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PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

U.S. AND WORLD PREMIERS HIGHLIGHT THE EXCEPTIONAL DANCE PROGRAMMING
FOR A NEW SEASON

2018-2019 PITTSBURGH DANCE COUNCIL

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces a new season for the 2018-2019 Pittsburgh Dance Council. Pittsburgh Dance Council is a division of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The new season of programming was announced on Saturday, April 14, 2018.

This season highlights the voices of female choreographers. Although there is an abundance of female performers, women have historically been underrepresented in positions of artistic leadership. We will have the opportunity to experience the namesake companies of Deborah Colker, Yabin Wang*, Jessica Lang, and Camille A. Brown; and Paul Taylor Dance Company will combine an evening of Taylor masterworks with a commission by former company member Lila York**.

“The Pittsburgh Dance Council provides a window to the world for dance audiences in our region. My goal as director is to ensure that this window is open to everyone and that it has the best and broadest view possible. I strive to create seasons that build on an existing appreciation for dance and movement while providing an opportunity for us to explore and challenge our assumption by showcasing the diversity that exists in dance,” said Randal Miller, Director of Dance Programming and Special Projects for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “The founders of each of the companies on this season are considered visionaries for their contribution to shaping and reshaping how we experience dance. Individually they represent excellence, and collectively they demonstrate the value of opening the conversation to include more voices.”

2018-2019 Dance Council performances will take place at the Byham Theater (101 6th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222) and the August Wilson Center for African American Culture (980 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222), both located in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. 

2018-2019 Dance Council Season

DEBORAH COLKER | Cão sem Plumas

Saturday | October 6, 2018 | 8:00 p.m. | Byham Theater

US PREMIERE

Rio de Janeiro choreographer Deborah Colker has redefined the rules for what can be done in dance. She was catapulted to the world stage with her visual spectacle dance at the Rio 2016 Olympics. A Laurence Olivier Award-winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, she received international acclaim for her choreography of Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo.

The company’s newest work takes inspiration from a poem by Brazilian writer João Cabral de Melo Neto. Cão sem Plumas, or Dog Without Feathers, is set in the beautiful yet impoverished Capibaribe River Region in Brazil. Tension between the elite and the river people come to a head as the dancers cover themselves with mud. Projections by critically acclaimed filmmaker Cláudio Assis were filmed over a month when the entire company traveled to the river.

YABIN WANG | The Moon Opera*

Saturday | November 3, 2018 | 8:00 p.m. | Byham Theater

US PREMIERE

Yabin Wang is China’s superstar. One of the most promising and pioneering choreographers in contemporary dance in China, her work was commissioned by English National Ballet and was performed by the company at Sadler’s Wells for their prestigious She Said series. Westerns know her best for her incredible dance in the film House of Flying Daggers.

In her newest work, Moon Opera*, she has collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team of award-winning designers and composers to unveil a dramatic modern-day story of an artist. Through the lens of Chinese culture, contemporary dance tells the story of a Peking Opera performer struggling between her dreams of artistic stardom and the harsh realities of maintaining her traditional role as a woman in society.  *This performance is part of the 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.

JESSICA LANG DANCE | Lyric Pieces, The Calling, Glow, Sweet Silent Thought, Thousand Yard Stare

Saturday | January 26, 2019 | 8:00 p.m. | Byham Theater

“Jessica Lang has a knack for conceiving a complete universe in each dance—distinctive in its look, mood, sound and atmosphere.” – Los Angeles Times

Jessica Lang Dance combines exquisitely constructed choreography with striking visual design to the effect of one resounding word: gorgeous! Astoundingly beautiful and emotionally moving, the company will present five unique works. Her signature piece, The Calling, features a solo dancer costumed in a giant white skirt that cascades down and pools widely out onto the stage.

PAUL TAYLOR DANCE COMPANY | Continuum (**choreography by Lila York),
Additional Paul Taylor Dance Company repertory TBA

Saturday | February 23, 2019 | 8:00 p.m. | Byham Theater

Dance maker Paul Taylor continues to shape the homegrown American art of modern dance that he has helped define since he became a professional dancer and pioneering choreographer in 1954. After 60 years as Artistic Director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, he has begun commissioning a new generation of choreographers to make dances for his company so that modern dance flourishes long into the future.

