Frederic Franklin, Raven Wilkinson, Eleanor D'Antuono Open DanceTalk Series at FFD Festival 9/23

New York City Center's acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival, running September 22 - October 3, 2009, will feature 20 companies in 10 nights of dance and will pay tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes. The sixth annual Festival will once again offer all tickets for only $10. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, September 13 at 11:00 am.

The 2009 Festival features 20 American and international companies presenting an eclectic mix of contemporary styles alongside classic pieces, in five unique programs over 10 nights. For the first time all programs will be repeated twice to satisfy the demand for tickets. Several companies will present works that pay tribute to the legendary Ballets Russes, either with reconstructions of original Ballets Russes works or with a contemporary look at Ballets Russes classics.

"We are honored to include a tribute to the Ballets Russes and its extraordinary legacy in this year's Fall for Dance Festival," said Arlene Shuler. "Since one of the goals of the Festival is to introduce a new generation to dance, it is fitting that we will celebrate one of the most important eras in dance history. We are equally delighted that for the sixth consecutive year, we are able to present a rich array of dance companies for only $10 a ticket."

As in past years, the 2009 Festival will feature a wide range of dance styles and traditions, ranging from classical ballet and tap to Capoeira and tango. Thirteen companies will make their Festival debuts: The Australian Ballet, Ballet West, Basil Twist, Batsheva Dance Company, DanceBrazil, Dendy Dancetheater, Diana Vishneva, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Mark Morris Dance Group, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Tangueros del Sur, Sang Jijia and Savion Glover & The OtheRz. The Festival welcomes back Boston Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Martha Graham Dance Company and New York City Ballet, and New York City Center resident companies Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Paul Taylor Dance Company.

City Center's Fall for Dance Festival has received national and international recognition for its quality, innovation and success in introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance. The Festival has presented 133 different dance companies to more than 100,000 dance enthusiasts, all for the incredibly low price of $10 per ticket. Newcomers and ballet fans alike now look forward to the Festival as both an introduction to new artists and a welcome return to familiar and beloved companies.

New York City Center gratefully acknowledges the Fall for Dance Patrons Committee and the continued support of Time Warner, which has been a major sponsor of the Festival since its inception. "As a global media company, we believe the arts enrich our lives and should be accessible to everyone," said Lisa M. Quiroz, Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Time Warner. "Through Fall for Dance, City Center has put this goal center stage and has led the way in bringing gifted artists from around the world to audiences from across New York City. We are proud to continue our partnership."

New York City Center also recognizes the extraordinary leadership support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which inaugurated a $10 million endowment campaign to ensure the future stability of the annual Fall for Dance Festival. Additional generous funding for the Fall for Dance Festival endowment has been received from The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Ford Foundation and an anonymous donor. Almost $5 million in commitments have been received to date.

100 YEARS OF INFLUENCE: THE BALLETS RUSSES

From its legendary first performances in Paris in 1909, Russian impresario Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes redefined ballet for the twentieth century. Diaghilev brought together dancers, choreographers, composers and artists trained and nurtured in the Russian tradition, who pushed boundaries; his company became a hotbed of modernist invention. Leon Bakst, George Balanchine, Claude Debussy, Michel Fokine, Leonid Massine, Bronislava Nijinska, Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Pablo Picasso and Igor Stravinsky were key Ballets Russes artists who overturned many of the conventions of classical ballet and ushered in the era of modern dance. The Ballets Russes lasted a brief 20 years, disbanding after the death of Diaghilev, but between 1909 and 1929 it staged more than 50 innovative new works and revolutionized an entire art form.

The 2009 Festival includes seven companies presenting Ballets Russes classics or contemporary interpretations of these great works: The Australian Ballet's presentation of Fokine's Le Spectre de la Rose; Nijinska's Les Biches by Ballet West; Petrushka Suite, puppeteer Basil Twist's unique interpretation of Fokine's and Stravinsky's Petrouchka; Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun, performed by Boston Ballet; Mark Dendy's Afternoon of the Faunes, a re-imagining of Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun; Fokine's The Dying Swan, performed by Diana Vishneva, prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theatre; Noces, and a contemporary response to Nijinska's original Les Noces by choreographer Stijn Celis, and performed by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal.

