American contemporary dance companies, emerging international artists, world premieres, and returning dance icons selected to inspire and enthrall Pittsburgh audiences
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the Pittsburgh Dance Council 2023-2024 season, celebrating its 53rd anniversary. The season will feature performances by renowned American contemporary dance companies and emerging international artists at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Byham Theater in Pittsburgh’s world-renowned Cultural District.
This season of extraordinary repertoire continues to grow the Cultural Trust’s commitment to this ever-changing and inspiring art form, welcome new audiences, and support thousands of artists from the U.S. and around the globe.
Randal Miller, Director of Special Projects and Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, shares, “I am very excited about this season’s visionary artists and repertoire that will grace the Byham Theater stage. The Dance Council’s legacy as a presenter has diligently supported and created opportunities that connect us through dance and continues to seek diverse artistry to expand our horizon of experiences. We look forward to hosting these artists and for our community to be part of each unique evening of dance.”
Pittsburgh Dance Council 2023-2024 Season
Rocío Molina (Spain) U.S. Premiere Tour | Saturday, September 23, 2023
Spanish choreographer Rocío Molina has coined her own artistic language based on a reinvented traditional flamenco style that respects its essence but embraces the avant-garde. Radically free, she combines technical virtuosity, contemporary research, and conceptual risk in her pieces. The Spanish Ministry of Culture awarded Molina, a graduate of the Royal Dance Conservatory in Madrid, the National Award for Dance at age 26. Recently she was awarded the 2022 Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports and the 2022 Silver Lion Award for Dance at the Venice Biennale.
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, loudly declaring that flamenco is an expression of freedom that cannot and should not be domesticated. Contains partial nudity. rociomolina.net
Grupo Corpo (Brazil) | Saturday, October 14, 2023
In one impactful evening, the historic Brazilian dance theatre company Grupo Corpo shares their works Gil Refazendo and Gira. Led by the duo Paulo & Rodrigo Pederneiras, and with over 40 choreographies, this contemporary company has performed worldwide, sharing their rhythmic, modern, cerebral, and distinct cultural works.
Gil Refazendo is set to and inspired by the music of one of the godfathers of Brazilian music, Gilberto Gil, and encapsulates the essences of renewing, rebuilding, revising, reviving, and remaking. Gira responds to the universe of Afro-Brazilian religions—re(constructing) the powerful glossary of gestures and movement accessed from the religions and ceremonies. Contains partial nudity. grupocorpo.com.br
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (United States) 50th Anniversary Program| Saturday, February 10, 2024
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo brings its internationally beloved troupe of male dancers to Pittsburgh to perform a brilliant combination of skillful pointe work and hilarious parodying of classical ballet favorites. Founded in New York City in 1974, the company, affectionately known as the Trocks, began by appearing in late-late shows in off-off Broadway lofts for small audiences who appreciated the iconoclastic humor of it all. In the 50 years since then, the company has grown to achieve great appeal among more mainstream audiences who, each season, flock to theaters worldwide to see these prima ballerinas perform. Revered by ballet aficionados and the uninitiated—those who don’t know a plié from a jeté—the Trocks are “a guaranteed hoot for people who know nothing of ballet and an absolute must for those who think they know the originals,” ─Star Observer. trockadero.org
Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company (United States) | Saturday, March 2, 2024
The acclaimed and sought-after choreographer Ronald K. Brown and EVIDENCE, A Dance Company from Brooklyn, New York, return to Pittsburgh with captivating new works. For over 30 years, EVIDENCE has focused on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word—and has provided a unique view of human struggles, tragedies, and triumphs. “No major choreographer has worked harder to bring spiritual awareness to the human heart than Ronald K. Brown,” ─The Washington Post.
Brown’s new work, The Equality of Night and Day, examines concepts of balance, equity, and fairness in light of the conflicting present-day issues faced by young people, women, and people of color. Open Door provides a journey into Afro-Cuban social and traditional dance forms embodying the music of Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble. evidencedance.com
Vertigo Dance Company (Israel) | Pittsburgh Debut | Saturday, April 20, 2024
Founded by Noa Wertheim and Adi Shaal, Vertigo Dance Company has been sharing their work for over 30 years—providing audiences with unexpected and exciting journeys of unfamiliar territories. Having established a distinct presence in the contemporary dance scene in Israel and around the globe, Vertigo Dance Company has become a worldwide Ambassador for Israeli Art. Through Noa Wertheim‘s unique artistic, creative expression and movement, Vertigo is committed to expanding the boundaries of dance to raise social and environmental awareness.
In Makom (Hebrew for “Place”), Noa Wertheim engages spirituality with existentialism, our inner world with life around us. By carefully navigating between these poles, Noa turns movement into inspiration as part of “our perpetuate quest for the place that engages us with ourselves,” she says. vertigo.org.il/en
MOMIX (United States) | Friday, May 10* and Saturday, May 11, 2024
*also part of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s 2023-2024 Dentons Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents
Known internationally for presenting work of exceptional inventiveness and physical beauty, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists under the direction of Moses Pendleton. Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. “I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story,” Pendleton says, “but to use it as a taking off point for invention.” Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure as Alice encounters time-honored characters, including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises. Filled with visual splendor and startling creative movement, Alice reveals that nothing in MOMIX’s world is as it seems! momix.com
All performances are at the Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street, in the Pittsburgh Cultural District, and begin at 8:00 p.m.
Subscription packages are on sale now. For more information, visit: TrustArts.org/DANCE or call 412-456-6666. Single tickets will be available at a later date, by visiting TrustArts.org/DANCE, or calling Guest Services at 412-456-6666.
Categories: Season Listings
Leave a Reply