Steely Dan(ce)

Photo: dalbera. Creative commons.

How about some modern dance set to the music of Steely Dan? That's what's coming up as part of the Parson Dance Company's run at the Joyce Theater in New York Januari 26 - February 6.

The Steely Dan piece is called Run To You and based on four classic Steely Dan songs; Aja, The Royal Scam, The Fez and Reelin' In The Years. The coreographer David Parsons calls it a reflection on the human traits of positivity and negativity.

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, Parsons worked with Donald Fagen some 20 years ago.
One of the dancers was giving Donald Fagen Pilates lessons (!) and invited him to collaborate. He composed original music called The Squash Lesson. (Apparently better known these days as Shanghai Confidential.)

20 years later and Parsons, through the same dancer, got Fagen's permission to use the four songs this new piece.
More in The Wall Street Journal.

Radio Dupree is processing the Fagen/Pilates information and look forward to hearing from Steely Dan fans catching the performances.