Northrop's dance series for the 2023-24 season features artists bursting onto the national conversation and new ways to think about performance. It includes two world premieres of Northrop Centennial Commissions, long-term partnerships and an eye toward the new and innovative.
Northrop's 2023-24 dance season includes 2 world premieres
Dianne McIntyre's troupe and BRKFST Dance Company will showcase new works.
For the Minnesota Star Tribune
June 20, 2023 at 3:00PM
In the first world premiere, Ohio native Dianne McIntyre, who has been a mentor to generations of dancers and choreographers, combines all forms of theater storytelling in a "choreopoem." "In the Same Tongue," co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center and Northrop, brings together McIntyre's movement and Ntozake Shange's poetry, with music by Diedre Murray. (Oct. 5-7 at the Walker)
"It's about dance and music speaking to each other," said Marsha Walker, Northrop's communications director.
The second world premiere, co-commissioned by Northrop and the Cowles Center, features a piece by St. Paul's hip-hip rooted BRKFST Dance Company with music by Renée Copeland. It will be held at the Cowles April 27-28, 2024. BRKFST also will perform "Dancers, Dreamers and Presidents," set to a 2010 orchestral tone poem by Daniel Bernard Roumain, inspired by a dance between President Barack Obama and Ellen DeGeneres in 2007.
Besides the McIntyre commission, Northrop is partnering with the Walker on a three-year commitment supporting the New York-based Shamel Pitts and his collective of interdisciplinary artists, Tribe.
Philip Bither, director and senior curator for performing arts at the Walker, said he felt "knocked out" seeing Pitts' work at a conference, along with Northrop's director of programming Kristen Brogdon. "We agreed that he held such promise and that he was the exact kind of incentive, rigorous choreographer who gave us hope for the future of American dance," Bither said in an email.
The first installment of Pitts' work, "Black Hole: Trilogy and Triathlon" will be on March 21-23, 2024.
Phil Chan, author of "Final Bow for Yellowface," will bring "10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography" to Northrop on April 12-13, 2024.
"This was a chance to showcase the diversity within our community as well as to say, look at all of the different types of ways we can interpret ballet as an art form," Chan said. The Washington Ballet, the Oakland Ballet and BalletMet will perform works by four choreographers — the late Singaporean artist Choo San Goh, Caili Quan, who Chan calls "one of the hottest choreographers to watch," plus works by BalletMet's Edwaard Liang and Chan.
Tap dancer Ayodele Casel's "Rooted" opens the season on Sept. 27-29, and dancers and jazz musicians will share the stage with the audience for an interactive performance.
"Deep River" by San Francisco-based Alonzo King Lines Ballet is on Nov. 2, and danced to a score by MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran with vocals by Grammy winner Lisa Fischer.
On Oct. 13, the stepping troupe Step Afrika! will perform "Drumfolk," inspired by the Stono Rebellion of 1739 that led to enslaved Africans in South Carolina losing their right to play their drums.
In 2024, Northrop favorite Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performs on Jan. 25 under Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell's direction.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens takes the stage on Feb. 17-18 and performs to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 7.
Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead.
