Site Specific Dance Work by Mark Dendy
Free to ticket holders!

The Festival brings you another exciting opportunity this summer and you can be right in the middle of it all. New York dance and theater choreographer Mark Dendy will choreograph two different site-specific performances. Would you please restate your answer in the form of a question? sends the audience on a treasure hunt for dance small and large throughout the Durham Performing Arts Lobby areas from 7 pm until the 8 pm mainstage performance. Boasting 50+ performers, this piece explores the audience’s proximity to the dancers without the typical proscenium.

Would you please restate your answer in the form of a question? is commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation.
photo by Monica Barco

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“If there is something to write home about in the dance world, it is the startlingly imaginative works of Shen Wei.”
The New York Times

The ADF is delighted to present the World Premiere of Shen Wei’s complete Re- (I, II, III). The entire Re- cycle will be performed together for the very first time as the Festival's inaugural performance in the beautiful new Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Shen Wei Dance Arts has garnered critical acclaim the world over since its inception at the 2000 ADF. The first two parts of the cycle, Re- Part I (originally commissioned by the 2006 ADF), and Re- Part II (originally set by Shen Wei on Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal) are inspired by various world cultures, geography, and an artist’s experiences abroad. Re- Part III, an ADF commissioned World Premiere, also explores the relationship between the individual and community, and the difference between the role of the individual in Chinese and Western life. Festival-goers will be among the first to see Shen Wei’s complete Re- program before the company’s three continent tour.

Performance contains nudity.
Re- Part III is commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation.
photo by Lois Greenfield

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“If you want to see the future of dance,
take a long look at Emanuel Gat.” Kansas City Star

Originally from Israel and now working in France, Gat brings Festival audiences an ADF commissioned World Premiere duet based on a one-of-a-kind artistic collaboration. Complete with music by R. Strauss, Riad al Sunbati, and the Beatles, Winter Variations boasts a most striking intimacy and is danced by Emanuel Gat and Roy Assaf, who performed the award-winning Winter Voyage at the 2005 ADF. The New York Times exclaims, “their synchronicity was amazing, hypnotic…their sinuousness of movement was a constant fascination.” Be the first to see these two remarkable performers embark on a new creative path at the Festival this summer.

Winter Variations is commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation. Emmanuel Gat Dance performances are supported, in part, by the Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York.
photo by Mia Alon

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Get ready to move! Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet presents Israeli modern choreographer Ohad Naharin’s Decadance* (2007), acclaimed by The New York Times as “dancing that pulls viewers right out of their seats.” Naharin’s work is a choreographic feat that pieces together two decades of material to create an explosive new masterpiece. An incomparable testament to fierce athleticism, Naharin’s choreography requires dancers to commit every gesture with complete concentration and intensity. You won’t be able to keep still as you witness this riveting performance at the ADF this summer.

*performance contains strong language
photo by Paul B. Goode

Ohad Naharin is the 2009 Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival recipient. Find out more about this award.

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“Definitely not more of the same, this troupe of Wonder
Women tells us something is stirring, even exploding, in
Japanese contemporary danace.”
The New York Times

Sakiko Oshima and Naoko Shirakawa of H. Art Chaos, one of Japan’s top dance companies, bring their acclaimed work The Rite of Spring (1995) to the 2009 Festival and will also collaborate with musician Alan Terricciano and ADF dancers while in residence to bring you an ADF commissioned World Premiere. Paired with the harmonically and rhythmically adventurous music of Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring is an intensely physical piece complete with aerial feats. Also of note, H. Art Chaos’ choreographer Sakiko Oshima was a participant in ADF’s 1996 International Choreographer’s Residency Program. Don’t miss this evening of provocative and powerful dance as you’ve never seen it before!

Collaborative New Work is commissioned with support from the SHS Foundation. H. Art Chaos performances are supported in part by the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, Duke University.
photo by Etsuko Matsuyama

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“A breath of fresh air! The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has 12 engaging and very good dancers and two ambitious and very smart directors who know their choreographers.”
The New York Times

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet bridges the gap between ballet and modern dance featuring rarely seen gems including the reconstructions of Twyla Tharp’s Sue’s Leg (1975), one of her most legendary, most complex, and most layered modern works, and Laura Dean’s Night (1980), a piece that skillfully incorporates traditional ballet steps with hallmarks of her legendary work: Dean’s own music and geometric patterns. One of the most clever and innovative companies performing today, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet will also perform William Forsythe’s Slingerland Pas de Deux (2000), a stunning piece from their repertory, and Jorma Elo’s Red Sweet (2008). Get ready for a fantastic evening of modern dance that will keep you talking.

The reconstruction of Night by Laura Dean is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
photo by Rosalie O'Connor

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Each day during the Festival, the ADF’s internationally renowned faculty members share their talent and expertise with over 400 students from around the world. Featuring an imaginative array of dance styles and ideas, these performers and choreographers share their artistry in two memorable evenings this year.

