REVIEW EXCERPTS
Music_ From the 18th Century Hit Parade — Printout — TIME
TESEO by George Friederich Handel, Catherine Turocy Stage Director, Nicholas McGegan Conductor, Produced by the Goettingen International Handel Festspiele, Premiere June 3, 2011
“Turocy, whose New York Baroque Dance Company securely performed with courtly steps in the opera, enthrallingly brought the iconography of the genre into the present with elegant palace perspectives, colorful feathered helmets, glinting armament and halberd dancing while at the same time discreetly making the actions a subject of irony. To accomplish this, she showed small films of the backstage on a screen: soloists passing time by playing Mensch, ärgere dich nicht or projections of soloists’ facebook postings during their arias.
This loving irony within the frame of a careful reconstruction tore the audience out of their seats. As Medea threatens with thunder and lightning on a digital dragon chariot over the stage, the immense effort on the part of Göttingen for this French style magical opera is ungrudgingly admired. ” Frankfurter Allegmeine Zeitung, Dirk Schümer
“Turocy is deemed to be the leading specialist for the reconstruction of historical performance practices, especially for choreography. This is not only seen in every moment of this production but also that each moment greatly profits from this knowledge.
It is also possible to question the references and critically reflect on what these characters have to do with us today. When the work is crafted so confidently and skillfully as Catherine Turocy’s, then it is with great joy that one sees the action on stage with the gestures and affects that accord with the original premiere in 1713.
The baroque-ified stage effects are knowingly presented playfully. A rectangle over the stage not only shows the supertitles, but it also provides videos of the performers backstage. This breaks the association with baroque theater tradition and shows that everything is a play within a play. It also shows that the performers themselves are contemporary people before and after their entrances and exits, and they flirt with the instruments that they use onstage. One of the high points of the stylization of the baroque carrying-ons was the regulated gestures of the protagonists, embellished by the inserted dances from the members of the New York Baroque Dance Company, whose director is Catherine Turocy. The dancers function both as supernumeraries among the singers and are themselves protagonists in a large dance scene.
In spite of the historical performance practice, this Teseo demonstrated vividly the topicality and vitality of the composer George Friedrich Händel. Enthusiastic applause and many bravi occurred already during the performance after the arias, and at the end a true storm of enthusiasm was unleashed.” Operanetz.de, Zuruck
“Nonetheless, in his final season as artisitic director of Goettingen’s International Handel Festspiele, Nicholas McGegan and stage director Catherine Turocy have provided a stylish and entertaining production which brought the normally reticent first night audience to its feet.” The Opera Critic, Catriona Graham
Review Excerpts for Gluck’s Armide
The New York Baroque Dance Company Review Excerpts for Armide by Gluck Performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, February 1 and 3, 2010 with Opera Lafayette Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Ryan Brown
”Much of the credit for the success of this performance should go to its choreographer, Catherine Turocy. Whether the dancing was in any way similar to how it was originally performed is unknown. Ms. Turocy in her notes states that no surviving period dance notation scores are extant for the dances inArmide. She based her choreography on treatises written in Gluck’s time, and the dancers performed eloquent movements, hands raised delicately in the air, their expressive faces reflecting the emotions of the moment. Commendations are particularly in order for Caroline Copeland (who also soloed brilliantly in Opera Lafayette’s production last year of Monsigny’s Le Déserteur) whose mime-like, happy-to-sad facial alterations in the Act V Chaconne were worth the price of admission, and then some.” Stan Metzger, Seen and Heard International Opera Review, 2/3/10
