Kaatsbaan Spring 2023 Festival Announces Added Performance Featuring Trisha Brown Dance Company, New Jersey Ballet, And Roderick George | KNoname Artist

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is adding a performance to its Spring Festival lineup on Sunday, June 11 at 4pm on the iconic Mountain Stage. This performance will showcase a lineup of renowned dance companies and choreographers, offering a diverse and captivating experience for audiences of all ages. Back by popular demand, The Trisha Brown Dance Company will perform Rogues, choreographed by Trisha Brown in 2011, with costumes by Kay Voyce and sound by Alvin Curran. Also on the program is a new work by New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Harrison Ball, performed by twelve women of the New Jersey Ballet. This work, entitled Purcell Suite, was commissioned by New Jersey Ballet's new Artistic Director, Maria Kowroski, to rave reviews and features costumes by fashion designer Zac Posen. Finally, Roderick George's company, kNoname Artist, will present an excerpt of The Missing Fruit. First conceptualized during the most recent Black Lives Matter protests, The Missing Fruit examines the experiences of Black and indigenous people and people of color, particularly addressing their struggles to combat oppression while making space for Black joy to thrive.

"We are excited to offer a program that celebrates the power of dance to connect us to one another and to the world around us," said Artistic Associate Adam Weinert. "Through the work of these incredible artists, we hope to inspire audiences to engage with the important issues of our time and to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the human experience."

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the best of contemporary dance on the iconic Mountain Stage. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36035/production/1159775?performanceId=11278818

Trisha Brown Dance Company (TBDC) is a post-modern dance company dedicated to the performance and preservation of the work of Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer, Trisha Brown. Established in 1970, TBDC has toured throughout the world presenting work, teaching, and building relationships with audiences and artists alike.

Brown engaged collaborators who are themselves leaders in music, theater, and the visual arts, including visual artists Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, and Elizabeth Murray and musicians Laurie Anderson, John Cage, and Alvin Curran, to name a few. With these partners, Brown created an exceptionally varied body of work, with premieres and performances for NYC audiences and international counterparts. When Brown retired as head of her Company in 2013, the Board appointed longtime Company members Diane Madden and Carolyn Lucas as Associate Artistic Directors with the mandate that they present her dances in a variety of spaces, indoors and out, proscenium and alternative; develop, deepen, and expand the Company's educational initiatives; and treat the Company's archive as a living organism to be used to better understand her work, in particular, and dance in general.

Maria Kowroski became Acting Artistic Director of New Jersey Ballet in November 2021 and Artistic Director in September 2022. Her appointment as Artistic Director has infused New Jersey Ballet with a new creative energy fueling an artistic renaissance in New Jersey. In a short period of time, Ms. Kowroski has expanded the repertory of New Jersey Ballet to include a number of works by renowned choreographers including George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon and Peter Martins. Ms. Kowroski recently commissioned a new work by Harrison Ball, principal dancer at New York City Ballet. The new work included a collaboration with world renowned fashion designer Zac Posen who designed the costumes. The work's world premiere was on November 19, 2022 where it received rave reviews and a standing ovation.

Building upon New Jersey Ballet's sixty-four year history, Ms. Kowroski's new artistic vision calls for expanding the Company's repertory, adding performances and venues, expanding workweeks for the artists, establishing new collaborations with other arts organizations and growing community programming that establishes diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Ms. Kowroski plans to leverage her experience and connections with the world's leading choreographers to bring new repertory to communities throughout New Jersey.

Introducing kNoname Artist: the electrifying dance company born out of Berlin and now based in the heart of New York City. This innovative collective of international dance artists is dedicated to using their art as a form of protest and healing, igniting positive change through movement. At kNoname Artist, Roderick George, the founder, and artistic director, is committed to reflecting the times, both past and present. Through performances, the company explores the deep-seated issues of colorism, class, and social-economic differences while celebrating the diverse cultural origins that make us who we are.

The mission of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities' space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement - just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as we aim to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects our society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability.