Nederlands Dance 2 to Feature Premieres By León & Lightfoot, And Goecke

Nederlands Dans Theater 2 will kick off its 2019 U.S. tour with a program of premieres at New York City Center, January 16 - 19, 2019. The program will feature three works: American and New York premieres by house choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, and an American premiere by associate choreographer Marco Goecke.

Nederlands Dans Theater, under the Artistic Direction of Paul Lightfoot, is one of the world's leading contemporary dance companies. In 1978, NDT 2 was founded to develop young talent for the main company. Since then, NDT 2 has developed into an independent company with its very own repertory, now under the artistic direction of Nancy Euverink. Following the success of NDT's 2016 engagement at City Center, NDT 2 will kick-off their US tour with an exciting program of established and new pieces.

"New Yorkers were incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic during our 2016 City Center engagement, and we are thrilled to return to New York to launch our 2019 U.S. tour," said Paul Lightfoot. "These three dances will showcase the brilliance, youth and passion of our exciting NDT2 dancers."

The Program:

Sleight of Hand (2007) by NDT's house choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, is an atmospheric ballet for eight dancers set to music by Philip Glass. Filled with mysterious drama in a play of light and dark, Sleight of Hand creates a world full of sinister characters and strange perspectives in time and space. Video: Sleight of Hand

Sol León (Spain) and Paul Lightfoot (England) started creating as a duo for Nederlands Dans Theater in 1989. In 2002 they were appointed house choreographers for NDT and have created over fifty ballets for the company. Together they have won many prestigious awards, including the Benois de la Danse and the Herald Archangel. Their many works include Step lightly (1991); Softly, as I Leave You (1994); Shoot the Moon (2006); Spiritwalking (2014); Shut Eye (2016); and most recently, Subtle Dust (2018).

Wir sagen uns Dunkles (Darkness Spoken, 2017), an explosive work choreographed by NDT associate choreographer Marco Goecke, dramatizes the complexities of encounters between dancer and choreographer and features music by Franz Schubert, Alfred Schnittke and the British rock band Placebo. The dancers of NDT2 communicate in Goecke's language, alternatively playful and punky, naughty and evil, unconscious yet self-assured. Video: Wir sagen uns Dunkles

Marco Goecke, an associate choreographer with NDT since 2013, made his first choreographic work in 2000. His latest works for the company are Hello Earth (2014); Thin Skin (2015); Woke up Blind (2016); Midnight Raga (2017), the Dutch dance Zwaan Award 2017 winner for 'most impressive choreography'; and Wir sagen uns Dunkles (2017), nominated for a Benois de la Danse in 2018. Between 2006 and 2011 Goecke was also house choreographer with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and since 2005 at the Stuttgart Ballet. Goecke's work is performed by dance companies worldwide.

SH-BOOM!, choreographed by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot (1994), marked the beginning of the choreographic duo's successful, long-term collaboration. The work combines humor with irony and expresses how people from different backgrounds conduct and relate to one another. Inspired by Francisco de Goya's satirical black & white sketches, SH-BOOM! masterfully intertwines the dark side (irony) and the light side (humor). Video: SH-BOOM!

Nederlands Dans Theater, under the Artistic Direction of Paul Lightfoot since 2011, is recognized as one of the most prolific and creative contemporary dance companies in the world. It consists of two multinational companies: NDT 1 and NDT 2. The latter gives sixteen classically trained dancers (between the ages of 17 and 23) a chance to develop their artistic personalities during a three-year trajectory. NDT 1 consists of 28 dancers (varying in age between 24 and 38 years old), each one excelling in their solo qualities and renowned for their versatility, astonishing technique and virtuosic expression. Under artistic guidance of Artistic Director Paul Lightfoot and Artistic Advisor Sol León and based in The Hague, NDT dancers perform for over 150,000 visitors annually in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. The multi- national company showcases multiple art forms alongside their stunning choreography, including visual art, music composition and innovative light and set designs.

Since inception in 1959, NDT has built a rich repertoire of over 600 works by master choreographers such as Ji?í Kylián and Hans van Manen, León and Lightfoot, associate choreographers Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke, and high-profile guests such as Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Glen Tetley, Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, Edward Clug, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar. www.ndt.nl

Nederlands Dans Theater's engagement New York City Center will run January 16 - 19, 2019. Tickets go on sale on September 4 and can be purchased online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling CityTix at (212) 581-1212, or at the City Center Box Office at 131 W. 55th St. (between 6th & 7th Aves). For more information, please visit www.NYCityCenter.org.

Photo Credit: Rahi Rezvani

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