NY City Center to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of FALL FOR DANCE Festival with Alvin Ailey & Royal Ballet, Begin. 9/16

New York City Center is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival with a very special season, beginning with two free evenings of dance at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, hosted by The Public Theater, on September 16 and 17 (rain date, September 18). The Festival will continue at City Center from September 25 - October 5 with performances by 20 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, including three new works from today's most exciting young choreographers, commissioned by New York City Center in celebration of the tenth anniversary. The Festival's many free pre-show events will include dance lessons and panels by choreographers, artists and dance educators. All tickets are $15 and will go on sale Sunday, September 8 at 11 a.m.

The two-week Festival at City Center will consist of five unique programs and will include performances by 605 Collective, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, BODYTRAFFIC, Colin Dunne, DanceBrazil, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dorrance Dance, Doug Elkins choreography, etc., Gabriel Missé and Analia Centurión, HeadSpaceDance, INTRODANS, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Nrityagram, Richard Alston Dance Company, Sara Mearns and Casey Herd, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui/Sadler's Wells London, and The Royal Ballet. (One more company TBA.)

To celebrate the Festival's 10th season, City Center has commissioned three new works: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa will create a new piece for Ballet Hispanico; Justin Peck will choreograph a new ballet for Sara Mearns, Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet, and Casey Herd, Principal Dancer, Dutch National Ballet; and The Royal Ballet's Artist-in-Residence Liam Scarlett will create a new pas de deux for the company, which marks the first time his work will be seen in New York. Each commissioned work will receive its world premiere at the Festival and will be performed twice.

The free performances at The Public's Delacorte Theater will feature four Festival alumni: New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and STREB Extreme Action Company. (The same program will be performed on both nights.) Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at The Public's Delacorte Theater on the day of the show and through virtual ticketing.

The Fall for Dance Festival has received international acclaim for its quality, innovation and success in introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance. Since its inception, the Festival has presented 177 companies and introduced more than 220,000 newcomers and dance enthusiasts to an eclectic mix of choreographers and performers.

"We launched Fall for Dance nine years ago with the goal of introducing new audiences to dance and providing a highly visible showcase for artists, and it has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams," said New York City Center President & CEO Arlene Shuler. "We are thrilled that our 10th Anniversary celebration will open with two free programs at the Delacorte Theater. It is particularly meaningful because the New York Dance Festival, which was presented at the Delacorte in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, provided a model and inspiration for our Festival."

We are delighted to partner with City Center and bring dance back to the Delacorte, where it has such a beautiful and distinguished history," said Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "Fall for Dance was formed on the same democratic principles as The Public Theater; indeed City Center and The Public are both democratic artistic institutions intent on making art for the people. It's a match made in heaven, or New York, which is the same thing."

Stanford Makishi serves as Artistic Producer and Ilter Ibrahimof serves as Artistic Advisor to the Festival.

Free Performances at The Public Theater's Delacorte Theater
September 16 and 17, 2013 (Rain Date: September 18)

NEW YORK CITY BALLET (Live Music)
RED ANGELS (1994), the final work choreographed by Ulysses Dove before his death in 1995, is a visually dramatic, dynamically charged abstract ballet that highlights its four dancers' power and athleticism. RED ANGELS is a ballet of intense color, sound and sensual impact, with a score for electric violin by Richard Einhorn.

New York City Ballet is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with a roster of nearly 90 dancers and an unparalleled repertory of modern masterpieces. The Company was founded in 1948 by the legendary choreographer George Balanchine and arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, and quickly became world-renowned for its athletic, contemporary style, and a repertory of original ballets that has forever changed the face of classical dance. Now under the artistic direction of Peter Martins, NYCB is committed to promoting creative excellence and nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers. www.nycballet.com

Paul Taylor Dance Company
ESPLANADE (1975), Paul Taylor's signature work, brims with youthful exuberance. After exploring relationships - among friends, family, lovers - using natural movement, Taylor sends dancers hurtling fearlessly across the stage.

