The Washington Ballet Announces Fall 2019/20 Touring Schedule

The Washington Ballet is excited to announce its Fall Touring Schedule that will spotlight new works by 21st century ballet choreographers Dana Genshaft, John Heginbotham, Jessica Lang and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa during New York City Center's Fall for Dance Festival and the Guggenheim's Works & Process program.

Shadow Lands will make its New York Premiere Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4 during the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. The ballet was commissioned last season from choreographer Dana Genshaft as part of The Washington Ballet's commitment to foster new works that support the evolution of the artist and the art form. With an original score by Mason Bates, composer in residence at The Kennedy Center, and costumes by Reid and Harriet Designs, Shadow Lands emphasizes ballet technique and features choreography that plays with angles, momentum, and abstract movement to show that when broken pieces come together the whole is better and stronger than when it is apart.

"Genshaft, in particular, is a fine new talent to watch. With her thoroughly enjoyable "Shadow Lands," the former San Francisco Ballet soloist put forth a vision of ballet form that's futuristic and fresh." The Washington Post, April 5, 2019.

The Fall for Dance Festival is an annual two-week sampling of preeminent dance companies and choreographers from around the world. Now in its 16th season, Fall for Dance is widely recognized for presenting artistic excellence of the highest caliber and bringing geographic and stylistic diversity to New York audiences, all for the price of a movie ticket.

On Sunday, October 6, The Washington Ballet returns to the Guggenheim's Works & Process program; a performing-arts series that explores artistic creation through discussion and the presentation of new works by today's creative voices. The Washington Ballet's Artistic Director Julie Kent discusses NEXTsteps, a program presenting new ballets that will make their world premiere when the company opens their 2019.20 Season in DC October 23.

New York audiences will have the exclusive opportunity to experience performance excerpts and watch a live rehearsal that will debut new works by globally recognized choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, John Heginbotham, and Jessica Lang. How is a ballet made? What is the creative process from conception to the stage? Works & Process offers access and insight to the artistic perspective.

"We are honored to be part of the extraordinary Fall for Dance Festival and to share our burgeoning company for a third consecutive season as a part of The Guggenheim's fascinating Works & Process," said Artistic Director Julie Kent. "Touring allows us the opportunity to serve as cultural ambassadors of our city and of our art form. It gives us the platform to showcase the talent of our dancers and the beauty of their diversity. I am grateful for these invaluable experiences and to share The Washington Ballet's singular creative culture with new audiences."

Fall For Dance Festival
Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, 2019 at 8:00PM
New York City Center
131 West 55th Street
(between Sixth and Seventh Avenues)
New York, NY 10019

Tickets are $15 each and are on sale now.

Works & Process
Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 3:00PM and 7:30PM
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Peter B. Lewis Theater
1071 5th Avenue
(between 88th and 89th Streets)
New York, NY 10128

Tickets are $25-45 each.
The Washington Ballet (TWB) was founded as The Washington School of Ballet by Mary Day in 1944 and incorporated as a professional company in 1976. At the helm is internationally acclaimed ballerina Julie Kent. As The Washington Ballet's Artistic Director, Kent's mission is to build a world-class dance company in the Nation's Capital, by continuing the tradition of classical ballet and contributing to the evolution of the art form through contemporary works and new commissions. The Washington Ballet strives to reflect the diversity of the community and the nation through its dancers and its repertoire. Kent has introduced into the repertoire seminal works by George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, Justin Peck and Alexei Ratmansky while embracing the work of emerging choreographers including Clifton Brown, Gemma Bond, and Ethan Stiefel, among others.

Her commitment to the development of both the dancer and the art form is fulfilled through the presentation of beloved classic 19th-century ballets and landmark 20th-century works while reaffirming a commitment to commissioned works that will contribute to the evolution of ballet and its relevance in our times. TWB's three-part mission: ensuring excellence in its professional performance company; growing the next generation of dancers through its school, professional training programs, and Studio Company; and serving the community in which it resides through community engagement programs will continue to propel TWB to a more prominent place within the nation's capital and beyond.

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