Contemporary dance in focus
The international contemporary dance festival DanceInversion has opened in Moscow`s Stanislavsky and Nimerovich-Danchenko Musical Theater after a three-year break.
The festival, which has been held since 1997, is finally back. The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that is largely responsible for promoting an African-American approach in the modern dance history has opened the program.
This dance company, founded in 1958 by African-American choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey, is known for popularizing contemporary dance and for its extensive international touring. This time it has brought two programs to the Russian capital. Each one will be crowned with Alvin Ailey`s legendary ballet Revelations created in 1960, which is often referred to as the best-known and most-often seen modern dance performance.
Robert Battle, who is due to officially take over the post of the Theater`s Artistic Director on July 1, says his main priority in choosing productions for the festival was the excitement of the dancers about it. "If it is interesting for the dancers, it should be interesting for the viewers as well. As for techniques and styles - we`ve got a very diverse repertoire," Mr. Battle said at a media-conference in Moscow.
Three more productions will be shown at Moscow`s festival: Night Creature staged by Ailey, In/Side by Robert battle, Love Stories choreographed by the Theater`s renowned Artistic Director Judith Jamison.
As for the second program, it will feature Anointed in former Ailey company member Christopher L. Huggins` choreography, Cry created by Ailey as a birthday present for his mother, and The Hunt, another Robert Battle work.
Performances of the festival will span through the end of the year and will also see Orpheus from the French company Montalvo-Hervieu, Russian Sergey Danelyan`s program Kings of the Dance Op. 3, a flamenco festival, along with performances from Polish and Dutch theatres and a program from Russian Mariinsky prima ballerina Diana Vishneva.
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