Laine Habony’s new work: a collaboration like no other
“I want the dancers to emote in their own way. The inspiration is them.”
~ Laine Habony, choreographer
The vision
Pointeworks NYC Tour features a truly unique collaboration through Laine Habony’s new work titled Chasing Shadows. The main inspiration of her work is her dancers, a rare set of three sisters that have all become professional ballet dancers – Nicole, Claire, and Emma Von Enck. “The fact that they’re three sisters, that all are professional dancers, I just think it is so rare, unique, and wonderful at the same time,” Laine states in an interview with Pointeworks. The piece will also showcase a brand-new piano composition by Katie Jenkins, performed live onstage by Joshua Mhoon. This composition weaves piano themes uniquely crafted to reflect each sister's personality and dancing, making the music inseparable from the dancing.
Habony envisions her work to be a continuous stream of movement that never seems to stop, as if the dancing is chasing itself. Using classical ballet as the foundation of the piece, along with nuances of stylistic elements that showcase differences in personality between the dancers, her piece will seamlessly weave solo variations for each dancer with meaningful group sections. Laine makes it clear that her work is dedicated to showcasing the sisters’ raw connection, not just a painted-on front of emotions. “I want the dancers natural,” she says. “I want what they’re feeling in that moment to come out with whatever the choreography brings.”
The dancers’ movement will be amplified by hand-made costumes created by designer Lauren Starobin. Deepening the theme behind the piece and there structure of the music, the costumes will be cohesive but offer different flairs, colors, and details depending on the sister. “I had the idea of having all of them wearing the same thing,” Laine discussed. “But when I met with Lauren, I was like, actually I want them all in something different that encapsulates their personality and fits them more.”
Chasing Shadows, is like a firework explosion of artistic visions and collaborations from its conception to the stage. Every element of this piece reflects the passion of showcasing pure human connection through dance. Pointeworks is proud to facilitate all of these artists and bring them together to create something truly remarkable.
The Von Enck Sisters:
Nicole Von Enck, principal with Texas Ballet Theater
Nicole has danced with Texas Ballet Theater since 2010 and has enjoyed performing in Ben Stevenson ballets like Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Flora in Dracula, along with many other works from famous choreographers like George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, and Jiri Kylian. Nicole began her relationship with Pointeworks with her choreographic premiere of Familiar Reflections performed in Season 1.
When asked about dancing in Laine’s new works she said “ I am thrilled to actually worked with Laine. I’ve seen her stuff, and I know the experience is going to be an enjoyable one.”
photo by Kent Barker
Claire Von Enck, corps de ballet dancer with New York City Ballet
Claire has danced with NYCB for 12 years and has an extensive breadth of performance experience in classical and contemporary ballet. Some of her performances include Four Swans from Swan Lake and Marzipan from George Balanchine’s Nutcracker. In addition to dance, she also studied at Fordham University, majoring in Organizational Leadership with a minor in Psychology. She learned about Pointeworks through her sister Nicole and from colleagues in the field.
When asked about sharing this experience with her sisters Claire notes that “with our different schedules, I have never actually seen Nicole perform professionally.” The opportunity to rehearse and dance along side her sisters is something that hasn’t been possible before and she expresses how special this experience will be.
photo by Jonathan Ressler
Emma Von Enck, principal with New York City Ballet
Emma has danced with NYCB since 2010 and was recently promoted to principal in 2024. She has enjoyed performing works by renowned choreographers like George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky along with other works by emerging choreographers and artists. Emma is the youngest of the three sisters and dances with Claire often at NYCB. But she never has danced professionally with Nicole. In fact, the last time the three sisters were on stage together was in a 2007 production of the Nutcracker at their home studio.
Emma explains in an interview about the new work and dancing with her two sisters that “to actually be in the same piece and to actually in real life get to experience it together, that’s what I’m most looking forward to.”
photo by Nathan Carlson
The composer
Katie Jenkins is a multi award-winning musician and composer who began her career at the Juilliard School where she was awarded the Norman Benzaquen Career Grant upon her graduation. Since then her work has reached the orchestras, films, and moved dancers on stages. One of her strengths is her dedication to a collaborative work environment. This can be seen in her collaboration with Laine in the creation of the composition that would later lead to the naming of the piece, Chasing Shadows.
Starting from scratch as a choreographer can be difficult because movements and counts must follow with the music. For Laine, she had to work with Katie on the structure and style of the piece before the dancing was created. “Music for me is usually like the driving force behind anything,” Laine says. “So it’s always an interesting process working with music you don’t know yet.” Katie and Laine collaborated on the orchestration of the piece and both agreed on piano, which will be played live on stage by Joshua Moon at the work’s premiere in March. When creating the composition, Jenkins used research of each of the sisters and their dancing styles to create themes that are individually tailored. When listening to the progress of the composition Laine noted that she could see each dancer in the music and already began formulating steps in her brain that match, exclaiming, “oh, that’s so Emma,” and “that’s so Claire.”
The composition reflects Katie’s incredible musical genius with elegant layers of piano themes and notes that practically dance on their own. Hearing the composition’s premiere live in congruence with the inspiration itself will be a truly moving experience. Katie will also be releasing the composition on publishing platforms after the premiere under the same title Chasing Dreams.
ONSTAGE in new york city - MARCH 21 & 22
Pointeworks Season II opens with our New York City Tour this March, featuring an extraordinary lineup of dancers and creators who will transform the stage into a gateway to fresh ideas and perspectives. We hope to see you there!
