artists are still working their way back to the stage. And, with much thanks to Lucy Bowen McCauley and Helen Chamberlin, we are so grateful that he was able to perform with BMDC. We cannot possibly articulate his 30+ year career but please see his Bio, extensive music repertoire and accolades at https://www.brotoroy.com/.
RIP Broto Roy.

12/03/2021

"At this juncture, I am convinced anew that Lucy is inventing an original dance vocabulary in more than one genre to sustain her supporters well beyond the “second act” of steering her company through a fruitful run of twenty-five years."

We cannot thank Luella Christopher enough for her beautifully written words about BMDC's final performance & Lucy's incredible work. .d

To read the full review, click the link in our bio!

12/03/2021

"At this juncture, I am convinced anew that Lucy is inventing an original dance vocabulary in more than one genre to sustain her supporters well beyond the “second act” of steering her company through a fruitful run of twenty-five years."

We cannot thank Luella Christopher enough for her beautifully written words about BMDC's final performance & Lucy's incredible work.

To read the full review, use this link! https://dancinginthedistrict.com/2021/10/30/bowen-mccauley-kennedy-center/

10/28/2021

As the Company wraps-up 25 years of sharing the joy of dance in the DC Metro region, What's next for the our professional dancers and staff. https://conta.cc/2Zihq3o

10/15/2021

Cheers! 🎉

After 25 fabulous seasons, Bowen McCauley Dance Company celebrated our final performance and went out with a BANG!

With this final performance, BMDC leaves a lasting legacy of vibrancy and athleticism of its professional dancers and the unique and sublime choreography of the one and only, Lucy Bowen.

For 25 years, BMDC has performed contemporary dance nationally and internationally, from Virginia to New York, and to China, Mexico, and Germany. BMDC’s community engagement programming, including the MOVE ME Festival, K-12 In-School Dance Residencies, and Dance for Parkinson's Disease, have touched thousands of lives, fulfilling the organization’s mission to share the joy of dance with people of all ages and abilities.

Thank you for sharing our moments of excitement, love, hope, and joy over the past 25 seasons!

Celebration Finale (LtoR): Dustin Kimball, Alicia Curtis, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Lucy, Nikola Paskalov, Elena Olshin, Patrick Green, Alison Bartels, Helen Chamberlin, Wanyi Ng (Kennedy Center the REACH)

10/07/2021

25th Season final performance video available. Thank you to our dancers, guests artists, musicians, staff and crew for a fabulous closing performance at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater - September 14, 2021. We definitely went out with a BANG!~

10/07/2021

Introducing Lucy's Dance for PD Partners!

Maryland Youth Ballet
TUESDAY
2:30 - 3:45 PM
(Weekly Class starts October 5)

Instructor: Lucy Bowen

In-Studio or on Zoom!
Location
Maryland Youth Ballet
926 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, MD

Questions, email [email protected]
Learn more: https://www.marylandyouthballet.org/dance-for-pd/

________________________________________

The Kennedy Center
WEDNESDAY
2:30 - 3:45 PM
(Weekly Class starts October 6)

Instructor: Lucy Bowen

Location
The Kennedy Center at the REACH
Studio J
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC

Questions, reach out to [email protected]
Learn more: https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/explore-by-genre/dance/2021-2022/dance-for-parkinsons-disease/

________________________________________

George Mason University

FRIDAY
1:00 - 2:15 PM
(Weekly Class starts October 1)

Instructor: Lucy Bowen

Location
deLaski Performing Arts Building
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA

Questions, reach out by email to Shaun B. D'Arcy at [email protected]
Learn more: https://dance.gmu.edu/about/dance-pd

10/06/2021

Join us this Fall 2021 for Stretch Classes with Lucy Bowen!

Maryland Youth Ballet
Tuesday
12:00 - 1:15 PM
(Weekly Class starts October 5)

Instructor: Lucy Bowen

Location
Maryland Youth Ballet
926 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, MD

In-studio or by Zoom!

Questions? Email [email protected]

Read below for more information about Bowen McCauley Stretch classes:

Helping dancers, elite athletes, and anyone who values the freedom of movement and strong emotional well being!

The Bowen McCauley Stretch technique uses a series of continuous movement and deep breathing to progress into each stretch. This slow-paced technique increases elasticity in the muscles and freedom in the joints while incorporating deep breathing, which helps to de-stress both the mind and body. The stretch process emphasizes proper alignment and interdependence of good posture and flexibility. There is no bouncing but instead postures are held for eight counts and repeated for four sets and recovery time is minimal.

