RDT Announces A Monumental Season of Dance for 2017-2018

Repertory Dance Theatre is the nation's oldest and most successful modern dance repertory company. As the Company enters their 52nd season of dance in Salt Lake City, they are not slowing down.

RDT not only prides itself in presenting audiences with a diverse range of modern dance styles and choreographers paired with dynamic and unexpected performances, they are also dedicated to using the art of dance as a tool to educate. The Company has always sought to illuminate a deeper understanding of our world by making dance more relevant in our communities through inter-disciplinary programs.

The upcoming 2017-2018 season features a combination of world-premieres exploring current events, a revisiting of old friends, and a celebration of the next generation of choreographers.

RDT's 52nd season will open with SANCTUARY, October 5-7, 2017. The nature of sacred places inspires the centerpiece commission by New York City-based choreographer and long-time RDT collaborator, Zvi Gotheiner. "Dancing The Bears Ears," a tribute to Utah's newly designated Bears Ears National Monument, explores through movement this extraordinary landscape with its high mountain peaks; deep canyons; long, broken mesas; astounding arches and stately red-rock cliffs. The work celebrates this important legacy and honors those of us-both individuals and whole sovereign nations-who find there sustenance and renewal.

Amidst falling rain, 33 dancers, including guests from Utah Valley University, perform Andy Noble's exhilarating work, "Tower," honoring the hallowed ground where the Twin Towers once stood. Performing under a torrent of 120 pounds of falling rice, the dancers in Eric Handman's mysterious "Ghost Ship" explore how we are connected to our sense of place.

In November, RDT will spotlight work by its most prolific alumni choreographer, William "Bill" Evans in TOP BILL. Evans, a Company member from 1967 to 1974, is known for his versatility and style. TOP BILL features an eclectic range of music from Vivaldi to the American desert music of 3hattrio plus a tribute to the "King of Swing" Mr. Benny Goodman. East Indian rhythms, tap rhythms and electronic rhythms will make this entertaining and nostalgic evening of dance unforgettable.

RDT has always had a commitment to train dancers to be versatile teachers and choreographers. After a sold out performance last year, RDT will present the second iteration of EMERGE, January 5-6. With three shows this year, EMERGE is a full concert of choreography by the RDT dancers.

In February of 2018, you can help RDT commission a new work. Audiences who loved RDT's annual fundraiser, Charette, are now hooked on REGALIA. A process, a performance, and a party, REGALIA assembles four choreographers competing for a commission the following season. Artistic teams will have only four hours to complete a brand new work. Audience members will watch the creative process and final performance, then vote with their wallet for their favorite choreographer. The fundraiser features two pricing options, either with or without a pre-show cocktail party. Everyone is invited up on stage after the performance for dancing and dessert with a LIVE BAND.

After receiving rave reviews, RDT will encore DABKE in the intimate Leona Wagner Black Box Theatre, March 16-18. 2018. This evening-length work by Zvi Gotheiner is a powerful contemporary statement inspired by ancient Middle-Eastern folk dance. Blending Arab pop music and the use of dabkeh steps, Gotheiner uses the power of dance to highlight tribal and national identities as well as dissolve those definitions. DABKE is about conflict in the Middle East, but it is about conflict in the world.

CURRENT, April 12-14, 2018, will close RDT's 52nd season of dance in Salt Lake City, by presenting a generation of new dance-makers who articulate the physical and emotional energy of contemporary life. It's fresh; it's current; it's now. This ground-breaking concert features work by RDT alumni Francisco Gella, Sarah Donohue, and Angela Banchero-Kelleher plus the winner of the 2017 REGALIA choreographer competition, Nichele Van Portfleet.

With a total of six shows, the 2017-2018 season is one of RDT's biggest yet. Season tickets are on sale now at www.rdtutah.org/seasontix.

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