*Same program both nights
photo by ADF/Sara D. Davis 2008

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A musical interlude amidst a summer of dance, the Festival’s virtuosic instrumentalists and vocalists take center stage for a moving evening with a wide range of musical styles.

photo by ADF/Sara D. Davis 2008

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“The purest Pilobolus experiences have involved
metamorphosis . . . one image merges into another,
organically, poetically, inexplicably.”
The New York Times

Be the first to see unforgettable new works from perennial Festival favorite, Pilobolus! Two ADF commissioned World Premieres, Redline by Jonathan Wolken, and 2b by Israeli choreographers Avshalom Pollak and Inbal Pinto will once again dazzle and amaze.. Also on the program and back by popular demand is Pilobolus’ first collaboration with Pollak and Pinto, Rushes, a display of striking choreography complete with dancing chairs which promises to be just as thrilling as its first incarnation at the ADF in 2007. Rounding out the evening is Ocellus (1971), a classic men’s quartet sure to evoke breathtaking memories of the company’s origins, and Walklyndon (1971), a colorful vaudeville romp that is pure Pilobolus to the core.

New Collaboration and Redline are commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation.

photo by ADF/Gregory Georges 2007

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“It’s heavenly to watch, and probably even more
delicious to perform.” The New York Times

You will never listen to The Sound of Music the same again! Doug Elkins creates a stimulating new take on that most memorable Rodgers & Hammerstein musical in his award-winning Fräulein Maria (2006). Choreographed with unmatchable skill and wit, classic vaudeville gags, modern social dance moves, and references to icons of the dance world – George Balanchine, José Limón, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham – breathe new life into such memorable tunes as “Do-Re-Mi” and “The Lonely Goatherd.” A choreographer with an unstoppable imagination, Elkins will find a way into your heart with something both memorable and touching – and something you will be tempted to sing along with!
photo by Steven Schreiber

Site Specific Dance Work by Mark Dendy
Free and open to the public!

Friday, July 17 at 6:30 pm, 7:10 pm and 7:50 pm
and Saturday, July 18 at 2 pm and 2:40 pm

The Festival brings you another exciting opportunity this summer and you can be right in the middle of it all. The second site specific project of the summer by New York dance and theater choreographer Mark Dendy, Golden Belt will utilize a stunning top floor space in the newly renovated Golden Belt. The historic structure instantly inspired Dendy: “The moment I stepped off the elevator and onto the top floor, I was choreographing.”

Golden Belt is commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation.
photo by Monica Barco

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“Paul Taylor is the reigning master of modern dance.” Time Magazine

One of the world’s most highly respected artists, Paul Taylor has had a lasting effect on modern dance. Taylor remains among the most sought-after choreographers working today and boasts a collection of over 128 works created over six decades in dance. Licensed for performance by more than 75 companies worldwide, many of Taylor’s works have been performed by the world’s top ballet companies. This summer, experience three of his most remarkable works. One of his most recent, Beloved Renegade (2008) is inspired by the poems of Walt Whitman and set to the music of Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria”. Also on the program is Mercuric Tidings (1982), hailed by The New York Post as a work “danced for the sheer joy of it, the controlled expenditure of animal energy, poetry expressed as a time and motion study”. Filling out the program is the 1963 ADF commissioned Scudorama, a gem even most Taylor devotees haven’t seen, complete with a jazzy-classical score by Clarence Jackson.

Scudorama photo courtesy of Paul Taylor Dance Company, 1963

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Continuing our commitment to preserve classic modern dance works and to commission new works, the ADF is proud to present the Past/Forward program. Celebrating its third year, Past/Forward welcomes Rodger Belman, a former member of Laura Dean Musicians and Dancers, who will reconstruct Dean’s Infinity (1990). New York choreographer and former ADF School scholarship student Faye Driscoll will present an ADF commissioned World Premiere, There is so much mad in me *. Often hysterical and under-the-skin, Driscoll’s rigorous dance pieces edge into the realm of theater. Rounding out the Past/Forward program, Miami-based choreographer Rosie Herrera will present her surrealistic Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret (2009). ADF dancers will perform all three Past/Forward works.

*performance contains adult content and strong language.

The ADF reconstruction of Infinity by Laura Dean is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the ADF/Stephanie Reinhart Fund. New work by Faye Driscoll is commissioned by the ADF with support from the SHS Foundation. The ADF reconstruction of Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret by Rosie Herrera is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

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“Morris is the most important choreographer since George Balanchine.” The Boston Globe

The Festival comes to a close with the talented Mark Morris Dance Group. Morris is one of the dance world’s most accomplished choreographers, having set works on both ballet and modern dance companies throughout his storied career. The Mark Morris Dance Group regularly performs across the United States, at major international festivals, and is also noted for its commitment to live music. Morris’ ever-eclectic company has teamed up with leading orchestras, opera companies, musicians, and has even forayed into the world of film and television. Works on the Festival program include Peccadillos (2000), Excursions (2008), Going Away Party (1990), A Lake (1991), and Candleflowerdance (2005).

photo by Nathaniel Brooks

Free and open to the public!

The Hollins University/American Dance Festival Master of Fine Arts, in its fifth year, is a highly selective program that draws students from around the world. Students will present new works and year-long creative thesis projects in a shared performance.

For additional information about the MFA program, visit www.hollinsdance.com.

photo by ADF/Sara D. Davis 2008