Company E to Bring I NEVER DREAMED IT COULD BE LIKE THIS: LB AT 100 to Kennedy Center

Celebrating the creative force of the iconic American composer, Leonard Bernstein, the Kennedy Center presents I Never Dreamed It Could Be Like This: LB at 100, a world premiere collaboration with D.C. based Company | E and choreographer Robert J. Priore. Part of the Kennedy Center's celebration of Leonard Bernstein at 100, this unique and immersive dance work runs January 17-20, 2018 in the Kennedy Center Theater Lab.

Based on the books, Dinner with Lenny: The Last Long interview with Leonard Bernstein by Jonathan Cott and The Bernstein Letters, edited by Nigel Simeone along with research from the Bernstein archives, this production takes the audience deep inside the creative environment of one of America's great masters in a non-linear journey of Bernstein's intellectual and emotional complexity. Elements of video, projection, live and recorded music, and recorded text add to the exploration of the legendary composer. This collaborative performance is choreographed by Robert J. Priore with Paul Gordon Emerson as executive producer/designer/writer.

"Bernstein was-and is-a singular figure in American history. His story is, in so many ways, America's story in the later 20th century. And his own life offers many elements to explore," said Emerson. "We're taking you to that place of imagination where he started as he went on those journeys that led to West Side Story, or to Mass, or to that private space where he sat alone with Mahler's score of the 5th Symphony. To those moments where he had to confront his own life and choices. So often those ideas are best represented not in words, but in sounds and steps. If anyone could have been said to have danced through life, it's Leonard Bernstein."

"Bernstein was a pioneer on so many levels," notes choreographer Priore. "It's easy, actually, to lose sight of how many trails he blazed. And, from a personal standpoint, the complexity of his own personal life echoes right through to today. His art and his life are inseparable and fascinating and endlessly inspiring."

Leonard Bernstein at 100 is a year of local, national, and worldwide events that pay tribute to this iconic artist whose influence and impact on arts and culture in the U.S. and around the world have transcended both genres and generations. While truly a citizen artist to the world, Washington, D.C. was one of Leonard Bernstein's creative homes. Bernstein frequented the Kennedy White House, regularly composed for and conducted Washington ensembles and at area venues, served as emcee for the fundraiser for the National Performing Arts Center (later named the Kennedy Center) and premiered lasting and notable works such as Mass-at the opening of the Center-and West Side Story here in the nation's capital. Throughout the centennial celebration, which begins at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., performances of theater, classical, jazz, choral works, dance, and education events will explore and celebrate the many facets of Leonard Bernstein as musician, composer, educator, and humanitarian.

A contemporary repertory dance company, dance education, and interdisciplinary arts organization based in the U.S. Capital City of Washington, D.C. emphasizing international collaborations with the great choreographers, dancers, and artists at work today. Company E builds its art through engagement with the diplomatic missions from nations around the globe, all based in Washington, D.C. seeking out the greatest choreographic talent at work today with an emphasis on the next generation of brilliant, cutting edge choreography, and with the U.S. missions abroad to present that work on the international stage. The company seeks to create, perform, educate, and engage in environmentally sustainable ways. A company of nine dancers under the artistic direction of Paul Gordon Emerson and Kathryn Sydell Pilkington, Company E does not adhere to a particular technique or philosophy of dance, seeking instead dancers able to perform at a world-class level regardless of the technique and demands of the artists whose work is coming to the stage.

All tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased at the Kennedy Center Box Office, online, or by calling Instant-Charge at (202) 467-4600. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

Performance Schedule:

Company E in I Never Dreamed It Could Be Like This: LB at 100
Robert J. Priore, Principal Choreographer
Paul Gordon Emerson, Executive Producer/Designer/Writer

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, January 19, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

For more information about the Kennedy Center visit www.kennedy-center.org.

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