On the occasion of Rail contributor and dancer Doug LeCours’s departure from New York, he and choreographer Julie Mayo convened for a conversation about their six years of work together through the lens of “muse-ness,” a reciprocal relationship of inspiration.

Hebel translates to vanity, emptiness, vapor, breath, absurdity, or fleetingness, among many other possible definitions. Murdered by his brother, Abel becomes the embodiment of the absence he’s named for. With no motive given, we are forced to fill in that narrative gap ourselves, to make sense of the senseless.

Just then a new male dancer named Irakli arrives on the scene, and his rebellious charm quickly grabs Merab’s attention, as does his talent: Irakli is a gifted dancer who is also planning to audition for the coveted spot in the main touring ensemble. Irakli’s dancing is strong and sharp in contrast to Merab’s lithe fluidity, and the rehearsal director praises him, switching Merab out for Irakli in the duet with Mary. Competition aside, the two grow closer, and it’s an endearing (and at times predictable) portrayal of emergent desire. Their courtship materializes in familiar ways: a look between the boys lasts too long, a hand lingers on a thigh while demonstrating a difficult sequence in rehearsal. Their relationship develops most compellingly when they dance.

This year, I kicked off the fall performance season in the basement of Hart Bar at Dance in Bushwick’s one-year celebration. Dance in Bushwick (DiB), founded by Joanna Futral, aims to provide a platform for dance and performance artists living or working in the neighborhood. Futral works closely with her husband, Casey Kreher, who serves as technical director.

Dance in Bushwick (DiB), founded by Joanna Futral, aims to provide a platform for dance and performance artists living or working in the neighborhood. Futral works closely with her husband, Casey Kreher, who serves as technical director.

I saw the trailer for Gaspar Noé's Climax right before watching Luca Guadagnino's remake of Dario Argento's Suspiria. The trailer draws an immediate parallel between the two films: an interview with a young woman plays on an old TV, flanked by a stack of VHS tapes including Argento's original.