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THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF 2010-11 DANCE SEASON
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Season highlighted by regional collaboration with
University Musical Society, Grand Rapids Ballet Company
and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble
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Return engagements for Joffrey,
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
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The annual summer program resumes, offering an array of educational activities for children of all ages
DETROIT, Michigan, May 24, 2010... The Detroit Opera House is pleased to announce the details of the 2010-11 dance season, a program marked with audience favorites and unprecedented collaborations that highlight Michigan's regional dance talent. The subscription season will consist of the Paul Taylor Dance Company on October 7, 2010 at Ann Arbor's Power Center, The Nutcracker with the Grand Rapids Ballet, November 26-28, 2010, The Joffrey Ballet, January 29-30, 2011, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, March 3-6, 2011, and Motown in Motion with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble on March 20, 2011.
As part of a unique collaboration, the Detroit Opera House has partnered with Ann Arbor's University Musical Society to offer an extended "premium dance series subscription" with an option to add the Paul Taylor Dance Company's performances onto a normal subscription. In addition, the season will mark the debut of Eisenhower Dance Ensemble on the Detroit Opera House stage and the return of Michigan's only professional ballet company, the Grand Rapids Ballet.
PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY - October 7, 2010
The Paul Taylor Dance Company performance is a part of the premium dance series, offered as a result of a special collaboration with University Musical Society. The performance will take place on October 7, 2010 at 8 p.m. at the Power Center in Ann Arbor.
More than a half-century ago, after performing in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine, Paul Taylor became the youngest member of the pantheon that created American modern dance. Now approaching 80 - an age when most artists' best work is behind them - Taylor is acclaimed for the vibrancy, relevance, and power of his dances. In celebration of Taylor's 80th birthday, The Paul Taylor Dance Company returns to Ann Arbor for three performances and a day-long symposium and residency.
For this performance, the company will be performing two works from its expansive repertoire: "Speaking in Tongues" and "Esplanade." Taylor's "Speaking in Tongues" is propelled by a melodic and haunting score with fragments of an evangelical broadcast. An impressionistic look at religious fanaticism and hypocrisy, the dance is set in a town led by a charismatic preacher who is both a fearsome man of God and weak-willed sinner. During the opening barn dance the town's underlying fervor is revealed by a participant who has a fit that suggests "speaking in tongues" - the unintelligible utterances of religious emotion by zealous believers at a prayer service.
Set to two Bach violin concertos, "Esplanade" introduces a team of eight dancers brimming with Taylor's signature youthful exuberance. The three-part performance surrounds three couples engaged in romantic interplay, portraying both tenderness and hurt. The work ends with exuberant dancers careening fearlessly across the stage. The littlest of them - the daughter who had not been acknowledged by her family - is left alone on stage, triumphant, conveying that the meek will inherit the earth.
THE GRAND RAPIDS BALLET: The Nutcracker - November 26-28, 2010
In November 2010, the Detroit Opera House will once again usher in the holiday season with the Grand Rapids Ballet's captivating production of The Nutcracker. One of Detroit's most beloved holiday traditions held annually at the Detroit Opera House, this magical tale will enthrall audiences with Tchaikovsky's incredible score, performed live by the Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra. The Grand Rapids Ballet production of The Nutcracker will entrance Detroit audiences in five performances, November 26-28, 2010.
The Nutcracker has been charming audiences around the world for over a century. The festive sights and sounds of the Grand Rapids Ballet Company and Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra make The Nutcracker a family outing that children and adults cherish for years to come. Dazzling choreography, sets and costumes take center stage as the professional dancers are joined by more than 70 local children. Audiences will travel to the land of toy soldiers, the beloved mother ginger, sugar plum fairies and the handsome Nutcracker prince.
The 2010 Nutcracker festivities will again feature special family matinee activities, including box lunches, face painting, photos with Santa and The Nutcracker, and the Sugar Plum Parade - a special opportunity to meet Nutcracker dancers on the stage of the Detroit Opera House.
