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Russian Contemporary Dance Comes to the United States
June 20, 2008

For Immediate Release

Visiting Russian Choreographers Showcase Work, Attend American Dance Festival


“Modern dance has developed slowly in Russia since a tour there by the immensely popular Isadora Duncan in the early 1920's. By the 1980's and 90's Western modern dance had begun to be performed in the Soviet Union.”

So wrote Jennifer Dunning for the New York Times in 2006.

Just what does contemporary dance, one of the few art forms to originate in the United States, look like in Russia today? While the choreography of Russian classical ballet is widely performed in the US, Russian contemporary dance is largely unfamiliar to American audiences. This summer, contemporary dance lovers—as well as those who treasure the Russian classics—will be in for a treat: a group of young Russian choreographers from diverse geographic and stylistic backgrounds will showcase their work at the American Dance Festival (Durham, North Carolina) and in New York City.

The performances will survey new choreography by four artists, Olga Sorokina (Lesnoy Dom Company, Saint Petersburg), Maria Kozeva (Yekaterinburg Dance Theater, Yekaterinburg), Andrey Zakharov (The Leg Reaction Dance Group, Yekaterinburg), and Diana Shults (Dance Mission, Chita). The audiences will have a rare opportunity to see a genre of Russian dance informed by collaboration, contact improvisation, and the integration of technology with dance performance.

New York studio showcase “New Russian Choreography” will be presented by CEC ArtsLink at the Baryshnikov Arts Center on July 10th at 6:30pm. For ADF performance schedule, please contact Cassandra Hartblay after June 26.

The group of choreographers, selected by a panel of Russian leaders in the field, will be participating in the American Dance Festival and visiting New York as part of the Open World Cultural Leaders Program, made possible by The National Endowment for the Arts and the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress.

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A creative laboratory dedicated to nurturing and sustaining modern dance, the American Dance Festival is an international magnet for choreographers, dancers, teachers, critics, musicians and scholars, drawing them together to experiment, explore, learn, collaborate and create in a supportive environment. Students and community members interact directly with luminaries in the field, learning first-hand from those who define modern dance. “The world’s greatest dance festival,” (New York Post)

CEC ArtsLink, through a multi-faceted program of cultural exchange, serves to create and sustain constructive, mutually beneficial relationships in the arts between the United States and Central Europe, Russia and Eurasia. Working with contemporary artists, arts organizations and community-based groups, CEC ArtsLink provides an essential structure for ongoing dialogue, contributing to a culture of openness and trust between nations. In addition to contemporary dance choreographers, CEC ArtsLink hosts Open World Cultural Leaders residencies for Russian independent filmmakers, folk musicians, poets, and prose writers.

Open World is a unique, nonpartisan initiative of the U.S. Congress. Over 13,000 Open World participants have been hosted in all 50 U.S. states since the program's inception in 1999. Open World’s Cultural Leaders Program aims to forge better understanding between the United States and Russia by enabling emerging Russian leaders in the arts to experience America’s cultural and community life, and to work with their American counterparts. Support for the cultural program is provided through partnership and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts; the Open World Leadership Center funds the administrative portion of the program.

For more information, please contact Cassandra Hartblay, Program Coordinator, CEC ArtsLink, at (212) 643-1985 x17 or chartblay@cecartslink.org. To learn more about the artists mentioned here, and opportunities for artists and arts organizations administered by CEC ArtsLink, please visithttp://www.cecartslink.org.

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