The Vilcek Foundation Presents the Winner and Finalists of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise at Joyce SoHo, 11/15-18

The Vilcek Foundation will present Pivotal Works: The Vilcek Foundation Project, a four-night series of dance performances at Joyce SoHo from November 15-18, featuring the talents of the 2012 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance winner and finalists. The purpose of the Prize is to recognize contributions by foreign-born dance professionals in the United States. Leading off this program on November 15 & 16 will be the prize finalists Fanny Ara (France), Thang Dao (Vietnam), Alice Gosti (Italy) and Pontus Lidberg (Sweden). Showcasing a variety of dance styles, these choreographers will demonstrate both the cultural and artistic diversity of the contemporary dance field across genres such as modern, flamenco and experimental. Following the finalists program will be a two-night engagement, on November 17 & 18, by the Creative Promise Prize winner, Ivory Coast-born choreographer Michel Kouakou.

In speaking of this event series, Vilcek Foundation Executive Director Rick Kinsel said, “We are honored to present the work of this younger generation of foreign-born dancers and choreographers who have distinguished themselves early in their careers. Their innovative and inspiring talents represent the diversity and vibrancy that immigrants bring to American culture.”

Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater, noted, "It was my absolute pleasure to be a part of the review and selection process for the 2012 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance. The distinguished panel comprised of Alicia Adams, Bonnie Brooks, Joan Finkelstein, Jane Forde, Larry Keigwin, Larry Rhodes, and Andrea Snyder supports these foreign-born artists making exceptional work in this country. For The Joyce to be able to host these artists at Joyce SoHo and provide further exposure for each, is an honor."

In the first program on November 15 & 16, Thang Dao will present Lenore, a choreographic narrative inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven, evoking a mysterious night the poet encounters during his slumber. Fanny Ara will perform Solea, a solo dance based on one of the deepest forms of flamenco song, emphasizing the dancer’s upper body control through the use of slow motion movement contrasted with rapid and precise footwork. In Spaghetti Co, Alice Gosti investigates the relationship that individuals and families have with food, and the memories that are attached to certain tastes and smells. Each episode starts with three women, wine and a huge bowl of tomato-sauce spaghetti. Pontus Lidberg will present an excerpt from WITHIN (Labyrinth Within), a work created during Lidberg’s tenure as 2012 Resident Artistic Director of Morphoses. The piece weaves together dance, film and interconnected relationships with music by David Lang.