“Along with the outstanding Opera Lafayette Chorus and Orchestra and beautiful artistry of The New York Baroque Dance Company, the story of Armide was conveyed at the highest level of artistic excellence…The New York Baroque Dance Company, in soldier’s costumes elegantly danced the possibility of vengeance, as the Opera Chorus resounded the theme in splendid harmony… Each dance and costume conceived by the extraordinary choreographer, Catherine Turocy captured the essence of each movement. Complimenting Burden’s solo were the dancers moving with such grace, beautifully adorned with the flowers of spring. In the brief appearance of La Haine, soprano Houtzeel made her sole appearance on stage to warn Armide,but to no avail. Houtzeel’s clarion voice sounded forth in urgency and her delivery was very convincing. Many wanted to hear more of this singer. The dancers again added to the mood of the story, dancing in all black with splashes of color
Opera Lafayette is indeed one of our nation’s most esteemed performing ensembles. The performance was outstanding from start to finish. This performance was stellar on all levels: soloists, orchestra and dancers all prepared beyond measure to render the best performance possible. Patrick McCoy, The Examiner2/2/10
“Opera Lafayette presented “Armide” in 2007 in conjunction with the University of Maryland in a production directed by Leon Major. Not having seen the 2007 staging, I can’t compare, but this semi-concert presentation, studded with dance interlays from the New York Baroque Dance Company (a frequent Opera Lafayette collaborator, resplendent in period costume) was excellent at conveying the spirit of the opera and showing the work’s dramatic continuity. And it revealed the way that the dance was conceived as a part of the action, or the way that some moments (the Act I finale, a rapid-paced ensemble) might have influenced Mozart.” Anne Midgette, Washington Post2/3/10
“The dancers in costumes and choreography devised by Catherine Turocy were a rare treat. Not since Mary Skeaping devised an 18th Century dance for Baryshnikov in ABT’s Sleeping Beauty, as well as a ballet solo “Vestris,” have we seen Baroque dancing that was so convincing and enjoyably non-academic. The dances tonight were very well executed — at times it was almost as if the ghosts of Vestris, Gardel, Guimard and Heinel were actually on stage. The rather eerie spectral quality was emphasized by the semi-interactions between the fully, and elaborately costumed dancers and the singers in modern concert attire standing behind music stands. James Camner ,OPERA-L internet blog 2/4/10
“Like all 18th-century French operas “Armide” abounds with dance. This performance, conducted by Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette’s founding director, featured elaborately costumed ballet segments performed by the New York Baroque Dance Company, choreographed by Catherine Turocy. Anthony Tommasini,New York Times2/4/10
“The voices filled the small theater, the string section of the small orchestra was full enough to thrill, the dances were delicious, the French diction superb…Dance always played a large part in French grand opera, and reconstructing French court dance has long been Catherine Turocy’s specialty. Her dancers here enacted battling warriors, masked temptations, courting shepherds and rag-headed demons with steps that hovered between mime and formal dance. They were always entertaining and generally relevant to the story, and when masked evincing an impersonality appropriate to spirits summoned and embodied by a great and enigmatic witch.” John Yohalem, Opera Today, 2/11/10
LINCOLN CENTER OUT-OF-DOORS SUMMER FESTIVAL
“The performances and the repertory provided a fascinating visit to the period in which dance began to coalesce into a recognizable antecedent of modern ballet technique… it was genuinely entertaining.” by Joel Lobenthal, The New York Sun, August 27, 2007
POINTS OF DEPARTURE
“Williams uncorsets Baroque decorum and steps just enough to create an image of joyous celebration.” By Deborah Jowitt, Village Voice, October 2, 2007
ZELINDOR, ROI DES SYLPHES
“Fans of early music should seek it out.” By Anne Midgette, The New York Times, October 20, 2007
“this “Zélindor” took theatergoers into an enchanted realm all its own.” By Jack Anderson, The New York Theater Wire, October 20, 2007
“In sum, Zélindor was a great success and probably the highlight of the year in New York for baroque performance enthusiasts.” Newolde.com, John Wall
HARLEQUIN’S CAPERS AT CORNELL
“The elaborate costumes and grotesque masks were often as intriguing as the dances themselves, and in many cases the two worked together. My favorite skit was “The Three-Legged Dance” performed by Rachel List, whose footloose antics included extra fancy footwork with an extra foot that sometimes switched positions on the body according to her fancy.”
