The Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet performing “Arab Line.” (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

Cedar Lake Dance, the well-funded dance company on 26th Street in the former Annie Leibovitz studios, hasn't always received stellar reviews for its choreographic choices. While I hope they find some younger, underknown choreographers to work with, I have to say I am thrilled with what happened when they brought Ohad Naharin in for a residency with the company's dancers. If you didn't know it, you would think these dances had been working with him for years. It was one of my favorite evenings of dance in some time, and the music ranging from Arvo Pärt to Vivaldi to John Zorn is great fun too.

It runs through July 1. If you go, do NOT spend intermission away from the stage. The night we attended, Jon Bond performed a sexy and funny solo during that time. Go here to buy tickets.

Related links:

• New York Times review (where I got the photo)
• Brooklyn Rail interview with Ohad Naharin
• A 2005 column from Dance Insider about the morality of a well-funded dance company whose funds come from Wal-Mart
• My blog post from 2002 about Naharin's Virus at BAM

For a Friday in June, there is a lot going on tonight. Some recommendations follow.

Chelsea Opening

• Bayard, Do You See What I See? (these fags are for sale but you can't buy this queer) at Schroeder Romero - This project is presented in commemoration and celebration of the 38th anniversary of the death of Judy Garland and the birth of Gay Pride. Free commemorative caps for the first 144 mourners attending the reception and commemorative pins for all.

Lower East Side Openings

• New American Portrait at Jen Bekman - Co-curated by Ms. Bekman and Jörg Colberg, editor the photo blog Conscientious
• Jacques Louis Vidal at SUNDAY -- the first NYC solo show by one of the artists in our Dangling Between show
• New Mutants at Canada -- including recent Hoggard/Wagner acquisition Michael Williams

While you're in the area, you can stop by the Drag March too.

Other Stuff

• ROFL! - Touted as an Internet gong show of sorts, the competition takes place at 11:30 tonight at Joe’s Pub, and brings together some of the best web mavericks working today. The concept is simple: Eight cewebrities pit their best Internet finds and creations, and the audience determines the winner of each round of submissions. Participants include Marisa Olson and S.T. VanAirsdale of The Reeler.
• This looks like an excellent concert of piano music at 8pm at the Tenri Institute on West 13th Street. Our friend Idith Meshulam is one of the performers.

[image above is a detail of a Jacques Louis Vidal drawing from our show]