Vail Dance Festival 2024 Underwriting Book

���� UNDERWRITING OPPORTUNITIES

COMMITTEE

Susan J. Campbell

Chair

Jill Plancher Vice-Chair

Judy Berkowitz*

Priscilla Brewster

Allie Coppeak

Stacey Sapp

Sara Friedle

Lisa Goldman

Sheika Gramshammer

John Harrison

Sally Hybl

Alexia Jurschak

Jonna Mackin

Jane Netzorg

Senenne Philippon

Fred Tresca

Betsy Wiegers

Damian Woetzel

*Committee Chair 1998-2018

The Vail Dance Festival returns July 26–August 5 with THIRTEEN performances in another season that promises to be even more memorable and exciting than ever before!

We are thrilled to welcome New York City Ballet’s Sara Mearns and choreographer Jamar Roberts as this season’s Artists-In-Residence, as well as DanceAspen, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Limón Dance Company, and artists from companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, and BalletX. We invite you to join us as an integral part of the creative magic as we bring together more than 150 world-class dancers, musicians, composers, and choreographers to our celebrated Festival.

Now in our 36th season, our Festival has become synonymous with creativity and innovation. With over 100 world-premiere dance commissions under Damian Woetzel’s visionary leadership since being named Artistic Director in 2006, developing new works that foster unique collaborations between artists of various dance genres to push the boundaries of the artform has become the Festival’s creative centerpiece. This focus has further cemented the Festival as a leading voice for new choreography in the United States and as a destination where “high-profile dancers make their annual trek to the mountains for this collaboration-rich Festival” (Dance Magazine).

Your support is what allows us to continue to push the boundaries of dance and foster renowned and burgeoning artists. Enclosed you will find an exciting roster of unique opportunities to support the creation of new works, key performances, and arts access this summer season. Opportunities listed may be underwritten in part or in whole.

We look forward to working with you to align your funding goals and passions with these customized opportunities for giving. Thank you for your support and for making the Vail Dance Festival the best of its kind in Colorado and around the world.

Sierra Adams Vice President, Philanthropy

Martha Brassel Senior Director, Philanthropy

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE UNDERWRITING

To learn more about underwriting a performance, please contact Martha Brassel or Sierra Adams. Opportunities listed may be underwritten in part or in whole. Casting is subject to change.

Opening Night

$60,000

Opening Night kicks off the season with a program featuring artists and companies making appearances throughout the Festival, including Dance Theatre of Harlem, Limón Dance Company, Artist-In-Residence Sara Mearns, Michelle Dorrance, and ballroom duo Denys Drozdyuk and Antonina Skobina. In the second half of the evening, guest stars from New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre will join Colorado Ballet in a special performance of George Balanchine’s landmark ballet Serenade, with Tschaikovsky’s score performed live by the National Repertory Orchestra conducted by Michael Stern.

July 26 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Dance Theatre of Harlem

$60,000

Since its founding in 1969, the globally acclaimed Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) has been celebrated for its powerful vision of multi-ethnic diversity for ballet in the 21st century with a repertory that celebrates both classicism and contemporary innovation. The company returns to the Festival in a headlining performance with a special program featuring George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and DTH Artistic Director Robert Garland’s recent work Nyman String Quartet #2, which was hailed by the Associated Press as “highly athletic and infectiously joyous.”

July 27 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

UpClose with Damian Woetzel

$60,000

Dance as an art form progresses through innovations and changes of direction, both sudden and gradual. Hosted by Festival Artistic Director Damian Woetzel, UpClose features dramatic "swerves" in the history of dance as shown through the works that have led this art form forward. This program features Festival stars in rehearsal and performance mode as they take on groundbreaking choreography from across centuries of from ballet and modern to tap, ballroom and street dance.

July 28 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Myths by Legends

$65,000

In Myths by Legends, stories come to life with today’s extraordinary dancers performing works themed to myths both ancient and contemporary. Choreographed by legends of the dance world George Balanchine, Martha Graham, José Limón, and Jerome Robbins. The program will include Limón Dance Company in their founder’s classic Orfeo, Artist-In-Residence Sara Mearns in the “Cassandra” solo from Martha Graham’s masterwork Clytemnestra, Jerome Robbins’ moving ballet studio encounter

Afternoon of a Faun with debut performances by American Ballet Theatre’s Catherine Hurlin and Aran Bell, and New York City Ballet’s Roman Mejia making his debut in George Balanchine’s Apollo as the young Greek god.

July 29 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Dance for $20.24

$65,000

An evening of dance at special prices, featuring Festival artists and companies and the premiere of Rhapsody by Larry Keigwin, a community work created for a diverse cast of local Vail Valley residents who will share the stage with Festival stars in a moving celebration of humanity and art-making.

July 30 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Watching

Dance with Heather Watts

$20,000

Legendary Balanchine Ballerina Heather Watts shares an interactive exploration of dance

repertory and history through live demonstrations with Festival artists. This lecture/demonstration style performance will take place at the intimate Vail Mountain School Theatre.

