5 Can’t-Miss Premieres Happening This Summer
Who says the height of summer is dance’s quiet season? Major premieres are slated for this July and August, both at festivals and elsewhere. Here are five we’re particularly excited to catch.
A Single Man, Doubled
MANCHESTER A new contemporary ballet adaptation of A Single Man, in which a gay, middle-aged professor is left reeling after the death of his partner, casts ballet star Ed Watson and singer-songwriter John Grant as George, with Watson embodying the protagonist’s exterior physicality while Grant performs his inner thoughts. Directed and choreographed by Jonathan Watkins, the production marks the first collaboration between Manchester International Festival, during which it will premiere, and The Royal Ballet, whose dancers perform. July 2–6. factoryinternational.org.
Under the Surface
SAINT-SAUVEUR, QUEBEC What secrets hide within each person you meet? Jo Strømgren pays tribute to unobserved moments and concealed wonders in his latest work for Ballets Jazz Montréal, in which the dancers perform with and alongside a vast sheet of paper. Premieres Aug. 3 at the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur. bjmdanse.ca.
Royal Reckoning
EDINBURGH For her first full-length ballet, Scottish Ballet choreographer in residence Sophie Laplane turns to a familiar—and appropriately dramatic—piece of Scotland’s history. Mary, Queen of Scots, co-created with director James Bonas, uses the framing device of Queen Elizabeth I contemplating memories, both real and imagined, of her cousin, who ruled as Queen of Scotland, was forced to abdicate and then imprisoned by Elizabeth, and was ultimately executed after plotting an assassination attempt. Scottish Ballet premieres the work Aug. 15–17 at Edinburgh International Festival, which will also feature works by Kim Brandstrup, Crystal Pite and Simon McBurney, and more. scottishballet.co.uk.
Community in Practice
WASHINGTON, DC Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason invite audiences to practice being in community with Black women and femmes with I have a secret to tell you…, premiering at the Kennedy Center’s Theater Lab as part of its Local Dance Commissioning Project. Aug. 22–23. kennedy-center.org.
Daring Duos
NEW YORK CITY The always-busy creative duo Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber team up with Ringdown (musicians Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee Parpan) to premiere Seven Scenes, a brand-new dance and music production with a dozen-strong cast that includes Schraiber and Smith, at Little Island’s The Amph. Aug. 22–28. littleisland.org.
