Gauthier Dance Makes U.S. Debut at Jacob’s Pillow

Garazi Perez Oloriz and Eric Gauthier of Gauthier Dance in 'Two Become Three' (photo Regina Brocke)

Garazi Perez Oloriz and Eric Gauthier of Gauthier Dance in ‘Two Become Three’ (photo Regina Brocke)

(BECKET, Mass.) – Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, the dynamic resident contemporary dance company of the Theaterhaus Stuttgart in Germany, will appear in its full company U.S. debut engagement in the Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival from Wednesday, July 22, through Sunday, July 26, 2015. The program includes music by Dean Martin, cellist Zoë Keating, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, Kate Bush, La Lupe, and others.

Founded in 2007 by dancer, choreographer, and musician Eric Gauthier, the young company is known for its lighthearted and accessible approach to contemporary dance. The “lively, sometimes hilarious Gauthier Dance” (Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine) will perform seven works by international choreographers: artistic director Eric Gauthier, Alexander Ekman, Alejandro Cerrudo, Po Cheng Tsai, Johan Inger, Marco Goecke, and Cayetano Soto.

These Pillow performances mark the company’s first full-evening, weeklong engagement in the United States, following a one-work appearance at Dance Salad Festival in 2010.

Gauthier, formerly a soloist with Stuttgart Ballet, founded Gauthier Dance with a mission to break new ground, attract new audiences to dance, and make dance accessible to those who are unable to attend performances in traditional proscenium settings.

Gauthier Dance quickly made a name for itself among the German and international dance scene with the successful premiere of award-winning POPPEA//POPPEA choreographed by Christian Spuck in 2010, which was named one of the world’s 10 most successful dance productions of 2010 by Dance Europe magazine. Through its social engagement and outreach program, Gauthier Dance Mobile, the company performs at nursing homes, hospitals, and youth centers across Germany.

Rosario Guerra of Gauthier Dance in 'Malasangre'  (photo Regina Brocke)

Rosario Guerra of Gauthier Dance in ‘Malasangre’ (photo Regina Brocke)

Artistic director Eric Gauthier’s humorously instructive solo Ballet 101 leads a solo dancer through 100 ballet movements, beginning with the five basic positions. This entertaining work highlights Gauthier’s “goal to win a young audience for modern dance” (Jeanette Anderson, Dancing Times) through its lighthearted approach to dance and tongue-in-cheek references to well-known ballets and famous choreographers.

Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman’s clever duet, Two Become Three depicts the humorous and realistic relationship of a young couple. Ekman, known for his quick timing, wit, and dexterous transitions, is now an international choreographer whose work has been commissioned by companies worldwide, including Nederlands Dance Theater (The Netherlands), Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (U.S.), Iceland Dance Company (Iceland), Bern Ballet (Switzerland), and the Royal Swedish Ballet (Sweden), among others.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s PACOPEPEPLUTO is a suite of technically astounding solos for three male dancers set to 1950s and 60s classic hits by “King of Cool” Dean Martin and tribute artist Joe Scalissi. Cerrudo, one of Chicago’s most highly-demanded choreographers, is “known for his supple, affecting movements that are deceptively muscular” (Erin Osman, Chicago Magazine). Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performed PACOPEPEPLUTO during its 2014 engagement at Jacob’s Pillow.

Two performers dance as one in Taiwanese choreographer Po-Cheng Tsai’s Floating Flowers, an ethereal duet inspired by flying paper lanterns. Music by popular cellist Zoë Keating, famous for using a foot-controlled laptop to construct live scores, provides “layers of sound, that feel more like orchestrations than a solo instrument” (National Public Radio).

Maria Prat Balasch and David Valencia of Gauthier Dance in 'Malasangre' (photo Regina Brocke)

Maria Prat Balasch and David Valencia of Gauthier Dance in ‘Malasangre’ (photo Regina Brocke)

Swedish choreographer Johan Inger explores the various stages of love in his haunting pas de deux Now and Now set to music by popular Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and emerging Stockholm-based composer Erik Enocksson. Inger, whose “movement invention is a great and continuous pleasure” (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times) has worked with dance companies across the globe including Nederlands Dans Theater (The Netherlands), Cullberg Ballet (Sweden), Göteborg Ballet (Sweden), Hannover Ballet (Germany), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (U.S.), Ballet du Rhin (France), and the Finnish National Ballet (Finland), among others.

I Found a Fox is Stuttgart Ballet resident and Nederlands Dance Theater associate choreographer Marco Goecke’s quirky solo originally choreographed for Eric Gauthier, and performed by Rosario Guerra at the Pillow. Set to British singer/songwriter Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffe,” the work’s title was also inspired by lyrics from one of her other songs, “Hounds of Love.” Goecke’s choreography often evokes an aura of mystery and is characterized by precise, quick movements of the torso, arms, and hands.

Malasangre (Bad Blood) is Ballet BC resident choreographer Cayetano Soto’s homage to provocative Cuban singer Guadalupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, more commonly known as La Lupe, Queen of Latin Soul. In Malasangre, Soto, known for his exhilarating movement style and complex partnering sequences, explores La Lupe’s life and the destructive power of negativity. Pillow audiences may be familiar with Soto’s work from Ballet BC’s performance of Twenty Eight Thousand Waves earlier this season.

Tars Vanderbeek of Gauthier Dance in 'Malasangre' (photo Regina Brocke)

Tars Vanderbeek of Gauthier Dance in ‘Malasangre’ (photo Regina Brocke)

Founded in 2007 by charismatic dancer and choreographer Eric Gauthier, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart is a young, dynamic company of 14 versatile and highly talented dancers. In less than a decade, Gauthier’s “ebullient troupe became one of the most sought-after in Europe” (Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine). Gauthier Dance has performed works by internationally esteemed choreographers, including Hans van Manen, Christian Spuck, Mauro Bigonzetti, Paul Lightfoot & Sol León, Ji?i Kylián, and William Forsythe, among others. Additionally, Eric Gauthier’s works SIX PACK, HIGH FIVE, FOUR PLAY, and M.M. & MORE, have been popular among audiences at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart and abroad.

 

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart

Doris Duke Theatre

Wednesday, July 22 through Saturday July 25 at 8:15pm

Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26 at 2:15pm

  • Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholar-in Residence Maura Keefe are offered on the porch of the Doris Duke Theatre 30 minutes before every performance.

 

  • A Post-Show Q&A with Gauthier Dance Artistic Personnel and Scholar-in-Residence Maura Keefe will take place onstage on Thursday, July 23.

 

  • Tickets $25-$45, A limited number of $19 Under 35 Friday tickets are available for July 24; limit 2 per person, must be between the ages of 18 and 35.

 

  • Box Office Hours: Sunday through Tuesday, 11am–5pm, Wednesday through Saturday 11am–8pm.

 

  • Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, MA, 01223 (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theaters are handicapped-accessible.

 

ALSO THIS WEEK:

Daniil Simkin’s INTENSIO

July 22-26, Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm

Ted Shawn Theatre

In this much-anticipated world premiere and Jacob’s Pillow co-commission, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Daniil Simkin is joined by fellow dancers of ABT Isabella Boylston, Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Hee Seo, Calvin Royal III, and James Whiteside, plus special guest Céline Cassone of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. In INTENSIO, they perform four innovative world premieres by international choreographers: Nederlands Dans Theater 2 associate choreographer Alexander Ekman of Sweden, American dancemaker Gregory Dolbashian, resident Boston Ballet choreographer Jorma Elo of Finland, and Colombo-Belgian artist Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, currently based in Amsterdam. INTENSIO is a JOYCE PRODUCTIONS project. Tickets $39-$75.

 

Free Inside/Out Performance: Jacob Jonas The Company

Wednesday, July 22, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Los Angeles-based Jacob Jonas The Company (JJTC) is committed to building a community of likeminded artists who, through their work, reveal the importance and relevance of dance in contemporary society.  In A Room On Broad St. utilizes breakdancing, contemporary ballet, and acrobatic techniques to provide commentary on society’s competitive nature. FREE

 

Free Inside/Out Performance: Manuel Vignoulle – M/motions

Thursday, July 23, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

 

Based in New York City and led by French choreographer Manuel Vignoulle, M/motions utilizes highly technical movement, fusing classical styles with contemporary gesture. This program features three diversely styled duets which explore the perception of “the other” as a multifaceted unknown. FREE

 

Free PillowTalk: Dancing Online

Friday, July 24, 5pm

Blake’s Barn

Choreographer Lucinda Childs has a new website celebrating her iconic early works, while Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive has been completely redesigned, and Childs participates in this demonstration of both projects. FREE

 

 

 

