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—return for the third annual BAAND Together Dance Festival, sharing the spotlight and an outdoor stage as a part of Lincoln Center’s second annual Summer for the City.
From July 25–29, audiences will be treated to exciting evenings of programming curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of the companies, featuring works that are quintessential of each company’s style and brilliance, as well as the World Premiere of Pas de O’Farill by Pedro Ruiz, a new duet featuring dancers from Ballet Hispánico and New York City Ballet, commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. All performances are free.
Each afternoon, one of the companies will bring its unique teaching style to campus with a daily Education Workshop. The series will offer a variety of teaching styles and dance forms, appropriate for all ages and abilities.
The Festival is made possible by CHANEL, representing the third year of the House’s support of the BAAND Together Dance Festival. This partnership reflects CHANEL’s long-standing patronage within the world of dance, which has continued for over a century.
Statement from the artistic directors of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Artistic Director Robert Battle), American Ballet Theatre (Artistic Director Susan Jaffe), Ballet Hispánico (Artistic Director & CEO Eduardo Vilaro), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Artistic Director Robert Garland), and New York City Ballet (Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford, Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan):
“The BAAND Together Dance Festival is a testament to the vibrancy and diversity of the New York City dance community. We are thrilled to be returning with a spectacular program that features the city’s most internationally revered repertory companies. This year’s program highlights the innovative visions that have made New York City our nation’s dance capital.”
– BAAND Artistic Directors
In addition to the performances and workshops, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will hold pop-up engagement tables before the July 26 performance, as part of the recently announced participatory planning process to help reimagine the Amsterdam Avenue side of its campus to create greater access. Input from all New Yorkers is encouraged!
Program:
Ballet Hispánico – Línea Recta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
American Ballet Theatre – Other Dances by Jerome Robbins
Dance Theatre of Harlem – Nyman String Quartet No. 2 by Robert Garland
World Premiere of Pas de O’Farill by Pedro Ruiz, a collaboration between Ballet Hispánico & New York City Ballet
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – excerpt of Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown
New York City Ballet – The Times Are Racing by Justin Peck
There are two ways to access this FREE event: 1. General Admission, first-come, first-served. 2. Fast Track, opening the Monday before the event at noon.
Program Details:
Ballet Hispánico – Línea Recta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
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.
American Ballet Theatre – Other Dances by Jerome Robbins
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 – Nyman String Quartet No. 2 by Robert Garland
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.
Pas de O’Farill by Pedro Ruiz
In tribute to the music of Latin Jazz sensation Arturo O’Farill, 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 American Dance Theater – excerpt of Dancing Spirit by Ronald K. Brown
Ronald K. Brown pays tribute to Judith Jamison’s profound influence with a work that echoes the title of her 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.
New York City Ballet – The Times Are Racing by Justin Peck
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, marks Peck’s second collaboration with fashion designer Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony and has lighting design by Peck’s frequent collaborator Brandon Stirling Baker.
