Fall for Danceat the Inauguralhudson valley dance festivalBy Duke DangFeaturing Evidence, A Dance Company, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Stephen Petronio Companyand choreography by American Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo GomesEvidence, A Dance Company. Photo by Margot JordanBreathe in the crisp fall air and step inside the transformed19th century warehouse at Historic <strong>Catskill</strong>Point on the bank of the Hudson River for a stunning displayof dance at the inaugural Hudson Valley Dance Festival. OnSaturday, October 12 the natural beauty of the Hudson Valleywill blend with the artistic beauty on stage providing a feast forthe senses.Audience members will experience world-class dance performancesby Evidence, A Dance Company, Monica Bill Barnes& Company, Stephen Petronio Company and choreography byAmerican Ballet Theatre principal Marcelo Gomes.The event is produced by and benefits Dancers Respondingto AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.“With the visual arts so strongly rooted in the region, the Historic<strong>Catskill</strong> Point provides a perfect home for DRA to add spectaculardance to the rich culture of the area,” said Denise Roberts Hurlin,the founding director of DRA, an organization she co-founded in1991 while performing with Paul Taylor Dance Company.Inspired by DRA’s two decades of success with Fire IslandDance Festival and New York City’s Dance from the Heart, lastsummer, my partner, Charles Rosen, fellow Greene Countyresident Todd Whitley, and I started thinking about ways to addto the cultural vitality of the area while making a difference forthose in need. We contacted Roberts Hurlin to discuss expandingDRA’s two-decade-long success of producing unique dancebenefits to the Hudson Valley. Her interest was piqued. Our area’shistory of supporting both the arts and those battling criticalillnesses matched well with DRA’s mission. Through its nationalgrants program, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and DancersResponding to AIDS help ensure that the most vulnerable12 • www.catskillregionguide.com
among us receive life-saving medication and health care, nutritiousmeals, counseling and emergency financial assistance. Oneof the grantees of this national program is the locally based AIDSCouncil of Northeastern New York which has received fundingfrom Broadway Cares since 1991.After visiting a number of possible sites, the Historic <strong>Catskill</strong>Point was selected for its majestic location on the Hudson River,with sweeping views of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and Olana.The inaugural Hudson Valley Dance Festival will includeAmerican Ballet Theatre corps de ballet members Jessica Saundand Thomas Forster performing the emotionally poignant “Endlos,”a pas de deux choreographed by Marcelo Gomes, a principalat American Ballet Theatre.Acclaimed choreographer Stephen Petronio will bring hiscompany of dancers to perform a work that combines new music,visual art and fashion. Petronio, known for producing powerfullymodern landscapes for the senses, is widely regarded as one of theleading dance-makers of his generation and currently is the Artistin-Residenceat The Joyce Theater.Monica Bill Barnes, described by The Village Voice as “oneof the wittiest young choreographers around,” comes to <strong>Catskill</strong>with her company after premiering at the Kennedy Center inMay and touring with “This American Life” host Ira Glass ina show that combined stories and dance. We can expect grace,theatricality and relatable humor.Completing the program is choreographer Ronald K.Brown’s Evidence, A Dance Company. Brown’s work integratestraditional African dance with contemporary choreography andspoken word. In June, Brown created his fifth work for Alvin AileyAmerican Dance Theater for the company’s return to LincolnCenter. The New York Times described the work as an “enigmaticpremiere (that) didn’t disappoint.”At Hudson Valley Dance Festival, dance novices and aficionadosalike will sample a broad stroke of what is happening nowin dance while supporting a cause that’s making a difference everyday for men, women and children across the country and here inthe Hudson Valley. Funds raised by DRA and Broadway Caresare awarded as grants to more than 450 AIDS and family serviceorganizations nationwide including more than 100 in New YorkJessica Saund and Thomas Forster. Photo by Daniel RobertsStephen Petronio Company. Photo by Sarah Silverstate. By drawing on the talents, resources and generosity of theAmerican theater and dance communities, since 1988 BroadwayCares/Equity Fights AIDS has raised more than $225 million foressential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses.The event is already off to a great start with early championsponsorship of the event by <strong>Catskill</strong> homeowners Nina Matis andAlan Gosule and support from City National Bank (made possibleby Columbia County homeowners Erik Piecuch and Alex Wright).An active host committee—made up of residents in Columbia,Dutchess, Greene, and Putnam counties—also has been integral insecuring community support for this exciting new event.Mark Beard and James Manfredi will host a post-performanceVIP reception in their <strong>Catskill</strong> home, a former PresbyterianChurch with 30-foot ceilings. The home includes Beard’s artstudio, brimming with his oil paintings and heroic bronze sculptures.This is a rare opportunity to gain an up-close look at Beard’scollection as well as the work of his alter ego, Bruce Sargeant,while mingling with the cast of Hudson Valley Dance Festival.Tickets for the festival can be purchased at dradance.org or byvisiting Snap Fitness on Main Street in <strong>Catskill</strong>. VIP tickets cost$250 and include pre-performance cocktails, the performance andthe VIP reception with the artists. Orchestra tickets cost $100 forpre-performance cocktails and the performance. Rear orchestratickets cost $40 for the performance only. For sponsorship opportunitiese-mail Roberts Hurlin at hurlin@broadwaycares.org.<strong>September</strong> <strong>2013</strong> • guide 13
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