VAIL DANCE FESTIVAL 2025 Opens Friday with Lineup of International Artists and Companies
Opening Night features performances from Alonzo King LINES Ballet, ABT, NYCB, and more under the Colorado sky.
The world-renowned Vail Dance Festival will open its 2025 season this Friday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, Colorado. Produced by the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation and under the artistic direction of Damian Woetzel, the festival will present 14 performances and more than 40 special events across the Vail Valley through August 5.
This year’s Opening Night performance showcases a dynamic sampling of the diverse programming to come, with styles ranging from ballet and tap to modern and street dance. Highlights include a jam session featuring jookin’ sensation Lil Buck with tap dancers Michelle Dorrance, Emiko Nakagawa, and Dario Natarelli, accompanied by pianist Joel Wenhardt and kora player Youba Cissokho. The program also features:
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Adji Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan of Alonzo King LINES Ballet performing Feeling Uneasy
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Melissa Toogood, this year’s Artist-In-Residence, in Loose Time by Merce Cunningham
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Kayla Mak in O’Clock by Juliano Nunes, with live piano by Tony Siqi Yun
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A cross-company performance of Jerome Robbins’ Other Dances featuring Isabella Boylston (ABT) and Roman Mejia (NYCB)
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BLACK SWAN Pas de Deux excerpts with Mira Nadon and Chun Wai Chan (NYCB)
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Christopher Wheeldon’s The Two of Us danced by Sara Mearns and Robbie Fairchild
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An excerpt of Scheherazade performed by LINES Ballet
WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.
A full evening from the acclaimed company featuring Ode to Alice Coltrane and Mother Goose, Alonzo King’s take on Ravel’s 1912 suite Ma mère l’Oye.
UpClose: Song & Dance
Sunday, July 27 at 6:00 p.m.
Artistic Director Damian Woetzel hosts a behind-the-scenes evening of dance and song in rehearsal and performance, with excerpts by Balanchine, Taylor, Wheeldon, and Robbins, plus work from Patricia Delgado, Justin Peck, Tiler Peck, Caili Quan, and Pam Tanowitz.
Balanchine Celebration
Monday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Featuring classic works including Concerto Barocco, Agon Pas de Deux, Square Dance, Apollo, and more. Performers include stars from NYCB, ABT, Philadelphia Ballet, and Colorado Ballet, with live music by Cameron Grant, Johnny Gandelsman, Caroline Shaw, and others.
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Returning for the first time since 2018, the company performs Company B and a 50th anniversary presentation of Esplanade, alongside a new Movement Sentence Choir by Larry Keigwin in honor of what would have been Taylor’s 95th birthday.
TICKETS & MORE
Tickets and the full schedule are available at vaildance.org. For box office assistance, email boxoffice@vvf.org or call 970.845.TIXS (8497).
The 2025 Vail Dance Festival continues through August 5, featuring Dorrance Dance, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, NOW: Premieres, and International Evenings of Dance, along with free events, community programming, and more.
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Topdog/Underdog Historic Shorter AME (8/29-9/20) |
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Alison Krauss And Union Station Blue Federal Credit Union Arena (8/18-8/18) |
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Hadestown Buell Theatre (6/08-6/13) |
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Waitress Buell Theatre (11/27-11/29) PHOTOS |
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Insight Colab Theatre presents Shadows & Secrets Vintage Theatre (8/28-8/30) |
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mike. – Mike Stud Red Rocks Amphitheatre (11/14-11/14) |
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Cole Swindell Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, (9/10-9/10) |
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Riverdance 30 – The New Generation Buell Theatre (3/23-3/27) PHOTOS |
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MAMMA MIA! Buell Theatre (5/11-5/16) PHOTOS |
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Ali Stroker in Concert Lone Tree Arts Center (11/14-11/14) |