Paul Taylor Dance Company is one of the world's most highly respected and sought-after ensembles. Dance maker Paul Taylor first presented his choreography with five other dancers in 1954. That modest performance marked the beginning of more than a half-century of unrivalled creativity, and in the decades that followed, Mr. Taylor became a cultural icon and one of history's most celebrated artists, hailed as part of the pantheon that created American modern dance. He now boasts a repertoire of 138 works. The company has performed in more than 500 cities in 64 countries. In the summer of 2001 the company toured in the People's Republic of China and performed in four cities that had never seen American modern dance before. Its season in 2005 at New York City Center marked its 50th Anniversary. It will celebrate its 60th Anniversary with a three-week season at Lincoln Center in March 2014. www.ptdc.org

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE (Live Music)
UPSIDE DOWN (1998), choreographed by Ronald K. Brown, is an electrifying piece set to the music of Malian vocalist Oumou Sangare's "Kun Fe Ko" (THE UNCERTAINTY OF THINGS), a song that says the destiny of a child is in God's hands, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti's song "Upside Down."

Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, founded by Ronald K. Brown in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. Evidence now tours to some 30 communities in the United States and abroad, and reaches an audience of more than 25,000 annually. www.evidencedance.com

STREB EXTREME ACTION COMPANY
HUMAIN FOUNTAIN (2011), choreographed by Elizabeth Streb, is inspired by the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas. In HUMAN FOUNDTAIN, performers leap from as high as 30 feet from a three-story, open honeycomb structure and, with nerve and split-second timing, create cascades of airborne liquid muscle.

STREB Extreme Action Company, founded by MacArthur "genius" award-winning choreographer Elizabeth Streb in 1985 and based in Brooklyn, has traveled from the heights of the experimental dance world to the cutting-edge of popular entertainment. In 2011, the company performed sold-out shows at the Park Avenue Armory, the Whitney Museum of American Art's downtown ground breaking and the River to River Festival. STREB has performed in theaters large and small and served as artists-in-residence at the world's top art museums. The company was commissioned by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Mayor of London to participate in the London 2012 Festival. On One Extraordinary Day (July 15, 2012), from dawn to midnight, STREB dancers performed 7 action events across major London landmarks including the Millennium Bridge, Trafalgar Square, ending with Human Eye, where 32 STREB Action Heroes performed a spoke-dance on the towering landmark of The London Eye. STREB performers are trained in ballet, modern dance, martial arts, acrobatics and the circus arts. www.streb.org

2013 FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL at City Center

SCHEDULE IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

PROGRAM ONE

Wednesday, September 25 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, September 26 at 8 p.m.

RICHARD ALSTON Dance Company (Live Music)

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAIL (2006) is a New York premiere choreographed by Richard Alston. Uplifted by the incomparable music of Scott Joplin, performed live, the dancers strut with a jazzy swagger infused with lightness and finesse.

Richard Alston Dance Company's high reputation on the British dance scene is now increasingly spreading overseas. Founded in 1994, the company focuses on Alston's new choreography combined with seminal past works from throughout his 40-year career. Music plays a vital part in the company's identity and, since its inception, Alston has used the work of a diverse range of composers. The company made its U.S. debut with a week-long season at The Joyce Theater in 2004 and has since toured extensively across the U.S., giving its third critically acclaimed and sold-out New York season at The Joyce Theater in 2010. The company performed at Fall For Dance 2011, and returned to the U.S. in 2012 for Peak Performances at Montclair State University. In 2011, the company was nominated as Outstanding Company in the National Dance Awards, presented by the Critics' Circle. www.richardalstondance.com

GABRIEL MISSÉ and ANALÍA CENTURIÓN (Live Music)

Celebrated Argentine tango dancers Gabriel Missé and Analía Centurión make their Fall for Dance debut.

Gabriel Missé, admired for his classical tanguero style, is one of the great milongueros of this generation. He began his dance studies at age 8 with such tango masters as Antonio Todaro and Pepito Avellaneda. In Buenos Aires he performed with legendary artists such as Julian Plaza, Alberto Castillo, Mariano Mores and Armando Manzanero, among others, and participated in documentaires produced by National Geographic with Robert Duval and Japanese Television NH. For many years, Gabriel was part Miguel Angel Zotto's company Tango x 2 and performed in its worldwide tours of UNA NOCHE DE TANGO. The New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay called Missé "one of the foremost virtuoso dancers of our day."

Analía Centurión's career as a tango dancer began in 1995. She entered festivals and competitions where she won the gold medal and traveled to Spain to participate in the Buenos Aires Junior Tango Tournaments of 1997. From 2002 to 2006, she directed the Fusion Tango company. She was also a member of Juan Carlos Copes' company and performed in many other tanGo Productions.

