2012 Season Preview

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Join us for the 30th anniversary season of the Bates Dance Festival. Experience the power and invention of contemporary dance and music. Whatever your dance interest, our 2012 series featuring works by world-class choreographers and imaginative newcomers will entertain, intrigue and inspire you.

This season we showcase new works by established and emerging dance creators, introducing our community to innovative dance making that offers insight into our changing society.

Our 2012 season kicks off in high gear with a special April presentation of Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word's multimedia work "red, black & GREEN: a blues", an exhilarating, interactive performance of dance, text, and visual designed to jumpstart a conversation about environmental justice, social ecology and collective responsibility in the climate change era.

Summer brings a feast of contemporary dance from the hip hop pioneer Rennie Harris Puremovement, to the transformative sensibility of Kyle Abraham/Abraham.in.Motion, to the nuanced and perceptive voice of Kate Weare Company, and the thrilling virtuosity of Keigwin + Company, these artists bring joy, passion and brilliant dancing to our stage. This season celebrates our history of support for significant choreographers who have contributed important works to contemporary dance. We looks back on 20 years of innovative hip hop works by Rennie Harris with an evening of greatest hits. Kyle Abraham and his extraordinary dancers examines the current state of black male identity in Live, The Realest MC. Kate Weare delves into the depth of human relationships with the lush and arresting, Garden. We mark a 20+ year relationship with Larry Keigwin with the commmissioning and world premiere of Starstruck, which contemplates the constellations and celebrity culture. These lively and engaging works are sure to challenge your imaginations and enliven your spirits.

Here at the Festival, we are dedicated to insuring critical support for the artists' creative process by taking an active role as commissioners and producers of new works. To that end, each summer we gather an international community of choreographers, performers, educators and students to study, create and perform. Through this community, the Festival encourages a creative exchange of ideas among artists and offers audiences a wide range of opportunities to experience contemporary dance, thus affirming the essential power of the arts to enrich our lives. Welcome to this vibrant gathering where the spirit of dance continues to thrive.

Laura Faure, Director

Season-at-a-Glance