Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance’s (CLD) mission is to create movement that engages an audience by aligning the rigor of ballet with the humanistic performance values of contemporary dance. This unconventional use of ballet distinctively conveys moods and relationships, without the decorum that is integral to classical repertory, and without subduing the individuality of each of the dancers. The work is generated by issues of social injustice and the concern for the human condition, fueling profoundly sensitive and compassionate work with the intent to heal and call attention to the issues faced by women, people of color, and other marginalized groups. This body of work could not be appropriately created or conveyed without a diverse group of dancers, composers, musicians, and other artistic collaborators. CLD has a long-standing commitment to educational outreach, as well as to the partnership of dance and live music.
Cherylyn Lavagnino has created over fifty in the past twenty-four years, and since 2000 the platform for her choreography has been Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance (CLD). Eleven exceptional artists make up CLD stemming from distinguished backgrounds and professional work experiences such as Twyla Tharp, Bill T Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Jose Limon Dance Foundation, Lucinda Childs, Shen Wei Dance Arts, and Miguel Guiterriez. The company supports a Live Music and Dance incentive by collaborating with composers Scott Killian and Martin Bresnick on new works, as well as performing alongside world-renowned musical artists such as Lisa Moore, Elly Toyoda, Ashley Bathgate, and New York City Ballet Orchestra members Derek Ratzenboeck and Cameron Grant. CLD has been presented in New York City and abroad: The New Festival in Beijing, Bryant Park, Danspace Project, The 92nd Street Y, Dance Theater Workshop, Symphony Space, DanceNow/NYC, Jacob’s Pillow, The Yard, Kaatsban International Dance Center, Indianapolis City Ballet, Intermezzo Dance, The Joyce Theatre’s “Evening Stars” series, and the Off the Grid Festival. The company also has a long history of performing in museum and gallery spaces such as Lehmann Maupin Gallery, Chelsea Art Museum, OK Harris Works of Art, and the James Cohan Gallery. CLD serves an annual residency with the Catskill Mountain Foundation which offers the community of Hunter, New York educational outreach enrichment and live performances. The company has been supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the O’Donnell Green Foundation for Dance and Live Music, the Harkness Foundation, the American Music Center’s Live Music for Dance grant, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Fund, the NYU Global Research Institute grant, and receives matching corporate funding.
