Ballet Across America at Kennedy Center
May 31 – June 2
Miami City Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem headline Ballet Across American, a weeklong festival celebrating women’s creativity and leadership in ballet.
BALLET ACROSS AMERICA AT THE KENNEDY CENTER
Miami City Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 – Sunday, June 2, 2019
“Admirably enriches knowledge of this country’s highly diverse ballet scene” The New York Times
The Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America series is a weeklong festival with a spotlight on women’s creativity and leadership in ballet.
This season’s engagement showcases Miami City Ballet, led by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, and Dance Theatre of Harlem, led by Virginia Johnson. Both companies will present a full program, with a shared celebration uniting them on May 31 to feature a world premiere Kennedy Center commission by renowned choreographer Pam Tanowitz.
Miami City Ballet are delighted to partner with these renowned organizations to celebrate the artistry and leadership of women. If you’re in Washington DC, don’t miss these special performances.
DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM PROGRAM (May 28–30)
Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director
Conducted by Tania Leon
Valse Fantaisie (Glinka/Balanchine)
Change (Spirituals “By and By” and “Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Round”/McIntyre)
Passage, a new Claudia Schreier commission (Montgomery/Schreier)* with live music
Dougla (León and Holder/Holder) with original percussive band
Performance Timing: Approximately 2 hours, including two 20-minute intermissions
SHARED CELEBRATION PROGRAM (May 31)
Conducted by Tania Leon and Gary Sheldon
Walpurgisnacht Ballet (Gounod/Balanchine)
Passage, a new Claudia Schreier commission (Montgomery/Schreier)* with live music
Dance Theatre of Harlem and Miami City Ballet with New Pam Tanowitz Commission**
Dougla (León and Holder/Holder) with original percussive band
MIAMI CITY BALLET PROGRAM (June 1 & 2)
Lourdes Lopez, Artistic Director
Conducted by Gary Sheldon
Walpurgisnacht Ballet (Gounod/Balanchine)
Carousel Pas de Deux (Rodgers/MacMillan)
Brahms/Handel (Handel/Tharp, Robbins)
Heatscape (Martinu/Peck)
*D.C. premiere
**World premiere
From Lourdes Lopez:
“We are honored to partner with the Dance Theatre of Harlem for this week of performances celebrating women and the arts. There truly could not be a better time to celebrate the creativity and leadership of women—especially considering the diverse women leading our ballet company. We are delighted to share this artistry with lovers of dance in our nation’s capital.”
From Virginia Johnson:
“Dance Theatre of Harlem’s participation in Ballet Across America this year is particularly meaningful to me. It is a sign of a dawning moment in ballet. As Artistic Director of an institution that has for 50 years been at the forefront of diversity in ballet, I am proud to continue that legacy with a personal mission to ensure that the inclusion of women’s perspectives and women’s choreographic voices, especially women of color, has the potential to define ballet as a 21st century art form.”
For more information and tickets, visit The Kennedy Center website. http://www.kennedy-