South African Choreographer Dada Masilo to Return to The Joyce With THE SACRIFICE

The Joyce Theater Foundation is celebrating the return of in-demand South African choreographer Dada Masilo with one of her newest works, The Sacrifice. The lauded piece, inspired by Pina Bausch's The Rite of Spring and fused with Masilo's one-of-a-kind style, the evening-length work will be performed at The Joyce Theater from May 23-28. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$65, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Inspired by Bausch's The Rite of Spring and infused with the rituals of Tswana dance, South African choreographer Dada Masilo continues her work of melding classical ballet with modern and traditional dance in The Sacrifice. Both rhythmic and expressive, Tswana-the traditional dance of Botswana-is rooted in storytelling and healing practices, providing a fertile ground for Masilo to expound upon the concept of sacrifice and bring the monumental piece of music to life in a wholly new way. Incredibly moving and breathtakingly fresh, Dada Masilo creates yet another original answer to the dominant force of western dance, using The Sacrifice as a symbol of the constant and disparate nature of both struggle and acceptance.

ABOUT DADA MASILO

Dada Masilo was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. She began training at The Dance Factory at the age of 11. On matriculating from the National School of the Arts, she trained for a year at Jazzart in Cape Town, then at the age of 19, she was accepted as a student at the Performing Arts Research and Training Studios in Brussels, where she remained for two years. She returned to South Africa and in 2008, was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance. Three commissions from the National Arts Festival resulted in her Romeo and Juliet (2008), Carmen (2009), and Swan Lake (2010). In May 2017, she premiered her Giselle in Oslo and in 2021 The Sacrifice in Vienna. Since 2012, her works have been performed in 25 countries and 150 cities around the world. Awards: 2016 Nominated for a Bessie Award (Swan Lake), 2017 Danza&Danza Award for 'Best Performance 2017' (Giselle), The Prince Claus Fund Next Generation Award 2018 (Netherlands); UK Critic's Circle 2020 National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Modern Performance in the title role as Giselle.

ABOUT The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community for almost four decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea. Opening as The Joyce Theater in 1982, it was named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. Ownership was secured by The Joyce in 2015. The theater is one of the only theaters built by dancers for dance and has provided an intimate and elegant home for over 400 U.S.-based and international companies. The Joyce has also expanded its reach beyond its Chelsea home through off-site presentations at venues ranging in scope from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, to Brooklyn's Invisible Dog Art Center, and outdoor programming in spaces such as Hudson River Park. To further support the creation of new work, The Joyce maintains longstanding commissioning and residency programs. Local students and teachers (K-12th grade) benefit from its school program, and family and adult audiences get closer to dance with access to artists. The Joyce's annual season of about 48 weeks of dance now includes over 340 performances - both digital and in-person - for audiences of over 150,000.

The Joyce Theater presents Dada Masilo: The Sacrifice from May 23-28. The performance schedule is as follows: Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$65, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information and to read about The Joyce Theater's detailed health and safety protocols, including required face-coverings and proof of vaccination policies, please visit www.Joyce.org.