Deep Blue Sea

“Pip saw God’s foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called himmad. So man’s insanity is heaven’s sense; and wandering from all mortal reason, man comes at last to that
celestial thought, which, to reason, is absurd and frantic; and weal or woe, feels then uncompromised,
indifferent as his God.” -Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Bill T. Jones, Janet Wong, and The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s massive new work Deep Blue Sea revolves around the interplay of single and group identities. Jones conceived this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive “we” during these fractious times through a cast of 100 dancers/community members, and a deconstructed text from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. The visual environment will be transformed by the renowned architect Liz Diller (Diller, Scofidio +Renfro) and Tony-Award winning projection designer Peter Nigrini in collaboration with lighting designer Robert Wierzel and costume designer Liz Prince. The soundscape features an original composition by Nick Hallett with an electronic score by HPrizm aka High Priest, Rena Anakwe and Holland Andrews.

Deep Blue Sea was Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory in collaboration with Holland Festival Commissioning support provided by The Mann Center for the Performing Arts with original support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia. Additional commissioning support from Carolina Performing Arts, Partners in Creation, Ed Bradley Family Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NEFA/NDP and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Produced and developed by Park Avenue Armory in collaboration with New York Live Arts.