Pastime was Childs’ first solo and was performed on the program “A Concert of Dance #4” in January 1963 at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. Pastime is performed to music by Philip Corner, and Childs has revived the solo on several occasions.
Pastime
1963
Pastime in performance, Friday October 4, 2013, at FringeArts, Philadelphia. Dancer: Gabrielle Revlock.
Pastime takes place in three different spatial locations so that the simple in-place theme with the flexed foot can be presented in three difference situations: vertical, enclosed (in tubular jersey), and upside down.
October 4, 2013
FringeArts
Philadelphia
Cast
Gabrielle Revlock
Production collaborators
Lighting: Gregory Bain
October 6, 2013
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia
Cast
Janet Pilla/
Gabrielle Revlock
Production collaborators
Lighting: Gregory Bain
“Pastime, my first solo from 50 years ago, is constructed like a film with jump cuts into three different spatial locations, so that the simple in-place theme with the flexed foot can be presented in three different situations; vertical, enclosed (in tubular jersey), and upside down. Both dancers, Gabrielle [Revlock] and Janet [Pilla], have found their way inside this work without much direction from me other than technical information. The intense musical score of Philip Corner, described by Martha Graham’s music director Louis Horst at the time of its premiere as sounding “like plumbing out of order,” helps to focus the dancers’ attention, but their connection to the work seems to be entirely intuitive. Seeing it now for the first time after all these years is quite shocking as it seems so stark in this first effort to move away from the traditional theme-and-variation orientation. The only other consideration for its organization besides relocation is repetition.”
—Lucinda Childs, 2013
Premiere: January 30, 1963
“A Concert of Dance #4”
Judson Memorial Church, New York
First cast
Lucinda Childs
Production collaborators
Music: Philip Corner
“Lucinda’s Pastime” (1962)
Part 2: “Andante Cantabile”
Tape: kitchen sink at Sullivan Street apartment; Wollensak tape recorder
Additional works on program by
Richard Andrews
Trisha Brown
Philip Corner
Judith Dunn
Robert Dunn
Arlene Goldstein
Malcolm Goldstein
Deborah Hay
Bob Huot
Bob Morris
Simone Morris
Steve Paxton
La Monte Young
Subsequent performances
March 2 and 9, 1964
Stage 73, New York (Surplus Dance Theater)
April 19–20, 1990
part of the program “Dance at Judson: A Concert with
Lucinda Childs and David Gordon"
Judson Memorial Church, New York
August 31 and September 1, 2012
The Yard, Martha’s Vineyard, MA (excerpt)
September 18, 2012
Danspace Project, New York (excerpt)
Performance history as of December 2014.
Philip Corner, “On Tape from the Judson Years” (CD, Album) Alga Marghen, plana-C 4NMN.019, 1998.
Liner notes by Philip Corner about Pastime
“Lucinda’s Pastime” (for a dance of that name--by that name) I was asked to be an available resource for the group, to be used for music if needed. The first to take advantage of me was Lucinda Childs. Her very first dance was an amazing solo, austere yet suggestive of acquaeous indulgences. She brought me some source material, indulgences. She brought me some source material, recorded water.......... which, with her permission, I preferred to remake and start out fresh. 3 movements, and per each a well worked-out technique, each more than long enough to serve for the dance’s estimated durations. Made in the kitchen sink, with primitive equipment---and all the different kinds of plates and bowls in the house. I’m particularly fond of the slow middle movement and “Andante Cantabile.”
There is no video documentation of the first performances of Pastime.
Archival Media
