March 17, 2018
DANCECleveland Announces 2018-19 Season Featuring Eight Remarkable Dance Companies, American Dance Festival in Cleveland and the Launch of a Brand New Speaker Series
Contact:
Sarah Hricko
DANCECleveland
216-991-9000
sarah@dancecleveland.org
DANCECleveland Announces 2018-19 Season
Featuring Eight Remarkable Dance Companies, American Dance Festival in Cleveland and the Launch of a Brand New Speaker Series
Subscriptions on sale March 17 for the 2018-2019 DANCECleveland Season
CLEVELAND (March 09, 2017) DANCECleveland will launch its 63rd season, with seven dance companies that include daring newcomers as well as acclaimed master choreographers. The season will feature the second annual ADF in CLE summer dance festival in collaboration with the Iconic American Dance Festival, the launch of a new speaker series, titled Body of Work: Dialogues on Dance, the northeast Ohio debuts of four remarkable dance companies-including two international dance companies and the return of three audience favorites. The 2018-2019 season will speak to audience members through a varied vocabulary of dance movement styles sure to enthrall!
The season will begin with ADF in CLE, a fun-filled festival of dance July 28- August 4 in collaboration with American Dance Festival from Durham, NC. This year's festival will feature two performances and the launch of our new speaker series. The festival will kick off with our Body of Work: Dialogues on Dance with Pam Tanowitz Dance in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square on July 24 at 7:00 pm. As part of the National Day of Dance and a full range of community events, Hubbard Dance Chicago, now in its 40th year, will take the stage at the Connor Palace at Playhouse Square for one performance on July 28 at 7:00 pm. Closing the festival will be tap phenom, Caleb Teicher & Company who will bring tap back into the spotlight in the Evans Amphitheater at Cain Park on August 4 at 8:00 pm. All performances will be surrounded by engagement activities for audience members of all ages to enjoy before and after the shows in collaboration with Playhouse Square, Cleveland State University's Department of Theatre and Dance and Cain Park.
The season will continue on October 6, at 7:30 pm at the University of Akron's E.J. Thomas Hall with the powerfully emotional choreography of Kyle Abraham's company, A.I.M./ Abraham.In.Motion in their first northeast Ohio performance, followed by the passion and dazzling elegance of Ballet Hispanico, November 10 at 7:30 pm and November 11, 2018 at 3:00 pm in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. In February, Beijing Dance Theater will make their Cleveland debut with two awe inspiring performances February 2, 2019 at 7:30 pm and February 3, 2019 at 2:00 pm in the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square. Then, one of Israel's premier contemporary companies, Vertigo Dance Company will mark their first performance in northeast Ohio with their newest work, One.One.One on March 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm in the Ohio Theatre. Closing the season, will be one of the few indisputably great dance companies in the world, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will return to Playhouse Square in the KeyBank State Theatre for three performances April 26 and 27 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 3:00 pm.
Pam Young, Executive Director of DANCECleveland, reflects on the new speaker series;
"This season we will taking our audiences on a journey of discovery. From the up close view of the creative process through our Body of Work: Dialogues on Dance speaker series to some of the most exciting dance companies in the United States as well as coming out of Israel and China, the range of performances will create a season unlike any we have ever presented."
The Details: ADF in CLE summer festival will feature a celebration of dance performances, classes and events from July 28 August 4. DANCECleveland is once again proud to partner with American Dance Festival, one of the oldest and most renowned dance festivals in the country to bring the festival to Cleveland again. More information about ADF in CLE can be found at www.ADFinCLE.org.
Summer Dance Workshop: July 24-27 at Cleveland State University's dance studios, for ages 13-28 with ADF faculty, Pam Tanowitz, Oscar (Aquaboogy) Vazquez, Christian Von Howard, will feature classes in hip-hop, modern, contemporary and creative process,
Body of Work: Dialogues on Dance featuring Pam Tanowitz Dance, Tuesday, July 24, Allen Theatre, 7:00 p.m. will provide an intimate evening of conversation and demonstrations on Ms. Tanowitz's creative process and complexities of her artistry,
National Day of Dance: Saturday, July 28, Mega Barre under the chandelier on E. 14th Street, rehearsal and taping of the 'So You Think You Can Dance' routine, Dance Demonstrations, Silent Disco on US Bank/Star Plaza,
Student Dance Showcase, a curated dance showcase of local dance schools, Saturday July 28 in the Allen Theatre, Playhouse Square,
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Saturday, July 28, 7:00 p.m., Connor Palace, Playhouse Square,
Caleb Teicher & Company, Saturday, August 4, 8:00 p.m., Evans Amphitheatre, Cain Park, Cleveland Heights.
The season will continue in October 2018 through April 2019 with five adventurous dance companies.