SARA MEARNS AND CASEY HERD, (Festival Debut, Festival Commission, Live Music)

(Untitled) This world premiere, commissioned by New York City Center for Fall for Dance, is being choreographed by Justin Peck for New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns and Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Casey Herd. The work will be set to a solo piano score by Mark Dancigers.

Sara Mearns, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, joined New York City Ballet in 2004 as a member of the corps de ballet, becoming soloist in 2006, and principal dancer in 2008. She is committed to exposing young people to the wonders of classical ballet, and has a weekly video blog on Huffington Post Arts & Culture that takes viewers behind the scenes of her life as a ballerina.

Casey Herd, an American-born dancer, has been a principal with the Dutch National Ballet since 2008. Before coming to the Netherlands, he danced with American Ballet Theatre and Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. In 2011, the magazine Dance Europe placed Casey nineteenth in their top 100 international dancers who performed outstandingly.

Choreographer Justin Peck joined New York City Ballet in 2006 as an apprentice and was recently promoted to soloist in February 2013. He has choreographed several main-stage works for New York City Ballet, including YEAR OF THE RABBIT, to a score by acclaimed singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. In July of 2011, he was appointed by Peter Martins as the first active Choreographer-in-Residency of the New York Choreographic Institute for the 2011/2012 annual season - a newly created position underneath the functioning artistic umbrella of the New York City Ballet.

DANCEBRAZIL (Live Music)

FÉ DO SERTAO (2013, adapted for Fall for Dance), choreographed by DanceBrazil Artistic Director Jelon Vieira, offers a glimpse into the difficult but rich way of life in a largely rural and extremely arid area of Northeastern Brazil.

DanceBrazil, founded in 1977 by Jelon Vieira and based in New York City, evolved from grassroots workshops at the Clark Center for the Arts in NYC. Alvin Ailey joined the board of directors in 1980 and helped focus the objectives of DanceBrazil, emphasizing the company's ability to speak to a broad North American community. DanceBrazil has thrilled audiences across the Unites States and throughout the world with its dazzling artistry, which is inspired by the cultural tapestry of Brazil, which fuses Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance and Capoeira, the traditional dance/martial arts form that had its origins in Africa and evolved in colonial Brazil as a means of fighting enslavement. www.dancebrazil.org

PROGRAM TWO

Friday, September 27 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, September 28 at 8 p.m.

NRITYAGRAM (Festival Debut, Live Music)

VIBHAKTA (2008) is choreographed by Surupa Sen. In the union and the separation of the male and female principle lies the secret of all creation. It is believed that creation begins when the ONE splits into two and becomes Ardhan?r??vara (the Lord who is half-woman). In this form both halves live in perfect symphony - at once distinct and separate as well as harmonious and blended. It becomes at once a love song and a celebration of the duality of the human spirit.

Nrityagram, based in the village of Nrityagram near Bangalore, India, is regarded as one of the foremost dance companies of India, performing all over the world, including an annual tour to the United States. For almost two decades, Surupa Sen and Bijayini Satpathy have worked with the dance vocabulary of the Natya Shastra, an ancient treatise, and have developed a style that distinguishes the dancers of the Nrityagram school. Although steeped in and dedicated to ancient practice, the Ensemble is also committed to carrying Indian dance into the twenty-first century. Nrityagram's dancers not only explore creative expansions of tradition but are also able to commission fresh compositions from leading Indian classical musicians. www.nrityagram.org

605 COLLECTIVE (Festival Debut, New York Debut)

SELECTED PLAY (2013), a U.S. premiere, consists of material from two of the company's full-length works: AUDIBLE (2009) and IINHERITOR ALBUM (2012), both choreographed by the company. Physical conversations set off a chain-reaction dance, celebrating the individual within a powerfully connected ensemble.

605 Collective is a Vancouver-based Dance Company dedicated to producing new dance work through a shared creative process. As part of a new generation of creators inspired by the exchange between urban and contemporary dance, 605 places emphasis on movement innovation and physically demanding works, valuing collaboration as an essential tool for new directions in dance. The collective creates by using one another as the canvas for their ideas and visions, and invites guest choreographers to make new work with the company. 605's integration of different genres has connected them to a broad spectrum of audiences in a large variety of settings, including traditional stage performances, dance films, and site-specific work throughout Canada and in the U.S. at some of North America's leading dance festivals and venues. www.605collective.com

HEADSPACEDANCE (Festival Debut, New York Debut)

LIGHT BEINGS (2012), a New York premiere choreographed by Mats Ek, is a joyful, quirky duet set to Sibelius' Andante Festivo. Ek reworked the piece especially for the company from LJUSVARELSER (LIGHT BEINGS), a full-length work that premiered in 1991.

