Fang-yi Sheu & LAFA & Artists Perform at Jacob's Pillow, Conference Held 5/7

The Martha Graham Dance Company, the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance company in America, will play a special part in the press conference announcement on Thursday, May 7th 2009 at 1:00 pm -2:30 pm at 1 East 42nd Street in the Lobby. Artistic Director Janet Eilber along with Mary Hsu, Director of Taipei Cultural Center and Ella Baff, Executive Director of Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival will join Ms. Fang-yi Sheu, Co-founder & Artistic Director of LAFA & Artists and Mr. Bulareyuang Pagarlava, Artistic Director & Choreographer of LAFA & Artists for the announcement. There will be a short screening of footage from "Clytemnestra, that stars Fang-yi that will be followed by a Q & A. This is prior to the Martha Graham Dance Company special New York City engagement the following week.

Paul Szilard Productions, Inc. in association with ATTRAct Productions (Greece) is presenting the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, Tuesday, May 12th - Saturday, May 16th. The acclaimed company is performing two programs of Grahams' classics and on Thursday, May 14th is a Gala honoring international impresario Paul Szilard. (guests & program tba). Mr. Szilard and BB Promotion, presented the company last week in a triumph SRO Paris engagement at the historic Théâtre du Châtelet.

Program A (5/12; 15; 16 eve): Clytemnestra. This classic tale of love, betrayal and murder at the time of the Trojan War is reimagined by Graham through the eyes of Agamemnon's queen, the all-powerful Clytemnestra. The full-length Clytemnestra, is a landmark work not seen in its entirety in decades. Recently reconstructed for the company's 50th anniversary, it's believed by many to be Graham's finest dance-drama built on Greek mythology and the Greek tragedies. Fang-yi Sheu to dance the lead.

Program B (5/13; 16 mat): Diverse repertory: "Sketches from Chronicle" Errand Into The Maze; Maple Leaf Rag and Lamentation Variations (Choreography by Aszure Barton, Larry Keigwin and Richard Move Conceived by Janet Eilber). All programming subject to change
Founded in 1926 by dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, the Martha Graham Dance Company (Janet Eilber, Artistic Director; LaRue Allen, Executive Director) is the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance company in America. Since its inception, the Company has received international acclaim from audiences in over 50 countries throughout the world. Martha Graham choreographed 181 works in her lifetime. Though Martha Graham herself is the best-known alumna of her company, having danced from the Company's inception until the late 1960's, the Company has provided a training ground for some of modern dance's most illustrious performers and choreographers including: Merce Cunningham, ERick Hawkins, Pearl Lang, Elisa Monte, Paul Taylor, Glen Tetley, and Pascal Rioult. Among celebrities who have joined the Company in performance are Mikhail Baryshnikov, Claire Bloom, Margot Fonteyn, Liza Minnelli, Rudolf Nureyev, Maya Plisetskaya, and Kathleen Turner. The Martha Graham Dance Company has commissioned works from Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, Susan Stroman, Lucinda Childs, and Maurice Béjart. http://marthagraham.org/company/
A former leading dancer, Paul Szilard has performed throughout the worlds. As a world-renowned impresario, he has presented such prestigious dance companies as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (the exclusive international representative for over 37 years), New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater to name a few. He produced / presented the Bavarian National Ballet of the Munich State Opera; American Ballet Theater; the Alvin Ailey company. Some of the internationally acclaimed artists presented by Mr. Szilard include Mikhail Baryshnikov, Eric Bruhn, Patrick Dupond, Judith Jamison, John Taras, Violette Verdy, Donna Wood and many others. Mr. Szilard produced the first Japanese tour of "West Side Story" with an American cast rehearsed by Jerome Robbins. It was the first English language Broadway show from New York to appear there. His acclaimed autobiography, Under My Wings: My Life as an Impresario, was published in 2002.
NYC Performances: Tuesday & Wednesday 7:30pm; Friday & Saturday 8:00pm; Saturday 2:00pm matinee and the Gala on Thursday (5/14) at 7:00pm honoring Paul Szilard. Regular tickets are $35 - $65 and are available through the Skirball Box Office (212) 352-3101 (Tues.-Sat. 12pm - 6pm) and online at www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.