Pittsburgh Dance Council Announces 2021-2022 Season

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2021-2022 Season, celebrating its 51st year, opens in November 2021 at the Byham Theater and wholeheartedly welcomes everyone back to the Cultural District to experience being a part of live performances again on stage.

Randal Miller, Director of Dance Programming and Special Projects for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust shares, "This 51st season of dance will feature a diversity of artists to entertain, connect, challenge, and reframe the understanding of our community as it relates to the content of these works and dance as an art form. The lineup includes some artists whose performances were canceled due to the pandemic and several new ones including two U.S. premiere engagements. I am very excited to relaunch the Pittsburgh Dance Council series with the opening event by Pittsburgh native Kyle Abraham and his company A.I.M in partnership with the Kelly Strayhorn Theater."

"It is an honor to support dance through this long-standing series and the 51st season will continue this legacy by showcasing some of America's most established and respected movement artists alongside emerging international companies. It will also include a large scale outdoor and site-specific work that has become a trademark of the Pittsburgh Dance Council and our goal to reframe how our community perceives dance," comments Mr. Miller.

Pittsburgh Dance Council 2021-2022 Season

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (United States)

Saturday, November 13, 2021
8:00 p.m.
Byham Theater
Presented by Pittsburgh Dance Council in partnership with Kelly Strayhorn Theater

An Untitled Love

An Untitled Love is Kyle Abraham's newest evening-length work. Drawing from the catalogue of Grammy Award-winning R&B legend D'Angelo, this creative exaltation pays homage to the complexities of self-love and the Black love, while serving as a thumping mixtape celebrating our culture, family, and community.

Led by Artistic Director and Pittsburgh native Kyle Abraham, whose accolades include being named a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and 2016 Doris Duke recipient, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham creates work that is galvanized by Black history and culture, and characterized by a sensual and provocative vocabulary that is informed by a vital blend of artistic influences.

This engagement is presented in partnership with the Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) and will include a full week of residency activities, events and performances centered around Mr. Abraham as part of KST's My People Festival which celebrates BIPOC queer and trans-people of color. KST's festival will conclude with the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2021-2022 season opening presentation of Mr. Abraham's newest work, An Untitled Love, at the Byham Theater. For more information about KST's My People Festival, please visit kelly-strayhorn.org.

Botis Seva | Far From The Norm (United Kingdom)

Friday, February 18, 2022
8 p.m.
Byham Theater

BLKDOG
U.S. Premiere Tour

Vital and gripping, BLKDOG is Botis Seva's Olivier award winning, haunting commentary on surviving adulthood as a childlike artist. A genre-defying blend of hip hop dance and free form antics, BLKDOG explores the inner battlefield of an aging artist trying to retain his youth.

With music from long standing collaborator Torben Lars Sylvest and performed by Botis' powerhouse company Far From The Norm, BLKDOG searches for coping mechanisms in the ultimate hunt for acceptance.

Pilobolus (United States)

April 9, 2022
Byham Theater
8:00 p.m.

BIG FIVE-OH!

For this fiftieth anniversary celebration, Pilobolus questions its own "givens," turns its traditions sideways, and brings its past into the future - in a thoroughly engaging new way. As fresh and vibrant as ever, Pilobolus - that feisty arts organism- puts the "Oh!" in BIG FIVE OH!, and continues to morph its way thrillingly into audiences' hearts and minds. The celebration includes signature works from vintage classics to their trend setting innovative work in shadow. For more information, visit pilobolus.org

Complexions Contemporary Ballet (United States)

May 7, 2022

8:00 p.m.

Byham Theater

Bach 25 and Woke

Combining technical precision, power and passion, Complexions Contemporary Ballet transcends tradition in a groundbreaking mix of styles ranging from ballet to hip hop. Founded by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden, former members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the company has been featured several times on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance.

Showcasing the company's dynamism, the evening's program features two contrasting pieces: Bach 25, a fast-paced, jubilant work celebrating the music of classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach, and Woke, a sociopolitical work set to a remix of music by Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Drake, Diplo, and more.

Motionhouse (United Kingdom)

June, 2022
Times/Location: to be announced, free and open to the public
Special Event, Part of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Torque
U.S. Premiere
Outdoor genre-bending adventure

Motionhouse creates world class dance-circus productions that tour extensively to rave reviews across the globe. Their stunning productions integrate athletic physicality, powerful narrative, and an emotive sound score, taking inspiration from common human concerns and our connection to the world in which we live.

A whirlwind of excitement and thrilling entertainment for all ages, Torque is a fast-paced show which sees four performers dancing in an extraordinary partnership with two JCB construction vehicles in a display of strength and agility. The piece premiered at the International Dance Festival Birmingham in 2016 and will make its U.S. debut during the 2022 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Motionhouse is supported by Arts Council England with additional support from Warwick District Council and is a Hippodrome Associate Artist.

Tickets

Single tickets (as low as $10) for the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2021-2022 Season (51st presenting season) will be available at a later date at TrustArts.org/DANCE, by calling Guest Services 412-456-6666.

Subscription packages are available for $40-$220. To subscribe, call 412-456-1390. Groups of 10 or more tickets, please call 412-471-6930. For more information visit, TrustArts.org/DANCE.

Information about Know Before You Go: Health and Safety Protocols, visit: TrustArts.org/Health.

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