In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes, New York City Center and The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy & Lewis B. Cullman Center, will exhibit portions of Diaghilev's Theater of Marvels: The Ballets Russes and Its Aftermath during this year's Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. This exhibit can be seen at the New York Library for the Performing Arts from June 26 - September 12, 2009.

In other Ballets Russes?related activities, Fall for Dance's annual DanceTalk series will provide attendees with the opportunity to hear from dance experts about creative collaborations during the Ballets Russes era and influences this seminal period in dance has had on today's artists. Three pre-performance panels, including a discussion with Frederick Franklin and Georgina Parkinson, will take place in the New York City Center studios before selected performances.

TEN NIGHTS, FIVE UNIQUE PROGRAMS

The Festival opens on Tuesday, September 22 (repeated Wednesday, September 23) with Boston Ballet's performance of Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun (1912), the ballet created for the Ballets Russes that caused a sensation at its Paris premiere. City Center resident company Paul Taylor Dance Company will present Offenbach Overtures (1995), followed by Batsheva Dance Company, Ohad Naharin's renowned Israeli company, making its Festival debut with Naharin's interpretation of the Ravel classic, entitled B/olero (2008). The evening will come to a lively close with THE STaRz and STRiPes 4EVeR for NoW (2009), a group piece by Savion Glover & The OtheRz dedicated to John Coltrane.

Martha Graham Dance Company opens Program Two on Thursday, September 24 (repeated on Friday, September 25) with Diversion of Angels (1948), Graham's romantic work performed to the music of Norman Dello Joio. Tangueros del Sur, a new company featuring world-renowned tango dancers Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse, makes its debut with Romper el Piso (2008), in which dancers and musicians pay tribute to the art of tango. Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, City Center's guest resident company, will present Lightfoot León's Softly As I Leave You (2009), reworked as a duet. The evening will close with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, returning to the Festival with Noces (2002), based on Nijinska's Les Noces, choreographed for 24 dancers by Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis. (Note: there will be one additional company this evening, tba).

Program Three, on Saturday, September 26 (repeated Sunday afternoon, September 27) gets off to a poetic start with Petrushka Suite, renowned puppeteer Basil Twist's 2001 response to Fokine's ballet Petrouchka, set to a two?piano interpretation of Stravinsky's score. New York?based Monica Bill Barnes & Company follows with Barnes' upbeat, contemporary piece, I feel like (2008), with music by Bach and James Brown. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo make their Festival debut with the Balanchine?inspired Go for Barocco (1974), and the evening concludes on a spirited note, with DanceBrazil's Culture in Motion (2009), choreographed by DanceBrazil founder Jelon Vieira, using traditional Capoeira form.

Week Two begins with the fourth program on Wednesday, September 30 (repeated on Thursday, October 1) with two different looks at the Ballets Russes. Opening the evening will be Ballet West's acclaimed production of Nijinska's Les Biches (1924), for 19 dancers, with music by Poulenc. Choreographer Mark Dendy and his Dendy Dancetheater present Afternoon of the Faunes (from Dream Analysis, 1996), a re-interpretation of Nijinsky's Afternoon of a Faun, followed by New York City Ballet's quirky Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux (1992), choreographed by William Forsythe. Mark Morris Dance Group's exhilarating Grand Duo (1993), choreographed by Morris for 14 dancers to the music of Lou Harrison, will end the evening.

The Australian Ballet, not seen in this country for over a decade, opens the final program of the Festival, on Friday, October 2 (repeated Saturday, October 3) with Fokine's Le Spectre de la Rose (1911), with music by von Weber. Tibetan choreographer/dancer Sang Jijia performs his work, Snow (2008), a solo with music by Wim Mertens. Russian prima ballerina Diana Vishneva follows with her interpretation of Fokine's classic, The Dying Swan (1905). The Festival comes to a close with New York City Center's resident company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and its joyous signature piece, Revelations (1960).

