The 52nd season will showcase a diverse roster of national and international returning artists, premieres, and world-renowned contemporary dance companies.
Pittsburgh Dance Council welcomes the return of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, celebrating its 40th anniversary, and Ballet Hispánico, whose repertoire elevates the voices of the Latinx community. Dance premieres have been part of the Dance Council’s visionary presenting history. This 52nd season is no exception and showcases the Pittsburgh premieres by international artists RUBBERBAND, Le Patin Libre, and Rocío Molina.
Two season specials will feature events in public spaces by STREB EXTREME ACTION, this June 2022 and dance + visual arts by Hiroaki Umeda at Wood Street Galleries in December.
The 2022-2023 season will conclude with the exciting return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This award-winning, internationally renowned U.S. dance company has been showcased in past seasons, including the Dance Council’s first presenting season.
Pittsburgh Dance Council 2022-2023 Season
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
September 17, 2022
Byham Theater
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Alonzo King LINES Ballet. For 40 years, LINES Ballet has inspired students, artists, and nearly 2 million audience members worldwide to envision their fullest, most compassionate, most extraordinary potential. Gorgeous, stunning dancers with impeccable technique make Alonzo King LINES Ballet special. Like none other, Alonzo King creates an unforgettable dialogue between movement and music.
Ballet Hispánico
November 19, 2022
Byham Theater
18+1, Con Brazos Abiertos, and Línea Recta
Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy for over fifty years. It is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America’s Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latinx cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences.
Returning to the Byham stage after more than a decade, Ballet Hispánico will perform a mixed repertory program that draws from musical influences ranging from Pérez Prado’s mambo music (18+1) to Julio Iglesias and rock en Español (Con Brazos Abiertos) to flamenco (Línea Recta).
RUBBERBAND Pittsburgh area premiere
January 21, 2023
Byham Theater
Choreographer Victor Quijada and his RUBBERBAND have redefined breakdance codes within an institutional context, enlivened the Quebec dance scene, and opened the way for new creators fascinated by this dance form. Quijada is the creator of the RUBBERBAND Method, an electrifying dance vocabulary combining the energy of Hip Hop, the refinement of classical ballet, and the angular quality of contemporary dance.
Ever So Slightly explores the behavioral mechanisms and reflexes we develop against the ceaseless flow of irritants featured in top form; a live DJ, a musician, and a wide-open venue bombard us in our daily lives. Most of us long for calm and resilience, but how do we get to a zone where noise and aggressivity no longer have a place? Simultaneously delivering delicacy, brutality, finesse, and high-voltage action, the choreographer conveys all the energy in urgency, revolt, chaos, and flight.
Le Patin Libre Pittsburgh area premiere
March 9-11, 2023
The UPMC Rink at PPG Place, 100 Three PPG Place
Le Patin Libre is a contemporary ice-skating company from Montreal, initially founded in 2005 by ex-high-level figure skaters. They regrouped, intending to transform their athleticism into a means of free expression. Far from sparkles, stereotypes, and champions’ demos, the creations of Le Patin Libre propose real works of art exploiting the choreographic and theatrical potential of glide.
In Carte Blanche, a new work being developed specifically for Pittsburgh, the company will revisit parts of their showstopping repertory and debut innovative new material. This special event will take place at The UPMC Rink at PPG Place.
Rocío Molina U.S. Premiere Tour
April 5, 2023
Byham Theater
Spanish choreographer Rocío Molina has coined her own artistic language based on a traditional flamenco style that respects its essence and embraces the avant-garde. A graduate of the Royal Dance Conservatory in Madrid, Molina was awarded the National Award for Dance by the Spanish Ministry of Culture at age 26.
In Caída del Cielo (Fallen From Heaven), Molina contrasts light and darkness, celestial and savage. Accompanied by a live band, Molina’s dancing goes deep into her roots while pushing the norms of movement and gender. Declaring that flamenco is an expression of freedom that cannot and should not be domesticated. Contains partial nudity.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
May 9, 2023
Benedum Center
Presented by BNY Mellon
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s much-anticipated return to the Benedum stage is reason to rejoice for both the dancers and fans. Enjoy a mixed repertory program that includes contemporary works and the beloved signature work Revelations, a universal anthem of resilience that resounds anew more than 60 years after its premiere. Revel in the passion these extraordinary dancers bring to each program, the skill and artistry no pandemic can diminish, and the communal joy of live performance.
Pittsburgh Dance Council Season Specials, part of the 2022-2023 Season
STREB EXTREME ACTION
June 3-5, 2022
Free, outdoor public spectacle
Location: Pittsburgh’s Cultural District
Performance times and location to be announced.
This event is a Pittsburgh Dance Council season special, also part of the 2022 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
MacArthur Award-winning choreographer Elizabeth Streb is known for “her loud, unflinching explorations of physics” and has “devised what looks like her own Olympic sport” (The New York Times).
STREB EXTREME ACTION revisits its roots with a retrospective of Elizabeth Streb’s classic solos from the 70s to extreme action opuses with the large-scale “action machines” the company has since become known for from the early 21st century. This historical look back connects their experimental path with the extreme action of their current and future works.
Hiroaki Umeda – Pittsburgh area premiere
December 28-31, 2022
Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood Street (above the Wood Street T-Station.
Intensional Particle -mHiroaki Umeda is a choreographer and a multidisciplinary artist recognized as one of the leading figures of the Japanese avant-garde art scene. Since the launch of his company S20, his subtle yet violent dance pieces have toured worldwide to audience and critical acclaim. His work is acknowledged for the highly holistic artistic methodology with a strong digital background, which considers physical elements as dance and optical, sensorial and, above all, spatiotemporal components as part of the choreography. The piece showcases Umeda’s signature style of mixing digital imagery, minimal soundscape, and extremely potent corporeality.
For more information and tickets visit: TrustArts.org/DANCE
Categories: Arts and Ideas
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