Anna Kisselgoff News

Jacob's Pillow Dance and MASS MoCA co-present inventive, contemporary ensemble Shen Wei Dance Arts this weekend, October 26 and 27 at MASS MoCA's Hunter Center for the Performing Arts.

Older & Reckless, MOonhORsE Dance Theatre's celebrated series curated by Artistic Director Claudia Moore, opens its 2013/14 season with ALL SOLOS featuring four dance artists in four evocative solos and a gaggle of bankers in a group work. Sylvie Bouchard, Louise Moyes (Newfoundland), Mi Young Kim and Gerry Trentham take the stage from November 15 to 17 in Edition #30 of Older and Reckless at the Distillery District's Dancemakers Centre for Creation.

Jacob's Pillow Dance and MASS MoCA co-present inventive, contemporary ensemble Shen Wei Dance Arts on October 26 and 27 at MASS MoCA's Hunter Center for the Performing Arts. Led by Chinese-born American choreographer Shen Wei, the New York-based dance company blends his signature movement vocabulary with elements of film, theater, new media, and visual art. The program includes Shen Wei's interpretation of Rite of Spring (2003), in honor of the original production's 100th year, and striking new work Collective Measures (2013). The company's performances coincide with the final weekend of MASS MoCA's Xu Bing: Phoenix exhibit, an installation featuring two monumental birds fabricated wholly from materials reaped from construction sites in urban China.

New York Live Arts will present, as part of the Replay Series, works by Molissa Fenley spanning more than thirty years of her choreographic experiments in two varied programs tonight, October 2 - 5 at 7:30pm, with a lecture demonstration October 5 at 3:00pm. Fenley will present the world premiere of Found Object, the reconstructed solos The Floor Dances and Witches' Float, and the quartet Energizer, bridging her choreographic past with the present.

Curtains up! AIR TWYLA propels Pacific Northwest Ballet into its new season with a trio of works by its first artist-in-residence, renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp. The program includes the world premiere of Waiting at the Station with a commissioned score by New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint. Sharing the program with Waiting at the Station are the Scottish-inspired Brief Fling (a PNB premiere) and Tharp's homage to Ol' Blue Eyes and ballroom dance, the unforgettable Nine Sinatra Songs. AIR TWYLA runs for only seven performances, tonight, September 27 - October 6 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall.

The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, consisting of 30 dancers, 14 members of the Gipsy Orchestra and 5 members of the Hungarian Folk Orchestra have brought their one of a kind show to audiences across the world and now bring their rich and colorful repertoire to Harris Center/Three Stages.

From tonight, September 19-29, 2013, Houston Ballet presents Ronald Hynd's comic and enchanting The Merry Widow.Adapted from Franz Lehar's beloved operetta, the internationally-admired British choreographer Ronald Hynd adds a new layer of lavish spectacle and choreography to the original story of The Merry Widow to create an irresistibly charming and intoxicating tale of high jinks, finance, romance, and intrigue. The production features magnificent scenery and costumes by Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno. The company will give seven performances at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston.

Jacob's Pillow Dance and MASS MoCA co-present inventive, contemporary ensemble Shen Wei Dance Arts on October 26 and 27 at MASS MoCA's Hunter Center for the Performing Arts.

On Friday, September 6 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm, Houston Ballet will sponsor the first FREE Dance Talk of its 2013 -14 season: Politics and Pop Music in Ballet. The event will feature an open rehearsal of Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch's hip one-act work Play, followed by a discussion with Mr. Welch and a group of Houston Ballet dancers. The Dance Talk will be held at Houston Ballet Center for Dance, 601 Preston Street, Houston 77002.

From tonight, September 5-15, 2013, Houston Ballet launches its 44th season with a mixed repertory program of premieres by emerging and established choreographers. Famed choreographer James Kudelka will create a new work for the company. British master and Houston Ballet's associate choreographer Christopher Bruce's Intimate Pages will have its Houston Ballet premiere. World premieres by Garrett Smith and Melissa Hough round out the program.

From September 19-29, 2013, Houston Ballet presents Ronald Hynd's comic and enchanting The Merry Widow. Adapted from Franz Lehar's beloved operetta, the internationally-admired British choreographer Ronald Hynd adds a new layer of lavish spectacle and choreography to the original story of The Merry Widow to create an irresistibly charming and intoxicating tale of high jinks, finance, romance, and intrigue. The production features magnificent scenery and costumes by Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno. The company will give seven performances at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets start at $19, and may be purchased at www.houstonballet.org or by calling 713 227 ARTS (2787).