Ellen Dennis serves as Producer and Wendy Perron as Artistic Advisor to the New York City Center Fall for Dance Festival.

FESTIVAL LOUNGE

Lounge FFD appears only once each year, during the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. For each Fall for Dance performance, the public atrium between 55th and 56th Streets (immediately west of the theater's main entrance) is transformed into a vibrant gathering place for audience members and artists. Featuring music by a rotating roster of NYC DJs, Lounge FFD offers Festival attendees, performers and neighborhood friends a place to relax and mingle, share a cocktail and have a snack, before and after the show? as well as during intermission ? while video monitors throughout the Lounge follow the action onstage.

Lounge FFD is open to the general public as well as to Festival artists and attendees. No tickets are required and everyone is welcome.

Lounge FFD 2009 DJ's will include DJ Charles Gaskins (Hullabaloo), RekLES (Girls and Boys), DJ Lupe Loop, DJ Ultra V (Rockem Sockem), Captain Heartlock, Tom Ward (Nashville Ramblers), DJ Shakey (Warper), DJ Xerox, and Patrik Phalen. This year's restaurant partners will include Osteria del Circo, Nocello, Le Bonne Soupe, Brasserie Cognac, Beacon, and Seppi's.

FREE DANCE CLASSES

As in past years, the Festival will offer to both ticket buyers and the general public FREE dance lessons, held in Lounge FFD, beginning 90 minutes before curtain time. This year's lessons include tap on Wednesday, September 23; tango on Friday, September 25; Capoeira on Sunday, September 27 and an Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Revelations workshop on Saturday, October 3.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City's preeminent performing arts institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater. New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, and is home to some of the country's leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York's leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004, City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival. In 2006, City Center formed a partnership with London's Sadler's Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works. In 2007, City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically acclaimed production of Gypsy, which was followed by the 2008 hit, Damn Yankees, and this summer's production of The Wiz.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL runs Wednesday, September 22 through Saturday, October 3, 2009 at New York City Center (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues). All performances are at 8 pm, except for the Sunday, September 27 performance, which is a

3 pm matinee. All tickets for the Fall for Dance Festival are $10 and go on sale on Sunday, September 13 at 11 am. Tickets can be purchased by calling CityTix® at 212-581-1212, online at www.nycitycenter.org or at the City Center Box Office, (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).

(All Programming Subject to Change)

SCHEDULE IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE
* Denotes Company performing a work as part of the 100th Anniversary celebration of the Ballets Russes.
PROGRAM ONE

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 at 8 PM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 at 8 PM

BOSTON BALLET*

Afternoon of a Faun (1912), choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky for the Ballets Russes, created great controversy at its premiere because of its erotic undertones. Today it is considered one of the premiere modern ballets. Debussy's music and Nijinsky's choreography were both inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé's poem, "L'après-midi d'un faune." The ballet was originally staged to depict the dancers as part of a large tableau, moving across the stage in profile as if on a Grecian vase. Boston Ballet's production of Afternoon of a Faun was staged by Ghislaine Thesmar.

Boston Ballet, founded in 1963, is one of the leading dance companies in North America. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen, the company maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by some of today's finest choreographers.

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY

Offenbach Overtures (1995), choreographed by Paul Taylor, is a comic take on French manners: Dueling officers realize that discretion is the better part of valor, leaving their seconds to slug it out.

Paul Taylor Dance Company, established in 1954 and a New York City Center resident company, is one of the world's most highly respected dance troupes. People throughout the world have seen and enjoyed live modern dance performances due largely to the far-reaching tours Paul Taylor pioneered as a virtuoso dancer in the 1950s. He has a collection of 130 dances performed by the Paul Taylor Dance Company and Taylor 2 as well as renowned ballet companies. At 79, Paul Taylor is commissioned by leading companies, theaters and presenting organizations the world over.

BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY

B/olero (from Project 5, 2008), is choreographed by Ohad Naharin to pioneering Japanese composer and synthesizer expert Isao Tomita's interpretation of Ravel's classic score.

Batsheva Dance Company was founded in 1964 in Israel by Martha Graham and Baroness Batsheva de Rothschild and has become one of the world's leading dance organizations. Batsheva has a great impact on all aspects of cultural life in Israel, with an extensive outreach and education program. Known for its groundbreaking, innovative and emotive productions, Batsheva has performed to critical acclaim, reaching audiences at the most prestigious theatres and festivals around the world. With over 200 annual performances in Israel and abroad, Batsheva, under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin, is proud to be considered Israel's leading cultural ambassador.

SAVION GLOVER & THE OTHERZ (live music)

THE STaRz and STRiPes 4EVeR for NoW, choreographed by Savion Glover, is a reworking of John Phillip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The piece is dedicated to John Coltrane, for all that he has inspired through his efforts towards advancing the sound of music.

Savion Glover & The OtheRz, under the musical direction of Savion Glover, is the first quartet to allow the sound of tap dancing to be recognized as an additional instrument and as part of the band. Inspired by John Coltrane, Savion Glover & The OtheRz continue to pay homage to jazz greats through song, while highlighting tap dance as the leading instrument.

PROGRAM TWO

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 at 8 PM

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 at 8 PM

MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY

Diversion of Angels (1948), originally titled Wilderness Stair, premiered at the Palmer Auditorium of Connecticut College on August 13, 1948. Diversion of Angels is set to a romantic score by Norman Dello Joio and takes its themes from the infinite aspects of love. The Couple in Red embodies romantic love and "the ecstasy of the contraction"; the Couple in White, mature love; and the Couple in Yellow, a flirtatious and adolescent love.

Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is the oldest and one of the most celebrated contemporary dance companies in America. Martha Graham is recognized as a primal artistic force of the 20th century. She created 181 ballets and a dance technique that has been compared to ballet in its scope and magnitude. Her approach to dance and theater revolutionized the art form and her innovative physical vocabulary has influenced dance worldwide. Since its inception, the company has received international acclaim from audiences in over 50 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

TANGUEROS del SUR (live music)

Romper el Piso (2008), or Break the Floor, features Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse, and pays tribute to the origins of tango. With choreography by Natalia Hills, the music unfolds together with the dance in an almost chronological manner. Intimate figures of a man and a woman recreate the styles and different forms of the tango. The music is immersed in and emphasizes the sounds of the Argentine mulattos who danced in the "Barrio Montserrat" (Buenos Aires) at the end of the 19th century. In the melody and in the traditional repertory, homage is paid to the grand artists and composers of the Golden Tango Era.

Tangueros del Sur, (Company Debut) stars Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse. Natalia Hills was born in Buenos Aires and appeared as both a dancer and a choreographer in various national and international productions. Ms. Hills was one of the original members of the Broadway and London hit Forever Tango. During her association with the company (1995-2005), she choreographed two classic numbers "Gallo Ciego" and "Derecho Viejo," which have been presented in major cities throughout the world. Gabriel Misse is one of the great milongueros (self-taught dancers) of this generation. At the age of eight, in his native Buenos Aires, he began studying with great masters of tango such as Antonio Todaro and Pepito Avellaneda. Mr. Misse toured the world as part of Miguel Angel Zotto's company Tango x 2. He began dancing with Natalia Hills in Buenos Aires in 2009, when they presented Romper el Piso.

MORPHOSES/THE WHEELDON COMPANY

Softly As I Leave You (2009), a new duet, is a reworking of Lightfoot León's (Paul Lightfoot and Sol León) 1994 Softly As I Leave You, an amusing combination of mostly solos and duets in combination with beautiful classical composers, starting with Arvo Pärt and Johann Sebastian Bach and ending with Pärt's Spiegel im Spiegel.

