From plugging into the TV dance craze to serving as the debut stop for the New York City Ballet’s newly announced touring ensemble, the Vail International Dance Festival will offer a diverse look at the ever- changing field with its 2011 summer lineup.
“I feel like we have huge variety, and this year is no different than other years,” said artistic director Damian Woetzel. “It’s so important to show classics but also to promote new work and give artists a chance to work differently.”
Highlighting this year’s edition, featuring 17 performances from July 31 through Aug. 13, will be the first-anywhere performances by New York City Ballet Moves, a small, rotating group of dancers from all levels of the company.
The roster for this first season contains 17 members, including principal dancers Joaquin De Luz, Tiler Peck, Daniel Ulbricht and Wendy Whelan.
“Traveling with a smaller group gives us an opportunity to showcase NYCB’s repertory and dancers in venues that might not be able to present the full company, and it also provides us with an opportunity to raise the company’s profile with national and international audiences who may have never seen us perform,” company spokesman Rob Daniels said in an e-mail.
The touring ensemble’s appearance in Vail came about in large part through the association of Woetzel, a widely recognized principal dancer with the company until his retirement in 2008.
One possible hitch to the Vail visit emerged Tuesday, when according to The New York Times, the dancers union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, sought to block the new touring ensemble, saying it violates the ballet’s labor contract.
“As reported, City Ballet has stated that the tour is going forward, so I’m not worried, and I can’t imagine that AGMA, the dancers’ own union, will actually stand in the way of their gainful employment,” Woetzel said.
For now, Moves is set to open the festival July 31 with two 20th-century classics — George Balanchine’s “Duo Concertant” and Jerome Robbins’ “Dances at a Gathering,” and present recent works by Christopher Wheeldon and Peter Martins on Aug. 1.
On Aug. 2, Woetzel and Martins, New York’s ballet master in chief, will serve as commentators for a third program, titled “UpClose: The Male Dancer by George Balanchine,” with performances of some of the choreographer’s best-known male roles.
In a very different vein will be the Aug. 13 offering, “Dance TV,” highlighting television’s current love affair with the form. SuperCr3w, winner of “America’s Best Dance Crew,” will take part, along with performers from some of the other popular TV dance programs.
Other highlights:
Aug. 3. Mark Morris easily ranks among the five greatest choreographers at work in the United States. His company will make its Vail debut, offering a 30th-anniversary program, including “Grand Duo” and “Going Away Party.”
Aug. 7. The famed Argentine Tango duo Natalia Hills and Gabriel Misse, who have become festival regulars, are putting together a cabaret-style showcase of ballroom dance styles from around the world.
Aug. 8. “UpClose: Premieres” will feature four world premieres by such leading figures as Richard Siegel, an innovative choreographer who has worked extensively in Europe, and Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley, a Memphis street dancer who has become a YouTube sensation.
For a complete 2011 schedule and ticket information, call 888-920-2787 or visit .
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