July 31 // Vail Mountain School Theatre, Vail

FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE UNDERWRITING

Dorrance Dances

$30,000

A made-for-Vail tap dance experience, Dorrance Dances: An Evening with Michelle Dorrance and Friends follows the unique journey of this vital American art form in a program created, hosted, and headlined by “MacArthur Genius” Michelle Dorrance, alongside a gathering of some of the most brilliant tap dancers of today.

July 31 // Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek

Dancing in the Park

$30,000

Free and fun for the whole family, Dancing in the Park returns to Nottingham Park in Avon with a special early evening performance featuring Festival artists along an energetic and interactive performance by YouthPower365’s Celebrate the Beat Celebration Team.

August 1 // Avon Performance Pavilion at Nottingham Park

International Evenings of Dance

IE I // $75,000

IE II // $60,000

IE III // $60,000

International Evenings of Dance are legendary for their glittery celebration of artistic collaboration with unique “only in Vail” partnerships and role debuts by a selection of today’s dance stars from around the world.

IE I // August 2 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

IE II // August 3 (5pm) // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

IE III // August 3 (8pm) // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Colorado Dances

$75,000

Colorado Dances

celebrates the dynamic community of dance in Colorado in a unique program featuring three Rocky Mountain powerhouse dance companies: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Colorado Ballet, and DanceAspen.

August 4 // Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek

NOW: Premieres

$60,000

Closing Night

NOW: Premieres is the Festival‘s annual showcase of commissioned new works, featuring an extraordinary cast of dancers and musicians. Choreographers will include Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Lauren Lovette, Justin Peck, Tiler Peck, Pam Tanowitz, and Artist-In-Residence Jamar Roberts.

August 5 // Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Learn more about performances and casting at vaildance.org.

NEW WORKS �� WORLD PREMIERES

The Vail Dance Festival strategically commissions new works each year, placing innovation and expansion at the heart of the Festival’s development. Artists benefit from enhanced creative focus in the Festival’s serene mountain setting and all testify enthusiastically to the close-knit “laboratory” environment that fosters high-caliber artistic experimentation and cross-genre exploration. Most new works are performed on NOW: Premieres. To learn more about underwriting a new work, please contact Martha Brassel or Sierra Adams.

New Work # � // Kyle Abraham

A.I.M By Kyle Abraham

Princess Grace Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Kyle Abraham is the founder of his own company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, and is a frequent guest choreographer for companies around the world including recent works for New York City Ballet and England’s Royal Ballet. This new work will be Abraham’s second for the festival, and he plans to work with a cast including New York City Ballet principals Roman Mejia and Chun Wai Chan.

New Work #� // Michelle Dorrance

Dorrance Dance

American tap dancer and choreographer, Michelle Dorrance is the founder and artistic director Dorrance Dance and is the recipient of many prestigious awards including the MacArthur Fellowship, the Bessie Award and Jacob's Pillow Dance Award. She will be curating a special performance at the Vilar Performing Arts Center that celebrates the rich cultural legacy of tap dance as a vital American artform.

New Work #� // Larry Keigwin

Artistic Director, Keigwin + Company

Larry Keigwin will bring his Rhapsody project to the Festival, a site specific community work that will harness the unique spirit and talents of its diverse cast of local Vail Valley residents as performers sharing space with Festival artists to create a moving celebration of humanity, art-making, and shared space.

New Work #� // Lauren Lovette

Choreographer in Residence, Paul Taylor Dance Company

Former New York City Ballet principal dancer turned Resident Choreographer for the legendary Paul Taylor Dance Company, Lauren Lovette recently premiered a world premiere for Colorado Ballet this spring. Lovette returns to Vail to create a new work for this summer's NOW: Premieres program, building on her previous works she has created for the Festival.

New Work �� // Justin Peck

New York City Ballet Resident Choreographer

Justin Peck is a leading voice in ballet, on Broadway, and in Hollywood. The critically acclaimed New York City Ballet Resident Choreographer is currently represented on Broadway with his new musical, Illinois, and was also the choreographer of the Steven Spielberg-led remake of West Side Story. For the Festival, Peck has created several diverse works over the past few years, including a joint-commission with composer Caroline Shaw and a one-act premiere with Bluegrass star Chris Thile. For 2024, Peck plans to create a new work for a trio of dancers set to an iconic song by Bob Dylan.

New Work #� // Tiler Peck

New York City Ballet Principal

Acclaimed New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck premiered her first work for her home company this past winter. Peck’s choreographic career began in Vail in 2015 with a collaborative piece created with clown extraordinaire, Bill Irwin. Her new work this summer will mark her 5th world premiere for the Festival.

NEW WORKS �� WORLD PREMIERES CONT'D

New Work #� // Jamar Roberts

Artist-In-Residence

Jamar Roberts is a former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater leading dancer who later became the Resident choreographer for the legendary company. He currently serves as a Creative Associate at Juilliard and is a widely in-demand choreographer having recently set new works on BalletX, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, and New York City Ballet, among others. For the Festival this summer, Roberts plans to create a new work for a cast of women representing ballet and modern dance, that will include his fellow Vail Artist-in-Residence Sara Mearns.