The evening presentation will include classic Paul Taylor works alongside a new work, Continuum, by former company dancer Lila York. Since her days as a staring dancer with the company, she has gone on to choreograph critically-acclaimed work for top companies such as American Repertory Ballet and The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble. CAMILLE A. BROWN| ink

Saturday and Sunday | March 9 & 10, 2019 | 8:00 p.m. | August Wilson Center

Camille A. Brown is a prolific Black female choreographer whose work examines the cultural narrative of African American identity. A Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award-winner and Guggenheim Fellowship-recipient, her bold work taps into both ancestral stories and contemporary culture to capture a range of deeply personal experiences.

Drawing on historic and contemporary rhythms and rituals of the African Diaspora, ink examines the culture of Black life that is often appropriated, rewritten, or silenced. Stunning modern dance melds with pedestrian interactions in poignant vignettes about Black superpowers. The work will be performed with live music that blends blues, hip-hop, jazz, and swing.  This performance is presented in partnership with the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

BALLET TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO| Mixed Repertory

Saturday | April 13, 2019 | 8:00 p.m. | Byham Theater

Returning to Pittsburgh after its sold-out show in 2013, the TROCKS is drag ballet at its finest. The visionary company of all male dancers has elevated drag to the concert stage like no other. Presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classic ballet in parody form, the company has performed in 34 countries and 600 cities worldwide since its founding in 1974.

The TROCKS highly comedic work exaggerates the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance. Delicately balancing on toes as swans, sylphs, water sprites, and romantic princesses, the male ballerinas delight and amuse.

Tickets
Single tickets (as low as $10) for the 2018-2019 Pittsburgh Dance Council season will be available at a later date at TrustArts.org/DANCE, by calling 412-456-6666, or in person at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue. Subscription packages are available for: $60-$330. Subscriptions can be purchased in packages of 4 show, with pricing beginning at $40. To subscribe, call 412-456-1390. Groups of 10 or more tickets, please call 412-471-6930. For more information visit, TrustArts.org/DANCE.

Pittsburgh Dance Council
The Pittsburgh Dance Council joined the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as a programming division in 2002. The mission of Pittsburgh Dance Council is to bring the best contemporary dance companies from around the world to the Cultural District. Each season, Pittsburgh Dance Council presents diverse, world-class contemporary works, including U.S. and world premieres.

Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts*
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present its fourth Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts—a city-wide, performing and visual arts festival to be held in the Fall of 2018. The festival programming will be announced spring 2018.  Highlights include seven dizzying weeks featuring exclusive events by renowned international artists and contemporary performing arts companies premiering for the first time in the U.S. and in some cases the world. Thirty international companies and artists from eighteen countries will capture your imagination, challenge you to think outside the ordinary and leave you seeing the world in an entirely new way.  Festival events will be presented in association with other Pittsburgh cultural organizations and events, offering visceral experiences for audiences at various traditional and non-traditional venues throughout the downtown Cultural District. www.TrustArts.org/Firsts

