October 3, 2016
Bratislava in Movement, 20th International Festival of Contemporary Dance, Bratislava, Slovakia
Stephen Petronio Company
Stephen Petronio Company: BLOODLINES
The project Bloodlines is homage to the masters of American postmodern dance, preserving their legacy and at the same time linking their art with today. The bill shows three works – milestones of American postmodern dance from Merce Cunningham through Trisha Brown to their follower Stephen Petronio. All these artists are recognized for their original movement vocabulary and works with clear physical concept and content. No less famous are the names of the set designers for each piece – Merce Cunningham’s RainForest was designed by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg designed set and costumes for Trisha Brown’s Glacial Decoy.
The Bratislava in Movement Festival was established in 1997 and shaped by a community of dancers and teachers from the Contemporary Dance Association founded in 1996. The aim of the association was to organize activities for the dance community and encompassed three areas: education, presentation of contemporary dance and its reflection. The association had the vision to create a centre – a venue in Bratislava – for the presentation and development of contemporary dance. Later ambitions included the creation of an information centre and establishing and maintaining international ties. In a sense, the festival drew upon the tradition of presenting high-quality French contemporary dance that had been started by the first director of the French Institute in Bratislava, Luc Bouiniol Laffont. On his initiative various projects were held here for the period of three years, aimed at promoting contemporary work including a festival entitled Bratislava en Movement. It was only natural that we wanted to build on what had been successfully launched in previous years and with great respect and with the approval of the Institute, we took over the organization of the festival.
This engagement has been made possible with support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and with additional support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and Rapid Response, a project of American Dance Abroad.
Bloodlines is made possible, in part, with Lead Sponsorship from the SHS Foundation and corporate support from American Express.
Stephen Petronio Company’s 2016–17 season is made possible in part with public funds from The National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and with additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Foundation To-Life, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, Howard Gilman Foundation, James E. Robison Foundation, Joseph & Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, King’s Fountain, and The Shubert Foundation.