By Will Cordeiro, The Cornell Daily Sun, November 20, 2007
HANDEL’S ALCINA
“The highlight of the Festival was Alcina. The world-renowned New York Baroque Dance Company was invited to present dances in the courtly and comical styles to revive this opera with true historical authenticity. The company’s foundress, Chevalier Catherine Turocy, who has earned an acclaimed, and well deserved international reputation for staging Baroque opera, used strict period choreography and stage direction to great effect in her faithful reconstruction of Händel’s masterpiece.”
–– Siegfried Helm, Generalanzelger, June 2002
” ‘Best in Show!’ Göttingen’s production (of Alcina), directed by American choreographer Catherine Turocy, was a whirlwind of desperately needed fresh air. Turocy, an expert in 18th century dance and director of the New York Baroque Dance Company, brought out the compassion and nobility in Händel’s characterizations. Turocy also firmly resisted the common temptation to patronize Händel and his current audience with condescending irony and gimmicks. Instead, she enhanced the evening with some wonderfully staged ballets, exactly where Händel specifies them.”
–– David Vickers, The Guardian, May 2002
“With Catherine Turocy, a specialist in Baroque dance, in charge of the production, dance had a part to play in telling the story of Alcina. Turocy relied on Baroque gestures to enliven the da capo arias but effectively drew on techniques of the modern director as well.”
–– George Loomis, Financial Times, London, May 2000
“Catherine Turocy’s direction followed the historic example of Baroque productions. Her production (of Alcina) continued the tradition of the Göttingen Händel Festival and displayed loving attention to detail at a high level without superficialities.”
— Matthias Hengelbrock, Fonoforum, July 2002
“Göttingen’s new production of Alcina in the Deutsches Theater (May 18) was directed by Catherine Turocy, a specialist in Baroque dance. She ensured that the dances, performed by her New York Baroque Dance Company, played an integral role in the story of the enchantress who lures men to her magic island and transforms them into wild beasts or other undesirable states. Some of these unfortunate souls, one in the form of a white gorilla, danced for Alcina’s entertainment. And dance contributed strikingly to the denouement when her erstwhile victims wobbled onstage, returned to human form but dazed, like the prisoners in Fidelio.”
— Opera News, September 2002
“[Turocy’s choreography] has a forceful impact…a feast for the eyes – MAGICAL”
— Gottinger Tageblatt, May 2002
“Catherine Turocy cleverly added small ironic touches to her production, so Alcina was not at all rigid and slow. On the contrary…the stylized aesthetics of the Baroque opera come to full fruition”
— Rheinpfalz, July 2002
BALLET EN VERSAILLES
“Catherine Turocy, leader of the NYBDC, is admirably perfect”
— Gottinger Tageblatt, May 2002.
“There was dancing both from the court and the theater artfully directed and choreographed by Chevalier Catherine Turocy. The fact that these dances still appeal to modern audiences is reason enough to welcome the revival of the strictly historical performance practice. Heartfelt applause to Chevalier Turocy!”
–– Andreas Berger, Braunschweiger Zeitung, May 2000
PURCELL’S DIDO AND AENEAS
“As staged and choreographed by Catherine Turocy, the opera achieves a marvelous harmony of affect. Every small gesture — every nod, glance, bow, and dip — has been choreographed and rendered as graceful as the quivering movement of Aeneas’ outlandish scarlet plumes. If most of the audience walked, strode or rushed into the Meyerson shortly before 2 PM, ninety minutes later most of us surely floated out, transported by the music, staging, and ineffably sublime dancing.”
— Margaret Putnam, Dallas Morning News
GLUCK’S ORPHEE ET EURIDICE
“The New York Baroque Dance Company, artfully choreographed by Catherine Turocy, helped bring considerable atmosphere to this memorable blast from the past.”
–– Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun, Jan 2002
VERDI’S RIGOLETTO
“It was a wonderful stroke to sign Catherine Turocy as the choreographer. She is an authority on ancient dance and Rigoletto is set in the 16th century, so the choreography seems elegant and perfectly right.”
