The Joyce Theater Announces 2013-2014 Fall/Winter Season

The Joyce Theater (Linda Shelton, Executive Director), the United States' foremost dance venue, announced today programming for its 2013-2014 Fall & Winter Season featuring extraordinary companies, both international and local - several making their Joyce debuts - and loaded with highly anticipated premieres, including The Royal Ballet's production of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, choreographed by Arthur Pita especially for Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson.

The remarkable season will offer audiences the chance to see several intriguing companies from around the world on the intimate Joyce stage. These include Cloud Gate 2 (Taiwan); Compagnie Marie Chouinard (Canada); and Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca (Spain), all whom have performed previously at The Joyce to great popular and critical acclaim. The lineup also includes audience favorites closer to home, such as Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (celebrating its 45th anniversary); KEIGWIN + COMPANY, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Garth Fagan Dance, Parsons Dance and Rennie Harris Puremovement, the brainchild of hip hop choreographer/artist extraordinaire Rennie Harris. In December, MOMIX takes the Joyce stage for another captivating three-week holiday run. Rounding out the season are LeeSaar The Company and Pam Tanowitz Dance, two provocative New York-based companies, FOCUS DANCE, and the return of Houson Ballet. Royal New Zealand Ballet, under artistic director Ethan Stiefel, will close the 2013/2014 fall & winter season with a triple bill of classical and contemporary ballet.

The following is a complete roster of companies who will be appearing at The Joyce Theater this fall and winter.

A SPECIAL EVENT
THE METAMORPHOSIS - A Royal Ballet Production
September 17-29
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Saturday 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, September 18
Tickets: $10-$75 (Joyce Members $45; $68)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

The Joyce season opens spectacularly with choreographer/director Arthur Pita's brilliant dance theater reinterpretation of the Kafka novella, for which he won the 2012 UK National Dance Award for Best Modern Choreography. At the core of this extraordinary production, which has a cast specially brought together by Mr. Pita, is Royal Ballet Principal Edward Watson (in his Olivier Award winning role as Gregor Samsa), who, with remarkable technical and emotional skill, captures his character's transformation into a gigantic insect. "Watson's freakish performance is a physical tour de force, but what elevates his reading of Samsa is, paradoxically, its humanity," proclaims The Guardian. A score created and performed live by Frank Moon and stark, white designs by Simon Daw create a claustrophobic atmosphere, while the horror of Gregor's physical alteration is graphically evoked by Edward Watson's searing performance. The Metamorphosis was originally produced by London's Royal Ballet for the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House. The Joyce is pleased to bring this contemporary masterpiece to New York in association with The Royal Ballet.

CLOUD GATE 2
October 2-6
Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Saturday 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Thursday, October 3
Tickets: $10-$39 (Joyce Members $26; $37)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

"Talent and skill require little translation...Cloud Gate 2 has those virtues, and...they should be shared with the rest of the world," declares The New York Times about this fascinating company, who performs Associate Artistic Director Cheng Tsun-lung's On The Road, in which light and shadow merge with a rich and inventive movement vocabulary distilled from various forms of Asian body language. Set to scores ranging from Taiwanese folk songs to traditional Naxi, to Islamic music, and finally to Tom Waits' smoky voice, the evening-length piece unites Eastern and Western tradition to convey a powerful artistic message.

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
October 8-20
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Opening Night Gala: Tuesday, October 8
(for tickets: 212-221-7909; Lubovitch@aol.com)
Dance Chat: Wednesday, October 9
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Janet Stapleton, (212) 633-0016

The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, "a National Treasure" (Variety), celebrates its 45th anniversary with two programs of works spanning more than 40 years. Program A includes the world premiere of Segundo, a re-imagining by the master choreographer Lar Lubovitch of his Fandango, "a choreographic sensation" (The New York Times), with a newly commissioned score by Randall Woolf for voice and flamenco guitar, performed live; the wildly popular Men's Stories: A Concerto in Ruins, "a joyous, poignant expression of...nine terrific male dancers" (The New York Times), set to an original score by Scott Marshall; and a revival of The Time Before The Time After, a "startling...and unpredictable" duet (The New York Times), set to Stravinsky. Program B features a second world premiere; plus the beautiful and moving Transparent Things, inspired by a Picasso painting and set to Debussy, performed live by The Bryant Park Quartet.

HOUSTON BALLET
October 22-27
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, October 23
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

The company returns to The Joyce with a sensational program featuring works created by Stanton Welch, Nacho Duato, and Mark Morris. Welch's Play, set to the techno sounds of Moby and described by The New York Times as "a quirky exploration of youthful alienation," depicts city life transformed into ballet with classical technique. Jardi Tancat, Duato's first work, premiered in 1983 and is still considered one of his finest. Set to Catalonian folksongs and originally created for classically trained dancers, it tells the poignant story of people who work barren land. The program concludes on an upbeat note with Pacific, Morris's joyous piece for nine dancers, set to the music of American composer Lou Harrison's Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, and heralded by The Washington Post as "a creation of unalloyed beauty."

KEIGWIN + COMPANY
October 29-November 3
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, October 30
Tickets: $10-$49 (Joyce Members, $26; $37)
Publicity Contact: Goodman Media International, (212) 576-2700

"Funny, touching" and "masterly pieces of choreographic organization," proclaims The New York Times about KEIGWIN + COMPANY, who celebrates its tenth anniversary by taking the Joyce stage with New York premieres and audience favorites that display Artistic Director Larry Keigwin's indomitable theatricality and sharp wit. In Canvas, K+C's powerhouse dancers explore a dazzling fusion of classical and contemporary visions, accompanied by a bright and cinematic original score by Adam Crystal. The program also includes Girls, a playful female trio set to Frank Sinatra songs, while the full company's virtuosity is on display in Seven. Keigwin's signature pieces-Natural Selection and Mattress Suite-complete the program.

COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD
November 6-10
Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Saturday 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Thursday, November 7
Tickets: $10-$49 (Joyce Members, $26; $37)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Described by The New York Times as "a hurricane of unbridled imaginativeness," Marie Chouinard brings her Montreal-based troupe back to The Joyce with two works that display her compelling imagination. The visually arresting Henri Michaux: Mouvements features dancers dressed in black costumes on a white floor to create a choreographic version of India ink drawings and poetry by Belgian poet and artist Henri Michaux. The company also performs Gymnopédies, a ballet created around the theme of the duet, in which eleven dancers are each invited to take their places at a piano to play Erik Satie's intriguing Gymnopédies.

Garth Fagan DANCE
November 12-17
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, November 13
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Ruby P. Lockhart, (585) 454-3260
Garth Fagan, recently selected as one of "100 Irreplaceable Dance Treasures" by the Dance Heritage Coalition, shares the list, in part, with his mentors Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, Jose Limon, and George Balanchine. For its 43rd season, Fagan's revered company performs a season of premieres and revivals, featuring two world premieres, one by Garth Fagan and one by long-time company member, the superb Norwood Pennewell. Also on the program-Lighthouse/Lightning Rod, performed to an original score by Wynton Marsalis with sets by acclaimed American artist Alison Saar.

COMPLEXIONS CONTEMPORARY BALLET
November 19-December 1
Tuesday-Thursday 7:30pm; Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm
Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, November 20
No performance on Thanksgiving, November 28
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Michael Moore, (212) 777-7771

Complexions Contemporary Ballet, "a company of seasoned performers, strong and consistent in technique, savvy in style, slick in approach...unlike any other company - full stop" (Sydney Morning Herald), comes to The Joyce for a jam-packed two-week season filled with new works galore, including two by Artistic Director Dwight Rhoden-the New York premiere of his The Rite of Spring and a new piece set to Stevie Wonder music; the world premiere of a full company work by Associate Artistic Director Jae Man Joo; the company premiere of a work by choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo; and a new work by company members Gary W. Jeter and Norbert De La Cruz III. Company devotees will also have the chance to see some of their favorite works by talented and beloved choreographers like Camille A. Brown.

Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca
December 3-15
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, December 4
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Soledad Barrio's "intensity is striking," proclaims The New York Times. "Even when she is standing still or walking slowly around the stage, she is the mistress of stillness and slowness." After playing to sold out Joyce houses for the last two years, the Bessie Award-winning dancer and her astounding company, Noche Flamenca, perform another searing show that combines live music with song and dance to captivate audiences once more with the essence of flamenco revealed in its most authentic and glorious form.

MOMIX
December 17-January 5
December 17-22: Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
December 23-29: Monday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
December 30-January 5: Monday 7:30pm; Tuesday 7pm;
Thursday-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, December 18
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

For over thirty years, MOMIX has astounded international audiences with little more than light, shadow, props, and the human body. And now, especially for the holiday season, the company presents MOMIX remix, pieces gathered from its repertory and showcases of new creations. This delightful and often startling show breaks the bounds of the conventional and enters an aesthetic orbit of its own.

FOCUS DANCE
January 7-12
Tickets: $10-$39 (Joyce Members $26; $37)
Publicity Contact: Michelle Tabnick, (646) 765-4773

Vicky Shick and Dancers
Doug Elkins choreography, etc.
Tuesday & Sunday 7:30pm

Morgan Thorson
Keely Garfield Dance
Wednesday 7:30pm & Saturday 8pm

Yvonne Rainer and Group
Urban Bush Women
Thursday 8pm & Sunday 2pm

Jean Butler
Mark Haim Dance and Theater
Friday 8pm & Saturday 2pm

Gotham Arts Exchange returns to The Joyce to present the third season of FOCUS DANCE. This year, the week-long celebration of American dance is curated by Laurie Uprichard, associate producer at Quarternaire, Paris, France, and the former director of both the Dublin International Dance Festival and Danspace Project. A national platform that promotes U.S. based dance artists to the national and international community, FOCUS DANCE features some of the most intriguing companies performing today.

PARSONS DANCE
January 14-26
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm;
Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 1pm & 6pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, January 15
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Michelle Tabnick, (646) 765-4773

Parsons Dance brings its blend of athleticism, stunning ensemble work, and pure joy to the stage for evenings of high-energy dance. The program includes the world premiere of David Parsons' For EK, set to music by Steve Reich, a multi-media experience using the work of major American 20th century painters as a visual backdrop. The season also includes Nascimento Novo, performed to music by South American legend Milton Nascimento and Caught, the stroboscopic masterwork that continues to wow audiences around the world. In addition, four special family matinees will include kid-friendly repertory and an opportunity to meet the dancers.

RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT
January 28-February 2
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, January 29
Tickets: $10-$49 (Joyce Members, $26; $37)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Rennie Harris Puremovement has been thrilling audiences since 1992 when Philly's Rennie Harris founded it on the belief that hip-hop was the most important original expression of a new generation. The Joyce engagement takes a look back at some of the important and compelling pieces that display the company's well-earned reputation for capturing the fierce urban spirit of this art form. Program highlights are an excerpt from the multi-award winning Rome and Jewels and P-Funk, which begins happily with four dancers b-boying, locking, and popping, before descending into darkness. Also on tap-the fiercely athletic Students of the Asphalt Jungle and the probing March of the Antmen, with both works telling gripping stories through potent movement.

PAM TANOWITZ DANCE
February 4-6
Tuesday-Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday 8pm
Dance Chat: Wednesday, February 5
Tickets: $10-$25
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Pam Tanowitz, described by The New Yorker as "a clear-sighted post modernist" whose "deliberate dismantling of traditional balletic movements produces a stream of provocative fresh juxtapositions," makes her Joyce debut with an inventive, witty work that manifests the choreographer's fascination with dance steps as objects.

