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

Run Time: 90 minutes (including intermission)

RIOULT's 2012 NY Season features three dynamic works: The Violet Hour, inspired by T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" with an original score by Grammy-Winning composer Joan Tower, and performed with live music; Firebird (2003); and Celestial Tides (2011). The family matinee features Firebird and Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions (2008) where more than a dozen children from the community join RIOULT's professional dancers on stage.

The Violet Hour - World Premiere
Music: Joan Tower
Length: 16 minutes

The Violet Hour, featuring live music and an original score by Grammy-Winning composer Joan Tower, is inspired by images drawn from T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land." Pascal Rioult is taking a decidedly different approach to developing this piece working first in silence to build the movement vocabulary and then shaping the movement vocabulary to the music. The finished work will feature costume design by Maria Garcia, lighting design by Clifton Taylor, and set design by Harry Feiner.

Firebird (2003)
Music: Igor Stravinsky, "Firebird"
Length: 30 minutes

For RIOULT's version, set to Stravinsky's 1947 suite with a constructivist-inspired set, a new narrative of redemption and reawakening is posited. "In Russian folklore as in Navajo legend the gift of the feather from the golden bird brings power to man to overcome evil and be reborn. This universal theme is the basis of the piece." – Pascal Rioult

Celestial Tides (2011)
Music: J.S. Bach, "Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major"
Length: 22 minutes

Celestial Tides is a full-company piece set to J.S. Bach's Brandenburg concerto # 6. Described by Rioult as "pure dance," it is influenced by the notion of "Music of the Spheres" an ancient philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a form of music. Bach's contrapuntal music lent itself well to the concept of bodies (celestial or human) creating a mysterious balance as they move in time and space.

Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions (2008)
Music: Steven Sametz
Length: 23 minutes

Small Steps, Tiny Revolutions is based on a poem about a young boy and his distanced father who disapproves of his son's love of dance. The audience witnesses the transformative power of love as the father journeys into the boy's imaginary world in an attempt to understand him to rescue their relationship. The whimsical costumes and sets used in this production set the tone for this magical and touching journey.

RIOULT was founded in 1994 and fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for creating and presenting the sensual, articulate and exquisitely musical works of Pascal Rioult. Born into the American modern dance tradition, RIOULT is creating its own legacy of contemporary dance that speaks to the mind as well as the heart. The company, based in New York City, presents an annual New York season and tours nationally and internationally. In addition to an established repertoire of over 30 dances, educational and community outreach have been integral to RIOULT since its inception. RIOULT's DanceREACH program, founded in 1997, provides various public and private school children in the New York Metropolitan area with arts-in-education programs that introduce students to the art of modern dance, using Pascal Rioult's repertory as a springboard. Visit www.rioult.org for more information.

Ms. Tower is widely regarded as one of the most important American composers living today. Her works have been commissioned by major ensembles, soloists, and orchestras, including the Emerson, Tokyo, and Muir quartets; soloists Evelyn Glennie, Carol Wincenc, David Shifrin, and John Browning; and the orchestras of Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC among others. Leonard Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony recorded Made in America in 2008 (along with Tambor and Concerto for Orchestra). The album collected three Grammy awards: Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Classical Album, and Best Orchestral Performance. Residencies with orchestras include a 10-year residency with the Orchestra of St. Luke's (1997-2007) and the Pittsburgh Symphony (2010-2011). Tower studied piano and composition at Bennington College and Columbia University. She co-founded the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1969 as pianist - its accolades included the 1973 Naumburg Chamber Music Award - but also wrote several well-received pieces for the ensemble. She is currently Asher Edelman Professor of Music at Bard College, where she has taught since 1972. Her music is published by Associated Music Publishers.

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