Public Theater Hosts New York City Center's FALL FOR DANCE Festival in September

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) will host two free evenings of dance to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the New York City Center's Fall For Dance Festival at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park on September 16 and 17 at 8:00 p.m. (rain date September 18). The Public Theater has a long history of hosting dance companies at the Delacorte Theater that began in the 1960s with the New York Dance Festival that served as an inspiration for New York City Center's Fall For Dance when it launched nine years ago. Since then, the popular Fall For Dance Festival has received international acclaim for its quality, innovation and success in introducing new and younger audiences to the world of dance.

The two free evenings of dance will feature the same line-up each night with performances by four Fall For Dance Festival alumni: New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and STREB Extreme Action Company. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at The Public's Delacorte Theater on the day of the show and through a virtual ticketing lottery. For more information, visit www.publictheater.org and www.NYCityCenter.org.

"Dance belongs at the Delacorte Theater, and New York City Center and The Public belong in partnership," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "The art of democracy can only flourish when the arts are democratic, and City Center and The Public were both founded to make art for the people. Fall for Dance is a wonderful program, and we are proud to be hosting it in the most beautiful theater in the world."

"We launched Fall for Dance nine years ago with the goal of introducing new audiences to dance and providing a highly visible showcase for artists, and it has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams," said New York City Center President & CEO Arlene Shuler. "Since its inception, the Festival has presented 177 diverse companies and introduced more than 220,000 newcomers and dance enthusiasts to an eclectic mix of choreographers and artists. We are thrilled that our 10th Anniversary celebration will open with two free performances at the Delacorte Theater. It is particularly meaningful because the New York Dance Festival, which was held at the Delacorte in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, provided a model and inspiration for our Festival."