Dance Visions NY to Perform at Hempstead House, Rose Garden

Dance Visions NY performs at Hempstead House and Rose Garden on Sunday, July 10, at 3 p.m.

Under the direction of Beth Jucovy, the company honors the legendary choreographer Isadora Duncan’s groundbreaking dance aesthetics and techniques, which were created in the same era in which the Guggenheim Estate was established. With the historic mansion and Rose Garden as its stage, the company of 10 dancers performs a combination of Duncan’s works as well as site-specific contemporary, original works.

“The dance of Isadora, inspired by classical Greek and Roman sources, is enhanced by the design and the classical statuary at Sands Point and gives the dances a multi-dimensional context,” Jucovy said. “The work will come alive as if in another time.”

The July 10 program, “When Nature Dances,” highlights the Preserve’s distinct setting, with dances performed both outdoors and indoors.

“The beautiful rooms and architecture of Hempstead House fully complement the look and design of the dances,” Jucovy said. “The same is true of the outdoor space in the Rose Garden, Viewers will be transported to the early 20th century with dance performed both indoors and outdoors as in the garden performances that Isadora herself gave a century ago.”

Outdoor works include authentic Isadora Duncan dances of Nature and Classical Greek art and mythology created between 1905 and 1927. Among these works are “The Tribute to the Greek Gods” to Schubert’s Symphony in C, Strauss’s Roses from the South, and Nature-themed Chopin, Brahms and Schubert waltzes, etudes and mazurkas.

Jucovy’s original works are among the afternoon’s highlights, paying tribute to Duncan’s technique as it evolved over time. Jucovy’s award-winning piece, “Through the Portals,” presented indoors, features projections of the original paintings of visual artist Susan Ruth Cohen. The program also includes classical and neoclassical dances that fully complement the natural setting of the Preserve.

Admission is $10 per person for Sands Point Preserve Conservancy members, and $20 for non-members.

The program is made possible in part with funds from the Decentralization Program, a re-grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and is administered by The Huntington Arts Council, Inc.

The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy will present cultural performances throughout the summer and fall. Composer’s Night, a series for emerging artists, continues on July 21, with the Bobby Katz Quintet. On July 30, the North Shore Music Festival will present Puccini’s great opera, “Madama Butterfly” – the evening includes dinner and spans both Hempstead House and Castle Gould for a new experience at the Preserve.

This year, the Village Day Fall Festival is set for Oct. 16, just in time for the autumn harvest. October brings the second annual Haunted Halloween Mansion with a Masked Gala on October 21, and Tiger-Fried Productions will present Agatha Christie’s murder mystery “And Then There Were None” in Hempstead House in November.

To purchase tickets for all cultural events, call the ticket line at 516.304.5076. To purchase a 12-month membership, visit www.TheSandsPointPreserve.org, call 516-571-7901 or visit the Gate House at 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, NY, 11050. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to protect and preserve the 216-acre waterfront grounds and historic mansions and to provide a range of cultural arts events in Hempstead House and Castle Gould and educational programs for families and schools in the Phil Dejana Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom.