American Dance Festival Announces Its 2023 Performances

To celebrate the 90th anniversary season, the American Dance Festival (ADF) is presenting 23 choreographers and companies. Among them are audience favorites such as Paul Taylor Dance Company and Pilobolus who will be presenting repertory programs including new work. SW!NG OUT, Kyle Marshall Choreography, and Resident Island Dance Theatre are among the exciting emerging talent that will make their ADF debuts.

"Our 90th anniversary season will showcase the breadth and diversity of modern dance, presenting North Carolina artists as well as national and international talent. We are excited to continue our tradition of being a laboratory for artists at all stages of their careers and to support the creation of new work and facilitate community building through engagement activities beyond the performances. This year's festival will include thirteen ADF commissions and nine world premieres," states executive director Jodee Nimerichter.

ADF will kick off the season on June 8 with BODYTRAFFIC, followed by the ADF Fête at Parizäde. The following evening, the 2023 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement, with a cash prize of $50,000, will be presented to Rennie Harris, Hip-hop's leading ambassador, choreographer, and educator. Robert Battle, the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, will present the award. The ceremony will be followed by an exhilarating performance of Nuttin' But a Word by Rennie Harris Puremovement.

Performances during ADF's 90th anniversary season will be presented June, July, and August in Durham. Tickets to ADF performances will go on sale to the general public on April 25, 2023. Tickets will be available for purchase online at americandancefestival.org or through the Duke University Box Office.

Throughout its 90-year history, the American Dance Festival has been the home of an art form, attracting artists, audiences, and thousands of students from around the world. By preserving our modern dance heritage, promoting the creation of new works and collaborations, educating generations of dancers through intensive training programs, supporting artists at all stages of their careers, presenting live and screen dance to the public, and developing humanities and international exchange programs, ADF has served as a laboratory for experimentation and innovation. ADF was founded at the Bennington School of the Dance and moved to Connecticut College in 1948. For the past 46 years, ADF has taken pride in calling Duke University and Durham home. ADF also manages its first ever year-round facilities, the Samuel H. Scripps Studios, offering movement classes for students of all ages and abilities as well as choreographic residencies and outreach programs throughout the community.