The Hopkins Center For The Arts At Dartmouth Announces Summer 2021 Season Featuring Pilobolus, CONTRA-TIEMPO & More

The Hopkins Center for the Arts (the Hop) announced today its upcoming summer 2021 season, which will include a dynamic range of experiences, performances, and presentations by such acclaimed companies and groups as Pilobolus, CONTRA-TIEMPO , and Dance Theatre of Harlem as well as workshops featuring inspiring leaders, thinkers, and creators from across a robust spectrum of disciplines. Following several virtual seasons necessitated by the pandemic, the Hop's summer season will welcome visitors back for in-person events, presented in and out of doors at the Hop and on Dartmouth's campus. To invite an even greater number of people to reconnect with the arts live this summer, the Hop is also collaborating with regional cultural partners to stage additional events, allowing for greater access. A roster of currently confirmed programs, including dates, times, and locations, follows below. Ticket purchases are available on the Hop's website.

This season will mark the launch of an innovative and ongoing interdisciplinary series at the Hop that will pair dance artists with professors, scholars, and students working in seemingly disparate areas of study such as astronomy and ecology. The pairings in the series, titled Big Move, will result in workshops that feature performances and engage audiences in participatory actions that explore unexpected connections and reveal new ways of thinking and creating. Among the renowned individuals slated for Big Move events this summer are dancer and choreographer Emily Coates with Elizabeth Newton, an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth, and French-Cambodian dancer Manou Phuon and American terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels. These events follow an early Big Move presentation in May that featured Alice Sheppard, a choreographer, thinker, and leader within the field of Disability Arts, and Eugene Korsunskiy, a specialist in design thinking and hands-on learning, that examined intersectional disability as an aesthetic, a culture, and a catalyst in the creative process. Big Move extends the Hop's commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration as a cornerstone of its programmatic vision.

The Hop's summer season also features an exciting homecoming for the pioneering American modern dance company Pilobolus. The company, which has created and toured over 120 pieces of repertory to more than 65 countries and is recognized for its groundbreaking approach to movement and collaboration, was founded at Dartmouth in 1971 by then students Moses Pendleton, Jonathan Wolken, and Steve Johnson when they were enrolled in a dance composition class taught by Alison Becker Chase. This summer, as Pilobolus celebrates its 50th anniversary, the company returns to the Hop once more for six performances each featuring four vintage favorites from across their extensive repertoire, presented outdoors against the verdant backdrop offered by Dartmouth's BEMA amphitheater. Pilobolus will also participate in a Big Move workshop that honors and extends its founders interdisciplinary roots and the significance of that boundary-pushing approach to their own dance and choreography.

"This summer season is not only a re-opening; it's a celebration. It reunites us with each other and with the spirit and power of the arts through live and participatory events. It is a moment to immerse ourselves in the joy and connection that dance, music, theater, and creativity in all its forms provides us," said Mary Lou Aleskie, Howard L. Gilman '44 Director of the Hopkins Center for the Arts. "This summer season also epitomizes the Hop's vision and approach to its program by offering compelling performances as well as experiences that invite audiences into our featured artists' creative processes, especially those who are in residence at the Hop such as Dance Theatre of Harlem and dancer and choreographer Emily Coates, among so many others. We are, as always, excited to invite our audiences into the artistic journeys that are taking place here at the Hop, and look forward to sharing these amazing talents with new and returning visitors."

A roster of forthcoming summer events follows below. New and additional details will continue to be added on the Hop's website.

June 2021

Pilobolus: Four@Play

Six performances each featuring four vintage dances from across the renowned American modern dance company's extensive repertoire

As Pilobolus celebrates its 50th anniversary, the visionary dance company returns to the site of its inspiration and founding: Dartmouth College. Pilobolus will stage six 45-minute performances that feature four vintage favorites, including Walklyndon, the comedic classic quartet from 1972 that initiated Pilobolus's journey to an American institution; Femme Noir, a solo that investigates the idea of image through the lens of a fading starlet; Solo from the Empty Suitor, which will delight audiences with hilarious physical feats and has pleased audiences since the eighties, and Alraune, a classic signature Pilobolus partnering duet with an abstract narrative and mind bending images. Each performance will be followed by a brief Q&A with the artists.

Times: June 24 at 7:00 PM; June 25 at 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM; June 26 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM; June 27 at 2:00 PM

Location: At Dartmouth on an outdoor stage in the BEMA amphitheater

Ticketing: Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 175. $10 minimum, with opportunity for further donation at the time of purchase. Available on the Hop website.

Big Move Workshop: Pilobolus

Interdisciplinary event featuring Pilobulous artistic Director Renée Jaworski, clinical researcher Mardi Crane-Godreau, and somatic therapist Kate Gamble.

The workshop will kick off at 5:30 PM with a 60-minute dance and movement teaching led by Pilobulous artistic Director Renée Jaworski that will explore the notion of "grace." Through a guided physical engagement, participants will focus on awareness of their bodies and motions and examine for themselves how to manifest the elusive quality of grace. This will be followed at 6:30 PM by a 45-minute conversation between Jaworski and clinical researcher Mardi Crane-Goodreau and movement practitioner Kate Gamble that reflects on embodied exercises from a somatic perspective. This event is presented in partnership with Open Door Integrative Wellness.

