Dear Friends:

The next month promises to be very busy here at Cal Performances, especially in Dance, as three major companies visit Zellerbach Hall in the coming weeks, each bringing a notable premiere (or two!) to our stages.

The Forsythe Company (Feb 22 & 23)
Cal Performances audiences were privileged back in 2004 to experience the final performances of William Forsythe's Ballet Frankfurt, one of the world's premier dance companies. It's only fitting that Cal Performances will play host to the Bay Area debut of this celebrated choreographer's new ensemble, The Forsythe Company. A true dance genius, William Forsythe remains at the forefront of the avant-garde as a choreographer and his new 18-member company continues to perfectly showcase his unique artistic vision, re-imagining the classic ballet tradition into a new, dynamic dance form. The Company will perform the United States premiere of Forsythe's latest work: Three Atmospheric Studies, a powerful and emotionally charged commentary on the Iraq war. For a quick, advance look at this critically acclaimed work, see our web site.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Feb 28 - Mar 4)
Anyone who reads The New York Times will already know that the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is having an exceptional season this year, even by its own lofty standards! The company received rave reviews for its recent performances at New York's City Center and advance ticket sales for its touring engagements (including Cal Performances') are breaking records across the country. In addition to four performances of Ailey's masterpiece Revelations (a piece which never fails to move our audiences and showcase how truly great a choreographer Alvin Ailey was!) AAADT will be bringing two notable premieres to Zellerbach Hall: the Bay Area company premiere of Twyla Tharp's classic The Golden Section; and the West Coast premiere of Karole Armitage's Gamelan Gardens, set to gamelan music composed by the Bay Area's own Lou Harrison.

The company will also be performing a special one-night tribute to Ailey dancer Renee Robinson. The new installment in our on-going podcast series titled Audio Program Notes features an interview with this veteran company member in which she talks about the high points of her remarkable 25-year career with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the works she and the company will be performing on Thursday, March 1st. Visit our website event page for complete program details and to hear our exclusive interview with her.

Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg (Mar 7 - 11)
We're pleased to welcome back the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg, returning to Zellerbach Hall for the world premiere of The Seagull, another work by the enormously gifted Russian choreographer Boris Eifman that brings Russian literature to life on the dance stage. Based on Anton Chekhov's 1896 play, The Seagull is set to music by Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. The company also brings back the undisputed hit of its 2005 engagement, Anna Karenina, based on Tolstoy's novel and set to music by Tchaikovsky. If you missed this critically acclaimed and visually arresting work the first time around, here's your chance to see it!

I hope you'll be able to join us for one—or all!—of these significant dance premieres at Cal Performances.

Sincerely,

Robert Cole
Director, Cal Performances