The 12-day festival is an exceptional opportunity to see top-flight dance performances in Colorado.
As a longtime dance critic and avid dance fan, every year I face a major challenge: what to see at the Vail Dance Festival. This year, for the 37th time, Vail will again be the site of one of the most important summer dance festivals in the U.S., offering a chance to see both well-known companies and stars as well as other talents on their way to superstar status.
Unlike other American dance festivals, the 12-day Vail festival provides a particularly wide range of genres and performers, creating what Artistic Director Damian Woetzel describes as “almost a [single] company that does different types of work over the course of the festival’s season.”
Woetzel fosters a collaborative spirit among each year’s participants, enabling the artists to expand their skills and creativity.
“Choosing the repertory is all about finding next steps for the different artists,” Woetzel says. “It gives them something that pushes them forward no matter what stage of their careers they’re at.”
Paul Taylor Dance Company will feature a 50th anniversary presentation of ‘Esplanade.’ | Photo: Whitney Browne
Unexpected pairings
For dancers, this may mean an unexpected pairing with partners from companies other than their own — or performing roles not in their regular repertoire. For choreographers, it’s the opportunity to develop new works.
This year there will be eight world premieres from returnees like Michelle Dorrance, Larry Keigwin and Justin Peck, among others — as well as festival debuts by Robert Battle, Gianna Reisen and My’Kal Stromile. Some of the premieres take place throughout the festival while others appear on the special NOW: Premieres program.
In addition to innovation, at each year’s festival there is always the chance to see established dancers, companies and works. In this category I am especially looking forward this year to the Balanchine Celebration program, which will present three Balanchine masterpieces, including Concerto Barocco, one of my favorite ballets by the great master.
I’m also excited to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company again, especially since the program will feature a 50th anniversary presentation of Taylor’s masterpiece Esplanade and his seminal Company B.
Another company that I have always enjoyed is Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet; I haven’t seen them in a few years and never the two recent works they’re bringing to Vail – Ode to Alice Coltrane and Mother Goose, King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony set to Ravel’s 1912 suite Ma Mére l’Oye.
Musical guests
Music is a key element at the Vail festival and composers, singers and musicians are also featured performers. This year, Brooklyn Rider will return as Quartet-in-Residence, Pulitzer-award-winning Caroline Shaw will repeat as Composer-in-Residence.
Given Woetzel’s commitment to education (he is also the president of The Juilliard School), every festival includes informational programs that explore different aspects of dance and dance history. This year Woetzel’s Up Close lecture-demonstration focuses on classic and contemporary pairings of songs and dances with festival stars in both rehearsal and performance appearances. Even with all that I know about dance I always find these presentations interesting, and always learn something new.
Live demonstrations
Another regular lecture-dem each year is Heather Watts’ Watching Dance. Watts was a principal dancer with New York City Ballet for many years, working closely with Balanchine until his death. At every Vail Festival, she offers an exploration of dance repertory through live demonstrations by Festival artists and historical video footage. These presentations are especially valuable for those less knowledgeable about dance — although over the years this offering has given me an easy way to see some younger performers as they are beginning to make a major mark in their careers.
The Vail Dance Festival draws audiences from near and wide, which is so important in giving dance its due. But the festival is also a special pleasure for those of us fortunate to live within an easy drive to Vail. Regular attendees have their preferred programs from year to year like opening night, which showcases what’s to come over the course of the festival, or the International Evenings of Dance with stars from around the world.
As for me, I consider each year’s calendar a potpourri of surprises and a chance to celebrate an art form I hold so dear.
Alice Kaderlan is a long-time dance and theatre critic and general arts writer. She has written for newspapers and online news sites in Seattle, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh and other cities for more than 40 years. She has also appeared on various public radio stations including WAMU-FM in D.C. and KUOW in Seattle and covered arts for NPR. She currently lives and writes in Denver.
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