Karl Anderson/ SLAMFEST  (New York, NY)
Squint to Focus/ Weaving Through the Grid/ Embracing Nothingness
“Powerfully theatrical...”,  “...engaging, funny, and terrifying...”  (The Village Voice) Karl Anderson and his company SLAMFEST will present three works:  Squint to Focus, a mature and sophisticated trio of adult women engaged in complex interactions, Weaving Through the Grid, a solo performance that questions our shared reality and assumptions of normalcy, and Embracing Nothingness,  Anderson’s beautiful solo set to guttural chants, in which he alternates periods of rest and balance with spurts of expansive, acrobatic action, spinning, flipping, dive-bombing as if his inner selves struggle to coexist.    Photo Credit: Paul Taylor




*Robert Battle /Battleworks Dance Company (New York, NY)
Takademe
With “martial arts slices, spine undulations, quick pedaling steps, [and] long sinuous arms", (Joy Goodwin, The New York Sun) the soloist of Robert Battle’s Takademe  (1995) moves in concert with the vocal percussion of Sheila Chandra.  At times literally mouthing the syllables of the score, the dancer seamlessly fits her body into the music in this high-energy solo.  “Mr. Battle makes an audience sit up and take notice, marvel, even laugh. His work reaches over the edge of the stage and communicates with people."(Joy Goodwin, The New York Sun). Battleworks has thrilled audiences at venues in Germany, South America, New Orleans, St. Louis, Jacob's Pillow and beyond. Photo Credit:Tom Caravaglia





Christina Briggs and Edward Winslow/ Incidents Physical Theater (New York, NY)
When You Get Older? (World Premiere)
“Vibrant and seething with emotion, Incidents Physical The­ater presents provocative and riveting dance pieces.”  - (Joe Karr and Elizabeth Geyer, The Sunday Record) Drawing from real life experiences, Co-Directors Christina Briggs and Edward Winslow create a world of twisting, sculptural forms that defy gravity and confound the senses.  The company creates dramatic scenarios danced with intensity, humor, and raw physicality, pushing against the wall between dance and theater. Photo Credit: Kurt Hockenbury





Leah Cox (New York, NY)
Joy of Place (World Premiere)
Hoping to be a statement of affirmation for solo work and its ability to connect with and hold the interest of the individual, Joy of Place offers a genuine experience for both the performer and audience members. Cox is an impressive dancer who pulls off a melange of movement styles with the simple voiced-over philosophy "if it doesn't fit, why can't I use it because it delights me?" Indeed, she can. Photo Credit: Paul B. Good






*Molissa Fenley/ Molissa Fenley and Dancers (New York, NY)
Patterns and Expectations (New York Premiere) and Four Lines
Dance pioneer Molissa Fenley's gripping choreography, sheer elegance and original work keeps her at the forefront of the dance world, which she has engaged for nearly three decades. Molissa Fenley has presented her choreography throughout the USA, Europe, South America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan, both as a solo performer and with her ensemble. Photo Credit: Paula Court, Sandra Reyes

 
*WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company (New York, NY)
“White Shadow” (World Premiere), excerpts from an evening-length work
“Serenity and gently charged lyricism were the hallmarks of two premiers choreographed by Young Soon Kim... sense of meticulous craft... Ms. Kim caught the feeling of the frothing, foaming motion of water and its erotic undertones...” (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times) For 30 years, Korean-born dancer/choreographer/ teacher Young Soon Kim, Artistic Director of WHITE WAVE, has thrilled audiences with her passionate dancing and stunning performances. White Shadow reveals the emotional landscapes and inner lives of characters in their most raw essence, the secret longings of utterly human stories. Sumptuous intrigues of the soul mysteriously intertwine and unravel in these poignant vignettes, which create an exquisitely voyeuristic tension. The music is as varied as its emotive qualities, featuring the distinctive soundscapes of composer In Hyun Kim. Photo Credit: Frederique Porter

T. Lang (New York, NY)
OFF MAIN, Veer Left
The fast-paced, guttural movement attempts to physicalize the emotions of the characters of PUSH, the brutal and redemptive novel by Sapphire.  A Chicago native, T. Lang has presented work at P.S. 122, Dixon Place, Dance Space Center, Uptown Dance Series, Tisch School of the Arts At NYU, Tappan Zee Performance Series, Westchester Arts Council, Wax Works, and D.U.M.B.O. Festival. 





danscores by Ofelia Loret de Mola (New York, NY)
Aktun Spukil
Loret de Mola’s latest piece involves an exploration of Calcehtok, a two kilometer complex of caves in Yucatán, México. Recognized as “Inspiring… beautiful…experimental dance,” (America Morning, CNN International) Aktun Spukil is a work that investigates the ambiguities of exile and freedom, and asks, “can you confuse choice with freedom?” In an attempt to investigate not only the answer to this and other questions of autonomy, the choreographer deeply and poignantly extracts and portrays the affect these answers have on the human psyche. Photo Credits: Eduardo Cervantes




Karola Lüttringhaus/ alban elved dance company (Lewisville, North Carolina)
HYDRA tempted / ¡HEY! / cauda   (3 World Premieres)
The interdisciplinary nature of the works by alban elved dance company, which frequently incorporate live music, visual art, film or video, aerial work, elements of dance theatre, and technologies, expands the boundaries of dance performance, creating startling and evocative psychological landscapes. Karola Lüttringhaus, originally from Berlin, Germany, is the company’s Artistic Director and creates work that is fiercely physical. Critics say of Lüttringhaus, “…dangerously kinetic...one of the new ninjas of modern dance ...Her high-velocity company has impressed the critics up to now as kinetic, precise, andlaser like in execution. " Photo Credit: David L. Andrews




Pascal Rekoert/ MidGetDance (New York, NY)
MaSs ( World Premiere)
MidGetDance’s newest creation displays its 20 - member company in full body-paint, bringing mankind back to its primitive roots and finite beginnings. Ine Rietstap, Dutch journalist for “de Volkskrant” applauds the “…raw experience theatrically crafted and artfully lit by Mr. Rekoert.”Rekoert’scourageous choreography displays wit, exuberance and disciplined technique, while seductively engaging social issues and values. The strength and cohesiveness of this company lies in the unity that emerges amidst the differences. Photo Credit: Angel Hess




Elfi Schaefer-Schafroth,/ Tanzprojekt Elfi Schaefer-Schafroth  (Zurich, Switzerland)
Lumens- excerpt from ‘Lichtungen’ (New York Premiere)
Jennifer Dunning described the groups’ latest production as “… an immensely touching apparent journey through past hopes and disappointments”, “… a solo performance of inspired abandon”.  Directed by Jochen Heinrich, with a set designed by Martin Schaefer, the piece is composed of three alternating layers, emphasizing the importance of sharing one’s life to create joy. Elfi Schaefer-Schafroth has presented her work in New York, San Diego, Mexico, Germany, Austria, throughout Switzerland, and at various dance festivals in Europe. Photo Credit: Christian Glaus





Augusto Soledade/ Brazz Dance Theater ( Miami, FL)
Altars (New York Premiere) and The Diaries of an Outlaw
Augusto Soledade, native of Bahia, Brazil, is a performer, choreographer, and founding Artistic Director of Brazz Dance. His distinctive Afro-Fusion style incorporates elements of Afro-Brazilian and contemporary dance to create vibrant, inspired choreography. Mr. Soledade received the 2005 Miami Dade Choreographer’s Fellowship and the Creative Capital Workshop Grant from Miami Dade Cultural Affairs. Altars (New York premiere) juxtaposes an Afro-Fusion aesthetic with the Cantatas of J.S. Bach in order to bring together the spiritual sense of two distinct worlds. The Diaries of an Outlaw is based on the life of legendary Brazilian outlaw Maria Bonita, and is performed to music by Chico Cesar and Ray Lemos. Photo Credit: Flor Vrancovich





Kettye Voltz / Tsunami Dance Company (New Orleans, LA)
Orpheus (New York Premiere)
New Orleans-based Tsunami Dance Company presents Orpheus, and creates a kinetic dreamworld inspired by the ancient story of love, death, loss and rebirth. Originally planned pre-Katrina, Orpheus has now become a more powerful and poignant performance than its creators ever imagined.   Directed and choreographed by Kettye Voltz, Erin Healan, and John Allen, the concert combines powerful music, haunting imagery, and Tsunami’s signature athletic and passionate dance by the eight-member cast.  Tsunami Dancestrives to raise the bar of modern dance in New Orleans and help the city emerge nationally as a place to enjoy and celebrate dance.  Photo Credit: Louviere + Vanessa




Nina Winthrop and Dancers  (New York, NY)
That’s Me –I’m the One Lying Down Over There
This intense yet playful work is set to music by Jon Gibson and brings together four unique pieces interwoven into a lush and textured world. Critics say ofMs. Winthrop “Knockout dances…ordinary moves performed with such investment they might be sacred dance.” Ms. Winthrop recently received grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Saison Foundation in Tokyo, and the Asian Cultural Council. Photo Credit: Steven Schreiber

*Invited guest companies