The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to welcome back Centre National de Danse Contemporaine-Angers (CNDC), two years after its sold-out Joyce debut last season, from April 4 - 9. Under the artistic direction of Robert Swinston, CNDC will perform a program of three Company premieres by Merce Cunningham, including his famed Inlets 2.Tickets range in price from $26-$46 and 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 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.
Established in 1978, CNDC is dedicated to supporting the creation of contemporary choreographic works. It has contributed to the emergence of some of today's most highly regarded French choreographers, including Angelin Preljocaj, Mathilde Monnier and Philippe Decoufle. CNDC takes great pride in being a center for research and experimentation. The Centre's resident dance company was first established in 2013 under the direction of Robert Swinston, a former Merce Cunningham dancer and assistant to Cunningham for more than 30 years. The resident company performs original creations from Swinston, as well as his adaptations of Cunningham's choreography.
For the first time since making its acclaimed U.S. debut at The Joyce Theater in March of 2015,CNDC now returns to the Joyce's intimate Chelsea home with a program of three company premieres from master choreographer Merce Cunningham. Place is set to an original score by Gordon Mumma and features unique costumes made from clear, colorful plastic. How To Pass, Kick Fall and Run has highly athletic choreography that keeps its dancers in a state of constant motion. Last on the program is Inlets 2, the predecessor to Cunningham's brilliant Inlets, one of Cunningham's most well-known creations. Inlets 2 features original music created by John Cage and each night uses chance to determine the order of the 64 movements that make up this one of a kind masterpiece.
Performances of The Joyce Theater's presentation of Centre National de Danse Contemporaine-Angers (CNDC) will take place April 4 - 9 at The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street) according to the following schedule: Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday & Friday at 8pm;Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; and Sunday at 2pm. Curtain Chat, a free post-performance talkback with the artists, will take place on Wednesday, April 5. This enlightening discussion is open to all patrons attending that evening's performance. A Family Matinee, The Joyce's popular family-oriented performances, will be held on Saturday, April 8 at 2pm and will feature performances of Inlets 2 andHow To Pass Kick, Fall and Run. Tickets range in price from $26-$46 and can be purchased atwww.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 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.
ABOUT THE CENTRE NATIONAL de DANSE CONTEMPORAINE-ANGERS (CNDC)
Created in 1978, the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine - Angers (CNDC), has dedicated itself to supporting contemporary choreographic creations. Compagnie CNDC - Angers, the Centre's resident dance company, was created in 2013 under the direction of Robert Swinston (Assistant to the Choreographer Merce Cunningham from 1992 to 2009). Its eight European contemporary dancers perform Swinston's creations, as well as his adaptations of Cunningham's choreography (Event, Four Walls Doubletoss / Interludes, and Deli Commedia Variation). In December 2017, the company will present Beach Birds (1991) in a program with Inlets 2 in Angers and in Cannes. In the fall of 2018, the company will present a program of Beach Birds and BIPED (1999) in celebration of Merce Cunningham's Centenary.
ABOUT ROBERT SWINSTON
Robert Swinston graduated from the Juilliard School with a B.F.A. in Dance. His experiences as a dancer began with the Martha Graham Apprentice Group. He performed with the companies of Kazuko Hirabayashi and José Limón, before joining Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) in 1980. In 1992, he became Assistant to the Choreographer. After Cunningham's death in 2009 Robert became Director of Choreography and maintained the company's repertoire during the Legacy Tour (2010-2011). During this period he assembled 25 events for MCDC, concluding with the final performances at the Park Avenue Armory. While Director of Choreography for the Merce Cunningham Trust (2012) Swinston created Four Walls / Doubletoss Interludes, an adaptation of John Cage's Four Walls (1944)and Cunningham's Doubletoss (1993) for Baryshnikov Arts Center. In January 2013, he became Artistic Director of the Centre national de danse contemporaine (CNDC) in Angers, France. For Compagnie CNDC d'Angers, in addition to Event, he created: Four Walls Doubletoss / Interludes; Deli Commedia Variation (adaptation of Cunningham/Caplan Video Dance) and Debussy's La Boîte à Joujoux for young audiences. He has staged Cunningham works for companies such as the White Oak Dance Project, Rambert Dance Company, New York City Ballet, and the Paris Opera. In 2003, Robert Swinston was awarded a Bessie for the reconstruction and performance in How to Pass, Kick, Fall and Run (1965).
ABOUT THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION
The Joyce Theater Foundation ("The Joyce," Executive Director, Linda Shelton), a nonprofit organization, has proudly served the dance community for over three decades. Under the direction of founders Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, Ballet Tech Foundation acquired and The Joyce 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 presented dance at Lincoln Center since 2012, and launched Joyce Unleashed in 2014 to feature emerging and experimental artists. 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 for audiences in excess of 150,000.
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