— Olin Chism, The Dallas Morning News, 2001
ROYER’S LE POUVOIR DE L’AMOUR
“Oberlin also enlisted the aid of Catherine Turocy, artistic director of the New York Baroque Dance Company and a superb reconstructor-creator of Baroque choreography. Victoria Vaughn’s formal stage direction meshed fluidly with Ms. Turocy’s exquisite dances…Catherine Turocy, artistic director of the NYBDC, is a superb reconstructor/recreator of Baroque choreography.”
–– Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal, Mar 2002
“All three scenes are as much danced as sung, and the subdued grace of Catherine Turocy’s small company was highly satisfying. This was opera with historical accuracy on its mind.”
— Bernard Holland, The New York Times, Feb 2002
BACH, HANDEL AND THE DANCE
“Turocy shows her special deftness in evolving new patterns out of old dances…What imagination she has for 18th century evolving patterns and delicately skillful characterizations, and how delightful to spend some time with ladies and gentlemen who know all the delicacies”
— Susanna Sloat, Attitude, 1995
HARLEQUINS, GODS AND DANCERS
“The New York Baroque Dance Company offers a more lavish and theatrical view of eighteenth-century dances than we generally see. Not only are the costumes rather splendid, but the range and intensity of expression are notable too. The programme goes far beyond the formal dances which other groups have shown.”
— John Percival, The Times (London)
“Turocy and company offered a winning and all-too brief series of Pecour dances she has reconstructed and, to judge by her flowing arm and body work, improved upon. We see the beginnings of danced expressiveness, particularly visible on this program in Turocy’s eloquent masked solo from Lully’s Armide.”
–– The Province, British Columbia
RAMEAU’S PYGMALION
“At their recent Schimmel performances with the musicians and singers of Concert Royal, the dancers under Catherine Turocy gave the most complete realization I’ve seen of this pre-classical period. What you’re supposed to hear, and see, is the music, the line, the rhythm. Every performer is a soloist and every strand of sound and action can be clearly seen within the overall fabric Richman, Turocy and stage director John Haber have produced. The program should have lots more than three performances.”
— Marcia B. Siegel, The Soho News, 1980
RAMEAU’S LES FETES D’HEBE
“Turocy has now achieved a range of freedom and an intensity that one wouldn’t have dreamt of five years ago. In this production, she consistently avoided the temptation to be cute or precious, performing with a purposeful understatement that was moving and, in the end, triumphant”
–– David Patrick Stearns, Musical America, 1986
“Amazingly enough, considering the preserved-in-formaldehyde look of most “authentic”-opera projects, the group’s production of Rameau’s opera-ballet came to life with striking musical and theatrical immediacy”
— Peter G. Davis, New York Magazine
“Groups like Richman’s and Turocy’s are unearthing the riches of the past for the benefit of the future”
— Michael Walsh, Time Magazine
RAMEAU’S LES BOREADES
“Much more natural and less stuffy…thanks in particular to the choreography of Catherine Turocy and her dancers, whose steps exclude neither charm, nor humor, nor the freshness of originiality, well-matched to the inexhaustible flavor and sweetness of the music”
–– Le Monde, 1982
HANDEL’S ARIODANTE, SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA
“There have been few such bright, inventive productions as the one of “Ariodante” that opened here Monday night at the Spoleto Festival USA—it should influence how other Handel operas are done in this country…They did it the hard way—Handel’s way. Painstaking attention has been given to the exigencies of baroque style.”
RAMEAU’S LES INDES GALANTES
“But what made the music seem to rise to a new dimension were the performances of Ms. Turocy, as Terpsicore, and Steven Rickards, the countertenor who sang Apollo. No less magnificent was Ms. Turocy, who managed through dance and gesture to provide a visual equivalent of Händel that was every bit as ornamented, detailed, and spritely as the music. In the process, she also discovered for the audience the lost art of baroque dance, and invested it with a liveliness and charm you could never guess from an old print. The evening was a rare pleasure, and let’s hope one that will be repeated.”