HeadSpaceDance, based in London, UK, was founded in 2012 by a group of producer-performers to create original dance pieces drawn from existing relationships and based in shared ideas. Having worked extensively in the UK and internationally, the company is associated with celebrated choreographers and looks forward to working with emerging artists in the future. www.headspacedance.com

DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM

GLORIA (2012) is choreographed by Robert Garland to music by Francis Poulenc. Harlem has a rich cultural legacy that includes music (jazz, hip-hop), and literature (the Harlem Renaissance's Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, to name a few). Not as well known, but equally vibrant, is its spiritual legacy. GLORIA stands as a tribute to that history and legacy that still abides in the community of Harlem.

Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell and the late Karel Shook, opened the inaugural Fall for Dance Festival in 2004. The company is a leading dance institution of unparalleled global acclaim that uses the art form of classical ballet to change people's lives. Mitchell, the first African American to become a principal dancer with a major U.S. ballet company, formed DTH to bring new opportunities to the lives of the young people in the Harlem neighborhood in which he grew up. The company's unprecedented success is built on creating innovative and bold new forms of artistic expression. The company also offers extensive community engagement and arts exposure opportunities to audiences in New York, across the country and internationally. The new Dance Theatre of Harlem consists of 18 racially diverse dance artists who perform an eclectic and demanding repertoire at the highest level. www.dancetheatreofharlem.org

PROGRAM THREE

Monday, September 30 at 8 p.m.

Tuesday, October 1 at 8 p.m.

American Ballet Theatre

THE MOOR'S PAVANE (1949), choreographed by José Limón, is subtitled "Variations on a theme of Othello." In the form of a pavane and other dances of the high Renaissance, the dance tells of the hapless Moor, his wrongfully suspected wife, the Moor's treacherous friend and his wife. This work has been cited by critics the world over as Limón's masterpiece.

Note: The Festival also will feature Doug Elkins choreography, etc.'s performances of Elkins'

MO(OR)TOWN/REDUX (2012), inspired by THE MOOR'S PAVANE.

American Ballet Theatre, recognized as one of the premier dance companies in the world, brings the highest quality dance and dancers to audiences across the globe. Celebrating its role as "America's National Ballet Company," ABT tours nationally and internationally, performing for over 400,000 people annually. Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith from 1940-1980, ABT developed a repertoire that honored the past while encouraging the development of the art form through the creation of new works. ABT's mission to create, to present, to preserve, and to extend the great repertoire of classical dancing is evident in its presentation of the classics and seminal works by the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century. Today, under the artistic direction of former ABT Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie, the company remains steadfast in its vision as "American" and continues to bring the art of dance theater to the great stages of the world. www.abt.org

Colin Dunne (Festival Debut, Live Music)

THE TURN (2013), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Colin Dunne, has been adapted for Fall for Dance. THE TURN: DANCE IN YOUT BLOOD premiered in Ireland in July 2013. Rhythmical and dynamic, THE TURN features electronic elements, where amplification of dance steps is used to trigger live processing of sound, a growing feature of Dunne's solo theater work.

Colin Dunne, from Limerick, Ireland, is a leading figure in the world of traditional Irish dance who has made the crossover into contemporary dance and theater. Best known internationally for his performances and choreography in RIVERDANCE and DANCING ON DANGEROUS GROUND, he has been forging a new creative path since his time as artist in residence at University of Limerick, where he completed an MA in contemporary dance in 2002. In 2007 he was nominated for a UK Critics Circle National Dance Award (best male: modern dance) for performances at The Barbican in Fabulous Beast's production of THE BULL. His first solo show, Out of Time, premiered in January 2008. www.colindunne.com

BALLET HISPANICO (Festival Commission)

SOMBRERÍSIMO, a world premiere commissioned New York City Center for Fall for Dance and choreographed by Belgian-Colombian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, is an all-male work that turns a playful eye on stereotype and the removal of convention. The score includes music by Banda Ionica, Macaco el Mono Loco, Titi Robin, Lisa Gerrard and Michael Small.

