20th Season Announced For 'Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance At The Music Center'

The Music Center announced the 20th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center with residencies featuring four world-renowned dance companies beginning in April 2023. The Paul Taylor Dance Company and Complexions Contemporary Ballet will return to Los Angeles' premier performing arts destination to once again delight Angelenos, while MOMIX and Dutch National Ballet will make their Music Center debuts at The Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, respectively. Season subscriptions are available for purchase now by visiting musiccenter.org or by calling (213) 972-0711. Single tickets will be available for purchase starting on December 14, 2022. The Music Center will enhance the dance performances with special experiences for both ticket buyers and the public including panels, master classes, a poetry slam, a dance film festival and more.

"We are thrilled to present four of today's most visionary dance companies whose powerful works dare to explore and uplift some of the most resonant experiences of the human experience," said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "From the anguish of war to the joy of finding love, and from the empowerment of personal triumph over adversity to the delight of magical storytelling, our unparalleled 20th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center will challenge, inspire and excite audiences of all ages and backgrounds; they will be awestruck at how dance can push boundaries, both physically and flawlessly, on and off stage with sheer grace and raw emotion."

One of the most famous and dynamic dance ensembles in the world, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will kick off Dance at The Music Center's 20th season from April 28-30, 2023, with a dance residency that will include performances in The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion along with other experiences designed to dimensionalize what will be on stage. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Novak, the company will present two thought-provoking works, Company B and The Green Table, both of which address the impact of war, along with the world premiere of a work by Lauren Lovette, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet and now Paul Taylor Dance Company's resident choreographer. Through the hit songs of the Andrews Sisters, Company B juxtaposes the energy and enthusiasm America exhibited in the early 1940s with the human toll of a young nation drawn into the Second World War. The Green Table, considered one of the most influential dance works of the 20th Century, contains military themes and political messaging that will resonate deeply with audiences who have experienced the travesties of warfare and loss. Among other aspects of the Paul Taylor Dance Company residency, The Music Center will partner with Zocalo Public Square to host a panel discussion featuring noteworthy artists exploring the intersections of art and war. The panel discussion, to be held outdoors on Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center, is free and open to the public. It will also be streamed live online. Additionally, to engage and inspire students and educators with dance and movement, The Music Center will present a special matinee performance for middle school and high school students on Friday, April 28.

The series of residencies continues in May with The Music Center debut of MOMIX, a company of dancer-illusionists, from May 19-21, 2023, at The Music Center's Ahmanson Theatre. Thrilling fans in over 22 countries with stunning multimedia works of exceptional inventiveness and beauty, MOMIX will take audiences on a fantastical journey down the rabbit hole with Alice, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, conceived by Artistic Director Moses Pendleton and Associate Director Cynthia Quinn. The MOMIX residency will include an opportunity for the public to submit an image and write an accompanying description of a place in Los Angeles where they find wonderment. Their submissions will be shared with the public on the LED screens on Jerry Moss Plaza. The Music Center will also invite middle school and high school students to watch a scheduled matinee performance of Alice on Friday, May 19.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet returns to The Music Center for its fourth time from June 16-18, 2023. Led by dance icons Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, the New York-based company will awaken audiences with a duo of works that reinvent dance and contemporary ballet: WOKE, a bold and dynamic one-act ballet featuring the full company, and LOVE ROCKS, set to the rock 'n soul music of GRAMMY Award-winning musician Lenny Kravitz. During the Complexions residency, The Music Center will collaborate with Rhoden and Richardson along with spoken word artist Terrell Lewis to co-host a poetry slam and dance event on Jerry Moss Plaza.

Making its Music Center debut, Dutch National Ballet concludes the 20th Dance at The Music Center season from July 14-16, 2023, with the U.S. premiere of Frida, an homage to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa with composer Peter Salem weave Kahlo's complex and colorful life into a rich work that exalts the iconic artist as one of the most intriguing artists of the 20th century. Ochoa delves deep into the loneliness that haunted Kahlo all her life, her relationship with husband Diego Rivera, her bisexuality and the way she crafted her own image. As part of the Dutch National Ballet residency, The Music Center will launch its second dance film festival in collaboration with Dance Camera West, inviting Southern California dance filmmakers to submit films that reflect themes of self-portraiture and autobiographical dance inspired by Ochoa's Frida.

"The Music Center is proud to be the leader in bringing electrifying performances, talks, classes, digital experiences and more from around the world to Los Angeles. This season, four dance companies will take you on a mesmerizing journey," said Josephine Ramirez, executive vice president, TMC Arts. "We invite the community to engage with the companies in multiple ways through our variety of specially-curated events, from school performances and educator workshops to thought-provoking panels, pre-performance discussions, artmaking experiences and more. No matter your familiarity with the companies or the pieces, everyone can take part in these residencies!"

In addition to the Dance at The Music Center series, The Music Center will collaborate in 2023 with longtime residency partner Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to bring Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs to multiple middle schools in Los Angeles County for a weeklong arts learning experience. The program will begin with a professional development workshop for educators, followed by classroom workshops for students that will examine the work and historical impact of Alvin Ailey, a writing project on students' self-reflection and a discussion on the choreography of Ailey masterpiece Revelations. In addition, The Music Center will work with the Ailey company to offer an AileyDance for Active Aging workshop to older adults at a local senior facility.

For tickets and information about the 20th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, visit musiccenter.org or call (213) 972-0711. The Music Center's Ticket Buyer Assurance Program protects all advance ticket purchases for dance presentations through 2023. Ticketed patrons will receive, at their request, a full refund or a credit for a future performance if Los Angeles County or the State of California elects to restrict or prohibit large gathering events at venues, resulting in the cancellation by The Music Center of dance performances due to COVID-19-related conditions. If an event is postponed or rescheduled, ticketed patrons will be moved automatically to the new performance date; however, patrons may request a refund or credit for the future. All changes must be handled prior to the purchaser's scheduled performance date

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