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, a guest resident company of New York City Center, is a dynamic ballet company founded in 2007 by Christopher Wheeldon and Lourdes Lopez. The company, based both in New York and London, has as its mission to broaden the scope of classical ballet by emphasizing innovation and fostering creativity through collaboration.

LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL*

Noces (2002, N.Y. Premiere), is Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis's contemporary interpretation of Bronislava Nijinska's original Les Noces, choreographed in 1923 for the Ballets Russes. This seminal work, with music by Igor Stravinsky, tells the classic story of marriage and celebration.

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, a creative repertory company led by Artistic Director Gradimir Pankov, reflects the diverse trends that characterize contemporary ballet. Since its founding in 1957, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal has presented a vast panorama of dance performance, from the great classics to key 20th-century works. In recent years, the company has distinguished itself by commissioning works from today's top choreographers. Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal appears regularly on the world's stages and the overwhelming critical and public success of its performances has further strengthened the company's reputation.

PROGRAM THREE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 at 8 PM

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 at 3 PM

BASIL TWIST* (live music)

Petrushka Suite (2001) spins new magic around the legendary 1911 Ballets Russes production of Petrouchka, choreographed by Michel Fokine. It tells of the tragic love triangle between three puppets: the clown Petrushka, the alluring Ballerina and the dashing Moor, whose stories emerge amidst the swirl of a Russian carnival. Julia and Irina Elkina, Russian identical twin pianists, will perform an abridged two-piano version of Stravinsky's masterpiece. Puppeteers combine Czech and Japanese puppetry traditions in a tour de force of puppetry technique and previously unseen puppeteers step forward, revealing the detailed choreography involved in bringing these iconic characters to life.

Basil Twist, originally from San Francisco, is a third generation puppeteer who lives and works in New York City and is the sole American graduate of the Ecole Superieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette in France. Original creations include Arias With A Twist, The Araneidae Show, Symphonie Fantastique, Petrushka, Master Peter's Puppet Show, Dogugaeshi, Behind the Lid and La Bella Dormente nel Bosco. Since 1998, Twist has continually expanded the realm of puppetry by creating and touring new works that integrate live music and dance that have been performed all across the United States. His work has been recognized with an OBIE Award, four UNIMA Awards for Excellence in Puppetry, two Bessie Awards, a New York Innovative Theatre Award, a GLAAD Award and a Henry Hewes Design Award. Twist is the director of the Dream Music Puppetry Program at HERE.

MONICA BILL BARNES & COMPANY

I feel like (2008), choreographed by Monica Bill Barnes, celebrates the singular, exhilarating experience of being on stage. Set to the diverse music of Bach and James Brown, I feel like features dancers who flirt with subtlety while wearing their hearts on their sleeves in this go-for-broke, all-out number.

Monica Bill Barnes & Company was founded in 1997 as a contemporary American dance company under the artistic direction of choreographer Monica Bill Barnes. Its mission is to celebrate individuality, humor and the innate theatricality of everyday life. Originally built upon a repertoire of solos and duets, MBB & Co. has since grown to include evening-length works and large-scale site-specific performances. The company has performed in over twenty venues in New York City and has been presented in 30 cities throughout the United States and abroad. In addition, the company creates work outside of the city through extended artistic residencies, college guest artist residencies and performance projects with local community members.

LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO

Go for Barocco (1974), stylistic heir to Balanchine's Middle-Blue-Verging-On-Black-and White Period, has become a primer in identifying stark coolness and choreosymphonic delineation in the new (neo) neo-new classic dance. It has been called a wristwatch for Balanchine clock-time.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo was founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and en travesti. It is a company of professional male dancers performing the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of the manners and conceits of those dance styles. The TROCKS have established themselves as a major dance phenomenon throughout the world.

DANCEBRAZIL (live music)

Culture in Motion (2009), choreographed by DanceBrazil founder Jelon Vieira, uses the speed, power and grace of Capoeira, a centuries-old martial art, in a contemporary context. The precise motion of bodies is emphasized, while the cultural, dynamic and ritual elements hold strong.

