On September 30, 2017, the David H. Koch Theater pulsed with excitement, anticipating the start of Peter Martins' rendition of Swan Lake. A New York City Ballet staple, the company first premiered this production 18 years ago. But with such crisp movement and staging, you would think it was the very first time.
Peter Martins' production of the full-length 'Swan Lake' has always been something of a curiosity to me. So many associate the ballet with intense dramatic overtones, or, in New York City Ballet's one act Balanchine version, with poetic musings, that when we see this version we are puzzled. Yes, the dancers look great, but what else is there? And a 'Swan Lake' that leaves you feeling empty and hollow is not a 'Swan Lake' at all.
Paul Taylor American Modern Dance (PTAMD) will present its annual Season at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center from March 7 to 25, 2018. The Season will introduce the World Premiere of Paul Taylor's 147th dance, and feature World premieres of dances choreographed by Doug Varone and Bryan Arias commissioned through Taylor Company Commissions and made on the Taylor dancers. Special guest artist Sara Mearns, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, will perform Dances of Isadora reconstructed by Isadora Duncan Dance Company Artistic Director Lori Belilove. Trisha Brown Dance Company will perform Trisha Brown's Set and Reset. Music will be performed live on every program by Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Taylor Music Director/Maestro Donald York and Maestro David LaMarche. Tickets go on sale September 15 at www.boxoffice.dance.
Paul Taylor has invited New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Sara Mearns to perform works by Isadora Duncan reconstructed by The Isadora Duncan Dance Company Artistic Director, Lori Bellilove during the 2018 Season of Paul Taylor American Modern Dance (PTAMD) at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
Lincoln Center Festival Director Nigel Redden today announced casting for the unprecedented, international presentation of George Balanchine's Jewels . The Bolshoi Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet will share the stage where the masterpiece first premiered on April 13, 1967, for five historic performances celebrating one of the greatest creative artists of the 20th century and the global recognition the work has received.
Jacob's Pillow Director Pamela Tatge recently unveiled Vision '22, a strategic approach for the Pillow's development over the next five years, through 2022. Vision '22 is a blueprint for enabling the Pillow to become a year-round center for dance creation and to more robustly serve artists and audiences alike.
One of the finest ballet companies in the country is in town this week at the Kennedy Center for two programs that feature the work of some of the world's most famous choreographers.
Reviewing George Balanchine 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on Wednesday, May 24 was like visiting an old friend. My father took me to see it as a child soon after it opened in 1962, and while the memory fades as we grow older, Gloria Govrin in the role of Hippolyta bounding around the stage remains steadfast, never diminishing. Thank you, New York City Ballet, for the recollection and for a wonderful theatrical evening.
Arlene Shuler, President & CEO, today announced programming for New York City Center's 2017-18 season. The season will open with the annual Fall for Dance Festival, featuring 20 companies in five unique programs.
New York City Ballet continues to include new choreographies in its repertoire, billed this season as the Here and Now Festival. On May 12, 2017 NYCB performed four newer works created in 1994, 1998, 2006, and a world premiere.
The Jacob's Pillow 85th Anniversary Season kicks off with the Season Opening Gala, the Pillow's signature fundraising event, Saturday, June 17. The event embodies the start of the summer season in the Berkshires, and features exclusive programming, unique and delicious food and drink, and plenty of dancing and live music.
Lincoln Center Festival Director Nigel Redden today announced casting for the unprecedented, international presentation of George Balanchine's Jewels . The Bolshoi Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet will share the stage where the masterpiece first premiered on April 13, 1967, for five historic performances celebrating one of the greatest creative artists of the 20th century and the global recognition the work has received.
New York City Ballet's 'All Wheeldon' program, part of the Here/Now series on April 30, was, in most cases, a great success. Wheeldon is now a celebrity choreographer. He is followed everywhere, has received abundant awards for his ballets and Broadway productions. Together with Justin Peck and Alexander Ratmansky, all City Ballet past or present artists-in-residence, he has come to many to represent ballet's future, although what that future is remains a question mark.
The 2017 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2017, the first programmed exclusively by new Director Pamela Tatge, is full of exciting programming featuring world premieres, commissions, site-specific work, international artists, live music, and Pillow-exclusive engagements, all to celebrate a momentous 85th Anniversary Season. Running June 21-August 27, Festival 2017 includes more than 200 free events, performances, exhibits, and talks, as well as many new offerings and initiatives launched under Tatge's leadership. In keeping with the Jacob's Pillow mission to engage and educate the community through the depth and breadth of dance, the genres and styles presented as part of the 85th Anniversary Season are far-reaching and inclusive, encompassing modern, contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, improvisation, flex, tap dance, step, Brazilian social dance, dance theater, traditional Native American, Bharatanatyam, musical theater dance, classical Cambodian, Latin ballroom, capoeira, and traditional Korean movement styles.
The 2017 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, a prestigious honor that carries a $25,000 cash prize, will be presented to choreographer, performer, writer, educator, and speaker Liz Lerman in acknowledgement of her vision and outstanding contributions to the dance field. Long ago dubbed the “Democrat of Dance” by Alan M. Kriegsman of The Washington Post, Lerman's extraordinary career of the past four decades includes a wide range of groundbreaking work. Established in 2007, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award's previous recipients include the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham; MacArthur Fellows Michelle Dorrance and Kyle Abraham; and choreographer, performer, and artistic director Camille A. Brown, among others.
On March 17 2017, excitement buzzed at the Peter Norton Symphony Space during the season premiere of The Ashley Bouder Project. A powerful collective that celebrates the beauty and strength of female dancers (and the resilient support of their male counterparts!) the showcase more than proved Bouder's mantra that At This Dance, Women Take the Lead.
Celebrating innovation and diversity in American ballet, the Kennedy Center presents the return of its weeklong Ballet Across America series, April 17 and April 19-23, for seven performances in the Opera House. Last seen in 2013, and illustrating the most exciting, creative dance happening across America today, this season's engagement explores new directions in the art form through programs curated by two of the biggest superstars in the ballet world: dancer-choreographer Justin Peck and principal dancer Misty Copeland.