Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, World Premieres & More Set for New York Live Arts' 2014-15 Season

Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, today announced New York Live Arts' presenting season for 2014-2015. The season runs from September 23, 2014 through April 2015 and includes more than 71 performances and events by more than 22 featured artists. Season highlights include the second home season of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, New York Live Arts' Resident Dance Company; three world premieres over two programs by Resident Commissioned Artist (RCA) Kyle Abraham and his company, Abraham.In.Motion; four world premieres by Dance Theater Workshop Commissioning Fund artists; the Replay Series; Studio Series; the third annual Live Ideasfestival, guest curated by Laurie Anderson; the second year of Bill Chats; and more. The 2014-2015 Season was curated by Carla Peterson before her departure to become the Director of the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at The Florida State University. An announcement regarding the search for a new director of programs will be made in the coming months.

"In this, our fourth presenting season at New York Live Arts, I look forward to returning to the Live Arts theater for the second time with my Company-the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company-to engage our audiences with two weeks of storytelling, dance and more," said Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director of New York Live Arts. "Starting on a high note with two much awaited world premiere programs by our Resident Commissioned Artist Kyle Abraham, our diverse and intellectually stimulating season provides a superb representation of the sustained and varied relationships with artists cultivated by New York Live Arts."

The 2014-2015 Season kicks off on September 23 with a two week run of Resident Commissioned Artist Kyle Abraham's newest works for himself and his company, including three diverse world premieres presented over two programs. Taking inspiration from the civil rights movement, the abolitions of both slavery in the United States and apartheid in South Africa, and Max Roach's iconic 1960 protest album We Insist: Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, the programs provide a necessary artistic commentary on powerful themes important both then and now. The works will feature evocative scenic design by acclaimed conceptual artist Glenn Ligon and original compositions by Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Robert Glasper.

Continuing the fall season, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (Resident Dance Company of New York Live Arts) will return to their home stage at the New York Live Arts theater in November with the New York City premiere of Story/Time (35, 36, 37 & 38). A critically acclaimed work of riveting storytelling and luscious movement called "a dance-theater roller coaster with surprises around every corner," (San Francisco Chronicle), Story/Time takes its inspiration from the legendary composer and artist John Cage's Indeterminacy. Featuring seventy one-minute stories interrupted by a chance musical score, the work weaves together a collage of movement, music and Jones' own short stories, arranged anew for each performance. These performances will mark the Company's second home season and will feature a selection of special guest artists.

In keeping with Live Arts' deep commitment to presenting important, highly regarded works while simultaneously supporting the creation of new ones, the 2014-2015 Season will feature a wide range of celebrated favorites and exciting new commissions. Highlights include Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music: 1900 - 1950s(with the 1950s decade specially commissioned by New York Live Arts) presented by Live Arts as part of The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival; Gisèle Vienne's Live Arts debut with the chilling Kindertotenlieder; Ivana Müller's Partituur and We Are Still Watching (co-presented with the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)'s Crossing the Line Festival 2014); Jennifer Monson's Live Dancing Archive, as part of the Replay Series; Emily Johnson's SHORE and more. Additionally, Dance Theater Workshop Commissioning Fund artists Neil Greenberg, Rashaun Mitchell, Cynthia Oliver and RoseAnne Spradlin will present their newest world premieres.

"We're thrilled to present artists and programs that probe some of the most challenging, compelling and provocative topics of our times," said Jean Davidson, Executive Director & CEO of New York Live Arts. "New York Live Arts is building a distinctive and powerful identity around the love of dance, movement and ideas. We are incredibly grateful to the individuals, foundations and government agencies supporting us in our long-term vision to create deeper, more expansive programs while maintaining our signature programs."

Other highlights from the 2014-2015 Season include the third year of the celebrated Live Ideas festival, guest curated in 2015 by renowned American performance artist, composer and experimental musician Laurie Anderson and replete with an array of performances, discussions and more. Bill Chats, a series introduced in 2014 including conversations featuring Bill T. Jones in dialogue with noted artists, scholars and critics from the field of dance and other disciplines on key topics facing the community today, will continue. Signature programs like the Fresh Tracks Performance and Residency Program, founded in 1965 by Dance Theater Workshop and annually offering early-career artists comprehensive performance and residency support, as well as the Studio Series, with work-in-process showings by artists Moriah Evans, Marjani Forti, Molly Poerstel and Ani Taj & The Dance Cartel, will also be featured. Returning for its third year will be Shared Practice, a workshop series in which season artists lead a three-hour session delving into the physical and creative practices behind their work. This season's Shared Practice sessions will be led by Bill T. Jones, Kyle Abraham, RoseAnne Spradlin, Jennifer Monson and others. Continuing Community and Strategic Partnerships with Barnard, Lang Dance, SUNY Purchase and BalletNext will be featured, as well as a new partnership with the New York Theatre Ballet. Stretching beyond the theater and studios, audiences are invited to Come Early and Stay Late for a range of engagement initiatives including formal and informal talks and installations created by season artists. The Live Gallery Cafe is open 6pm - 10pm on show nights serving wine and refreshments.

The All Access Season Pass for the 2014-2015 Season will be offered for the entire season only. Single tickets go on sale to New York Live Arts Members, Associate Artists and Season Pass holders on July 28 and to the general public on August 18. Passes and tickets are available in person at the box office, by calling the box office at 212-924-0077 and online at newyorklivearts.org/season.

Major support for New York Live Arts is provided by: The Brownstone Foundation; Con Edison; The Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art; The Ford Foundation; The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; French American Cultural Exchange; The Grand Marnier Foundation; The Howard Gilman Foundation; Jerome Foundation; Lambent Foundation; The Samuel M. Levy Family Foundation; MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation; New England Foundation for the Arts; The Jerome Robbins Foundation; The Scherman Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. New York Live Arts is supported by public funds administered by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Season Passes start at $300 for the public and $250 for Members and may be reserved online, by phone or in person at the box office.

Tickets for the season go on sale to New York Live Arts Members and Associate Artists on July 28 and to the general public on August 18.

Box Office hours:
Monday - Friday 1pm - 9pm and Saturday-Sunday 10am - 9pm.

Phone:
212-924-0077

Online:
newyorklivearts.org