10/05/2021

The final performance from BMDC's 25th and Final Season Performance featured "Insistent Music." This piece for piano quintet was an expanded collaboration between Bowen McCauley Dance Company and Hoppa Project.

The five part work with connected movements was inspired by the folk music of Eastern Europe, which has endless energy and an insistent optimistic attitude towards sad life events. These inspirations presented themselves in the work as a variety of repeated percussive patterns and bursting melodic lines inspired by the folk string playing styles of Eastern Europe.

Choreography: Lucy Bowen McCauley
Music by Erberk Eryilmaz, Hoppa! 3 String Quartet and Darbuka

Hoppa Project:
Violin, Evie Chen
Violin, Marisa Ishikawa
Viola, Korine Anne Fujiwara
Cello, Bree Ahern

Piano and Turkish Folk Percussion: Erberk Eryilmaz
Lighting Design: Martha Mountain
Costume Design: Alicia Curtis
Set Design: William H. Brakefield
Scenic Construction: Christina Curtis and William H. Brakefield
Dancers: Dustin Kimball, Alicia Curtis, Alison Bartels, Aaron Bauer, Patrick Green, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Wanyi Ng, Elena Olshin

Photo by: David Moss

10/04/2021

A special thank you to Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble of Washington, DC for their wonderful performance during our final season!

was founded in Washington, DC in 2005 by a number of individuals who are dedicated to promoting the diverse, rich and vibrant culture of Turkey through its dances. Kardelen’s dances provide a glimpse into the lives and celebrations of the Turkish people and take audiences on a cultural journey through the villages of Asia Minor, or Anatolia as Turks call it, to the royal Ottoman palaces of Istanbul.

The Ensemble takes its name from a resilient Anatolian mountain flower. The word “kardelen” means “one that pierces through the snow”. Kardelen has performed in more than 100 international events, celebrations, and occasions. Some of their prestigious performances include the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Penn State University, The Textile Museum of DC, The World Bank and the IMF, Annual DC Turkish Festival, Turkish Festivals in Florida, Houston, and Turkish Parade in NYC, as well as the Yalla Raqs Festival in Medellin, Colombia.

Choreography: Demet Cabbar and Yaprak Servi
Music by Erberk Eryilmaz: Miniatures Set No. 6
Violin: Evie Chen
Turkish Folk Percussion: Erberk Eryilmaz
Photo by: Jeff Malet

10/03/2021

The second world premiere of BMDC's final performance was “Imago.” This performance featured six songs from German/Croatian Composer, Nikola Glassl, played live by the Composer’s grandson and pianist, Nikola Paskalov with soprano, Karin Paludan.

In 1940, Nikola Glassl, entered the Zagreb Music Academy when he was 20 years old to study music composition and piano. The first four songs entitled “Eve”, “Moonlit Night”, “Morning Idyll” and “Longing” are based on the poetry of H.V. Hunoltstein and were written in the early period of his studies. The last two songs “Homesickness” and “Farewell” are based on the poetry of E. Moerike and came later in 1944 when all the horrors of World War II were in full swing in Europe. Due to these circumstances, he did not finish his music studies until much later in 1951 and then graduated in 1957. This is the most prolific period
of his life and it’s considered that the songs are part of his early period as a composer. He moved to Munich, Germany in 1964 where he lived until the end of his life in 2017. In 2006, in what is now the independent Republic of Croatia he received a prestigious award from the Croatian Academy of Science and Arts for his “Sinfonietta Drammatica” for his work as an important
part of the Croatian music heritage.

Music Director and pianist Nikola Paskalov, who performs the piano part of the songs in this
performance, is Nikola Glassl’s grandson from his mother’s side and responsible for tracing the history of the song and figuring out the order of the songs since they were never published. While at the same time promoting his grandfather's work in general by recording and performing his music around the world.

Piano: Nikola Paskalov
Soprano: Karin Paludan
Lighting Design: Martha Mountain
Costume Design: Alicia Curtis
Dancers: Alicia Curtis, Aaron Bauer, Justin Metcalf-Burton (featured)
Photo by: Jeff Malet

10/02/2021

The second reprise of BMDC's final performance featured “Trois Rêves.” Created during COVID and premiered May 2021, “Trois Rêves” was set to Maurice Ravel’s “Gaspard de la Nuit” for piano with musical accompaniment by Nikola Paskalov.