DanceBrazil, founded in 1977, has thrilled audiences across the Unites States and throughout the world with its dazzling artistry, which is inspired by the cultural tapestry of Brazil. Whether in the streets or on stage in the most prestigious theaters, the dancers and musicians of DanceBrazil never fail to enthrall audiences with the company's unique fusion of Afro-Brazilian movement, contemporary dance and Capoeira, the traditional dance/martial arts form that had its origins in Africa and evolved in colonial Brazil as a means of fighting enslavement.

PROGRAM FOUR

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 at 8 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 at 8 PM

BALLET WEST*

Les Biches (1924), meaning "the Gazelles" or "the Little Darlings," was a term used in France to refer to elegant young ladies. Considered the first real feminist ballet, Les Biches was choreographed for Diaghilev by Bronislava Nijinska, the sister of famed dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. Diaghilev commissioned Francis Poulenc to write the score and Poulenc incorporated the popular music of the time into his classic composition. While the dancing is exciting and challenging classical ballet, the work is fascinating almost more for what is not said than for what is. This kind of innovation ? presenting "subtext" and "innuendo" ? had never before been seen on the ballet stage and was just one of the major revolutions in theatrical storytelling Diaghilev's Ballets Russes gave the world. Note of Interest: Les Biches was last performed in New York City at New York City Center by the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1983.

Ballet West was founded in Salt Lake City in 1963 and boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists and an American style and legacy that is as dynamic, expansive and unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. Ballet West ranks among the top professional ballet companies in America. Since 2007, Artistic Director Adam Sklute has further energized and expanded Ballet West's repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today and introduced historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes, while continuing to preserve Ballet West's classical legacy.

DENDY DANCETHEATER*

Afternoon of the Faunes (from Dream Analysis, 1996), choreographed by Mark Dendy to Debussy's classic work of the same name, was inspired by a section of Vaslav Nijinsky's diary. Paying homage to Nijinsky's L'apres-midi d'un faune and expounding on Nijinsky's odd, eccentric animal movement, Dendy recreates the ballet for two men and explores both the subject and object relationship as well as the ego and the id of the faun. The duet walks the tightrope between the madness and genius that was the tragedy of Nijinsky's life.

Mark Dendy's company, Mark Dendy's Dance and Theater (1983 - 2000), performed at festivals across the United States and internationally from 1983 - 2000. His credits include Dream Analysis, I'm Going to my Room to be Cool Now and I Don't Want to be Disturbed, Preliminary Study in Depth: The Upper Half of High and Low, the Broadway and off-Broadway productions of Taboo, The Pirate Queen, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well, Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party (Drama Desk Nomination), Camille Claudel (Goodspeed), the Radio City Rockettes in Carnivale and Julie Taymor's The Magic Flute. Dendy is choreographing Bat Out of Hell, the music of Meatloaf, for London's West End.

NEW YORK CITY BALLET

Herman Schmerman Pas de Deux (1992), choreographed by William Forsythe with an electronic score by Dutch composer Thom Willems and costumes by Gianni Versace, was inspired by the lunacy of the Steve Martin film Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.

New York City Ballet, established in 1948 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein at the City Center of Music and Drama, is one of the foremost dance companies in the world, with an unparalleled active repertory of more than 150 works. The company quickly became known for pure neo-classicism, which resonated with modern audiences. In 1964 NYCB moved to its current home at Lincoln Center. Now under the direction of Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins, the company has over 100 dancers, a 62-member orchestra, an official school (the School of American Ballet) and an annual 23-week season in New York, the longest home season of any dance company in the world.

MARK MORRIS DANCE GROUP (live music)

Grand Duo (1993) is choreographed by Mark Morris to Lou Harrison's Grand Duo for Violin & Piano.

