Dance at The Music Center Announces 2019/2020 Season

From artistic heritage to modern expression, the 17th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center (Dance at The Music Center) will exhibit the mystery and magic of some of the dance world's greatest artistic and diverse voices through movement, emotion and interpretation. With five presentations in the Dance at The Music Center's 2019/2020 season, audiences will experience daring and captivating performances and large-scale productions of beloved masterpieces from a wide-ranging group of world-renowned companies. The Music Center's upcoming dance offerings will also provide Los Angeles audiences with the rare opportunity to see the first U.S. performance, since its 1991 New York debut, of Pina Bausch's groundbreaking Palermo Palermo.

Last seen at The Music Center in 2015, the renowned Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra open the 2019/2020 season with George Balanchine's Jewels (October 24-27, 2019), the world's first three-act ballet without a dedicated story that was inspired by the famed choreographer's trip to Van Cleef & Arpels in 1967. The international season continues with a national treasure-the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 18-22, 2020) returns for seven performances in 2020. The spring brings The Music Center's presentation of Germany's Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch with its Palermo Palermo (April 17-19, 2020), a modern work not staged anywhere in North America in nearly 30 years. Palermo Palermo is known for its dichotomy of grim horror and surreal humor. May 2020 marks the return of Cuban sensation Malpaso Dance Company (May 15-17, 2020) since its exciting Los Angeles debut in 2017. The season closes with the Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company making its first-ever appearances at The Music Center with Giselle (July 24-26, 2020), a centuries-old seminal work considered one of the most romantic and most challenging ballets to dance.

The 17th season of Dance at The Music Center will also offer a special bonus option for subscribers with New Adventures's production of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (December 3, 2019-January 5, 2020) presented by Center Theatre Group in association with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. Thrilling, audacious, witty and emotive, this "Swan Lake" is perhaps still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered conventions, turned tradition upside down and took the dance world by storm.

"The body has an amazing power to express what words cannot, making dance a universal language that transcends time and culture," said Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. "It's the one art form where the emotion and fluidity seen on stage speaks directly to our inner passions. We, the audience, get lost in the moment-caught between music and motion and the spectacle of the artistry and athleticism dancers exhibit. We're so pleased to present wide-ranging works next season, many of which are massive productions, often with live orchestra, that only The Music Center can present. Los Angeles is going to find the depth and breadth of this season quite extraordinary!"

"Audiences young and old, new and returning to The Music Center will find an ideal mix of dance styles and traditions next season," added Josephine Ramirez, executive vice president, The Music Center Arts. "From the Balanchine to Bausch, Dance at The Music Center defies categorization in 2019/2020, presenting transcendent, global art."

As part of its commitment to deepening the cultural lives of Angelenos, The Music Center will supplement a number of the dance engagements with free arts education programs, including school performances, teacher workshops, pre-performance panel discussions and more. Every year, The Music Center's Student Dance Matinee Program welcomes thousands of students throughout Los Angeles County to experience world-class dance performances that celebrate the diversity of Los Angeles communities, and inspire students and educators to engage with dance and movement, visual storytelling and the creative process. During the 2019/2020 Dance at The Music Center season, local students will attend special performances by the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra on Friday, October 25, 2019, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on Thursday, March 19, 2020, and Malpaso Dance Company in May 2020. Each performance also features a post-show discussion with members of the dance company and includes comprehensive study guides for teachers to share with students prior to attending.

Season subscriptions for Dance at The Music Center are on sale now. Single tickets will be available for purchase on August 5, 2019, for the 2019 engagements. Single tickets for the 2020 engagements will go on sale October 14, 2019. For tickets and information, call (213) 972-0711 or visit musiccenter.org.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, a program of The Music Center Arts (TMC Arts), is one of the leading presenters of dance on the West Coast. The celebrated series offers significant works by prestigious ballet and contemporary dance artists from around the world. Now entering its 17th year, Dance at The Music Center is a powerful commissioning force, supporting new works and artists-in-residence projects by today's most influential companies and choreographers. Performances take place throughout The Music Center, including the historic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the distinctive Ahmanson Theatre and the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall, and in locations around the Los Angeles area.

Center Dance Arts is proud to celebrate 20 years as the founding supporter of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center. Center Dance Arts offers members the opportunity to support world class dance engagements and commission future masterpieces, inspire thousands of children with student performances, school assemblies and masterclasses, as well as interact with celebrated dancers and distinguished dance luminaries at exclusive events that enrich audiences' passion for dance. For more information, visit musiccenter.org/centerdancearts

The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. The non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: The Music Center Arts (TMC Arts) and The Music Center Operations (TMC Ops). TMC Arts, The Music Center's programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center's four theatres, on The Music Center Plaza, outside at Grand Park-a 12-acre adjacent green space-and in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as K-12 arts education programs. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the plaza and Grand Park on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies-Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org.

Photo Credit: Brescia-Amisano, Teatro alla Scala, Andrew Eccles, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Meyer Originals

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