Swipe to see the three dream sequences:
1. Ondine (Water Nymph)
2. LeGibet (The Gallows)
3. Scarbo (Goblin)

Lighting Design: Martha Mountain
Costume Design: Alicia Curtis
Dancers: Dustin Kimball, Alicia Curtis, Alison Bartels,
Patrick Green, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Wanyi Ng

Photos by David Moss

10/01/2021

The magical evening of BMDC's final performance included not just one, but three world premieres.

The second performance in the program featured the world premiere and the U.S. debut of guest artist, Manish Chauhan from Mumbai dancing a solo created by Israeli Choreographer Igal Perry of Peridance Center of New York City.

A very special thank you to for the beautiful performance!
⁠
Swipe ➡️ to see some of our favorite photos!

Music by Mukesh, Mera Joota Hai Japani
Tabla percussion, Broto Roy
Lighting Design, Martha Mountain
Dancer: Manish Chauhan

09/30/2021

A tremendous thank you to everyone who joined us for BMDC's 25th and Final Season Performance — what a spectacular night it was!

The show opened with a reprise of “Exuberant Fanfare,” Lucy Bowen's choreographed dance piece set to the music of Igor Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne’ from ‘Pulcinella’ and played live by violinist, Leonid Sushansky and pianist, Carlos Cesar Rodriguez of the National Chamber Ensemble.

Photo by David Moss

Exuberant Fanfare originally premiered in May 2019.

Lighting Design by Martha Mountain
Costume Design by Chelsey Schuller

Dancers: Alicia Curtis, Alison Bartels, Patrick Green, Justin Metcalf-Burton, Elena Olshin

09/28/2021

BMDC has partnered with The Kennedy Center to continue free Dance for Parkinson’s Disease!

"It was important to me that people living with Parkinson’s continue to have easy access across the entire DC Metro area. To partner with these three iconic institutions in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia is an absolute dream, and will ensure that the program lives on into the next generation.,” said Lucy Bowen.

Classes begin October 6 and run weekly on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:45 PM.

Join Lucy Bowen at
The Kennedy Center in the REACH
Studio J
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, DC

Questions, reach out to the Kennedy Center Ed Department at [email protected]

09/27/2021

Introducing Lucy's Dance for PD Partner, Maryland Youth Ballet!

Securing a future for BMDC’s Dance for PD Program was a priority in BMDC's dissolution plan and an essential step in securing its legacy in the DC area. The continuation of these programs demonstrates Lucy Bowen’s lasting commitment to serving the Parkinson’s Disease community. Thanks to an anonymous donation, these essential community offerings will provide the means to carry this program forward.

Weekly classes start October 5th at

Join us for FREE Dance for PD classes TUESDAY from
2:30 to 3:45 PM!

Instructor: Lucy Bowen

In-Studio or on Zoom!
Location
Maryland Youth Ballet
926 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, MD

Questions, email Maryland Youth Ballet at [email protected]

09/26/2021

BMDC bequeaths Dance for PD program to George Mason University's School of Dance!

More of a “third act” to her career than a retirement, Lucy Bowen’s first task after closing BMDC will be training teaching artists to help lead these FREE classes at all three locations. Notably, the partnership with George Mason will integrate Dance for PD instruction into the dance education curriculum, ensuring that the next generation of dancers can carry on this important work.

Join Lucy for FREE classes on Fridays from 1:00 - 2:15 PM, starting October 1st!

Location
deLaski Performing Arts Building
4400 University Drive
Fairfax, VA

Questions, reach-out by email to Shaun B. D'Arcy at [email protected]

09/20/2021

09/20/2021

And what a fabulous 25 seasons it’s been!

It is with a bittersweet farewell that MYB congratulates on 25 years as our oldest resident dance company. We will miss your energetic rehearsals in our studios and your dancers in class, especially our alums and teachers. We wish you all the best!

09/17/2021

"I am heading into the third act of my life. I hope it won’t be so career-driven. I have made some plans as mentioned previously, but I also want to see what life brings me. I love to travel and hope that is a part of the future. I am so, so grateful that I got to follow my passion. Thank you all!!!" — Lucy for the Sun-Gazette

Photo Credit: David Moss (2021)

09/15/2021

BMDC closed out our 25th and final season last night at The Kennedy Center and announced partnerships with The Kennedy Center and George Mason University's School of Dance to continue free Dance for Parkinson's Disease (Dance for PD) classes. Earlier this year, BMDC announced a similar partnership with the Maryland Youth Ballet, and this triad of partnerships will ensure that Dance for PD classes are accessible throughout the DC Metro area.

