Nederlands Dans Theater 2 To Perform U.S. Premiere Of Marco Goecke's Midnight Raga

Nederlands Dans Theater 2 will present the U.S. premiere of Marco Goecke's Midnight Raga at New York City Center's 2018 Fall for Dance Festival on October 5 & 6 at 8 pm. Midnight Raga, (2017), set to Indian music by Ravi Shankar, is a duet performed by Surimi Fukushi and Adam Russell Jones.

Marco Goecke, an associate choreographer with NDT since 2013, made his first choreographic work in 2000. His latest works for the company are Hello Earth (2014); Thin Skin (2015); Woke up Blind (2016); Midnight Raga (2017), the Dutch dance Zwaan Award 2017 winner for 'Most Impressive Choreography'; and Wir sagen uns Dunkles (2017), nominated for a Benois de la Danse in 2018. Between 2006 and 2011 Goecke was also house choreographer with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and since 2005 at the Stuttgart Ballet. Goecke's work is performed by dance companies worldwide.

The performance previews Nederlands Dans Theater 2's January 2019 performances at N.Y. City Center, running January 16 - 19, 2019, which will feature American and N.Y. premieres and one repertoire favorite: Wir sagen uns Dunkles (2017), an explosive American premiere by Marco Goecke; mutual comfort (2015), an American premiere by Edward Clug; and two works by Sol León and Paul Lightfoot: SH-BOOM! (1994), a N.Y. premiere, and repertoire favorite Sad Case (1998).

Nederlands Dans Theater, under the Artistic Direction of Paul Lightfoot, is one of the world's leading contemporary dance companies. In 1978, NDT 2 was founded to develop young talent for the main company. Since then, NDT 2 has developed into an independent company with its very own repertory, now under the artistic direction of Fernando Hernando Magadan. Following the success of NDT's 2016 engagement at City Center, NDT 2 will kick-off their U.S. tour with an exciting program of established and new pieces.

"We are thrilled to return to Fall for Dance and look forward to introducing New York City Center audiences to NDT2 in advance of the Company's January 2019 season," said Paul Lightfoot. "Marco Goecke's work showcases the youth and passion of Surimi Fukushi and Adam Russell Jones, who will return to City Center for our 2019 season."

Nederlands Dans Theater, under the Artistic Direction of Paul Lightfoot since 2011, is recognized as one of the most prolific and creative contemporary dance companies in the world. It consists of two multi-national companies: NDT 1 and NDT 2. The latter gives sixteen classically trained dancers (between the ages of 17 and 23) a chance to develop their artistic personalities during a three-year trajectory. NDT 1 consists of 28 dancers (varying in age between 24 and 40 years old), each one excelling in their solo qualities and renowned for their versatility, astonishing technique and virtuosic expression. Under artistic guidance of Artistic Director Paul Lightfoot and Artistic Advisor Sol León and based in The Hague, NDT dancers perform for over 150,000 visitors annually in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. The multi- national company showcases multiple art forms alongside their stunning choreography, including visual art, music composition and innovative light and set designs.

Since inception in 1959, NDT has built a rich repertoire of over 600 works by master choreographers such as Ji?í Kylián and Hans van Manen, León and Lightfoot, associate choreographers Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke, and high-profile guests such as Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Glen Tetley, Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, Edward Clug, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, and Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar. www.ndt.nl

Opening New York City Center's landmark 75th Anniversary Season, the 2018 Fall for Dance Festival , running October 1 - 13, showcases an international array of dance artists and companies in five unique programs. In keeping with City Center's founding mission to make the arts accessible to everyone, all tickets are $15. Since its inception, Fall for Dance has received international recognition for its quality and innovation, and successfully engaging new and younger dance audiences. The Festival has presented over 220 companies, 118 premieres, and introduced more than 300,000 newcomers and dance enthusiasts to an eclectic mix of choreographers and performers, all for the price of less than a movie ticket.

Nederlands Dans 2 will be performing on October 5 & 6 at New York City Center's 2018 Fall for Dance Festival (131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues). All tickets are $15 and go on sale Sunday, September 9 at 11am. Tickets can be purchased online at www.NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the box office.