June 05, 2017

DANCECleveland Presents American Dance Festival (ADF) in Cleveland

DANCECleveland Presents American Dance Festival (ADF) in Cleveland

July 25-August 5, 2017

Featuring Three Renowned Dance Companies, Local Studio Showcase, Outdoor Activities & ADF Faculty Lead Dance Workshop Series

DANCECleveland Launches First-Ever Summer Dance Festival in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (June 5, 2017) Northeast Ohio's premiere dance presenter, DANCECleveland, is proud to present its inaugural summer dance festival in Cleveland. Partnering with the renowned, American Dance Festival (ADF), the eight-day festival will include performances by three world-class dance companies, a four-day educational workshop series for advanced level dancers which will be taught by ADF faculty, free community events, as well as dance related special events and activities throughout the Playhouse Square district during the week.

ADF in CLE will kick off on July 29th with a full day of free special events including 'taking dance to the street' with a giant 'mega-barre' class on E. 14th Street, dance classes, a flash-mob of dancers and community members performing the "National Day of Dance Routine" as choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance, a Dance Studio Showcase of amazing student talent on the stage in the Ohio Theatre and a silent disco party.

The highlight of the day will be the creative performance by Pilobolus of their imaginative and creative, "Shadowland" at 7:30 p.m. in the State Theatre where dancers will lead the audience into a dream-like adventure through innovative choreography and shadow play. Named after a sun-loving fungus that grows in barnyards, Pilobolus Dance Theater is renowned worldwide for its witty and gravity-defying works that challenge the notions of what modern dance can look like. Using the human body as a medium of expression, the company creates awe inducing shapes that push the imagination to the extreme. Pilobolus collaborates with a diverse range of artists including the MIT Distributed Robotics Laboratory, Art Spiegelman, OK Go, Radiolab, and many others to make inventive, athletic, witty, collaborative performance works on stage and screen. They have performed in over 64 countries and received the Berlin Critic's Prize, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for lifetime achievement in choreography, and a TED Fellowship for performing a TED Talk in 2005 among others. In recent years, Pilobolus has become an international entertainment brand with commercials (Mobil, Ford and Toyota); music videos (nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award); appearances on the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Oprah Winfrey Show and Conan O'Brien show and more!

Challenging the range of what hip-hop dance can be, Raphael Xavier will continue ADF in Cleveland on Wednesday with a performance unlike any DANCECleveland has ever presented. An Award-winning artist originally from Wilmington, Delaware; Raphael Xavier is a Hip-Hop dancer and breaking practitioner that has been honing his craft since 1983. The exciting performance will take place in the Allen Theatre on August 2 at 7:30 p.m. Get there early at 6:45 p.m. to enjoy a free pre-performance chat in the theatre and stay after the show to enjoy a Q & A session with the dancers.

Brian Brooks will close the week-long dance festival in Cleveland with a performance on Saturday, August 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Ohio Theatre. The performance will be full of the beauty and innovation of modern dance. Set to Max Richter's version of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," the company will perform an evening of mixed repertory, including "Torrent", a lush piece full of movement that sends the dancers soaring across the stage while playing with lines and texture as they perform. Brooks' choreography was last seen in Cleveland as part of "Wendy Whelan Restless Creature" in 2015.There will be a pre-performance chat at 6:45 p.m. and a Q & A following the performance.

Performance Tickets and Registration: Tickets for festival performances start at only $25 and will be available online at dancecleveland.org and by phone by calling 216-241-6000 on May 11, 2017. For those who want to see all three performances during the festival, the Festival Pass (3-pack) give pass holders the ability to see all three shows at a discounted price and offers special perks such as prime seating and special event access during the festival. Festival Passes start at just $64 and are available by calling 216-241-6000 or visiting dancecleveland.org.

Another important aspect of American Dance Festival (ADF) in CLE is the ability to host a four-day immersive dance workshop series for serious dancers ages sixteen and up. Dancers can register to train with ADF faculty which includes Charles O. Anderson, Brian Brooks, Pamela Pietro, Otto (Aquaboogy) Vazquez, and Raphael Xavier. Students will take classes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in styles including modern, contemporary, hip hop, creative process and repertory classes. The ADF Workshop Series will run from Wednesday August 2 through Saturday August 5, and takes place at Cleveland State University's Arts Campus, in the Middough Building located at 1901 East 13th St. Cleveland, OH 44114. The Registration Fee is $320 and includes all classes, performance tickets, a t-shirt and more. Housing and food are not included; however out oftown dancers can contact DANCECleveland for housing options at Cleveland State University. To apply, interested applicants should fill out and return the application form with payment to DANCECleveland. In addition, applicants should include a rsum of their dance training, education, and professional experience.

Registration form and fees are due by July 10, 2017. More info can be obtained by emailing sarah@dancecleveland.org or calling 216-991-9000. Registration can be downloaded here: https://dancecleveland.wixsite.com/adfincle.

For more information on the dance companies, visit:

http://www.pilobolus.org

http://www.pentacle.org/artist/raphael-xavier/

http://www.brianbrooksmovingcompany.com/

Full Schedule of Activities:

For more information on DANCECleveland's presenting partners and collaborators, visit:

http://www.americandancefestival.org/

www.playhousesquare.org

http://www.csuohio.edu/class/theatre-dance/theatre-dance

ELECTRONIC PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM SARAH HRICKO AT 216-991-9000 OR EMAIL: sarah@dancecleveland.org.

DANCECleveland, a Cleveland, Ohio based non-profit, is one of a handful of presenters in the nation that is dedicated solely to the presentation of modern and contemporary dance. The centerpiece of the organization's programming is its annual performance series. The performances are surrounded by an array of educational outreach events including artist-run master classes, residency programs, student matinees, pre-performance lectures and post-performance Q&A sessions, designed both to break artistic boundaries and provide community access to the dance aesthetic and dance luminaries that DANCECleveland brings to Northeast Ohio.

DANCECleveland is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund DANCECleveland with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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