New Chamber Ballet returns to the stage with a revival of Miro Magloire’s Sea.

The 55-minute, lyrical work, premiered two years ago, is set to music by contemporary composer Richard Carrick.

As New York woke up from its performing arts Covid hiatus, New Chamber Ballet premiered Sea, a quintet choreographed by Magloire to The Mill, Preludes for piano, Danga, and In Flow for solo violin by Richard Carrick. At the time, the ballet was simply billed as “inspired by the movement of waves in the water…and the joy of dancing together”. In reality it was more than that. Sea has brought a new quality to New Chamber Ballet’s work: the dancers perform the entire hour-long piece as an ensemble – dancing as a group in overlapping patterns and trading the lead roles every few moments. The quintet is a tour-de-force of concentration and stamina.

The music consists of four works by Carrick, three of which were commissioned by New Chamber Ballet over the years. The result is a whirlwind of melodic and rhythmic impressions, many of them alluding to ancient sites around the globe, described by the composer as “a travelogue of haunting places”. Miro’s choreography responds with lilting movements that not only evoke water – an effect enhanced by Sarah Thea Craig’s floating blue costumes – but surprise the eye with their rhythmic complexity.

Performers include the dancers Anabel Alpert, Megan Foley, Nicole McGinnis, Amber Neff, and Rachele Perla; as well as Doori Na (violin) and Melody Fader (piano).

“It’s heartening to see work so focused on the meeting of dance and music.” -Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

Richard Carrick’s score for Sea was commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation.