NYC Debut of the Polish National Ballet Set for The Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. is thrilled to present the New York debut of the Polish National Ballet, Poland's leading ballet company based in Warsaw, from June 16-21. The company, under the artistic direction of Krzysztof Pastor, will present a program of three works: two by Pastor (Adagio & Scherzo, a US Premiere and Moving Rooms, a New York Premiere) and Emanuel Gat's acclaimed Rite of Spring. Tickets range in price from $10-$49 ($26-$37 for Joyce Theater members), and can be purchased through JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

Making its New York debut, the Polish National Ballet charges onto the Joyce Theater stage for the first time to present three works displaying the company's elaborate partnering and athleticism that have characterized its aesthetic since 2009 when Krzysztof Pastor became its director. Audiences will be treated to Emanuel Gat's salsa-inspired version of Rite of Spring, a thrilling combo of Latin American dance movement set to Stravinsky's score. Two works by Pastor-Allegro/Scherzo, set to Shubert, and Moving Rooms, set to Schnittke and Górecki-complete the dazzling program.

POLISH NATIONAL BALLET

The Polish National Ballet is the leading ballet company in Poland, with a host of nearly 90 Polish and foreign dancers guaranteeing the highest standard for every performance. Its aim is to reflect the nature, energy, and aspirations of the Polish people. Its rich traditions date back to the 18th century when the troupe of His Majesty's Dancers was born. The Polish National Ballet works and performs in the most prestigious opera house in Poland: the Teatr Wielki - the Polish National Opera. The repertoire of the Polish National Ballet includes outstanding versions of some of the greatest classical ballets: Natalia Makarova's La Bayade?re, Yuri Grigorivich's The Sleeping Beauty, Alexei Fadeyechev's Don Quixote, and Wayne Eagling's and Toer van Schayk's The Nutcracker. The company also presents some of the greatest ballets of the 20th century, ranging from the reconstruction of Vaslav Nijinsky's Rite of Spring and Kurt Jooss' The Green Table, to ballets by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Maurice Be?jart, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Jir?i? Kylia?n, John Neumeier, and Krzysztof Pastor. Another important side of the Polish National Ballet's philosophy is to give an opportunity to the company's emerging young choreographers, allowing them to create pieces within the annual workshops.

KRZYSZTOF PASTOR

Krzysztof Pastor began his ballet training in his hometown of Gdansk. He joined the Polish Dance Theatre in Poznan and, after four years, moved to the Teatr Wielki in Lodz. Pastor became a soloist with Le Ballet de l'Opera of Lyon in France and then joined the Dutch National Ballet for 10 years. After retiring from dancing, he became a freelance choreographer, joined The Washington Ballet as choreographer-in-residence and then became the Dutch National Ballet's choreographer-in-residence, a position he still holds today. Pastor's ballets have been staged worldwide at such companies as Royal Swedish Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Washington Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet, among others. After years of artistic absence from Poland, Pastor was invited by the Teatr Wielki-the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, to stage his Tristan to the music of Richard Wagner. Following that, he was invited to be Director of the Polish National Opera's Ballet company, with the aim of giving the company artistic independence and elevating it stature at the Teatr Wielki as the Polish National Ballet. He took up his new post in March 2009 while retaining his duties as resident choreographer of the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

EMANUEL GAT

Israeli born Emanuel Gat's first encounter with dance was at age 23 during a workshop led by Israeli choreographer Nir Ben Gal. He then joined the Liat Dror Nir Ben Gal Company with whom he toured internationally. In 1994, he started working as an independent choreographer then formed his company Emanuel Gat Dance at the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, with whom he has created several pieces including this program's The Rite of Spring, which won a Bessie Award. In 2013, Emanuel Gat was associated artist to the Montpellier Danse Festival for which his company developed the project Up Close Up. In 2014 Gat created Plage Romantique, a one-hour work for 9 dancers, in the Agora courtyard during the 34th Festival Montpellier Danse.

THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION

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 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 informative Dance Talks, Joyce Pre-Show gatherings, and post-performance Dance Chat discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

Polish National Ballet will make its NYC debut at The Joyce Theater from June 16-21. Performances are Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday and Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Tickets range in price from $10-$49 ($26-$37 for Joyce Theater members), and can be purchased through JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at www.Joyce.org. Please note: Ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

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