SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has announced the program order and select titles for Unbound: A Festival of New Works, from April 20-May 6, 2018. Unbound, an unprecedented festival of new works, celebrates the city's spirit of curiosity and experimentation.
Over 17 performances, Unbound will include 12 world premieres by international artists including: David Dawson, Alonzo King, Edwaard Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Cathy Marston, Trey McIntyre, Justin Peck, Arthur Pita, Dwight Rhoden, Myles Thatcher, Stanton Welch, and Christopher Wheeldon. The festival, comprised of four programs, will make San Francisco the epicenter of the dance world next spring.
Program A opens on Friday, April 20 and will feature new works by Alonzo King, Christopher Wheeldon (entitled Bound©), and Justin Peck (entitled Hurry Up, We're Dreaming). Program B opens on Saturday, April 21 and features new works by Myles Thatcher, Cathy Marston (entitled Snowblind), and David Dawson (entitled Anima Animus). Program C opens on Tuesday, April 24 and will feature new works by Stanton Welch, Trey McIntyre (entitled Your Flesh Shall Be a Great Poem), and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Program D opens Thursday, April 26 and includes new works by Edwaard Liang (entitled The Infinite Ocean), Dwight Rhoden, and Arthur Pita.
The festival will also include ancillary programs such as a dance film series, a symposium, a series of community pop-up events, as well as a recently completed series of live streams.
As part of Unbound, SF Ballet is partnering with the San Francisco Dance Film Festival to produce four short dance films. Participating film makers and artists include: filmmaker Kate Duhamel with choreographers Alonzo King and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; filmmaker Mark Kohr with choreographer Cathy Marston; and filmmaker Matthew McKee with choreographer Dwight Rhoden.
In conjunction with Unbound, SF Ballet is presenting Boundless: A Symposium on Ballet's Future, from April 27-29. The Symposium includes an opening roundtable hosted by critic Marina Harss and three panels: "Silicon Ballet:" Bringing Ballet and Technology Together On Stage, On Film, and Online; Ballet Unbound? The Aesthetics and Politics of Ballet in a Globalized World; and Boundless: Featuring New Voices in Ballet Choreography, Leadership, and Audiences. The panels will include an array of critics, academics, industry leaders, and artists.
Unbound Out of Bounds is a series of pop-ups that take place throughout the winter and next spring, in unexpected spaces throughout San Francisco. A full schedule will be announced soon.