Anyone who has perused Ryan Beck’s profile on the New Dance website or picked up one of his flyers from the lobby, like myself, may have taken a moment to stare in awe at the impressive photos.  However, it his ideas and inspirations for his latest concert which make him stand out in the ever expanding dance community.  UnFOLDed, conceptualized and choreographed by Ryan Beck, will be presented as part of New Dance Group's Teacher Performance Series on January 30th and 31st.  While the bio and spectacular photos in his teacher flyer might have stopped me dead in my tracks, it was having the pleasure of discussing his newest creation, UnFOLDed, which made Ryan shine as a truly exceptional person and artist.

Maybe it is just that I am new to this city, but I am pleasantly surprised to find someone with so much talent to be soft spoken, humble and altogether charming. Beck notes,  “I would like for the audience to know what people are seeing is a direct result of my dialogue with lots off different people choreographically.  Everything is a collaboration. I couldn’t do this show without knowing and meeting and experiencing things with other people.”   Beck refuses to take sole responsibility for the material of his show but rather stresses his use of collaboration between himself and his fellow man.  He describes his role as choreographer to his show as jumper cables to a car.  “I provide the spark but don’t limit where the engine goes.” 

According to Beck, anything and everything is inspiration.  From his past teachers to friends to the person who sat next to him on his last subway ride, it all inspires his choreography for UnFOLDed.  Yet another source of inspiration for Beck lies in a quote by Thoreau, “The mass of men lead lives of quite desperation.” The concert, set entirely to the  diverse and eclectic music of Ben Folds, aims to explore the moments of desperation and ecstasy for the everyday person. Celebrities and high profile individuals are constantly in the public eye, Ryan explains.  Their struggles and triumphs often become front page news.  But what about the common lay person?  While their situations may not be headline material, do they not feel the same moments of elation and exasperation? Through UnFOLDed, Beck hopes to shine some light on “the little tragedies and triumphs of the common man and explore marginalized lives.”

In addition to choreographing, Ryan also teaches an open contemporary class on Friday afternoons here at New Dance Group.  Beck strives to make his class, which begins at 1:30 pm, a safe space where his students experience different styles and ways of moving.  As a teacher, he believes it is his role to push his students by engaging their bodies to the fullest.  As a pleased student of his class, I can guarantee a sweat will be broken within the first ten minutes.  Ryan’s emphasis on style and precision is coupled with his upbeat positive feedback to make the afternoon contemporary class justly enjoyable.

Richard Avedon, a famous photographer once said “charm is the ability to be truly interested in other people.”  Ryan Beck, quietly standing up for the everyday person like you and me proves to be a truly charming person whose concert is not to be missed.  As part of the NDG Teacher Performance Series, UnFOLDed will be presented Friday and Saturday, January 30th and 31st at 8:00pm.  Tickets can be purchased through SmartTix.com and will be on sale mid-December. Reservations are highly recommended.