National Ballet of Spain. Dir. Rubén Olmo
Invocation
NEW YORK CITY CENTER - March 08 - 10, 2024
Invocation is a program that intertwines various styles of dance through different choreographies, ranging from bolero school, stylized dance, to the most vibrant and powerful flamenco. The show consists of several pieces, including: Bolero Invocation, one of the few recent choreographies of bolero school where Olmo has aimed to update the essence of this traditional dance, one of the most complex disciplines to execute. Eternal Iberia, choreographed by Antonio Najarro, represents the classic Spanish style that identifies the National Ballet of Spain. Invocation also marks the first time in the history of the Ballet that a choreography by Mario Maya, a reference in the world of Spanish dance for his genius and sensitivity, is included. He was a pioneer, one of the most tireless researchers of our time, and the creator of risky and innovative productions such as De lo Flamenco, created by Maya in 1994 for the Andalusian Company (now the Ballet Flamenco of Andalusia). Almost 30 years later, Rubén Olmo reproduces this flamenco suite for the National Ballet of Spain, incorporating two new choreographies, Taranto and Romance del emplazado, created by two disciples of Mario Maya: Rafaela Carrasco and Isabel Bayón.
INNOVATORS & ICONS
FEB 15, 23, 24 MAT, 25, 27, 28
DIVE INTO WORKS FROM CHOREOGRAPHERS PAST AND PRESENT
A world premiere ballet by Alexei Ratmansky, who joins the Company as artist in residence this season, forms the centerpiece of this program. Jerome Robbins’s Opus 19/The Dreamer casts an elusive spell with its imagery of a nocturnal journey into the mysteries of the mind, with a muse-like figure haunting the imagination of the dreamer of the title. The program concludes with Balanchine’s iconic leotard ballet Symphony in Three Movements, a dance alive with electric energy.
BAAND Together Dance Festival
FREE
Lincoln Center Presents Damrosch Park July 25, 2023 at 7:30 pm July 26, 2023 at 7:30 pm July 27, 2023 at 7:30 pm July 28, 2023 at 7:30 pm July 29, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Ballet Hispánico in Linea Recta; photo by Paula Lobo
See five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—together on one stage as the BAAND Together Dance Festival returns to Damrosch Park for five midsummer nights!
PROGRAM FOR ALL FIVE NIGHTS
Ballet Hispánico – Línea Recta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Creative and Casting Information From one of today’s most sought-after choreographers comes a powerful and resonant work exploring an intriguing flamenco dance aspect: the conspicuous absence of physical partnering. While maintaining the integrity and hallmark passion of the genre, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa imagines an original and explosive movement language premised upon the theme of partnership and performed to flamenco guitar by Eric Vaarzon Morel. Línea Recta was commissioned in part by The Apollo Theater and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
Gillian Murphy in Jerome Robbin's - Other Dances - Photo Rosalie O'Conner
American Ballet Theatre – Other Dances by Jerome Robbins Creative and Casting Information Other Dances was created by Jerome Robbins specifically to showcase the legendary technique and artistry of Natalia Makarova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who premiered the pas de deux in 1976, and it has since been performed by leading dancers in other major companies. Set to a waltz and four mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin, Other Dances features a series of Polish folk-inspired choreography that pays homage to Chopin’s romanticism and the purity of classical ballet technique.
Dance Theatre of Harlem Company in Nyman String Quartet No. 2 - Photo by Nina Wurtzel
Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No. 2 by Robert Garland Creative and Casting Information Set to Michael Nyman’s String Quartet No. 2, Robert Garland continues his signature exploration of the intersection of cultures that is contemporary America. Complex and witty, this sophisticated work shows off the unique capacity of the company’s artists to code-switch with abandon.
World Premiere of Pas de O'Farrill by Pedro Ruiz, a collaboration between Ballet Hispánico & New York City Ballet, commissioned by Lincoln Center Creative and Casting Information In tribute to the music of Latin Jazz sensation Arturo O'Farrill, Pedro Ruiz takes on the classical ballet form and fuses it with the movement and essences of the Afro-Cuban diasporic legacy. The duet seeks to immerse the classical technique with the Latinx voice and expand the idea of what ballet is and can be.
Alvin Ailey - Brown's Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown - Photo by Paul Kolnik
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown (7/25, 7/26, 7/28, 7/29) Creative and Casting Information Ronald K. Brown pays tribute to Judith Jamison’s profound influence with a new work that echoes the title of Jamison’s autobiography. Set to music by Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and War, Brown’s evocative choreography uses movement from Cuba, Brazil and the United States to conjure dancing spirits who embody Jamison’s elegance, vision, dignity and generosity.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – For Four and Takademe Robert Battle (7/27) Creative and Casting Information Take four amazing Ailey dancers and add in Wynton Marsalis’ delicious jazz score – written in 4/4 time – and you’ll understand why Robert Battle cheekily titled this exuberant short work For Four. Originally created as the opening video segment for the 2021 Ailey Spring Gala virtual broadcast, Battle used the pent-up energy of a world that had largely been cooped up for the prior 15 months during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Battle’s bravura work Takademe, the choreographer mixes humor and high-flying movement in a savvy deconstruction of Indian Kathak dance rhythms. Clear shapes and propulsive jumps mimic the vocalized syllables of Sheila Chandra's syncopated score.
New York City Ballet - Taylor Stanley and Daniel Applebaum in Justin Peck's The Times Are Racing
New York City Ballet – The Times Are Racing by Justin Peck Creative and Casting Information Justin Peck's The Times Are Racing is a sneaker ballet that sees its dancers in streetwear, drawing inspiration from a variety of dance styles while matching Dan Deacon’s electronic score with youthful impulse and vigor. The work is set to the last four tracks of Deacon’s expansive 2012 album, America, marking Peck's second collaboration with fashion designer Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony, and has lighting design by Peck’s frequent collaborator Brandon Stirling Baker.
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Guest Experience at 212-875-5456 or guestexperience@lincolncenter.org.
NewYork City Center
Dance Theatre of Harlem
April 19 - 23, 2023
Two dynamic programs display Dance Theatre of Harlem’s unique and significant vision for ballet, celebrating resiliency, inclusivity, and innovation. The Company’s extraordinary dancers shine in two New York premieres: William Forsythe’s Blake Works IV, the latest installment of the choreographer’s continuously evolving work The Barre Project; and a new ballet by Tiffany Rea-Fisher set to an original score created by New York-based DJ and composer Erica Blunt (aka Twelve45) and inspired by the trailblazing Hazel Scott, the classical and jazz musician and civil rights activist. A program of works featuring Resident Choreographer Robert Garland's latest hit, Higher Ground—named one the best performances of 2022 by The New York Times—as well as Artistic Director Virginia Johnson’s favorite George Balanchine ballet—the joyous Allegro Brillante—will also be presented. Join us for the audacious vision for classical ballet!
NYU SKIRBALL
NYU Skirballis located at 566 LaGuardia Place April 21 - 22, 2023