Mark Morris Dance Group, formed in 1980, tours extensively in the United States and throughout the world. In 1988, MMDG was invited to become the national dance company of Belgium and spent three years in residence at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels. The company returned to the States in 1991 as one of the world's leading dance companies. MMDG is noted for its commitment to live music, a feature of every performance on its full international touring schedule since 1996. MMDG collaborates with leading orchestras, opera companies, and musicians including the English National Opera in Four Saints in Three Acts (2000) and King Arthur (2006), and pianists Emanuel Ax, and Garrick Ohlsson and Yoko Nozaki for Mozart Dances (2006), among others.

PROGRAM FIVE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 8 PM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 at 8 PM

THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET*

Le Spectre de la Rose (1911), choreographed by Michel Fokine for the Ballets Russes to Carl Maria von Weber's music, is a duet of intense emotional grace, telling the simple story of a young girl at home after her first ball. Le Spectre de la Rose was prominently featured in the repertoire of all Ballets Russes' tours in Australia, where it was performed 122 times. The ballet was novel for the period and contains a number of innovations. In the spirit of Fokine's principles of dance, it reversed the gender roles of the Romantic era. In Le Spectre it is the woman, not the man, who pursues her dreams.

The Australian Ballet, founded in 1962, is one of the country's flagship arts companies, and for over four decades has been the defining face of ballet in Australia. Each year it performs works from the classical repertoire as well as contemporary works by major Australian and international choreographers, and new commissions that explore the development and future of this dynamic art form. The Australian Ballet's diverse repertoire reflects the company's motto: caring for tradition, daring to be different. One of the busiest ballet companies in the world, The Australian Ballet annually presents approximately 200 performances in cities and regional areas around Australia, in addition to regular international touring.

SANG JIJIA

Snow (2008, U.S. Premiere), is a solo work created and danced by Sang Jijia to music by Wim Mertens.

Snow falls throughout the piece. The dancer starts with well-contained movements. The emotion quietly begins to build up. He goes where his heart leads him. His paths are interrupted. He presses on and is interrupted again.... Snow does not have an intended theme, but at the end, it tells everything about the artist. It is an intimate journey through which the artist takes the audience.

Sang Jijia is the first Tibetan to train and perform professionally in modern dance. He danced and choreographed for the Guangdong Modern Dance Company (China's first modern dance company) from 1993-1998. In 2002, Sang was chosen by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative Program to study choreography under William Forsythe in Germany for one year. He was then invited by Forsythe to join Ballet Frankfurt as dancer and choreographer from 2003-2005 and the Forsythe Company from 2005-2006. He has distinguished himself as a dancer of extraordinary talent and ability, performing to rave reviews in both Asia and the West, and collaborating with today's leading choreographers.

DIANA VISHNEVA* (live music)

The Dying Swan (1905) was originally choreographed by Michel Fokine for Anna Pavlova. This classic work, with music by Camille Saint-Saëns, was performed throughout the Ballets Russes era and continues to be performed by prima ballerinas more than a century later.

Diana Vishneva was born in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) and graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy. She joined the Mariinsky Theatre Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to principal in 1996. Her repertoire with the company includes the title roles in Giselle and Manon, Kitri in Don Quixote, Masha in The Nutcracker, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Terpsichore in Apollo and Tchaikovsky's Pas de Deux and Grand Pas Classique, among others. Ms. Vishneva became a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre in 2005 and continues to perform with the Mariinsky Theatre Ballet.

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

Revelations (1960), seen by more people around the world than any other dance work, is an enduring tribute to the African-American cultural heritage and to Alvin Ailey's genius. Using African-American religious music, this suite fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a resident company of New York City Center, has performed in 71 countries on six continents for an estimated 21 million people worldwide, inspiring and uniting people of all backgrounds around the globe. From the first performance of Revelations on March 30, 1958, Alvin Ailey led a group of young African-American modern dancers in a performance that forever changed the perception of American dance. Today, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater continues to celebrate the African-American cultural experience and to preserve and enrich the American modern dance tradition. The company is regarded as one of the world's premier modern dance companies and has been named by Congress as America's Cultural Ambassador to the World in recognition of its extraordinary 50-year history.

(All Programming Subject to Change)

 

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