David Dorfman Dance at the Byham Theater

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Media Contact:

Veronica Corpuz
(412) 471-6082
corpuz@pgharts.org

Diana Roth
(412) 471-8717
roth@pgharts.org

Pittsburgh Dance Council presents

David Dorfman Dance

Saturday, April 30, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.

Byham Theater, 101 Sixth Street

Pittsburgh, PA: The Pittsburgh Dance Council, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is proud to present David Dorfman Dance, at the Byham Theater, on Saturday, April 30, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. David Dorman Dance will perform the Pittsburgh premiere, Prophets of Funk/Dance to the Music, a dance celebration that honors the music of prophetic love by Sly and the Family Stone, one of the first racially and gender-integrated bands (late ‘60’s – mid ‘70’s) in America.

The piece celebrates, through powerful music, the struggles and celebration of everyday people, lifting the spirit and going off the idea that “in the face of the funk of life, there are still hopes and aspirations that reside in all of us.” Prophets of Funk/Dance to the Music premiered on February 4, 2011 at Connecticut College andwasconceived and directed by David Dorfman, choreography and text by David Dorfman Dance, sound design by Samuel Crawford, music by Sly and the Family Stone, lighting design by David Weiner in association with Dans Sheehan, media design by Jacob Pinholster, costumes by Amanda Bujak and dramaturgy by Alex Timbers.

Tickets ($19-$45) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.pgharts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. First Commonwealth is the proud season sponsor of Pittsburgh Dance Council, and WDUQ 90.5 FM is the media sponsor.

About David Dorfman Dance

Founded in 1985, the 26 year old company has performed in New York City and throughout North and South America, Great Britain and Europe. During these years, the dance company has received eight New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Awards.

David Dorfman Dance has the vision to create innovative, inclusive, radically humanistic and movement-based performances. The company is also committed to exploring enlivening topics and questions that generate critical dialogues and debates amongst its audiences. Through this unique interpretation, David Dorfman Dance is recognized as “one of the nation’s leading modern dance companies” (The New York Times).

About David Dorfman

Founder and performer, David Dorfman is a Chicago native. Dorfman received a BS in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MFA in Dance from Connecticut College, where he joined the faculty in 2004 and is currently Professor of Dance and Department Chair.

Dorfman has received many awards for his works, including the 2005 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship, an American Choreographer’s Award, the first Paul Taylor Fellowship from The Yard, and a New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Award for David Dorfman Dance’s community-based project Familiar Movements. Through his choreography, David Dorfman seeks to “get the whole world dancing.”

Each year the Pittsburgh Dance Council, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, showcases a world-class season of dance. As the largest presenter of international performances in the city, the Dance Council continues to help make our Cultural District one of the country’s leading arts and entertainment centers.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support. The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to the Pittsburgh Dance Council, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, Trust Presents, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater and Children’s Festival, CD Live, JazzLive, First Night Pittsburgh, Gallery Crawl, and Three Rivers Arts Festival, among other Cultural District and arts events. The Trust owns Theater Square and the Cabaret at Theater Square; James E. Rohr Building & Arts Education Center; the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts; Byham, O’Reilly, and Harris Theaters; visual arts galleries: Wood Street Galleries, at 601 Wood Street; SPACE, at 812 Liberty Avenue and 937 Liberty: a multipurpose performance and exhibit space, among other downtown arts facilities.
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