Virus Cases Delay Effort to Bring Indoor Dance Back to New York

The Park Avenue Armory is postponing “Afterwardsness” after three members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane dance company tested positive for the coronavirus

It was one of the most high-profile experiments to bring indoor live performance back to New York City.

But the eagerly anticipated performances, which were set to begin on Wednesday for a sold-out seven-day run, had to be postponed after several members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company tested positive for the virus, Rebecca Robertson, the president and executive producer of the Armory, said on Saturday in an email to ticket holders.

“The affected performers are, thank heavens, feeling well,” Robinson wrote.

“While this is greatly disappointing for the artists, the Armory and our audiences, this postponement is a necessary part of the process of collectively returning to in-person performances in responsible and safe ways,” she added.

Kyle Maude, the producing director of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, said that three members of the company who were given a rapid antigen test had tested positive on Thursday, and that those results were later confirmed when they took a more reliable P.C.R. test, for which results came back on Saturday.

The Armory, whose spacious Drill Hall holds a huge volume of air, appeared to be an ideal venue to experiment with indoor performance. Plans called for limiting the audience to 100, which is only about 10 percent of the hall’s capacity, and for seating people at least nine feet apart. A series of precautions, including masks, on-site rapid testing for all audience members, electronic ticketing and temperature checks, will be in force for the spring season.

The Armory said all ticket holders for “Afterwardsness” would receive a refund and would be given early access to book tickets for the rescheduled performances when dates are announced.

Category: Science

Source: New York Times