THE JOFFREY BALLET - January 29-30, 2011
Returning to the Detroit Opera House following their last performances in The Nutcracker in 2008 is the Joffrey Ballet with a mixed-repertory showcase of programs January 29-30, 2011. Hailed as "America's Company of Firsts," the Joffrey Ballet's long list of "firsts" includes being the first dance company to perform at the White House, the first to appear on television, the first American company to visit Russia, the first classical dance company to go multi-media, the first to commission a rock 'n roll ballet, the first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time magazine, and the first company to be the center of a major motion picture, Robert Altman's The Company.
Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America within its company, its outreach, and repertoire which includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces and contemporary works. Founded by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey in 1956 and guided by celebrated choreographer Gerald Arpino from 1988 until 2007, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater and Executive Director Christopher Clinton Conway. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top dance companies in the world.
ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER - March 3-6, 2011
Back by popular demand, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Detroit Opera House in March 2011, performing timeless Ailey classics and new works by contemporary choreographers. Always a favorite of Detroit audiences, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will bring its extraordinary beauty and grace, electrifying energy and soulful spirit to Detroit for a limited five-performance engagement, March 3-6, 2011.
Founded in 1958 by dance pioneer Alvin Ailey, the company has become renowned for its expansive repertory, extensive touring schedules and community outreach efforts, as well as their masterful artistry. In the nearly 50 years since its founding, the company has grown from a small, mostly black company into a large, multi-racial institution, fulfilling Ailey's dream to "touch everyone's heart through dance."
Under the leadership of Judith Jamison, Artistic Director since 1989, and Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has furthered its legacy as an American institution; performing works by many of the world's leading choreographers, and packing houses in cities around the globe. The company has earned a reputation as one of the most acclaimed international ambassadors of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage.
EISENHOWER DANCE ENSEMBLE: Motown in Motion - March 20, 2011
The Motor City's premier dance company celebrates the iconic Detroit sound with an evening of dance and Motown music. Playful, humorous, and wonderfully theatrical, the performers will have you dancing in your seats -- and out into the streets! The program features music from Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Contours, and James Taylor, among others.
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble (EDE) is the Midwest's premier contemporary dance company, founded in metro Detroit by Artistic Director Laurie Eisenhower in the summer of 1991. Since its inception, the Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has been dedicated to the performance of a diverse range of contemporary dance works. Along with Ms. Eisenhower's highly acclaimed choreography, EDE showcases the works of young talented artists along with choreographers with established reputations. The company has boasted works by internationally known choreographers such as David Parsons, Stephen Koester, Michael Foley, Kiesha Lalama-White, Mark Dendy, Joel Hall, Eddy Ocampo, Lila York, Colin Connor and Billy Siegenfeld, among others.
Considered by many critics to be one of the finest contemporary dance companies in the nation, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble has received overwhelming critical acclaim along with enthusiastic audience support. The company's concert schedule has taken it to theaters throughout the state of Michigan and on tours across the United States as well as St. Petersburg, Russia.
Ticket Information
Subscription ticket prices range from $56-$304. Subscription renewal information was mailed in March 2010 and new subscriptions are currently available. Single Tickets for the 2010-11 Dance Series will become available in August 2010. The Detroit Opera House will again offer flexible subscription packages, and a variety of discounted subscription series for families, first-timers and long distance subscribers among others. For complete information contact the Detroit Opera House ticket office at 313-237-SING. Tickets for all dance productions at the Detroit Opera House are available in person at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, MI, 48226), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464), and online at www.MichiganOpera.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, and online at www.TicketMaster.com. For group sales please contact the Michigan Opera Theatre box office.
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2010-11 DETROIT OPERA HOUSE DANCE PROGRAMS
Paul Taylor Dance Company
***at Ann Arbor's Power Center
Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
The Grand Rapids Ballet Company presents
The Nutcracker
Friday, November 26, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
Friday, November 26, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 2:30 p.m.
The Joffrey Ballet
Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 3:00 p.m.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 2:30 p.m.
Eisenhower Dance Ensemble presents
Motown in Motion
Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 2:30 p.m.
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