he annual American Dance Festival has once again gracefully leaped onto the stage at Duke. In its 25-year history in Durham, it has brought a level of dance and performance on a scale unmatched by any other local undertaking.
Three events have already occurred, but ADF still has a summer full of performances to enjoy. The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company kicks off this weekend, starting tonight and running through Saturday night in Page Auditorium at 8pm. This world-premiere dance will focus on the impact of the airplane in modern day life 100 years after the Wright Brother's first flight.
Doug Verone's troupe will perform over the July 4 holiday weekend in Page, with an Independence Day show at 7pm and with July 5 and 6 shows at 8pm. Doug Verone and Dancers are best known for its frenetic pace upon the stage.
The Pilobolus Dance Theatre swings and leaps its way into Page June 18-22 at 8pm each night, with a special one-hour children's performance at 1pm June 22. Instead of using traditional dance forms, Pilobolus is known for its innovative and improvisational style. The six-member troupe use their bodies to create kinetic sculpture for the stage. Tuesday and Wednesday night performances will feature different set lists than the Thursday, Friday and Saturday ones.
The special concerns of dance and film will be explored through Dancing for the Camera, a juried film competition. The winners--Resistance, Ghostworld, 3 Minute Birth and Refuge--will be shown along with 15 other films in the White Lecture Hall June 21 and 22 at 7pm and June 23 at 2pm.
Ethnic dancing is highlighted in late June, as the African American Dance Ensemble and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan take the stage. The African American Dance Ensemble, who will perform in Reynolds Theater at 8pm June 24-26, attempts to evoke a sense of community through dance. Cloud Gate will share its contemporary vision of Asian dance with ADF for the first time in Page Auditorium June 27-29 at 8pm. The piece--Songs of the Wanderers--will follow a spiritual journey based on Herman Hesse's Siddhartha.
Other acts coming to ADF in July include an annual Musicians' Concert--showcasing the rhythms driving the dance, David Dorfman and Dan Froot in Live Sax Acts, an ADF Faculty Concert, Ariane Malia Reinhart, the Trisha Brown Dance Company, an International Choreographers Concert and the Mark Morris Dance Group.
Ticket Information and details about other events are available at www.americandancefestival.org.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.