Ballet Hispanico, celebrating 42 years of dance and culture, is recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization. Led by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, the company boasts a rich and diverse repertory of over 100 works by the foremost choreographers and emerging artists of our time. The works expand on founder Tina Ramirez's legacy of exploring the diversity of Latino culture through a fusion of classical, Latin, and contemporary dance powered by theatricality and passion. The company has performed for an audience of nearly 3 million, throughout 11 countries, on 3 continents. Anabelle Lopez Ochoa is an award-winning choreographer who has created works for numerous companies around the world, including The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Jacoby & Pronk, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. She also creates work for theater, opera, musical theater and fashion. www.ballethispanico.org

INTRODANS (Festival Debut)

SINFONÍA INDIAi (1984), a U.S. premiere choreographed by Nacho Duato, was inspired by the composer Carlos Chávez, who drew inspiration from the ritual dances of Mexican Indians. Sinfonía India is a full of vitality, joy of dance and passion.

INTRODANS, based in Arnhem, the Netherlands, was founded in 1971 by Hans Focking and Ton Wiggers. It is one of the Netherlands' most acclaimed dance companies, presenting modern ballet performances on classic themes, with contemporary artists. In 2009 the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science designated Introdans part of the national infrastructure. Today, under the Artistic Director Roel Voorintholt and General Director Ton Wiggers, Introdans performs in theaters throughout the Netherlands and travels the world. www.introdans.nl

PROGRAM FOUR

Wednesday, October 2 at 8 p.m.

Thursday, October 3 at 8 p.m.

(one more company TBA)

DORRANCE DANCE (Festival Debut)

SOUNDSPACE (2013), choreographed by Michelle Dorrance, with additional improvisation by Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, features 12 dancers in a joyful explosion of rhythm.

Dorrance Dance, based in New York City, aims to honor tap dance's uniquely beautiful history, not by stripping the form of its tradition, but by pushing it: rhythmically, aesthetically and conceptually. Dorrance Dance's inaugural performance garnered a Bessie Award for "blasting open our notions of tap." The company has performed at Jacob's Pillow, Danspace Project, The Kennedy Center, The Yard, Symphony Space and many more venues across the country.

Doug Elkins CHOREOGRAPHY, ETC. (Festival Debut)

MO(OR)TOWN/REDUX (2012, adapted for Fall for Dance), choreographed by Doug Elkins, was inspired by José Limón's seminal THE MOOR'S PAVANE, a dance based on Shakespeare's OTHELLO that tells the story of love, jealousy and betrayal, set to Motown music.

Note: The Festival also will include American Ballet Theatre's performances of José Limón's THE MOOR'S PAVANE (1949).

Doug Elkins choreography, etc. came into being in summer 2009 as the next logical step in organizing independent dance, theater and teaching projects for Doug Elkins. The original Doug Elkins Dance Company, founded by Doug, Ben Munisteri, Lisa Nicks and Jane Weiner, debuted at the 11 O'clock News series at Dance Theater Workshop in 1987 and toured nationally and internationally for 15 years as an ensemble of eight. Between 2009 and 2012, the company touredFraulein Maria, a modern dance twist on the beloved movie classic The Sound of Music. www.dougelkinschoreography.com

THE ROYAL BALLET (Festival Debut, Festival Commission, Live Music)

(Untitled) A world premiere pas de deux, commissioned by New York City Center for Fall for Dance, is being choreographed by Liam Scarlett, Artist-in-Residence with The Royal Ballet and set to a score by Arvo Pärt.

The Royal Ballet owes its existence to the vision of Dame Ninette de Valois, Irish-born dancer, choreographer and teacher. Based at the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden and led by Director Kevin O'Hare, it is Britain's largest ballet company. The company's wide-ranging repertory showcases the great classical ballets, heritage works - including those of Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan - as well as new works by the foremost choreographers of today, including Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor, Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon and Artist in Residence Liam Scarlett. Access is a key issue for the company and its work is seen not just at the Royal Opera House but via televised and cinematic performances, outdoor BP Big Screen relays, international touring and through the work of the Company's Education Department. Liam Scarlett joined The Royal Ballet in 2005, and was promoted to First Artist in 2008. In 2012 he retired from dancing and was appointed Artist in Residence with The Royal Ballet. His first main-stage work for The Royal Ballet was ASPHODEL MEADOWS (2010), which was nominated for a South Bank Award and an Olivier Award, and was winner of a Critics' Circle Award. www.roh.org.uk/about/the-royal-ballet

PROGRAM FIVE

Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m.

SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI/SADLER'S WELLS LONDON (Festival Debut)

FAUN (2009), a New York premiere choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, is a reinvention of Nijinsky's famous ballet L'APRÈS-MIDI D'UN FAUNE. The duet looks at the eponymous creature from Stéphane Mallarmé's poem and draws on Claude Debussy's music, with additional music by Nitin Sawhney and costumes by leading fashion designer Hussein Chalayan.

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui made his debut as a choreographer in 1999 with Andrew Wale's contemporary musical ANONYMOUS SOCIETY. Since then he has made more than 20 full-fledged choreographic pieces and received many awards, including the Laurence Olivier, two Ballet Tanz Awards for Best Choreographer and the Kairos Prize (2009) for his artistic vision and his quest for intercultural dialogue. His works include SUTRA, ORBO NORVO, BABEL, TEZUKA. Cherkaoui has been a Sadler's Wells Associate Artist for ten years and is the dance director of Festival Equilibrio in Rome. Sadler's Wells is the UK's leading dance house, uniquely dedicated to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London audiences. It is committed to producing, commissioning and presenting works of the highest standards, crossing the boundaries between different art forms. www.sadlerswells.com

BODYTRAFFIC (Festival Debut)

O2JOY (2012), choreographed by Richard Siegal, is a playful, contemporary dance piece set to great American jazz music. The work is ballet-based, peppered with syncopated hip-hop and drenched in light-hearted humor. As its title suggests, O2JOY is an expression of sheer joy through music and movement.

BODYTRAFFIC is helping to establish Los Angeles as a major center for contemporary dance. Founded in 2007 by Lillian Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC has surged to the forefront of the concert dance world. Named Dance Magazine's 25 to Watch in 2013, the young company is already internationally recognized for its high quality of work. BODYTRAFFIC has performed at numerous venues throughout the United States and made their Joyce Theater debut during the Gotham Dance Festival. www.BODYTRAFFIC.com

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE Monte Carlo

BLACK SWAN PAS DE DEUX, from the third act of Swan Lake, is perhaps the most famous duet in the ballet world. The entree, adagio, two solos and coda are filled with all manner of virtuosity with the peak of excitement being reached in the coda, which has the famous sequence of 32 fouettes (introduced in Russia in 1895 by the great Legnani). Choreography after Marius Petipa.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and en travesti, first performed in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts. The TROCKS, as they are affectionately known, quickly garnered glowing reviews in New York and beyond. It is a company of professional male dancers performing the full range of ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of the manners and conceits of those dance styles. For the future, there are plans for new works in the repertoire: new cities, states and countries to perform in; and for the continuation of the TROCKS' original purpose: to bring the pleasure of dance to the widest possible audience. They will, as they have done for over 39 years, "Keep on Trockin'." www.trockadero.org

Alvin Ailey AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

HOME (2011), choreographed by Rennie Harris, is a bold hip-hop work set to a soul-lifting score of gospel house music. HOME is inspired by stories submitted by people living with or affected by HIV.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, grew from a now-fabled performance of Revelations in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance. The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 23 million people in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents - as well as millions more through television broadcasts. Although he created 79 ballets over his lifetime, Mr. Ailey maintained that his company was not exclusively a repository for his own work. In all, more than 200 works by over 80 choreographers have been part of the Ailey company's repertory. Before his untimely death in 1989, Alvin Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and over the next 21 years she brought the company unprecedented success. Ms. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011. www.alvinailey.org

NEW YORK City Center:

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO), now in its 70th year, has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club and New York City Opera; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony-honored ENCORES! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." This summer City Center launched ENCORES!OFF-CENTER, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London's Sadler's Wells Theatre enhance City Center's programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as ENCORES! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE:

The 2013 Fall for Dance Festival runs September 25 - October 5 at New York City Center (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues). All tickets are $15 and go on sale on Sunday, September 8 at 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at 212.581.1212, or at the City Center Box Office.

Free tickets for the two performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, on September 16 and 17 (rain date,September 18) will be distributed, two per person, at The Public's Delacorte Theater on the day of the show and through virtual ticketing.