Shanghai Ballet, "The Butterfly Lovers." Courtesy of Dance St. Louis
The Shanghai Ballet, Grammy-winning musical Chicago, Los Angeles-based dance company Diavolo and the Memphis Ballet, among a handful of other renowned productions, will soon be rolling through our region as part of Dance St. Louis’ 2013-2014 season. To snag a seat at any of them, call the Dance St. Louis box office at 314-534-6622 or visit dancestlouis.org.
Chicago
September 20-22, Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand
After 17 years, this still-adored production is one of the longest running American musicals on Broadway. Chicago’s 1920s-era story of a murderous housewife-slash-nightclub-dancer opened to rave reviews on the big screen in 2002; the stage production has landed six Tony Awards and a Grammy for “Best Musical Cast Recording.”
PNC Arts Alive New Dance Horizons II
October 4 & 5, Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, 1 University Blvd, University of Missouri-St. Louis campus
This original Dance St. Louis project is back for a second year. This fall, four nationally renowned choreographers will pair with local dance companies to offer four different world premieres. Contributors include Uri Sands, founder of TU Dance and former Alvin Ailey principle dancer; D.C.-based Nejla Yatkin; Connecticut’s Pilobolus; emerging ballet star Emery LeCrone; and local companies Common Thread Contemporary Dance Company, Leverage Dance Theater, MADCO and Saint Louis Ballet.
Evita
October 8-20, Fox Theatre
Watch the triumphant, yet tragic story of Argentina's First Lady Eva Perón, told in music. María Eva Duarte de Perón spent her childhood in the slums, forged a successful acting career, then became a powerful political force before dying at 33. The musical, based on a true story, is a Tony Award-winning production.
Shanghai Ballet in The Butterfly Lovers
November 8 & 9, Touhill Performing Arts Center
Often called the Chinese equivalent to Romeo and Juliet, The Butterfly Lovers, performed by the Shanghai Ballet, is a story of true love and sacrifice. After disguising herself as a man to get into school, young Zhu falls for her classmate, Liang. When Liang is murdered, Zhu wishes to spend an eternity with him in the afterlife.
Wizard of Oz with Ballet Memphis
January 24-26, Touhill Performing Arts Center
Ballet Memphis will kick off the year with a performance of the classic Wizard of Oz, the story of Dorothy and Toto, who are swept away from Kansas in a tornado and find themselves in the magical Emerald City — where they encounter witches, munchkins, lions, tigers and bears, oh my!
Diavolo
February 28 & March 1, Touhill Performing Arts Center
All the way from the West Coast, Diavolo will present a fun, high-energy performance for St. Louis. Their exciting act will combine dance with acrobatics, martial arts and other stunts, while their props will include skateboard ramps, a 15-foot staircase, a steel spinning wheel and giant pyramid, in a Cirque du Soleil-esque show.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
April 25 & 26, Fox Theatre
Founded in 1958, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was the 2002 recipient of the National Medal of Arts and has been called “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world,” by a U.S. Congressional resolution. The dance theater has performed in 48 states and 71 different countries, in front of an estimated 23 million people.
7th Annual Spring Dance Festival
May 22-24 @ Touhill Performing Arts Center
Dance St. Louis continues its seven-year-running Memorial Day Weekend tradition with the Annual Spring Dance Festival, a three-night event featuring 30 companies performing dance of every kind.
