Gibney Company Up Close: An Evening with Johan Inger

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT NEWYORKLIVEARTS.ORG

Gibney Company, New York City’s dynamic creation-based repertory company, brings its fearless dancers and emotionally charged storytelling back to New York Live Arts for its annual Up Close series. More than a performance, Up Close draws audiences into the Company’s creative world. With post-show conversations featuring Inger, his collaborators, and Gibney’s artistic team, the series offers a rare opportunity to experience the virtuosity, intimacy, and daring spirit that define Gibney Company. 

This year’s program celebrates acclaimed Swedish choreographer Johan Inger, whose work moves from  gritty, poetic intensity to luminous joy. His raw meditation Rain Dogs, set to the unmistakable voice of Tom Waits, and his audience favorite Bliss, danced to Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert, and are bridged by the world premiere of When It Was, a new work created for Gibney Company described by the choreographer as “an elegy for beauty remembered, and for what slips away.”

“The evening will not be a story, but a journey: from earth to elegy, from memory to possibility. A meditation on what remains, and what can still be found.” – Johan Inger

PERFORMANCE INFO + TICKETS

Gibney Company Up Close: An Evening with Johan Inger
October 30 – November 1
New York Live Arts
219 West 19th Street, NYC

Thu Oct 30 at 7:30 PM
Fri Oct 31 at 7:30 PM
Sat Nov 1 at 2:00 PM + 7:30 PM

Tickets: $15-$60
Opening Night Performance + Party: $100
For Group Sales, contact the box office for a 15% discount on purchases of 10 tickets or more at boxoffice@newyorklivearts.org or (212) 924-0077.

Runtime: 75 minutes

The 2025-2026 Season Gibney Company Artistic Associates: Graham Feeny, Amari Frazier, Madison Goodman, Tiare Keeno, Lounes Landri, Andrew McShea, Jie-hung Connie Shiau, Zack Sommer, and Madi Tanguay. Season Guest Artists: Joan Dwiartanto and Destinee Jimenez.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT NEWYORKLIVEARTS.ORG

PROGRAM

COMPANY PREMIERE
Rain Dogs
Choreography: Johan Inger
Music: Tom Waits
Set & Costume Design: Johan Inger
Lighting Design: Peter Lundin
Duration: 35 minutes
World Premiere: September 30, 2011, Basel Ballett, Switzerland

A dog ventures beyond its territory, only to lose the scent of home—its trail washed away by rain. This image sparked Rain Dogs, Johan Inger’s reflection on disorientation, identity, and the often-contradictory nature of human connection. Set to the gravelly soundscape of Tom Waits, the work unfolds with irony, grit, and emotional depth.

WORLD PREMIERE
When It Was
Choreography, Costume and Set Design: Johan Inger
Music: Adagio for Strings, Samuel Barber (Berlin Philharmonic, Director Simon Rattle)
Lighting Design: Peter Lundin

Conceived as a farewell, When It Was is a poignant duet as an attempt to grasp what unexpectedly shifts and might never return. Set to the aching strains of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, the work captures the unspoken strength and dependency in a partnership, up until a fragile and sudden place, where trust and balance are questioned, redefining the sense of identity.

These fleeting moments of intimacy and loss are bridging the exuberance of Bliss and the grit of Rain Dogs with quiet reflection and emotional depth.

Bliss
Choreography: Johan Inger
Music: Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett
Costume Design: Johan Inger and Francesca Messori
Set Design: Johan Inger
Lighting Design: Peter Lundin
Duration: 27 minutes
World Premiere: April 2016, Aterballetto, Italy

Set to Keith Jarrett’s legendary “Köln Concert,” this large-scale ensemble work channels the music’s free, soaring spirit into beautifully crafted movement, capturing its ecstatic energy and leaving audiences in a state of bliss.

PHOTO CREDIT: Artistic Associate Tiare Keeno by Jaqlin Medlock