Securing a future for BMDC's Dance for PD Program was an organizational priority in our dissolution plan and an essential step in securing our legacy in the DC area. The continuation of these programs demonstrates Lucy Bowen's lasting commitment to serving the Parkinson's Disease community. Thanks to an anonymous donation, these essential community offerings will provide the means to carry this program forward.

Read the full article here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/BMDC-Bequeaths-Dance-For-PD-Program-to-the-Kennedy-Center-and-George-Mason-U-School-of-Dance-20210914

09/14/2021

The night you've all been waiting for is here!

After 25 years of amazing performances, BMDC is going out with a BANG tonight!

Thank you for all of your support throughout the years and enjoy our 25th and Final Season Performance!

09/14/2021

Getting ready for the Show tomorrow with .eryilmaz and and partnering with and

09/13/2021

BMDC's 25th Anniversary Season Performance is tomorrow!

Get ready for a fabulous one-night show featuring three world premieres, guest artists, and all live musical accompaniment.

All dance pieces will be performed with live music to create a visceral experience with our professional company dancers in a memorable farewell to Season 25 and the organization.

If you haven't already, get your Kennedy Center tickets now! www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/12/2021

An Inspirational Evening of Dance and Live Music!

On Tuesday BMDC will conclude 25 seasons with a final
performance at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. The performance will include a mix of world-premiere works and classic favorites.

We're thrilled for you to join us at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater to celebrate Season 25 and the organization.

Celebrate with us, tickets are still available! www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/11/2021

Who else is excited for BMDC's biggest show yet?

We're just days away from the world premiere of “Insistent Music” a rhythmic and choreographic tour de force with the new composition, written especially for Lucy.

Join us on September 14 | 7:00 PM at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Theater.

Tickets are still available! www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/10/2021

Do you have your tickets yet? Click the link for Kennedy Center tickets! www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

After 25 successful seasons, BMDC is going out with a BANG!

Bowen McCauley Dance Co. Proudly Presents our 25th Anniversary Season Performance!

Lucy Bowen McCauley and Turkish Composer Erberk Eryilmaz reunite for their second collaboration with the world premiere of “Insistent Music” a rhythmic and choreographic tour de force with the new composition, written especially for Lucy.

The second world premiere, “Imago” is set to six songs from German/Croatian Composer Nikola Glassl and played live by the Composer’s grandson and pianist Nikola Paskalov with soprano Karin Paludan.

The show will also showcase reprise performances of “Exuberant Fanfare,” and Trois Rêves” choreographed by Lucy.

09/09/2021

"I am still feeling like it is very much the right thing to
close the company at 25 years. I want to enjoy all that goes with the preparations for a show, especially time with all of the artists involved. This will be our biggest show yet, and everyone is excited to be in the large Eisenhower Theater rather than the Terrace Theater
at the Kennedy Center," Lucy said.

Get your tickets to our biggest show yet, Tuesday, September 14 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater!⁠
⁠
Click the link⁠ to find your tickets!
www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/09/2021

“Trois Rêves, expertly played by pianist Nikola Paskalov, the company’s music director, demonstrates Bowen McCauley’s sensitivity for and love of challenging 20th-century classical scores that suit her balletically inspired movement language.” — Lisa Traiger, DC Metro Theater Arts

See Trois Rêves live and in-person along with three world premieres and live musical accompaniment!

Get your tickets here and join us on September 14 at 7:00 PM in The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - Eisenhower Theater!

https://www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/08/2021

"I surprised myself a few years ago when I started to think about no longer being artistic director of Bowen McCauley Dance Company. I shared these thoughts with board members and close friends and tried to
mentor two different people for the job. I offered a name change for the company and just wanted
to pass along what I had worked so hard to create and maintain. In the end, it seemed that there wasn’t a good fit and I decided that it was time to just go out with a BANG." — Lucy Bowen McCauley for the Sun-Gazette

It's not too late to get your tickets to BMDC's 25th and Final Season Performance!

Join us on September 14 at 7:00 PM in the Kennedy Center and expect a fabulous one-night show featuring three world premieres, guest artists, and all live musical accompaniment.

