Pacific Northwest Ballet, Free Concerts and More Set for New York City Center's Spring 2016 Dance Lineup

New York City Center today announced three diverse dance engagements which complete programming for the 2015-16 season.

Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet will present two repertory programs, February 24 through 27, featuring classic ballets by George Balanchine and contemporary works by David Dawson, William Forsythe, and Crystal Pite. March 3 through 5, City Center Artistic Associate Wendy Whelan and Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson will pair for Other Stories, an evening of solos and duets featuring a world premiere by Christopher Wheeldon. And the Flamenco Festival returns March 10 through 19 with performances by Farruquito, Compañía Manuel Liñán, Compañía Rocío Molina, and Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía.

City Center also launches a new, free concert series in September. Cocktail Concerts at the Center, held at 6pm on the third Thursday of the month, brings live music performances to the CitySpire Atrium at 6½ Avenue (between 55th and 56th Streets), directly adjacent to City Center. The first three concerts will feature the incomparable guitar playing of Bucky Pizzarelli, the longtime Sinatra sideman, and Ed Laub (Sep 17), the sublime American Songbook interpretations of Marlene VerPlanck (Oct 15), and saxophone and clarinet virtuosos Peter and Will Anderson (Nov 19). The Studio 5 at City Center talk series, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the dance world, returns in September with guests including Lourdes Lopez, Carla Körbes, Angel Corella, Wendy Whelan, Peter Boal, Stella Abrera, and Virginia Johnson.

The spring dance engagements complete programming for City Center's 2015-16 season, which kicks off with the 12th annual Fall for Dance Festival (Sep 30-Oct 11), featuring 20 international companies and artists in five unique programs. On October 27, Megan Hilty stars in City Center's annual Gala, Annie Get Your Gun: In Concert. And Sylvie Guillem makes her final US appearances in Sylvie Guillem - Life in Progress (Nov 12-14). City Center's Tony-honored Encores! series, led by Artistic Director Jack Viertel and Music Director Rob Berman, begins its 23rd season with Cabin in the Sky (Feb 10-14), followed by 1776 (Mar 30-Apr 3), and Do I Hear a Waltz? (May 11-15). The acclaimed Encores! Off-Center series, under the artistic direction of Jeanine Tesori, returns in July for a fourth season of landmark Off-Broadway musicals. Programming for Off-Center will be announced at a later date.

Tickets are currently on sale for Sylvie Guillem - Life in Progress and Annie Get Your Gun: In Concert. All other on sale dates listed below. Tickets can be purchased online at NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office. New York City Center is located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. It was Manhattan's first performing arts center, dedicated by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia with a mission to make the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. Today, City Center is home to many distinguished companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club; a roster of renowned national and international visiting artists; and its own critically acclaimed and popular programs. The Tony?honored Encores! musical theater series has been hailed as "one of the very best reasons to be alive in New York." In 2013, City Center launched Encores! Off?Center, a series featuring landmark musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. Dance has been integral to the theater's mission from the start, and dance programs, including the annual Fall for Dance Festival, remain central to City Center's identity. Vital partnerships with arts organizations including Jazz at Lincoln Center and London's Sadler's Wells Theatre enhance City Center's programmatic offerings. City Center is dedicated to providing educational opportunities to New York City students and teachers with programs such as Encores! In Schools and the Young People's Dance Series. Special workshops cater to families, seniors and other groups, while events such as the Fall for Dance DanceTalk series offer learning opportunities to the general public. In October 2011, City Center completed an extensive renovation project to revitalize and modernize its historic theater.