Dance Theatre of Harlem's FIREBIRD to be Presented at The National Theatre
Performances will take place on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26.
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Washington Performing Arts will open its 61st season by welcoming longtime artistic partner Dance Theatre of Harlem back to Washington, D.C., with a co-production of a special three-performance engagement at The National Theatre. The program is anchored by the celebrated return of Firebird—Geoffrey Holder's acclaimed reimagining of the Russian folktale set in a lush Caribbean landscape featuring John Taras's choreography and Igor Stravinsky's iconic score—and also includes Robert Garland's electrifying Return set to the music of Aretha Franklin and James Brown, and George Balanchine's Donizetti Variations.
After more than two decades, Firebird returned to the Dance Theatre of Harlem repertoire this year to overwhelming audience and critical acclaim, with packed houses in Detroit, Paris, Norfolk, and New York.
Geoffrey Holder's vibrant sets and costumes bring John Taras's choreography to life while the dancers perform to Stravinsky's classic score in a recording by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mark A. Norman, and released by UNCSA Media. Invited guests from the UNCSA School of Dance will perform in the Firebird corps de ballet. This exclusive D.C. engagement marks the latest chapter in a 50+-year history of collaboration between Washington Performing Arts and Dance Theatre of Harlem, dating back to when Washington Performing Arts first presented the company in 1973.
In addition to Firebird, the program also includes dynamic works Return by DTH Artistic Director Robert Garland and George Balanchine's Donizetti Variations. Choreographed for DTH's 30th anniversary in 1999, Return is a soulful, high-octane celebration to the timeless sounds of James Brown and Aretha Franklin. Staged for 12 dancers, Garland calls the ballet's style “post-modern urban neoclassicism–an attempt to fuse an urban physical sensibility and a neoclassical one.” A series of effervescent dances set to Donizetti's Don Sebastian opera, Donizetti Variations is a masterclass of elegance and endurance showcasing the technical demands of its dancers.
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