From September 19-29, 2013, Houston Ballet presents Ronald Hynd's comic and enchanting The Merry Widow.Adapted from Franz Lehar's beloved operetta, the internationally-admired British choreographer Ronald Hynd adds a new layer of lavish spectacle and choreography to the original story of The Merry Widow to create an irresistibly charming and intoxicating tale of high jinks, finance, romance, and intrigue. The production features magnificent scenery and costumes by Italian designer Roberta Guidi di Bagno. The company will give seven performances at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets start at $19, and may be purchased at www.houstonballet.org or by calling 713 227 ARTS (2787).

The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, consisting of 30 dancers, 14 members of the Gipsy Orchestra and 5 members of the Hungarian Folk Orchestra have brought their one of a kind show to audiences across the world and now bring their rich and colorful repertoire to Harris Center/Three Stages.

New York Live Arts will present, as part of the Replay Series, works by Molissa Fenley spanning more than thirty years of her choreographic experiments in two varied programs October 2 - 5 at 7:30pm, with a lecture demonstration October 5 at 3:00pm. Fenley will present the world premiere of Found Object, the reconstructed solos The Floor Dances and Witches' Float, and the quartet Energizer, bridging her choreographic past with the present.

New York Live Arts will present, as part of the Replay Series, works by Molissa Fenley spanning more than thirty years of her choreographic experiments in two varied programs October 2 - 5 at 7:30pm, with a lecture demonstration October 5 at 3:00pm. As Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times stated, "Ms. Fenley…delights in the juxtaposition of stillness and speed…It is a ruthless geometry [she] is after…Yet what possibilities bloom in that hushed, concentrated space. The imagination rushes in." Fenley will present the world premiere of Found Object, the reconstructed solos The Floor Dances and Witches' Float, and the quartet Energizer, bridging her choreographic past with the present.

From September 5-15, 2013, Houston Ballet launches its 44th season with a mixed repertory program of premieres by emerging and established choreographers. Famed choreographer James Kudelka will create a new work for the company. British master and Houston Ballet's associate choreographer Christopher Bruce's Intimate Pages will have its Houston Ballet premiere. World premieres by Garrett Smith and Melissa Hough round out the program.

Curtains up! AIR TWYLA propels Pacific Northwest Ballet into its new season with a trio of works by its first artist-in-residence, renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp. The program includes the world premiere of Waiting at the Station with a commissioned score by New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint. Sharing the program with Waiting at the Station are the Scottish-inspired Brief Fling (a PNB premiere) and Tharp's homage to Ol' Blue Eyes and ballroom dance, the unforgettable Nine Sinatra Songs. AIR TWYLA runs for only seven performances, September 27 – October 6 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at $28 and may be purchased by calling 206.441.2424, online at pnb.org, or in person at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer Street. AIR TWYLA is made possible through the generous support of presenting sponsor The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch has announced the company's 2013-2014 season. Eight new works enter Houston Ballet's repertoire, including world premieres by James Kudelka, Garrett Smith and Melissa Hough in September 2013; the North American premiere of David Bintley's Aladdin in February 2014; company premieres of Jiri Kylian's Sechs Tanze, Christopher Bruce's Intimate Pages and Stanton Welch's Of Blessed Memory as well as a world premiere A Young Person's Guide to Orchestra by Mr. Welch in March 2014.

Bringing artists from all over the world, and from most every genre, the Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College - formerly known as Three Stages at Folsom Lake College - will offer literally hundreds of performances in 2013-14. Beginning in late July, 2013 and extending into spring 2014, the new season includes world-class performers like Kenny Loggins, Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, and Savion Glover; Broadway productions such as Peter and the Starcatcher, The Addams Family and Bring It On: The Musical (all of which are appearing in the capital region for the first time ever); and an unprecedented season of dance in Folsom which kicks off with Alonzo King LINES Ballet and also features Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Bellydance Superstars, Ballroom with a Twist, and return visits of the popular Moscow Festival Ballet's Swan Lake and Diavolo Dance Theatre; and many more, all on the stages at the Harris Center.

Following the 80th Anniversary Season's record-breaking attendance, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival announces the 2013 Festival schedule today. Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts.