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"The evening was entitled CONTRASTS, and so something really dark and wild was bound to crop up along the way. Henning Rübsam's HALF-LIFE is set to a thunderously propulsive score by Laibach. With the ever-vibrant Temple Kemezis and Jacqueline Stewart on pointe, this non-stop dark revel of contemporary ballet style came like a jolt. Paul Oisín Monaghan, one of Gotham's most intriguing dancers, always captures the eye. And the astounding power and presence of Max van der Sterre was electrifying. Musically disturbing and on-the-edge in its movement, HALF-LIFE has a life of its own." (Philip Gardner, Oberon's Grove, Sept. 23, 2012)

Henning Rübsam, artistic director & choreographer

sensedance@sensedance.org

Cynthia Dragoni & Juan Rodriguez of SENSEDANCE in the second pas de deux of BRAHMS DANCES: “Wie Bist Du, Meine Königin” photo: Jan La Salle, 2013 choreography: Henning Rübsam

“It is apparent that Mr. Rübsam has imbued his dancers with all of the beauty and passion of his imaginative genius.”

Sue Salko, nytheaterguide.com (Nov. 7, 2011)

“With HALF-LIFE he proves to have a vision how to propel the art form ballet into the future.”
SENSEDANCE: HALF-LIFE -- A 20th ANNIVERSARY WITH EYES ON PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Bella Rehnquist, dance-enthusiast.com (Nov. 6, 2011)

“HALF-LIFE and Göttingen poignantly tackle the big questions and put Rübsam forth as the Anselm Kiefer of dance.”

S E N S E D A N C E at Joyce SoHo by Lori Ortiz, readingdance.com (June 26, 2011)

"Rübsam is a German romantic at heart and an American realist in practice. His choreography is structured and disciplined; he masters a variety of techniques to express an idealism that approaches the mystical. He was born in Germany and educated at the Juilliard School, a combination that accounts for his mastery of technique, large movement vocabulary and inventive choreography."

The Clouds, Caves And Secrets of Sensedance by Suzanne K. Walther, ATTITUDE - The Dancers' Magazine (Vol. 22 No. 4 Winter 2009)

SENSEDANCE 1425 Third Avenue, #3c New York, NY 10028 USA 001.212.717.6869

“Classically trained at the Hamburg Ballet before capping off his training at the more experimental Juilliard School in New York, Rübsam's early work as part of the Jose Limón Company is apparent in the eye-pleasing rounded movements and the attention to facial gestures, which is however set off by an equal passion for jagged, rugged movement reminiscent of more experimental choreographers. This constitutes just another fascinating duality in one of our more intellectual downtown choreographers.” (Christopher Atamian, The Huffington Post, January 28, 2013)

Huffington Post

Henning Rübsam’s company, Sensedance, presented six engaging works. They were Petit Pas (2003), Göttingen (2006), obsession/calm (Premiere), Charon (2008), Half-Life 102 (2011), and Brahms Dances (Premiere). Recorded music ranged from Bloch to Barbara. This was my first experience with Sensedance, and I immediately noticed a freshness in Mr. Rübsam’s choreography, a poetic energy....
The final work on the program, Brahms Dances, brought out the entire company, including Mr. Rübsam, who danced with a seasoned, seamless flair. The score was a stream of seven select recordings of Brahms’ vocal works. The second, danced by Erin Ginn and Matt Van, was notably evocative of Jerome Robbins’ lyrical partnering and emotional transparency. When the ensemble joined the soloists, there were hints of inspiration from Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering, a tribute to Mr. Rübsam, that his aspirational models are the crème de la crème of ballet choreographers. (Roberta Zlokower, RobertaOnTheArts.com, Oct. 27, 2012)