Kyle Abraham's A.I.M./Abraham in Motion, Saturday, October 6, 7:30 p.m., at The University of Akron's EJ Thomas Hall, in collaboration with The University of Akron's Dance Program,
Ballet Hispanico, Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. & Sunday November 11, at 3:00 p.m., Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, in collaboration with Tri-C.
Beijing Dance Theater, Saturday February 2, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. & Sunday, February 3, 2019 at 2:00 p.m., Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square, in collaboration with Tri-C & Cleveland Public Library
Vertigo Dance Company, Saturday March 9, 2019 at 7:30 p.m., Ohio Theatre, Playhouse Square
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 3:00 p.m. in the KeyBank State Theatre, Playhouse Square, presented by Playhouse Square in collaboration with DANCECleveland.
Pam Tanowitz kicks off ADF in CLE! Join us for an intimate evening of dance and conversation as one of the hottest modern dance choreographers today, Pam Tanowitz and her dancers provide audience members with an insider view of the creative process. Arrive early to grab a drink at the bar, pick your seat and get ready to go behind the scenes to learn about what happens before the curtain opens.
Over the past 15 years, New York City based Pam Tanowitz has become known for her post-modern movement style that challenges stylistic expectations, conventions of composition and even the concert-going experience itself by adding her own unique spin. She was recently named this year's recipient of the Baryshnikov Arts Center's Cage Cunningham Fellowship and was also the 2016 Juried Bessie Award Winner.
"A riveting dialogue of movement and music." - The New York Times
We're going all out for 2018 National Dance Day on July 28, including a return of audience favorite, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago! Now in its 40th year, the company is lauded as a major force in the American contemporary dance scene. The company's athletic and technically skilled dancers delight both young and old audience members alike and can move in contemporary styles influenced by dance forms ranging from ballet to hip hop, making them some of the most versatile dancers in the contemporary dance scene. Hubbard Street has always been a repertory company, and continues that tradition today with fresh, bold new works that continually push the art of dance forward. They've appeared in celebrated dance venues across 44 states and 19 countries. Seating for this performance will be on the Connor Palace floor level only.
"Take a deep breath, because Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is going to take your breath away." -The Washington Post
Enjoy a warm summer evening at Cain Park filled with rhythm and a whole lot of fun as Caleb Teicher & Company takes the stage with his unique brand of tap and swing! A critically-acclaimed dancer, choreographer, director, and teacher based in New York City, Caleb was named one of Dance Magazine's 2012 "25 to Watch" and, recently, the winner of Dance Magazine's "Best Emerging Choreographer" in the 2016 Readers' Choice Awards. Utilizing traditional American dance forms (Tap, Vernacular Jazz, Swing, Lindy Hop) to create new dance works, Teicher's company has been presented by The Joyce Theater, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival's Inside/Out Series, Paris Jazz Roots Dance Festival, Gibney Dance, Beantown Tap Festival, and The Yard on Martha's Vineyard amongst many others. Caleb began his dance career as a founding member of Michelle Dorrance's celebrated company, Dorrance Dance, in 2011. He was awarded a 2011 Bessie Award for Outstanding Individual Performance.
"One of the brightest lights in tap today." - The New Yorker
Abraham.In.Motion will deliver a powerfully emotional performance when the company makes their Akron, OH debut. Comprised of talented dancers with varied backgrounds in contemporary, modern, hip hop, tap and more, A.I.M performs works that range in movement style and tell stories that inspire personal reflection about history, societal issues and how the two intertwine. Born into hip-hop culture in the late '70s and raised with an artistic upbringing including classical cello, piano, and the visual arts, Kyle Abraham's work approaches movement as a way to deeply delve into personal identity, race and social justice issues. Abraham plays with sound, human behavior and the visual arts in choreographic collaborations that come alive on stage, creating pieces that are described by many as fresh and unique. He was the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient and 2015 City Center Choreographer in residence. A 2013 MacArthur Fellow, Kyle Abraham was one of the youngest people to be named a MacArthur "genius". Previous awards also include being named a 2012 USA Ford Fellow, a Creative Capital grantee, and receiving a 2012 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award. In 2010, Abraham received a prestigious Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in Dance for his work in The Radio Show and a Princess Grace Award for Choreography in 2010.
"[Abraham's] best work combines truth and beauty by making a message about race metamorphose, again and again, into symbol." - Joan Acocella, The New Yorker
Combine passion, dazzling elegance, and an infectious energy together and you get the remarkable Ballet Hispanico! Performing at Playhouse Square for both an evening and matinee, Ballet Hispanico will feature sizzling music and a mixed repertoire program filled with some of the most highly acclaimed Latin choreographers today. Ballet Hispanico has performed for over two million people on three continents, building a repertory of over 70 works that fuse together Latin dance, theatricality, classical ballet and modern dance techniques to create a new style of dance that is uniquely, Ballet Hispanico. Recognized for her achievements by the National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest cultural honor, Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispnico in 1970. From its grassroots origins as a dance school and community-based performing arts troupe, the organization has grown into a world-class company. Often described as poetic and lush, but also fun and exciting, the performance will make audience members of all ages fall for dance during the November performances. The Sunday matinee will feature family fun activities before the show for young audience members.
