Palm Arts: BalletCollective, Residency & Performance (8/19)

Palm Arts: BalletCollective, Residency & Performance (8/19)

A full schedule of BalletCollective’s residency in Telluride in association with Palm Arts and Telluride’s Palm Theater, can be found at www.telluridepalm.com. Reserved seating tickets for the public performance on Saturday, August 19, 7 p.m., $38 for adults; $22 for students and children. Purchase online here or by calling 970-369-5669.

Scroll down for a taste of BalletCollective (a preview from a 2016 performance).

Following last summer’s successful Telluride residency, BalletCollective, a talented group of dancers from the New York City Ballet under the direction of Troy Schumacher, returns to Telluride for another week of rehearsals, master classes, open showcases, a community art event and a meet-and-greet. The week’s activities culminate in a public performance on Saturday, August 19, 7 p.m.

“The seven New York City Ballet dancers who performed in BalletCollective’s “What Comes Next” program looked fresh, unaffected, contemporary. They (five women, two men) walked onto the stage on their heels, their manner casual. After a step or a sequence, they let their arms swing and stood on flat feet. They were not improvising, but the mood was spontaneous…,”  wrote renowned dance critic Alistair McCauley of The New York Times about a performance late-2016 at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

This is a man not known to praise unless praise is due.

Founded by Schumacher in 2010, BalletCollective brings together artists, poets, composers, choreographers, and designers to collaborate as equals in the creation of distinctive works of art. The company’s efforts are intimate and reflective, yet always accessible when performed by this highly accomplished group of dancers in works custom-made for them.

During the week-long residency, BalletCollective will once again develop new works based on collaborations among several art forms.

In 2014, poetry informed the original musical compositions and choreography.

In 2015, the catalyst was photography.

And last year, an architect’s rendering and a signature play by basketball legend Allen Iverson inspired two unique pieces.

For the 2017 season, BalletCollective has taken stock of where they are, what inspires them, and what further opportunities are left to explore. The group noticed that communications are increasingly parsed in daily in- person exchanges, via text, and across various platforms and ideologies. New languages are developing within languages and meanings are constantly evolving. How does all that translate in the art of dance? What doors do these evolving concepts open for artistic exploration?

To help answer those questions, Schumacher has curated an exciting group of artists and commissioned source art from speculative fiction writer Ken Liu and data collection artist and geographer Trevor Paglen, plus scores from indie darling Julianna Barwick and classical composer Caleb Burhans and a site-specific digital installation from Chilean artist Sergio Mora-Diaz.

This year also marks BalletCollective’s first choreographic commission outside of its core team. Gabrielle Lamb ‘s unique, intelligent choreographic voice will be a part of the repertoire this summer, with the work premiering this fall at the Skirball Center.

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