For immediate release
Contact:  Helene Davis
(212) 354-7436
helene@helenedavispr.com

NEW YORK CITY CENTER

FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL PRESENTS

DanceTalk

THREE FREE PRE-PERFORMANCE PANELS

Series Opens on September 23 with Frederic Franklin,
Raven Wilkinson and Eleanor D’Antuono

New York, September 9, 2009 – The New York City Center Fall For Dance Festival, which this year pays tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes,  will present its 2009 DanceTalk series, focusing on creative collaborations during the Ballets Russes era and its influences on today’s artists.  The series of three pre-performance discussions begins on September 23 with Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo alumni Frederic Franklin, Raven Wilkinson and Eleanor D’Antuono, ABT Artist-in-Residence Alexei Ratmansky, and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company Artistic Director Christopher Wheeldon, among others.

The panel discussions are held in the New York City Center Studios (130 West 56th Street, Studio 5). Each discussion is free and open to the public.

The DanceTalk schedule is as follows:

New York City Center’s acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival, running September 22 – October 3, 2009, will feature 20 companies in 10 nights of dance and will pay tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the Ballets Russes.  The sixth annual Festival will once again offer all tickets for only $10.  Tickets will go on sale Sunday, September 13 at 11:00 am.

The 2009 Festival features 20 American and international companies presenting an eclectic mix of contemporary styles alongside classic pieces, in five unique programs over 10 nights. For the first time all programs will be repeated twice to satisfy the demand for tickets.  Several companies will present works that pay tribute to the legendary Ballets Russes, either with reconstructions of original Ballets Russes works or with a contemporary look at Ballets Russes classics.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER has long been known and beloved by New York audiences not only as one of the City’s preeminent performing arts institutions but also as an accessible and welcoming venue for dance and theater.  New York City Center produces the Tony-honored Encores! musical theater series, and is home to some of the country’s leading dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, as well as Manhattan Theatre Club, one of New York’s leading theater companies. Continuing to fulfill its mission to make the arts accessible to the broadest possible audience, in 2004 City Center launched the acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival.  In 2006, City Center formed a partnership with London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre to facilitate the exchange of innovative dance works. In 2007, City Center introduced the Encores! Summer Stars series with the critically acclaimed production of Gypsy, which was followed by the 2008 hit, Damn Yankees and The Wiz in 2009.

DanceTalk events take place in the City Center Studios, 130 W. 56th Street. Admission is free to the public. All events are at 6:30 pm.