The nationwide exploration of dance from inception to performance spotlights French, France-based, African, and Caribbean choreographers and companies.
Villa Albertine today revealed the fall programming for its year-long Dance Season, a 360-degree program that caters to each stage of the artistic process from the conception of new work to performance to continuing professional development and learning in the industry.
A Franco-American dance exchange of unprecedented scale, Albertine Dance Season creates opportunities for the most acclaimed and exciting France and Caribbean-based choreographers and companies to explore new ideas and push boundaries in the United States. This is facilitated by three types of programming: Company tours; talks and collective learning opportunities; and research residencies across the US for international choreographers.
From September through December the season will support performances by 18 companies across 13 US cities. One third of these companies will be making their US debut. Two companies—(LA)HORDE with Ballet National de Marseille, and Rachid Ouramdane—will take part in the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, in association with Villa Albertine.
In addition to artist residencies and expert talks across the country, each of which will dive deep into specific questions in contemporary dance, Villa Albertine will also host a professional symposium on October 26 and 27 at its New York City headquarters. This convening of global artists and professionals will focus on the future of dance as an industry and art form in the face of climate and funding crises, social inequality, and cultural upheaval, with an emphasis on collaborative solutions.
Albertine Dance Season is made possible thanks to the generous support of Ardian.
Collectif Nafass - Nidal Abdo - "Habitus" explores movement and bodies in exile across new territories within a site-specific visual environment.
Compagnie Käfig - Mourad Merzouki - “PIXEL” with Adrien M & Claire B blends modern dance, acrobatics, and digital arts immersing dancers into an interactive environment of 3D landscapes.
Thierry Thieû Niang - “One” is inspired by the artwork of visual artist Camille de Galbert.
Leïla Ka - "Bouffées", "Pode Ser", "You're the one we love" comprise a collective work of three segments with connecting themes of self-discovery.
*US debut*
Wanjiru Kamuyu - “An Immigrant's story“ & “A disguised welcome…” offer a critical look at the notions of center and periphery and the experience of displacement.
*US debut*
Smaïl Kanouté - “Never Twenty One” infuses a variety of styles, from krump to wave, to convey the stories of victims of gun violence from New York to the favelas of Rio and the townships of Soweto.
*US debut*
Calixto Neto - “O Samba do Crioulo Doido” deconstructs representations of the Black body in Brazilian culture and associations to eroticism and exoticism.
*US debut*
Gisele Vienne with Adèle Haenel & Julie Shanahan - "L'Etang" is a family drama adapted from a story by Swiss writer Robert Walser examining different layers of perceptions of reality and time.
Nacera Belaza - “L'Onde” examines the body's capacity for transformation through the repeated movements of five principal dancers and Algerian ritualistic dances.
Emmanuelle Huynh & Jocelyn Cottencin / Plateforme Múa - “Lands, Portrait of the City of Houston” is an exploration of the diverse communities of the city of Houston through a collection of stories commissioned by DiverseWorks.
Dorothée Munyaneza - “Mailles” is a choral work celebrating the resilience of Afro-descendant women from around the world.
Dimitri Chamblas & Kim Gordon - “Takemehome” is a visual and auditory experience featuring dance performances, electric guitars, and amplifiers.
Ashley Chen - Compagnie Kashyl - “Unisson,” “Rush,” “Distances,” and “Tumble” offer meaningful reflections on the vices of contemporary urban life and a resolution to urban chaos. The program will feature Compagnie Kashyl's recent film “Outside Flow”
October 19 - December 14 | Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival
Albertine Dance Season supports the presentation of two shows taking part in the Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival, curated by Serge Laurent. Programming includes:
Dance Assembly: A Conversation Series exploring international collaboration, transmission, equity, agency, and more in the art and industry of dance. Fall lineup includes:
New York, NY: October 13, 6:30-9:00 pm
@ New York University Tisch School of the Arts
Middletown, CT: October 14
@ Wesleyan University - Center for the Arts
New York, NY: October 18 @ Villa Albertine Headquarters
New York, NY: December 5 | Time & Location TBD
Symposium – Making and Supporting Dance between France and the United States
New York, NY: October 26-27 @ Villa Albertine headquarters
How do we sustain a practice of global exchange in dance at a time of climate and funding crisis, a time marked by social inequities and cultural upheavals? Drawing on a rich tradition of choreographic collaboration, the symposium will gather dance artists, curators, scholars, and sponsors working on both sides of the Atlantic to discuss the models that can best guide future partnerships. The symposium is organized by Noémie Solomon with the Albertine Dance Season's Advisory Committee and Villa Albertine.
In August Collective Nafass will conduct a creative residency at Chez Bushwick, and in September and October choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu will continue her exploration of the body as a site of liberation and “healing justice” in New York and Boston.
In October and November choreographer Noé Soulier meet with dancers from the Trisha Brown Dance Company in New York to create a collaborative performance incorporating his methods and the company's legacy of conceiving new perspectives on body and movement. Upstate New York, Anne Collod will develop her work “Sourcières” researching contemporary dance figures such as Simone Forti and Lisa Nelson as well as the feminist issues of their time. Also in New York in November and December, choreographers Marlene Myrtil and Myriam Soulanges will develop their new work “Tropique du Képone” inspired by the issues and questions facing France's overseas territories.
All projects supported by the Albertine Dance Season were selected for the quality of their engagement with the American cultural landscape and the great questions of our time.
Villa Albertine is a cultural institution that supports exchanges in arts and ideas between the United States, France, and beyond. With outposts in 10 US cities—Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Washington, DC—Villa Albertine presents innovative programming nationwide including 50+ customized residencies for international artists, thinkers, and cultural leaders across disciplines each year; a series of cross-cultural dialogues and events; a magazine and podcast; and grants, resources, and incubator programs for professionals in the cultural sphere.
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