RIOULT's 4-Day NY Season Features THE VIOLET HOUR World Premiere, 5/10-13

RIOULT, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, announces their four-day 2012 NY Season at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, May 10-13, 2012 with a family matinee May 13, 2012. The Season features the World Premiere of Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult's new work, The Violet Hour, inspired by T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" with a commissioned score by Grammy-Winning composer Joan Tower. The World Premiere will be performed at each evening performance to live musical accompaniment with Joan Tower at the piano, and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan. The program also includes RIOULT's Firebird (2003) and Celestial Tides, which captivated audiences at its premiere at The Joyce Theater in 2011.

The family matinee features Firebird and Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions (2008), which actively involves more than a dozen children from the community performing with RIOULT's professional dancers on stage. This program is part of the two-year Five-Borough Arts-in-Education Tour, a partnership between RIOULT and City University of New York Performing Arts Centers (CUNY PAC) that began in fall 2011.

Known for his daring and imaginative explorations of classical scores, Pascal Rioult continues to develop new work through the Dance to Contemporary Composer Series, in which RIOULT commissions music from living American composers. The first piece in the series, On Distant Shores (2011), was a collaboration with Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis. The upcoming 2012 World Premiere engages Joan Tower who is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today.

"As I develop this new piece," says Pascal Rioult, "I intend to abandon the structured approach I typically use when creating a dance. Instead of letting the music drive the process, I have asked the dancers to improvise in silence, responding to images and poetic references I have selected from T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land.' While this is a stark departure for me, it is a thrilling journey for the company. To inform the score I have shared the same images and references with Joan Tower, a composer whom I've long admired."

Joan Tower comments, "Working with a choreographer is both exciting and intimidating because the creation of the dance and the music is happening simultaneously. Pascal happens to be one of those choreographers who loves music (and I happen to love dance), so connecting with him on a new score inspired by a great author creates an alluring trifecta and I look forward to seeing it all come together live."

The recently renovated 595-seat Gerald W. Lynch Theater is a magnificent setting for RIOULT's 2012 Season.

As RIOULT nears its 20th Anniversary, the Company continues to provide audiences with dynamic performances from an exceptional cast of dancers, many whom have been with 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, and Holt Walborn. The Company is led by husband-and-wife team, Artistic Director/Choreographer Pascal Rioult and Associate Artistic Director Joyce Herring.

RIOULT's Gala Dinner will be held May 10 at the Robert, a sleek and modern restaurant located at Columbus Circle atop the Museum of Arts and Design. The venue offers dramatic views of Columbus Circle, Central Park, and Broadway. The Gala follows the NY season opening night performance at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College. For more information email: gala@rioult.org.

Tickets can be purchased at Ticket Central's Box Office: (212) 279-4200, www.ticketcentral.com. Prices for performances range from $10 - $49. Tickets for the family matinee are $10 for children and $20 for adults. A select number of rush tickets will be sold to students and professional dancers 30 minutes before show time – subject to availability. A 20% discount for groups of 10 or more is available for the evening performances only by contacting jenny@rioult.org. All sales are final. The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College is conveniently located two blocks from Columbus Circle at 524 West 59th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. The venue is accessible by the 1/A/B/C/D Subway lines to Columbus Circle.

Opening Night Gala – Thursday, May 10 – 7:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, May 11-12 – 8:00 p.m.; Family Matinee – Sunday, May 13 – 3:00 p.m.

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