Find your Kennedy Center tickets here: https://www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/08/2021

Join us for an inspirational and uplifting evening as BMDC celebrates its 25th and final season!

The program will feature a world premiere and the U.S. debut of guest artist, Manish Chauhan from Mumbai dancing a solo choreographed to "Mera Joota Hai Japani" and created by Israeli Choreographer Igal Perry of Peridance Center of New York City.

For Kennedy Center tickets visit: https://www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

Manish can also be seen in his upcoming film, Call Me Dancer. See the film trailer at www.callmedancer.com

Photo: Manish is Elle India

09/07/2021

Just one week away!

Join us for our 25th and Final Season Performance
September 14 | 7:00 PM

Tickets available here: www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

The show will open with a reprise of “Exuberant Fanfare,” McCauley’s choreographed dance piece and music by Igor Stravinsky’s “Suite Italienne’ from ‘Pulcinella’ and played live by violinist Leonid Sushansky and pianist Carlos Cesar Rodriguez of the National Chamber Ensemble.

09/06/2021

For 25 seasons BMDC has entertained, educated, and inspired by making contemporary dance accessible to all, through our performances and outreach activities.

Join us as we go out with a BANG! Celebrate our final performance of our closing season at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Eisenhower Theater.

September 14 | 7:00 PM
Get your tickets today!
www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/06/2021

The star in the recent Netflix film about his life, Yeh Ballet, Manish Chauhan is making his US debut during BMDC's 25th and final season performance!

Join us Tuesday, September 14 at 7:00 PM! ⁠
Get your tickets here: https://www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley and read more about ⁠ below!

Manish Chauhan was born and raised in Mumbai. He’s self-taught in urban street dance known as b-boying. His athletic and gymnastic skills allowed him to compete in popular reality TV shows like India’s Got Talent and Dance India Dance, where he greatly impressed judges and was awarded the coveted prize called ‘Taqdeer Ki Topi’ or ‘Hat of Destiny’. ⁠
⁠
Chauhan studied ballet at the Danceworx School in Mumbai under the Israeli-American teacher, Yehuda Ma’or. He completed his training at the Oregon Ballet Theater School in Portland and at the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel. In 2020, Chauhan played the leading role in the Netflix film, Yeh Ballet, a fictionalized version of his life about his struggle to pursue a dance career despite his family’s wishes.⁠
⁠
He has appeared in Elle and Pointe Magazine and in advertisements for Nickelodeon and Torani Menswear. Manish is currently an apprentice with the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company in New York City.⁠

Photo: Manish for Elle India

09/05/2021

"I hope that folks attending the show will appreciate the performance and perceive how the choreography dovetails with the music as the dancers transcend
the stage. Although the curtain comes down, our audience can preserve some of the images and feelings they experienced in their minds and soul. I have no idea which parts of the performance will resonate most with attendees, as that is the art of it, but I hope that many leave transfixed by something." — Lucy Bowen McCauley in the Sun-Gazette

Only a week left to get your tickets to our final performance! www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

09/04/2021

See Aaron in the world premieres of "Insistent Music" and "Imago" during our 25th and Final Season performance!

Tickets are available now! https://www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley

Aaron Bauer grew up in Bowie Maryland, where he dreamed of being a soccer player. Upon the realization that he was not very good, his parents ‘tricked’ him into taking a ballet class at The National Ballet Company in hopes of improving his soccer skills. After two months, Aaron stepped off the stage from his first National Ballet Company performance as a party boy in The Nutcracker. He knew where he wanted to be, on the stage.

Aaron trained for six years with the National Ballet Company and then continued his training with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet and The Rock School for Dance Education. His first job opportunity was with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland where he performed for four seasons.

He has danced principal roles in The Beauty and The Beast, Cinderella, Swan Lake and as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

09/03/2021

Hailed by The Washington Post as “Metro DC’s premier contemporary dance company,” BMDC is renowned for our spirited dancers, use of live music, the professionalism of our dance performances and our extraordinary outreach programs for socio-economically diverse communities.

For 25 years, BMDC has performed contemporary dance nationally and internationally, from Virginia to New York, and to China, Mexico, and Germany.

Although the decision to close BMDC is not related to the current pandemic, we want to celebrate our quarter-century of accomplishments and then go out with a BANG!

Don't miss our final performance of our closing season!
September 14 | 7:00 PM
Get your tickets today!
www.kennedy-center.org/mccauley