PS21
June 1-October 21Between the international music, theater, art, and dance events being staged in PS21's open-air Pavilion Theater, lush meadows and fields, and affiliated local spots, there's no shortage of offerings from Chatham's PS21. In the latter discipline, there's Czech dance company Cirk La Putyka's "Runners" (July 22), the Paul Taylor Dance Company performing three of the master choreographer's works (July 22-23), Italian choreographer Alessandro Sciaroni's "Save the Last Dance for Me" (July 29), French visual artist and photographer Noemie Goudal's "ANIMA" (September 2-3), and French director Gisele Vienne's "L'Etang" (October 13-14).
"Illinois" (Bard SummerScape)
June 23-July 12
Based on the Sufjan Stevens album of the same name and featuring its music and lyrics, "Illinois" premieres to the world this month at the Sosnoff Theater of Bard College's Fisher Center. Commissioned by and part of the Bard SummerScape festival, the production of storytelling, theater, dance, and live music is a collaboration between the indie folk singer-songwriter himself, director/choreographer/writer Justin Peck, and writer Jackie Sibblies Drury. Echoing the overarching concept of the acclaimed 2005 record, the show depicts colorful places, people, and events related to the Land of Lincoln. Performances at 2pm and 7:30pm.
"Mikhail Baryshnikov at 75" at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
June 25Tivoli's 153-acre Kaatsbaan Cultural Park presents top-flight artists working in dance, theater, spoken word and literature, and visual and culinary arts. This event has the facility partnering with New York's Baryshnikov Arts Center to honor the 75th birthday of that institution's founder and director, the great Mikhail Baryshnikov. The afternoon will feature a concert by Laurie Anderson, Diana Krall, Regina Spektor, and North America's leading practitioner of Japanese shinobue and taiko drummer Kaoru Watanabe; a musical performance by choreographer Mark Morris; and an appearance by actress Anna Baryshnikov. 2pm (gates at 11am). $150 and $500.
RAWdance at Senate Garage
July 1Another of the many arts entities making its Hudson Valley debut this summer is the West Coast-based company RAWdance, which here brings its "CONCEPT Series" to the historic Senate Garage in Kingston. A long-time institution of the San Francisco dance scene, RAWdance began the intimate and informal contemporary dance salon series in 2007. The series serves high-quality dance art with an informal, living-room vibe—complete with popcorn. The pay-what-you-can event is described as "a welcoming antidote to the stuffiness that can surround concert dance." Performers include Sarah Chien, DOCKDANCE, Chris Black, and more.
Dutch National Ballet at Jacob's Pillow
July 5-9
Founded in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Jacob's Pillow has been called "one of America's most precious cultural assets" by no less than Mikhail Baryshnikov. For this early July residency, the esteemed Dutch National Ballet launch its much-anticipated debut at the center. The engagement's works will include "Variations for Two Couples" (Hans Van Manen), Two & Only" (Wubkje Kuindersma), "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" (William Forsythe), "Grand Pas Classique" (Victor Gsovsky), and "Five Tangos" (Hans van Manen; music by Astor Piazzolla). Wednesday-Saturday performances are at 8pm; matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. $60.
"Agua Viva" at Hudson Hall
August 26-27
This homage to Ukrainian-born Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector's feminist novel Agua Viva by choreographer and dancer Jodi Melnick and collaborator Maya Lee-Parritz in Hudson expands upon the author's "notions of virtuosity, sexuality, and the spectacular, probing the limits of spontaneity through intricate movement." Melnick has been called "one of the most beautiful dancers there ever was—full of delicacy, lucidity, sensuality, mystery, and ferocity, which gives her an indelible sense of drama" by Dance magazine. Lee-Parritz has shown her work at the Center for Performance Research, the Brooklyn Ballet, and other luminous venues. August 26 at 7pm; August 27 at 4pm. $15-$35.
