Purchase Dance Company Presents Fall Concert December 6-8

From December 6-8, the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, SUNY, will present a dynamic program of cutting edge premieres and exquisitely re-staged masterworks showcasing the virtuosity and exceptional training of their professional level dancers.

The program will be performed by members of the Purchase Dance Company, selected from the college's highly competitive Conservatory of Dance BFA program, which, according to the New York Times is "one of the country's most highly regarded dance conservatories."

Performances will take place at the Dance Theater Lab in the Dance Building at Purchase College on Friday, December 6 at 8 pm, Saturday, December 7 at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sunday, December 8 at 3pm.

A special pre-concert talk with the artists will be held on Friday, December 6 at 7:15 pm. The talk will be moderated by Darrah Carr, Assistant Professor in the Conservatory of Dance.

Ticket are $17.50 with discounts available for students and seniors. Tickets are available through the box office at The Performing Arts Center in advance by calling 914 251-6200 or in person. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.artscenter.org. Tickets will be available for purchase at the Dance Theater Lab on the day of the show. Only cash or checks will be accepted at the door.

The program will honor 20th century icon Trisha Brown with SET AND RESET/RESET (1983), her renowned postmodern masterpiece that sends dancers across the stage in rippling waves bursting with fluid, idiosyncratic movement. Several talented recent graduates from the Theatre Design/Technology program in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Purchase College will collaborate on sets and costumes for the work. Victoria Butler will re-imagine the original costumes by Robert Rauschenberg while Kamil James and Kate Campbell will re-conceptualize his original set design.

Esteemed Conservatory of Dance faculty member and former New York City Ballet soloist Bettijane Sills will present a re-staging of George Balanchine's Tarantella (1964), a delightful and fast-paced pas de deux.

The program will include a thrilling new contemporary ballet piece by acclaimed guest artist Eve Chan, who is resident guest choreographer of Hong Kong Ballet.

Guest artist Joseph Hernandez, whose celebrated international career includes the rosters of The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, and the Semperoper Ballett Dresden, will present his new work designed specifically for the Purchase Dance Company and inspired by the mystery, magic, and suspense of Broadway.

Rounding out the program will be a premiere by renowned artist Marcus Jarrell Willis, formerly of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Willis's new work will draw on his signature blend of modern dance and ballet to create choreography that feels like a silent movie, incorporating subtle yet witty tendencies.

Nelly van Bommel, Director of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, said, "These performance opportunities introduce dancers to many of the most sought after choreographers working today in addition to some of the most important icons of dance. Our students' training uniquely prepares them for successful careers with a wide-range of companies."

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College, SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.