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Playbill for tonight’s Vail Festival NOW: PREMIERES show: https://vaildance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/VDF2021-NOW-080921_FINAL-NEW-210PM.pdf

The Vail Dance Festival, as spearheaded by the extraordinary Damian Woetzel, has announced a Digital Festival. Details of such are as follows - We are thrilled to bring you the Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition July 31-August 7, 2020! This special online series of events will feature unique performances from the past 10 years including debuts and revivals that have only been seen in Vail, a world premiere choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith made in, and for, the virtual space, plus a range of educational programming including Passing Balanchine On with Heather Watts and Damian Woetzel, and Conversations On Dance with Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden. The Digital season is generously underwritten by Jody and John Arnhold. The Festival will be available for a limited time on our Facebook and YouTube channels. See the schedule below! OPENING NIGHT Friday, July 31, 6pm MST The Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition begins with a specially curated selection of performances from the past 10 years including debuts, revivals, and new works that have rarely if ever been seen outside of Vail. Hosted by Artistic Director Damian Woetzel, with appearances by a range of the extraordinary dancers and musicians who have made Vail a summer laboratory for creative collaboration.  | LEARN MORE |  VIRTUAL GALA Sunday, August 2, 6pm MST The Virtual Gala evening will feature stars of the Vail Dance Festival from the worlds of ballet, tap, modern, and street dance. Among the highlights of this dynamic program will be The Personal Element, a 2019 Vail world premiere from revered choreographer Alonzo King, with an original score composed and performed by jazz luminary Jason Moran, danced by artists from Alonzo King LINES Ballet and New York City Ballet. | LEARN MORE |  PASSING BALANCHINE ON Monday, August 3, 6pm MST Heather Watts and Damian Woetzel on mentoring, coaching, and curating George Balanchine's works at the Vail Dance Festival, with Tiler Peck, Herman Cornejo, and Calvin Royal III, and featuring archival films of Balanchine repertory on Vail stages.   | LEARN MORE |  NOW: PREMIERES Tuesday, August 4, 6pm MST New works and collaborations made in Vail by a selection of today's most adventurous voices in dance, featuring a world premiere choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith with dancers Melissa Toogood, Calvin Royal III, and Smith herself joining in this dance made in and for the virtual space. This evening also features Rise Wait Climb Through, a 2018 world premiere choreographed by Justin Peck, with a commissioned score by Caroline Shaw.  | LEARN MORE |  CONVERSATIONS ON DANCE WITH REBECCA KING FERRARO & MICHAEL SEAN BREEDEN Wednesday, August 5, 6pm MST Join Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden from the popular podcast series Conversations On Dance, as they host in-depth discussions from afar with Festival artists including Lil Buck, Calvin Royal III, and "the Cindies" Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside. | LEARN MORE |  CLOSING NIGHT Friday, August 7, 6pm MST Closing night of the Vail Dance Festival: Digital Edition brings to the screen the extraordinary 2017 world premiere, we seem to be more than one, choreographed by Michelle Dorrance in collaboration with Dario Natarelli and her extraordinary cast. This piece captures the unique collaborative spirit of the Festival, bringing together dancers from tap, ballet, contemporary, jookin', flamenco, and modern traditions. Hosted by Damian Woetzel, the evening will open with the 2019 world premiere piece d’occasion Carolina Shout with jazz pianist Jason Moran and dancers Michelle Dorrance and Lil Buck. | LEARN MORE | 

Just in case the Vail Festival isn't well known on your side of the pond, I thought I'd share these videos with you. I've just come back from my first trip to Vail (more famous as an upscale ski resort in Colorado) and I completely fell in love with the whole experience. https://youtu.be/ce0YxtyZIGM https://youtu.be/hVliLqtaUGE https://youtu.be/gLakBprQMZ4 VIDF has remarkably eclectic programming, thanks to its Artistic Director, former New York City Ballet star Damian Woetzel. Memphis jookin rubs shoulders with Romeo and Juliet, 19th century Romanticism meets Alvin Ailey's Revelation, and that one-man versatility machine, Balanchine, is represented in all his guises: black and white, tutu, classical virtuosity, beautiful lyricism, Tchaikovsky to Stravinsky to Gershwin to Sousa. Speaking of versatility, I am convinced that NYCB's Tiler Peck can do ANYTHING and make it look stunningly gorgeous. She took my breath away in both the Midsummer Night's Dream excerpt and in Who Cares? I've written more about it on my blog.