State of Darkness/Bardo: Performed by Cassandra Trenary and Michael Trusnovec
About This Event
At The Joyce Theater, State of Darkness/Bardo pairs Vienna State Ballet principal Cassandra Trenary with dancer Michael Trusnovec. The program emphasizes performer-led interpretation and theatrical detail, setting Trenary’s classical line and musical timing against Trusnovec’s contemporary physical tenor and partnering, and prioritizing tonal shifts and clarity of intention over narrative certainty.
About State of Darkness/Bardo
At The Joyce Theater, *State of Darkness/Bardo* unfolds as a dance work shaped by the idea of “bardo,” a threshold state between endings and beginnings. Cassandra Trenary, a principal with the Vienna State Ballet, brings a classical, theatrical line to the stage, set in dialogue with Michael Trusnovec’s presence and the ensemble’s darker physical vocabulary. In a city where ballet and contemporary dance often share audiences but not methods, the program becomes a clear point of comparison. Its most telling strength is how it treats transition as structure rather than theme.
About the Artists
State of Darkness/Bardo
State of Darkness/Bardo is a dance project presented in New York City at The Joyce Theater, shaped around focused, performer-led interpretation. The work has been performed by Cassandra Trenary, a principal dancer with the Vienna State Ballet, alongside Michael Trusnovec, pairing classical stage discipline with a more contemporary physical tenor.
Cassandra Trenary
Cassandra Trenary is an American ballet dancer and a principal with the Vienna State Ballet, where she works within a repertory shaped by classical technique and theatrical structure. In New York City she appears at The Joyce Theater, including *State of Darkness/Bardo* performed with Michael Trusnovec.
Michael Trusnovec
Michael Trusnovec is a dance artist whose New York City appearances include performances at The Joyce Theater. He shares the stage with State of Darkness/Bardo in a program performed alongside Cassandra Trenary, a principal dancer with the Vienna State Ballet, in a work that sets classical discipline against a more contemporary sensibility.