Free Inside/Out Performance: Nimble Arts presents an excerpt from RUCKUS

Friday, July 24, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Founded by identical twin aerialists Elsie Smith and Serenity Smith Forchion, Nimble Arts is a traveling circus arts company presenting a cast of performers whose resumes include Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Eloize, and the Big Apple Circus. The family-friendly RUCKUS features breathtaking, high flying acrobatics inspired by dance, poetry, and vaudeville in a stunning display of circus arts. FREE

 

Free PillowTalk: Mia, A Dancer’s Journey

Saturday, July 25, 4pm

Blake’s Barn

Maria Ramas introduces her documentary on celebrated Ballet Russes ballerina Mia Slavenska, fulfilling a promise to tell her mother’s story. Co-directed by Kate Johnson, this moving film features rare Pillow footage. FREE

 

 

 

Free Inside/Out Performance: Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow

Saturday, July 25, 6:15pm

Marcia & Seymour Simon Performance Space

Dancers from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow present contemporary variations coached by program director Milton Myers and 2012 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award winner and 2013 MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham. FREE

 

 

83rd FESTIVAL FREE EXHIBITS — ON VIEW JUNE 20-AUGUST 30

Blake’s Barn’s Best

Blake’s Barn

Open daily, noon to 10pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5pm Sundays-Tuesdays.

Highlights of landmark photography and art exhibits by Annie Leibovitz, Jules Feiffer, Lois Greenfield, Al Hirschfeld, and more are shown together for the first time, heralding the coexistence of past and present in the Pillow’s future. The new Reading Room features treasures from the Stephan Driscoll Collection, an ongoing gift to the Pillow.

 

Kyle Froman: Bodies/Buildings

Ted Shawn Theatre Lobby

Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

Former New York City Ballet dancer Kyle Froman is now a photographer, capturing performers on Broadway and in leading dance companies worldwide. In this exclusive exhibition he juxtaposes dancers with architecture in highly original and surprising ways, revealing new facets in both bodies and structures.

 

Ivan Chermayeff Designs

Doris Duke Theatre Lobby

Open 60 minutes prior to every performance.

A celebrated designer, illustrator, and artist, Ivan Chermayeff has created familiarly iconic images for prominent clients such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian, and won numerous awards, and his designs for Jacob’s Pillow in the 1980s and 90s are remembered for their bold vision and originality.  Highlights are shown here along with brand-new artwork.

 

Jacob’s Pillow Dance Archives

Blake’s Barn

Open daily, noon to 10pm Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon to 5pm Sundays-Tuesdays

This newly-expanded informal library and reading room allows impromptu visitors to view videos, browse through books, access the Pillow’s computer catalog, or peruse permanent collections of Pillow programs and photographs. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive, available on the popular touch-screen kiosk in the Reading Room, provides instant access to rare film clips ranging from the present day back to the 1930s. Visitors may also sample videos from other Dance Heritage Coalition archives and companies throughout the country. FREE

 

ABOUT THE PILLOW

Jacob’s Pillow, celebrating its 83rd Festival in 2015, is a National Historic Landmark, recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and home to America’s longest-running international dance festival. Each Festival includes more than 50 national and international dance companies and 350 free and ticketed performances, talks, tours, classes, exhibits, and events. The School at Jacob’s Pillow, one of the most prestigious professional dance training centers in the U.S., encompasses the diverse disciplines of Ballet, Cultural Traditions, Contemporary, and Musical Theatre Dance, as well as an Intern Program in various disciplines of arts administration, design, video, and production. The Pillow’s extensive Archives, open year-round to the public, chronicle more than a century of dance in photographs, programs, books, costumes, audiotapes, and videos. Year-round Community Programs enrich the lives of children and adults through public classes, residencies in area schools, and an extensive schedule of free public events. Through Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion®, a nationally-recognized program, Artist Educators work with Berkshire County teachers and students grades K-12, transforming curricula such as biology, literature, and history into kinesthetic and creative learning experiences. Creative Development Residencies, in which dance companies are invited to live and work at the Pillow and enjoy unlimited studio time; choreography commissions; and the annual $25,000 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award all support visionary dance artists and choreographers. Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive is a curated online video collection of dance highlights from 1936 to today. On March 2, 2011, President Obama honored Jacob’s Pillow with a National Medal of Arts, the highest arts award given by the United States Government, making the Pillow the first dance presenting organization to receive this prestigious award. For more information, visit Jacob’s Pillow.

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