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. www.TrustArts.org

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Programming Categories

  • PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh
    • 2020-2021 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season Announcement
    • SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical, April 7-12, 2020, Heinz Hall
    • CATS, February 25-March 1, 2020, Benedum Center
    • Casting Revealed for the New National Tour of Miss Saigon
    • THE BAND'S VISIT National Tour Casting
    • THE ILLUSIONISTS - MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS comes to Heinz Hall, December 26 - 29, 2019
    • Casting Announced for A BRONX TALE, Broadway’s Hit New Musical
    • Broadway: Lifetime Broadway Balances America, Season 6 Premieres September 30, 2019
    • JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR National Tour Cast 2019-2020
    • MEAN GIRLS Announces Full Casting for the First National Tour
    • 2019-2020 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series Individual Show Onsale Dates Announced
    • MEAN GIRLS Announces the Trio of Actresses Launching the First National Tour As “The Plastics”
    • Casting Has Been Announced for Disney’s THE LION KING At the Benedum Center
    • THE LION KING Sensory-Friendly Performance, September 14, 2019, Benedum Center
    • 2019-2020 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season Announcement
    • Broadway: Casting Revealed: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Return Engagement, February 20-March, 3, 2019, Benedum Center
    • HAMILTON Tickets Are Going On Sale!
    • Broadway: National Tour Cast, The Play That Goes Wrong, September 18-23, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: ANASTASIA Casting Announced North American Tour
    • Broadway: The Play That Goes Wrong, National Tour Launch, September 18-23, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: Disney's Aladdin, Casting Announced, PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh
    • Broadway: ELF The Musical, Tickets on Sale, Heinz Hall
    • Broadway, Disney's Aladdin, Casting Announcement, Trevor Dion Nicholas as "Genie"
    • PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh: Disney's Aladdin, Benedum Center
    • Auditions: Role of Lulu in Waitress, PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: Autism-Friendly Performance of WICKED, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: Wicked Lottery for $25 Seats, Benedum Center/PNC Broadway
    • Broadway: The Bodyguard, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: WAITRESS Pie Contest, PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh
    • Broadway: Two Local Young Actresses To Play Role of “Lulu” in WAITRESS, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: WAITRESS, Benedum Center, March 6-11, 2018
    • Broadway: RENT 20th Anniversary Tour, Heinz Hall
    • Broadway: RENT 20th Anniversary Tour Rush Tickets, Heinz Hall
    • Broadway: Rodgers+Hammerstein's Cinderella, Heinz Hall
    • Theater: Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Benedum Center
    • Broadway: 2018-19 Broadway in Pittsburgh Season Announcement
    • Upcoming Performances: February-April 2020: TRUST Cabaret Series 2019-2020 season
  • Harris Theater
    • Film: Rolling Stone: The Life and Death of Brian Jones
    • New Programming at the Harris Theater
  • Festivals
    • People's Choice Award Recipient Announced for Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 5-14, 2020
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces Virtual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 5-14, 2020
    • Tickets On Sale Now, 34th Annual EQT Children's Theater Festival, May 14-17, 2020
    • Registration Open for Free Teen Day at Bookish in the 'Burgh
    • 2020 Pittsburgh Humanities Festival Programming Line-up Announced
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces Second Annual BOOKISH IN THE ‘BURGH - Pittsburgh's Teen Book Festival
    • Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2020 New Year's Eve Celebration Lineup
    • 2019 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival Lineup
    • Festival: Pittsburgh Humanities Festival 2019
    • Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2019 Silver Jubilee Announced!
    • Festival: Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, September 21-November 11, 2018
    • Festivals: Pittsburgh Humanities Festival 2018 Programming Lineup Announced
    • Festival: EQT Children's Theater Festival, May 17-20, 2018
    • Festival: Featured Music Lineup – 2018 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival
    • Festival: Mavis Staples to Perform at Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival
    • Festival: 2018 Dollar Bank Three Rivers arts Festival Programming
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Celebrates the Inaugural BOOKISH IN THE 'BURGH
    • 2019 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival: 60th Anniversary Featured Music Lineup
  • Pittsburgh Dance Council
    • Pittsburgh Dance Council 2021 Spring Season
    • Dance: 2019-2020 Pittsburgh Dance Council Series, 50th Anniversary Season
    • Dance: Derek Hough: Live! The Tour, 2019, Benedum Center
    • Dance: Grupo Corpo, Byham Theater
    • Dance: 2018-19 Pittsburgh Dance Council, Cultural District
    • Dance: 2019-2020 Pittsburgh Dance Council 50th anniversary season continues
  • Children’s Theater and EQT Bridge Theater
    • EQT Bridge Theater Series Announced: 2019-2020 Season
    • 50th Anniversary of THE CHILDREN’S THEATER SERIES: 2019-2020 Season Announced
    • 33rd ANNUAL EQT CHILDREN’S THEATER FESTIVAL, MAY 16-19, 2019
    • 2018–2019 EQT Bridge Theater Series for Pre-Teens and Older Features Shifting Perspectives
    • Children's Theater: The 13-Story Treehouse, August Wilson Center
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  • Cohen & Grigsby Trust Present Series
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    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces The 2019 – 2020 COHEN & GRIGSBY TRUST PRESENTS Series
    • Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series: Black Violin Comes to the Byham Theater on September 26, 2019
    • Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series: Around the World and Back
    • Theater: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live:
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    • Theater: February 2018, Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents, Cultural District
    • Theater: The Hollywood Special Effects Show, Byham Theater
    • Theater: 'Peppa Pig's Surprise' Extends Tour Including Pittsburgh, PA on November 20, 2018
    • Tickets On Sale for CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE '90s MUSICAL
    • Announcing Debut Tour of MASTERCHEF JUNIOR LIVE!
    • Straight No Chaser Coming to the Benedum Center December 18, 2019
    • The Office! A Musical Parody
  • Trust Arts Education
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: Applications Now Available For Disney Musicals In Schools Program
    • Theater: Cityscape, Trust Arts Education Center
  • Greer Cabaret Theater Programs
    • 2020-2021 TRUST Cabaret Series, Greer Cabaret Theater
    • 2019-2020 TRUST Cabaret Series, Greer Cabaret Theater
    • 2018-19 TRUST Cabaret Season Announced
    • April 2019: Jazz Happenings, Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
    • New Date & Venue: Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp, 2018-2019 TRUST Cabaret Series
    • Trust Cabaret Series 2018-2019 Continues in the New Year, Greer Cabaret Theater
    • JazzLive 15th Anniversary Celebration, Greer Cabaret Theater
    • BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive, April 2018, Cultural District
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Renames its Cabaret Theater, Honoring Long-Time Trustee and Supporter George Greer
  • Trust Events and Guest Attractions
    • Mandy Moore Announces 2020 North American Tour
    • The Chocolate Bar at the Benedum
    • Rock ‘n' Remember Live! Stars from the Golden Age of Rock and Roll Return to the Benedum Center in April
    • Dancing with the Stars Live Tour 2020 Dances its Way to Pittsburgh This Winter
    • A Benedum Christmas – Home for the Holidays Returns as Pittsburgh's Holiday Showcase
    • Mary Chapin and Shawn Colvin Coming to the Benedum Center October 17, 2019
    • Multiple Choice: Dance/Machine, August Wilson Center
    • Billy Gardell, Benedum Center
    • Decades Rewind, Music of the 60's, 70's, 80's, Byham Theater
    • Yanni 25-Live at The Acropolis Anniversary Concert Tour, Benedum Center
    • Theater: Kaiju Big Battel, Byham Theater
    • Event: Cultured Cocktails, Benedum Center
    • Theater: National Geographic Live-Hilaree Nelson: Point of No Return
    • A Celebration of Women's History Month: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart
    • Theater: Jerry Seinfeld, March 8, 2019, Benedum Center
    • Theater: A Magical Cirque Christmas, December 13, 2018, Benedum Center
    • Music: AMERICA, 2018-2019 World Tour, February 21, 2019, Byham Theater
    • #1 Hit True Crime Podcast MY FAVORITE MURDER Coming to the Benedum!
    • NICK JR. LIVE! “MOVE TO THE MUSIC” Coming to the Benedum Center January 17-19, 2020
    • Comedy: Eddie B,
    • BABY SHARK LIVE! Coming to the Byham Theater November 4, 2019
    • Life Will Be The Death Of Me: Chelsea Handler’s Stand-Up Comedy Tour Announces Additional North American Dates
  • Liberty Magic
    • 2020-2021 Liberty Magic Season
    • Liberty Magic 2020 Spring and Summer Lineup
    • Liberty Magic 2019-2020 Subscription Series Announced
    • Liberty Magic Summer 2019 Lineup On Sale Now
    • Brand-New Arts Space and Experience, LIBERTY MAGIC: Elevating the Art of Magic
  • Visual Arts
    • THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST PRESENTS “holding pattern” A unique fusion of dance and visual art Part of the virtual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival
    • Visual Arts: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, January 24, 2020
    • Visual Art: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, July 12, 2019
    • Visual Arts: Spring Gallery Crawl, April 26, 2019, Cultural District
    • Visual Art: Winter Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, January 25, 2019
    • Visual Art, Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, September 21, 2018
    • PUBLIC ART + THEATER: 2018 Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts Spectacle Programming Announced
    • Visual Art: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, Friday, July 6, 2018
    • Visual Arts: Identity Play, SPACE Gallery
    • Visual Arts: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, January
    • Visual Arts: Event Horizon, SPACE Gallery
    • Visual Arts: Marx@200, SPACE Gallery
    • Visual Arts: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, April
    • Visual Arts: Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District, September 27, 2019
  • Cultural District Announcements
    • COVID-19 Updates
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Introduces Enhanced Guest Security Measures
    • Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Honored in Security 500's Top 10
    • DEAR EVAN HANSEN Lottery Information
    • DEAR EVAN HANSEN Breaks Box Office Record
    • Trust Selected by the American Council of Learned Societies to Host a Mellon/ACLS Public Fellow
  • Monthly Media Opportunities
    • July Media Opportunities (2020)
    • June Media Opportunities (2020)
    • May Media Opportunities
    • March Media Opportunities
    • February Media Opportunities
    • January Media Opportunities
    • December Media Opportunities
    • November Media Opportunities
    • October Media Opportunities
    • August Media Opportunities
    • June Media Opportunities
    • May Media Opportunities
    • Theater: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust April Events
    • July Media Opportunities
    • September Media Opportunities

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