Each summer, the Vail International Dance Festival appears to light up the community with two weeks of exceptional dance programming. Sponsored by the Vail Valley Foundation, which is responsible for bringing a wide variety of annual events, the festival is also in the hands of former ballet star and festival Art Director Damian Woetzel, who this year has lined up a brilliant roster of performances.
From July 29th to August 11th, audiences will have the privilege of seeing New York City Ballet MOVES, the Martha Graham Dance Company, International Evenings of Dance, and Dance TV, the closing event celebrating the success of dance on the small screen. VIDF also features numerous in-town performances, interactive presentations, master classes, and other educational events.
On July 29th and 30th, the festival in the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater opens with New York City Ballet MOVES presenting work from their repertory including ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. The evenings will also feature contemporary choreography by William Forsythe, Ulysses Dove, Peter Martins and anew work by New York City Ballet corps de ballet member, Justin Peck set to music by Philip Glass.
The evening of the 31st brings audiences “UPClose: Stravinsky by Balanchine,” an evening celebrating the 40th anniversary of the famed Stravinsky Festival. The focus is on the ballets created by Balanchine to the music of Igor Stravinsky in the form of rehearsal-style excerpts by NYCB MOVES and hosted by Peter Martins.
August 3rd and 4th brings “International Evenings of Dance” at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater with dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists Dance Company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific North West Ballet, and an array of international guest artists. The evening will also feature music by the Brooklyn Rider string quartet.
On August 6th, VIDF presents an evening of new work called NOW, with premiers created by choreographers Doug Varone, Christopher Wheeldon, Matthew Neenen, Jill Johnson, Brian Brooks and a collaboration made b of Trisha Brown and Jodi Melnick. Here audiences will experience a variety of choreographic styles that exemplify what how dance relates to our present time. Included in the program is a new Lamentation Variation choreographed by Doug Varone as a part of the Graham company’s “Lamentation Variation Project “inspired by Graham’s iconic solo, Lamentation.
The Martha Graham Dance Company will occupy a full evening on August 9th at the Vilar Performing Arts Center with the incomparable pieces, Appalachian Spring, Embattled Garden, and Chronicle.
August 10th brings ballroom stars Liana Churilova and Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine to the amphitheatre where they will showcase a myriad of ballroom styles along with ballroom champions and stars from around world
Vale International Dance Festival closes on August 11th with “Dance TV,” a tribute to the success of dance on television featuring special guests from such shows as America’s Best Dance Crew, So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, and more.
As one of the most exciting dance festivals of the summer, it behooves you to get your tickets now if you will be in or around the Vale area. With its extraordinary natural surroundings, the festival is a must for anyone inspired by the arts.
