IPHIGENIA, BOLERO and More Set for RIOULT Dance NY's Season at The Joyce, 6/4-9

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, announces its eight-performance New York Season June 4-9, 2013 at The Joyce Theater. The Season includes the World Premiere of Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult's newest work, Iphigenia (Working Title), a dance drama inspired by the Greek heroine of the same name from Euripides' "Iphigenia in Aulis." The piece was created in collaboration with Composer Michael Torke and features his newly commissioned score, which will be performed live by the Camerata New York Orchestra. The Season program also includes the critically acclaimed On Distant Shores (2011), the powerful Prelude to Night (2002), and one of the company's signature works, Bolero (2002).

Known for his musicality and explorations of classical scores, Pascal Rioult continues to develop new work annually through his Dance to Contemporary Composers Series. Conceived in 2011, the Series engages choreographer-composer collaboration by commissioning living American composers to create music as accompaniment for a new dance. The first work of the Series, On Distant Shores (2011) re-imagined the Greek heroine Helen of Troy through a collaboration with Pulitzer-Prize winning Composer Aaron Jay Kernis. This Season's World Premiere serves as On Distant Shores' companion piece, as it takes on another Greek heroine, Iphigenia.

On the creation of Iphigenia Pascal Rioult comments, "This collaboration will inherently push my boundaries since Michael Torke's aesthetic differs greatly from that of traditional, classical music which I often use. Still, I find his music ideal for dance because of its effusive energy, interesting rhythms, and the visual imagery that colors its melodies."

"I see this dance as operatic," Torke said upon embarking on the project, "the Chorus and ensemble sections provide the recitatives advancing the story, while the pure dance moments are like arias - stopping the action and allowing the emotion to be expressed." Torke's new score is based on a unique orchestration of eight instruments: two clarinets, two bassoons, two French horns, a cello, and contrabass.

Approaching its 20th Anniversary in 2014, RIOULT Dance NY continues to provide audiences with dynamic performances by an extraordinary ensemble of dancers, many whom have been dedicated to the company for more than a decade - Brian Flynn, Penélope González, Josiah Guitian, Charis Haines, Jere Hunt, Michael Spencer Phillips, Jane Sato, Sara Elizabeth Seger, Anastasia Soroczynski, Marianna Tsartolia, Sabatino A. Verlezza and Holt Walborn. RIOULT Dance NY is led by husband-and-wife team, both former Martha Graham Dance Company principal dancers, Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult and Associate Artistic Director Joyce Herring.

Gala - Wednesday, June 5, 2013: RIOULT Dance NY's Gala dinner will be held at The Altman Building (135 West 18th St.) following the NY season performance at The Joyce Theater. For more information, email: gala@rioult.org.

Tickets for RIOULT Dance NY's 2013 New York Season can be purchased through The Joyce Theater's Box Office: www.joyce.org, (212) 242-0800. Prices for performances start at just $10 and range to $49. A 20% discount for groups of 10 or more is available for the evening performances only by contacting groups@joyce.org or (212)691-9740 x208. All sales are final. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street and is accessible by the A/C/E to 14th Street, the L to 8th Avenue, or the 1 to 18th Street 1/A/B/C/D subway lines to Columbus Circle.

Tuesday, June 4 - 7:30 p.m., Opening Night Wednesday, June 5 - 7:00 p.m., RIOULT 2013 Gala Thursday, June 6 - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, June 7 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday June 8 - 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 9 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Repertory

Iphigenia (Working Title) - World Premiere
Music: Michael Torke
Length: 20 minutes
Featuring live music by the Camerata New York Orchestra and an original score by Composer Michael Torke, the new work is a dance drama inspired by the story and sacrifice of Iphigenia in Euripides' play, "Iphigenia in Aulis." The creation of this piece marks Pascal Rioult's closest Dance to Contemporary Composers Series collaboration to date, with Torke present frequently during dance rehearsals allowing the movement and music to be created and reworked with each other's input. The finished piece will include costumes by Karen Young, lighting by Clifton Taylor, projections/video by Brian Beasley (pending), and set design by Harry Feiner.