— Margaret Putnam, The Dallas Morning News
“Here was a programme in which elegance and period gaiety were intrinsic. It was revitalizing to see these American dancers, led by Catherine Turocy and Ann Jacoby, performing with stately delicacy, and in a manner quite different from anything else to be seen on the London stage. Such was the poise and confidence of all six, and so fluent were the accompanying musicians playing under the direction of James Richman on old instruments, that authenticity seemed unquestionable.”
— Ann Nugent, the Guardian (London)
Solo in La Cupis with the Baroque Dance Ensemble:
“In La Cupis, Cathy Turocy still gives one of the most moving performances in dance today; she magnifies the importance of little things, of wrists and eyes, for instance, and no high-power technician is as thrilling as she is in her quiet and concentrated intelligence.”
— George Gelles, The Washington Star
Baroque Dance at the Meyerson:
“The best of all time capsules burst open on the stage of the Meyerson Performing Arts Center on Wednesday night, splling forth the exotic, the fine and the wondrous. For two hours, the 18th century of the French upper crust bloomed in hothouse splendor, gently and skillfully coaxed into being by the New York Baroque Dance Company. Suddenly we were in the company of Watteau and Fragonard, where golden creatures bobbed and curtsied with unhurried ease as though carried on currents of air. The evening sped by.”
–– Margaret Putnam, The Dallas Morning News
Masterpieces of 18th Century at the Boston Early Music Festival:
“Catherine Turocy dances the Baroque repertoire as her birthright. It shows in the hauteur of her shoulders, the perfectly proportioned curliques of her gloved wrists, the special way she inscribes the lines of a minuet or bourée in the air so that the shape of the dance lingers behind her hooped petticoats as if drawn in colored chalks.”
–– Debra Cash, The Boston Globe
General Raves from Past Productions
“This production…dazzled in all ways: it was wittily staged and choreographed”
— The Wall Street Journal
“ingeniously and tastefully presented…Soirée Baroque en Haïti entertained and illuminated”
— Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times
“Absolutely gorgeous”
— The Washington Post
“I cannot describe the evening’s novelty”
— Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice
Turocy has a “gift for flowing and shifting patterns”
— The Boston Globe
“The 18th century French dance theater comes alive with enormous zest and delicacy…you can’t help being transported by the gentleness and wit of these entertainments”
— Marylyn Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle
“Many were notable for their quick, intricate and seemingly effortless footwork…their bodies spoke the language of Baroque dance with admirable fluency”
— Jack Anderson, The New York Times
“The dancers and the musicians…had a full audience clapping for more…one performance will fascinate and ensnare you for more”
— Marian Horosko, Dancer Magazine
“The marriage of musical and dramatic expression is as near perfect as one could imagine”
— The Guardian
“A second facet of heaven…imaginatively programmed and impeccably performed”
— Mindy Aloff, Danceviewtimes.com
“Turocy…performs an inestimable service to the dance world”
— Back Stage
“Ms. Turocy is also a rare performer in that much of what she directs and dances simply doesn’t exist in the ordinary sense. She has to unearth it. She’s as much investigator as artist.”
—- The Dallas Morning News
“Nobody today seems more qualified to reconstruct the French dances of the 18th century than this American and her New York Baroque Dance Company.”
— Le Figaro
“Above all, Catherine Turocy’s choreography, with its slow, minutely stylized gesture and dance movement realized through the NYBDC, releases and ensures the apprehension of every changing emotion in the score”
— Hilary Finch, The London Times
A word from Dance Theater Workshop on the 2000 BESSIE Award Winners
Anna Kisselgoff’s review of Soiree Baroque en Haiti for the New York Times
Mindy Aloff’s review of Soiree Baroque en Haiti for danceviewtimes
Coverage of our summer workshops from Dance Teacher Now
The New York Observer details Turocy’s consulting work for the staff of the French cuisine restaurant Per Se
NYBDC listed on the Honor Roll at NewOlde.com