New Work #� // Pam Tanowitz

Pam Tanowitz Dance

Pam Tanowitz, founder of Pam Tanowitz Dance and frequent guest choreographer at prestigious companies around the world, is described by The New York Times as having created “ the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century.” Tanowitz will return to the Festival again, bringing her creativity, imagination, and talent to the stage.

Underwriters for new works will be recognized in perpetuity when the work is performed at the Vail Dance Festival. New works and premieres have gone on to be performed on stages by other artists around the world including Alonzo King LINES Ballet, BalletX, Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, Los Angeles Music Center, Martha Graham Dance Company, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, San Francisco Ballet, and more.

Visit vaildance.org to learn more about artists and companies.

RESIDENCIES

Each year we offer a number of Residencies to exceptional artists, allowing them to engage throughout the Festival on a deeper level and to grow artistically. These Residencies recognize the talent of our artists and musicians, allowing for an enhanced Festival experience year after year.

Artist-InResidence $25,000

Sara Mearns Principal, New York City Ballet

Scholar-InResidence $10,000

Kayla Mak Juilliard Dance Student

Artist-InResidence $25,000

Jamar Roberts Choreographer

Leonard Bernstein

Composer-InResidence $25,000

Caroline Shaw Multi-Instrumentalist, Vocalist

Quartet-In-Residence $25,000

Brooklyn Rider String Quartet

MUSIC

Live music is more than an accompaniment to our performances, but instead is often a catalyst to choreographers’ imagination and inspiration to the dancers. To learn more about underwriting a musician or commission for the festival, please contact Martha Brassel or Sierra Adams.

Music underwriting starts at $5,000.

· Conducted by Michael Stern, the Breckenridge-based National Repertory Orchestra will provide the musical accompaniment for Serenade on Opening Night.

· Returning this summer, pianist Jacek Mysinski has performed in engagements at Alice Tully Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, Peter J. Sharp Theater, Focus! Festival, Steinway Hall in New York, Frederic Chopin Society, the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, Poland, a tour of Japan, The Pacific Symphony, and numerous performances throughout USA and Great Britain.

· Master kora player & vocalist Youba Cissokho returns for a second time this summer.

· Acclaimed bass-baritone Davóne Tines has contributed to some of the most memorable and inspiring performances at the Festival, including works with Lil Buck and Sara Mearns. Tines returns this summer to the stage.

· Juilliard graduate Shelbie Rassler returns as Festival Music Director. She was named Truthspaper's "Young Woman of the Year” and nominated for an American Academy of Arts and Letters Composer Award. She was named the Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Presser Scholar and recently won the Eugene New Music Festival Call for Scores.

· Pianist Tony Siqi Yun, called a “true poet of the keyboard” by Pianist Magazine returns to Vail, following his Carnegie Hall debut in spring 2024. Tony is the recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship at the Juilliard School.

· Jazz Ensemble (4 members led by Juilliard Jazz pianist Joel Wenhardt)

· Pulitzer Prize-winning Caroline Shaw and Brooklyn Rider (violinists Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen, violist Nicholas Cords and cellist Michael Nicolas) will also return this summer.

COMMUNITY ARTS ACCESS

The Community Arts Access Program (CAA) was introduced to further the Festival’s commitment to making the arts accessible and available to everyone and expose dance and music to new audiences.

Dancing in the Streets // $5,000 FREE FOR EVERYONE! We are thrilled to showcase incredible Festival artists and engage our community with three one-of-a-kind pop-up performances that take place in Vail Village and Lionshead.

Complimentary pavilion tickets distributed through local nonprofits // $10,000

We partner with cross-sector community organizations including nonprofit, educational, religious, governmental, and other agencies to distribute free tickets to each of the worldclass performances throughout the course of the Festival. This program was introduced in 2016.

Free & discounted lawn access // $2,500 per performance

Free lawn tickets for children 12 and under and discounted $10 lawn tickets for students and faculty.

Internship Program // $25,000

Each year, the Festival engages ambitious graduate and undergraduate students to serve as members of the Festival team, working to support key areas of the Festival operations. These experiences offer an immersive opportunity to gain experience and knowledge of the arts and arts administration from some of the world’s greatest artistic leaders.

Ambassador Program // $10,000

Designed for 8th–12th grade students, ambassadors act as stewards to the Festival working to spread the word and educate the community about Festival programming. Like the Internship Program, Ambassadors gain experience and knowledge of arts and arts administration and participate in a community service project.

Please see the performance pages for more information on underwriting the free Dancing in the Park performance.

Please contact Sierra, Martha or a member of the Vail Valley Foundation philanthropy team with interest or questions.

Sierra Adams Vice President, Philanthropy sadams@vvf.org

Miah Wheeler Director, Philanthropy mwheeler@vvf.org

Kendra Powell Associate Director, Donor Engagement kpowell@vvf.org

Martha Brassel Senior Director, Philanthropy mbrassel@vvf.org

Stephen Licciardi Director, Philanthropy slicciardi@vvf.org

Bailey Nelson Admin & Campaign Manager bnelson@vvf.org

Euginnia Seyferth Director, Philanthropy eseyferth@vvf.org

Lee Steele Associate Director, Annual Support lsteele@vvf.org