"The Latin-American experience at last has a voice in the feisty, elegant dancing of Ballet Hispanico"
-The New York Times
Beijing Dance Theater makes its Ohio debut with two beautifully lush performances featuring two remarkable works. Founded in 2008, Beijing Dance Theater (BDT) is led by its choreographer Wang Yuanyuan together with visual artists Tan Shaoyuan and Hanjiang. The company collaborates with internationally renowned dramatists, musicians and designers to create dance works that excite audiences with visually dynamic sets, and imaginative choreography. Delicate, beautiful and filled with technically superb dancers, BDT's works create a meeting point where both traditional Chinese culture influences the movement and innovation pushes the company forward through thought provoking contemporary choreography.
Born and raised in Beijing, Wang Yuanyuan began her dance journey at the Beijing Dance Academy, and later went on to be named the resident choreographer of the National Ballet of China. She furthered her studies at the California Institute of Arts School of Dance in Los Angeles, where she completed a Master of Fine Arts in 2002 and in 2015, she received her Honorary Fellowship from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). She was also one of the main choreographers for the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Her works have won numerous awards including 'Best Choreographer' awards at the Varna International Ballet Competition, the USA International Ballet Competition, and the Moscow and Shanghai International Ballet Competitions respectively, making her the most internationally awarded Chinese choreographer to date.
"an invigorating experience.... sheer visual beauty" - The Washington Post
Grounded and organic yet driven and unyielding, Vertigo Dance Company's dancers attack the contemporary movement with an honesty that engages audience members to feel the vulnerability of emotions being unpacked onstage. One of Israel's most highly regarded contemporary dance companies; Vertigo takes the viewer on an exciting and challenging journey into unfamiliar territories with every performance. The company strives to bring people closer together and touch them through the language of the body and movement, which can be felt from their powerful performances. The March performance of Vertigo Dance Company at Playhouse Square will feature, their new work "One. One & One" created by Artistic Director, Noa Wertheim. The piece was inspired by the fifth chapter of the Yoma Tractate and features the artists dancing among soil scattered on the stage, giving the audience a full sensory experience. The performance exudes internal struggle between individual wishes versus social unity and showcases the different directions that the dancers can take. The movement style of Vertigo's dancers will awe audiences as Wertheim challenges the limits of the body through dance.
"the rising star of Israeli modern dance"-ArtsATL
They're back! The remarkable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Playhouse square for three phenomenal performances sure to inspire! "Beautiful, extraordinary and superb" only begin to describe the accolades for the dance artistry of this remarkable company. When the curtain first went up on the Company's debut performance at the 92nd Street Y in 1958, it was evident that Alvin Ailey was a powerful dance maker. Now, 60 years later, the company continues to enthrall audiences around the world with their high energy dancing, stunning movement and kinetic storytelling. Regarded as one of the most significant modern dance companies of today, they've performed for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms. In 2008, a U.S. Congressional resolution designated the Company as "a vital American cultural ambassador to the world" that celebrates the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his hand-picked successor and over the next 21 years she led the company to unprecedented success. Ms. Jamison, in turn, personally selected Robert Battle to succeed her in 2011 and with his expansive vision, The New York Times proclaimed that he "has injected the company with new life".
The company's most beloved work, Revelations, will be performed in Cleveland along with a mix of repertoire that will showcase the dancers' breadth of ability, artistry and superb technique. It will be a season closer that is sure to be awe inspiring.
"By the end of the night, the overwhelming feeling in the theater was one of gratitude-for the dancers, for the faithful audience and for Mr. Ailey's gift to New York City." Katherine Bergstrom, The Dance Enthusiast
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Season subscriptions packages, starting at $179, are on sale March 17, 2018 at www.dancecleveland.org. Call 216-991-9000 or visit www.dancecleveland.org to purchase season tickets or request a brochure. Single tickets will go on sale May 14, 2018.
For more information on the dance companies, visit:
www.pamtanowitzdance.org
https://www.hubbardstreetdance.com
www.calebteicher.net
http://www.abrahaminmotion.org/
https://www.ballethispanico.org.
http://en.beijingdancetheater.org/about/about.html
http://vertigo.org.il/en/about-us/
For more information on DANCECleveland's presenting partners, visit:
www.playhousesquare.org
http://www.tri-c.edu/
https://cpl.org/
http://www.cainpark.com
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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