FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2009
Washington, DC—CityDance Ensemble announces the programs and repertory for its 2009 fall home performance season, featuring the company’s premiere of Paul Taylor’s Last Look and choreography by international guest artists. Under the artistic leadership of Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson and Rehearsal Director & Choreographer-in-Residence Christopher K. Morgan, CityDance’s 2009 fall season marks the company’s annual return to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and fifth year as the resident dance partner at the Music Center at Strathmore.
“Our 2009 fall season builds upon the remarkable, and in some ways startling, success of the 2008-2009 season,” comments Emerson. “The work that we did last season both in DC and around the world had career- and life-changing impact on the artists of CityDance. Heading into next season, this impact is reflected in the international nature of our choreography by artists from the Middle East and South America and the focus we have on speaking to social and environmental issues in a way that is challenging, inspiring, and entertaining.”
CityDance Ensemble’s 2009 fall season consists of four performances within two programs, with one program at the Terrace Theater in The Kennedy Center (2700 F Street NW, Washington, DC) and one program in the intimate Room 405 at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, N. Bethesda, MD).
In addition to these programs, CityDance will participate in VelocityDC, the inaugural performance of an annual dance festival modeled after New York City’s Fall for Dance Festival. Taking place October 2 & 3 in Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW, Washington, DC), VelocityDC showcases CityDance Ensemble, Washington Ballet, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, and other local favorites at the accessible ticket price of $15. CityDance will premiere Paul Taylor’s 1985 masterwork Last Look, becoming the first company other than Paul Taylor’s own to ever
perform this dance. VelocityDC is presented through the collaboration of CityDance Ensemble, Washington Ballet, Washington Performing Arts Society, Dance/MetroDC, and Shakespeare Theatre Company.
“We are thrilled to be part of VelocityDC and look forward to sharing the stage with other talented dancers and dance companies,” says CityDance Executive Director Alexandra Nowakowski. “In bringing together a variety of artists, choreographers, and styles on the same program, our hope is that this first presentation of VelocityDC engages new dance audiences and sets the stage for the festival’s success and expansion in the years to come.”
CityDance’s upcoming season introduces the winners of last season’s Next choreography commission for emerging artists: Alex Neoral (Brazil), Rachel Erdos (Israel), and Gregory Dolbashian (New York). Throughout the season, these three choreographers will spend time in Washington rehearsing with CityDance to prepare their pieces for performance during the 2009-2010 season.
“CityDance has always had an interest in finding the newest voices in dance,” notes Emerson. “The artists we selected from our first choreography commission have an enormous talent that will keep driving the field of contemporary dance forward. To be able to put the works of an established artist like Paul Taylor next to the works by these young choreographers in the same season is exciting, rewarding, and rare.”
In keeping with the company’s commitment to creating art that speaks about climate change, CityDance continues to build its repertoire of environmentally conscious dances during the 2009 fall season. A highlight includes the world premiere of company member Jason Garcia Ignacio’s The Mountain, a dance about the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in Ignacio’s native Philippines. With a score created from the sound data of volcanic seismic readings, The Mountain will premiere September 10 & 11 at 6pm on The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.
Augmenting CityDance’s 2009 fall roster of choreographers are Isabel Croxatto, a Chilean choreographer who shares CityDance’s interest in art related to climate change; Larry Keigwin, a New York-based artist known for his humor and wit; and CityDance’s own Paul Gordon Emerson and Christopher K. Morgan.
The 2009 fall season is host to a variety of programs and choreographers that highlight the versatility, dynamism, and athleticism of CityDance Ensemble. Complete with world premieres and celebrated favorites, this season promises to engage and educate an audience of long-time dance fans and new dance enthusiasts alike.
CITYDANCE ENSEMBLE 2009 FALL SEASON
Latitude
Thursday, October 29, 2009 • 7:30pm
Friday, October 30, 2009 • 7:30pm
Terrace Theater, The Kennedy Center
On the heels of CityDance's tours to the Middle East and Chile, Latitude brings choreographers from around the world to the DC stage for an evening of contemporary dance that knows no boundaries. Featuring dances from up-and-coming choreographers Rachel Erdos of Israel, Isabel Croxatto of Chile, and Alex Neoral of Brazil Latitude reveals that the origins and intersects of art are only a matter of degree.
Tickets for Latitude are $20, $34, and $55 and are available through the Kennedy Center Box Office now:
1) Online: www.kennedy-center.org
2) Phone: 202.467.4600 • Toll Free: 800.444.1324 • TTY: 202.416.8524
3) In Person: John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street NW • Washington, DC • 20566
10am-9pm Monday-Saturday • 12-9pm Sunday
Crush
Friday, December 4, 2009 • 8pm
Saturday, December 5, 2009 • 8pm
Room 405, Music Center at Strathmore
So many places to feel the crush...on a busy sidewalk, on a highway during rush hour, and now in performance as CityDance brings audiences face-to-face with the physicality and force of contemporary dance. In the new piece Crush by Artistic Director Paul Gordon Emerson, CityDance captures the energy and emotion of dance and brings it closer than imagined. Paired with other dances by some of today's most exciting choreographers, Crush is a not-to-be-missed evening of CityDance’s signature power, passion, and purpose.
Tickets for Crush are $20 and are available through the Music Center at Strathmore Ticket Office. Tickets are available starting August 21, 2009:
1) Online: www.strathmore.org
2) Phone: 301.581.5100 • TTY: 711 for Maryland residents or 800.735.2258 out-of-state
3) In Person: Strathmore Ticket Office
5301 Tuckerman Lane • North Bethesda, MD • 20852
10am-5pm Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri • 10am-9pm Wed • 10am-2pm Sat
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT VELOCITYDC
VelocityDC Dance Festival
Friday, October 2, 2009 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 3, 2009 • 7:30pm
Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts
VelocityDC features CityDance Ensemble, Washington Ballet, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Gesel Mason, Cie. Willi Dorner, and other special guests. The festival also includes a late night “Rock and Roll” dance cabaret, plus special street performances and showcases. VelocityDC is a special partnership between Washington Performing Arts Society, Dance/MetroDC, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington Ballet and CityDance Ensemble.
Tickets for VelocityDC are $15 and are available through the Harman Center for the Arts – Sidney Harman Hall Ticket Office. Tickets are available starting August 21:
1) Online: www.harmancenter.org
2) Phone: 202.547.1122 • Toll Free: 877.487.8849 • TTY: 202.638.3863
3) In Person: Harman Center for the Arts – Sidney Harman Hall Box Office
610 F Street • Washington, DC • 20004
10am-6pm Monday-Saturday • 12-6pm Sunday
About CityDance Ensemble, Inc.
CityDance Ensemble, Inc. is the parent organization to CityDance Ensemble, a professional contemporary dance company that performs locally and around the world; CityDance Early Arts, an outreach program that provides free dance classes and performances to children in underserved neighborhoods; CityDance Center at Strathmore, a dance school for youth and adults with a pre-professional training program for teens; and CityDance FilmWORKS, a creator of original dance-on-camera productions. The mission of CityDance Ensemble, Inc. is to advance the appreciation for and participation in the art of dance through excellence in performance, education, film, and artistic innovation.
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