Time: June 24, with participatory workshop starting at 5:30 PM and the panel discussion at 6:30 PM Location: Lyman Point Park, 167 Maple St, in downtown White River Junction, VT

Ticketing: Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 30. $5 minimum, with opportunity for further donation at the time of purchase. Available on the Hop website.

Summer Concert Series: Fujiwara/Halvorson/Bynum Trio
Three performances spread across the Upper Valley featuring acclaimed musicians Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson, and Taylor Ho Bynum. Performances in Claremont, NH are co-presented by the Hopkins Center and the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts.

Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, the director of the Coast Jazz Orchestra at Dartmouth, will be joined by his two long-time collaborators Tomas Fujiwara on the drums and Mary Halvorson on guitar in their first tour as a trio in over a decade. With hundreds of concerts and dozens of recordings created over the course of more than 15 years, the compelling trio is recognized for surprising audiences with unpredictable melodies and unexpected transitions.

Times and Locations: June 25 at 6:00 PM at the Union Episcopal Church in Claremont, NH; June 26 at 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM in the courtyard at the Hop

Ticketing: Free. Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 150 at the Union Episcopal Church and 50 at the Hop courtyard. Available on the Hop website.

July 2021

CONTRA-TIEMPO: joyUS justUS

Three performances by the Los Angeles-based Activist Dance Theater of their visionary work joyUS justUS

Founded more than 15 years ago by Ana Maria Alvarez, CONTRA-TIEMPO has been dedicated to building community, facilitating dialogue, and exploring the possibilities of a just and open society through the power of dance performances. joyUS justUS is a participatory experience that positions the expression of joy as the ultimate form of resistance. Featuring stories from artists and community members from South Los Angeles, the performance explores personal truths about hope, faith, and family. Visionary and celebratory, the joyUS justUS reclaims the narratives about communities of color and gives them voice through compelling articulations of joy.

Time: July 15 at 6:00 PM; July 16 at 6:00 PM; and July 17 at 2:00 PM

Location: At Dartmouth on an outdoor stage in the BEMA amphitheater

Ticketing: Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 130. $10 minimum, with opportunity for further donation at the time of purchase. Available on the Hop website.

Dance Theatre of Harlem: Works in Progress

Three experiences that draw on the acclaimed dance company's extensive repertoire, which celebrates African-American culture and the expressive significance of dance, as well as new ideas in progress

The Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to the Hop for their second residency year as part of a three-year collaboration. The renowned company will engage audiences in three experiences that build on their teachings and research, which is focused on modeling how art can promote understanding across differences and is a central aspect of their residency at the Hop. Each experience will be distinctly different, with the first week focused on Dance Theatre of Harlem's interpretations and evocations of the Pas de Deux; the second week on renowned artist Dianne McIntyre's Changes; and the third week on a project in development between Dance Theatre of Harlem and Dartmouth students and faculty. The experiences capture both the company's iconic work and new and exciting ideas in progress.

Time: July 15 at 5:00 PM; July 22 at 5:30 PM; and July 29 at 6:00 PM

Location: Moore Theatre at the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth

Ticketing: Free. Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 50. Available on the Hop website.

Big Move Workshop: Under the Stars

Interdisciplinary event featuring dancer and choreographer Emily Coates and Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Elizabeth Newton

Dancer and choreographer Emily Coates will collaborate with Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Elizabeth Newton to create a singular evening experience exploring the relationship between choreography and astronomy. The evening will include a workshop led by Coates, in which participants will be encouraged to create their own personal choreographies inspired by stargazing. This event is part of Emily Coates' residency at the Hop from July 15-25. Participants are encouraged to bring a notebook and a pen or pencil, and wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Open and accessible to all physical abilities and backgrounds, the movements will be adapted to individual's needs.

Time: July 23 at 8:00 PM

Location: Shattuck Observatory at Dartmouth

Ticketing: Free. Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 30. Available on the Hop website.

Big Move Workshop: Rituals of Nature

Interdisciplinary event featuring French-Cambodian dancer Emmanuèle Phuon and American terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels

The Hop invites participants to join an ecological tour and movement workshop with the French-Cambodian dancer Emmanuèle Phuon and American terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels. Drawing on their shared respect and awe of nature, Phuon and Wessels will explore the history of the land and trees and use our bodies to connect to them in a sensible, embodied, and inclusive way. The event will include an ecological tour and talk with Tom Wessels followed by a workshop led by Phuon rooted in Cambodian traditional movement. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable footwear. This event is part of Manou Phuon's residency at the Hop from July 15-25. Participants of all ages and experiences are welcome. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Time: July 24 | Time TBD
Location: Forest adjacent to the Montshire Museum

Ticketing: Free. Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 20. Available on the Hop website.

Summer Concert Series: Pedro Giraudo Quartet

A concert focused on the sounds of the tango by The Latin Grammy Award winner Pedro Giraudo Quartet

After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, virtuoso bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing and since then has become one of the most compelling tango artists worldwide. This live outdoor performance captures Giraudo's innovative approach, which brings something new and exciting to the form while retaining all the lushness and beauty of tango.

Times and Locations: August 5 at 7:00 PM in the courtyard at the Hop; August 6 at 6:00 PM at the Union Episcopal Church in Claremont NH

Ticketing: Free. Advance ticket required. Capacity limit of 150 at the Union Episcopal Church and 50 at the Hop courtyard. Available on the Hop website.

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