Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts continues it Restart Stages initiative – designed to spearhead the revitalization of NYC during these pandemic times through its activation of ten outdoor spaces for public cultural engagement – with BAAND Together, offering a mixed bill of five performances by five of NYC’s acclaimed dance companies on the same stage for the first time at the campus’s Damrosch Park.
The dance festival begins next week, on Tuesday, August 17, with dancers, new works, and repertory favorites from across the companies featured each night through Saturday, August 21. The performances are curated collaboratively by the artistic directors of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Artistic Director Robert Battle), American Ballet Theatre (Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie), Ballet Hispánico (Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Artistic Director Virginia Johnson), and New York City Ballet (Artistic Director Jonathan Stafford; Associate Artistic Director Wendy Whelan).
In a joint statement, the leaders explained: “Through the challenges of this past year, we made a commitment to meet weekly to act as a structure and a support for one another, our companies, and our community. This festival is a direct result of hours and hours of conversations, over months that informed our decision-making processes, individually and collectively, permitted our continued growth during the difficult times, and deepened our commitment to our field and our city. This festival is a celebration of the glory of our art and the power of unity.”
The performance schedule is as follows (subject to change):
Tuesday, August 17 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lazarus by Rennie Harris (excerpt); New York City Ballet, Ces noms que nous portons by Kyle Abraham; Dance Theatre of Harlem, Harlem on My Mind by Darrell Grand Moultrie (excerpt); American Ballet Theatre, Let Me Sing Forevermore by Jessica Lang; Ballet Hispánico, 18+1 by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano;
Wednesday, August 18 – New York City Ballet, In Creases by Justin Peck; Dance Theatre of Harlem, New Bach by Robert Garland; American Ballet Theatre, Songs of Bukovina by Alexei Ratmansky (excerpts); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Revelations by Alvin Ailey (excerpt);
Thursday, August 19 – Dance Theatre of Harlem, New Bach by Robert Garland; allet Hispánico, Línea Recta by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; American Ballet Theatre, Songs of Bukovina by Alexei Ratmansky (excerpts); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Revelations by Alvin Ailey (excerpt);
Friday, August 20 – Ballet Hispánico, Tiburones by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; New York City Ballet, In the Night by Jerome Robbins; Dance Theatre of Harlem, Change by Dianne McIntyre; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lazarus by Rennie Harris (excerpt);
Saturday, August 21 – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Lazarus by Rennie Harris (excerpt); New York City Ballet, Ces noms que nous portons by Kyle Abraham; Dance Theatre of Harlem, Harlem on My Mind by Darrell Grand Moultrie (excerpt); American Ballet Theatre, Let Me Sing Forevermore by Jessica Lang; Ballet Hispánico, 18+1 by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano.
Free assigned seats for each evening will be made available through the TodayTix Lottery, which is open now and will close three days prior to each performance at 12:59 pm. For more information visit the TodayTix website or download the TodayTix app. The performances will also be open to general admission, beginning ten minutes before the show, when non-ticketed guests will be invited to claim any available seats.
In addition to the performances, dance workshops and learning experiences will be presented at 4:00 pm each day by the individual companies. For more information, go online.
