RIOULT Dance NY Announces its 2018 New York Season WRITTEN FOR DANCE

RIOULT Dance NY, the American modern dance company with a European sensibility dedicated to the creation and presentation of the work of choreographer Pascal Rioult, announces its 2018 New York season May 30th - June 3rd at The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue, at 19th Street, NYC). Hailed by the New York Times as having "met the challenge of comparison with George Balanchine," Rioult will celebrate the historic connection between choreographers and composers in a program titled Written for Dance. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased online at www.joyce.org or by phone at 212.242.0800.

Written for Dance is inspired by the music of Russian composers representing three distinct musical periods - the romantic, the neo-classic, and the contemporary. The program will feature Rioult's Dream Suite, (2014) a contemporary take on romanticism set to Tchaikovsky's "Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C Major"; Les Noces, (2005) a sexually charged deconstruction of the marriage ritual danced to Stravinsky's score of the same name; and a World Premiere, Nostalghia, set to a commissioned score by Polina Nazaykinskaya and performed with live music.

Rioult and Nazaykinskaya continue the rich tradition of composer-choreographer collaboration through Nostalghia. Together they examine the unique relationships individuals have with their cultural history and reflect on how this history persists in the face of the growing influence of western pop culture. Inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky's film Nostalghia, RIOULT incorporates cinematic elements into the choreography. Long-time RIOULT collaborator Brian Beasley will design a projected visual "score" enhancing the theatrical experience. With costumes by Naomi Luppescu and lighting design by the Company's resident lighting designer Jim French, RIOULT will capture the nostalgic and evocative atmosphere defined in Tarkovsky's films.

Founded in 1994, RIOULT Dance NY fast became an established name in modern dance with a reputation for presenting the sensual, articulate, and exquisitely musical works of Pascal Rioult. The New York City-based dance company presents an annual New York season, tours internationally, conducts extensive in-school arts education and community outreach programs, and offers dance training to the public through classes, workshops, and intensives.

Education and community outreach have been integral to RIOULT Dance NY since its inception. RIOULT's arts-in-education program, DanceREACH, offers an interactive approach to introducing students to the world of modern dance. It has impacted thousands of students and community members at home, in the U.S., and abroad. Ongoing relationships with schools in New York City and the metropolitan area allow the Company to continually inspire new generations of dancers and audiences.

In the fall of 2018, RIOULT will open The RIOULT Dance Center in Astoria's Kaufman Arts District. The extraordinary new Steinway Street facility will feature fully equipped rehearsal studios and a state-of-the-art performance space with seating for over 100 audience members. The Center will afford the Company the much-desired capacity to expand its current programming and allow RIOULT to bring communities to dance by bringing dance to the community.

Pascal Rioult came to the US to study modern dance in 1981 and was later invited to join the Martha Graham Company where he rose quickly to the role of principal dancer. He started RIOULT Dance NY in 1994 and has since dedicated his energies to developing his own choreographic style and nurturing a robust ensemble of dancers.

Mr. Rioult's works have been commissioned by the American Dance Festival; Cal Performances Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA; the Ballet du Nord in Roubaix, France; the Geneva Ballet, Switzerland; The Orchestra of St. Luke's; the Gordon & Harriet Greenfield Foundation; the Grand Marnier Foundation; the Théâtre de Saint Quentin en Yvelines France; Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA; and Marymount Manhattan College, among others. He is a two-time recipient of the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography.

Composer Polina Nazaykinskaya is the recipient of the Charles Ives Scholarship from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Her music has been performed by the Russian National Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Polina graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory College in Moscow with concentrations in both composition and violin, and continued her composition studies at the Yale School of Music. She is now completing her Doctorate in composition at the CUNY Graduate Center. She is also a Teaching Artist at the New York Philharmonic Composers Bridge Program and an Adjunct Lecturer of Composition at Brooklyn College Conservatory.

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