LeeSaar THE COMPANY
February 8-9
Saturday 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Tickets: $10-$25
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Established in 2000, LeeSaar The Company is the creation of Lee Sher and Saar Harari, two young, talented Israeli choreographers who also manage Gaga USA and whose work is rooted in this fascinating movement language. For its Joyce debut, the company performs Grass and Jackals, a dance piece and light spectacle that constantly pushes the physical and emotional boundaries of both the performers and the audience.

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND BALLET
February 12-16
Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm & 7:30pm
Dance Chat: Thursday, February 13
Tickets: $10-$59 (Joyce Members $26; $44)
Publicity Contact: Richard Kornberg & Associates, (212) 944-9444

Under Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, the company makes its New York debut at The Joyce with an exciting triple bill that combines stellar choreography set to enchanting music. Audiences will be treated to Benjamin Millepied's 28 Variations on a Theme by Paganini, a classically inspired ballet performed to Brahms' exquisite piano music; Banderillero, a passionate piece with flamenco flourishes created by Venezuelan choreographer Javier De Frutos and driven by the drumming of Chinese percussionist Yim Hok-Man; and Of Days, choreographed by former RNZB dancer Andrew Simmons that consists of six short pieces set to gentle and mesmerizing minimalist music.

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DANCE CHATS
The Joyce Theater holds free post-performance dialogues with artistic directors and/or company members following the performance on the first Wednesday of each company's engagement unless otherwise noted. These dialogues are open to all audience members attending that evening's performance.

FAMILY MATINEES
Created to help build dance audiences for the future, The Joyce's popular family-oriented performance series will return this fall with three family-friendly matinees, each followed by a special chance to meet the artists. Kids' tickets are only $10. Children who see both of the family matinees automatically become Joyce Junior Members and save 40% on the price of their tickets ($10 reduced to $6). Children, ages 6-14, must be accompanied by an adult (maximum four kids to one grownup). Joyce Junior Members get a special "Backstage-at-the-Joyce" tour, a T-shirt and gift coupons.
This fall/winter season's Family Matinee series is as follows (Kids (ages 6-14) must be accompanied by an adult):
KEIGWIN + COMPANY - Saturday, November 2 at 2pm
Parsons Dance - Saturday, January 25 at 2pm

DANCE TALKS AT DANY STUDIOS
The Joyce Theater will continue its popular "Dance Talks" series in the fall. These conversations between artists and audiences - moderated by dance scholars, writers, artists and other experts in the field - provide an informal, but in-depth examination of issues shaping dance today. The following are scheduled for the 2013-2014 fall & winter season:
The Metamorphosis - Monday, September 9
Cloud Gate 2 - Monday, September 23
Houston Ballet - Monday, October 14
Compagnie Marie Chouinard - Monday, October 28
Rennie Harris Puremovement - Monday, January 13, 2014
Royal New Zealand Ballet - Monday, February 3, 2014
"Dance Talks" are free and take place at DANY Studios (305 West 38th Street, at 8th Avenue). Reservations are required and can be arranged by calling (646) 792-8377.

ABOUT The Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theater Foundation, a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences for three decades. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce Theater is 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. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant home for more than 320 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists, as well as special residency opportunities for selected choreographers to support the creation of new work. In 2009, The Joyce opened Dance Art New York (DANY) Studios to provide affordable studios for rehearsals, auditions, classes, and workshops for independent choreographers, non-profit dance companies, and the dance/theater communities. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce's Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Dance Chats. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

TICKET PRICES AND MEMBER INFORMATION
To become a Joyce Member, ticket buyers simply purchase tickets to four different companies at the same time and they automatically save 25% on tickets (not applicable for $10 or $19 tickets). Joyce Members are entitled to the 25% discount on additional tickets purchased throughout the season - until August 2014. For more information on becoming a Joyce Member, please visit www.Joyce.org or call JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Single ticket prices range from $10-$75. Tickets can be purchased by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800, in person at the Box Office (Monday - Friday 12-6pm), or online by visiting www.Joyce.org. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street).