On Tenderness

One of the pioneers of American postmodern dance, Molissa Fenley has created On Tenderness for the sixteen young dancers of Biennale College, with music performed live by drummer Denardo Coleman, son of the legendary Ornette Coleman, and texts by Hérica Valladares, a scholar of classical Greek and Latin culture. On Tenderness unfolds in five-minute segments and draws inspiration from a wide range of sources: from figurative art — including the Etruscan frescoes of Tarquinia and the ceiling paintings of Palazzo Grimani, Michelangelo’s Ignudi in the Sistine Chapel, and the works of Henri Matisse and William Blake — to the concept of geological time, through which nature gradually unfolds over time. “On Tenderness is a work about love and affection, calm and peace,” in the choreographer’s own words.