STEPPING UP
Pittsburgh Dance Council’s first full season in 2 years
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Randal Miller spent about 40% of his time traveling the U.S. and abroad to watch potential pieces to present as part of Pittsburgh Dance Council seasons.
For the 2022-23 lineup, he relied on a mix of strong professional relationships, rescheduled shows and performances he could scout by car to plan the Dance Council’s first full six-show season — plus two season specials — since before the pandemic. He’s packed it with contemporary dance heavy hitters, U.S. and Pittsburgh premieres and a spotlight on Latino creators.
The first special event will be STREB Extreme Action Co. in a boundary-pushing retrospective on June 3-5 as part of the 2022 Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Brooklyn-based troupe last performed in Pittsburgh in 2012.
Miller had originally booked U.K.’s Motionhouse, which specializes in “pushing dance-circus to its limits,” to be the latest outdoor spectacle to dazzle arts festival crowds, following in the footsteps of Blue Lapis Light scaling the Highmark Building and dancers on a shipping container in “Origami” in Point State Park in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Due to last-minute visa issues, Motionhouse had to be swapped for STREB.
“But STREB is an exceptional replacement,” said Miller, director of special projects and the trust’s Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. “I don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed with what they’re going to see with this.”
The regular season kicks off in September at Byham Theater with Alonzo King LINES Ballet — last seen on a Dance Council program in 2017. The celebrated San Francisco company is commemorating its 40th anniversary this year, making it “a clear, obvious choice” for the season, Miller said.
Miller drove to Washington, D.C., to see Ballet Hispánico — one of his first times back on the road for Dance Council duties since the pandemic began. For 50-plus years, Ballet Hispánico has been a leading voice intersecting artistic excellence with advocacy. For its appearance in November at Byham Theater, it’s slated to perform “18+1,” “Con Brazos Abiertos” and “Línea Recta.”
The second season special will be a Pittsburgh premiere from Japanese choreographer and interdisciplinary artist Hiroaki Umeda on Dec. 28-31 at Downtown’s Wood Street Galleries. Catch one of several small- group performances to see his unique minimalistic movement styles set against a backdrop of his more intense visual works.
Miller admits that Umeda’s subtle-yetpotent approach might not be for everyone, but he is impressed by the juxtapositions within his creations.
“For the people who are into that kind of
thing, they’re going to think this is unbelievable,” he said.
The second half of the regular season will spotlight shows that were postponed in previous seasons because of the pandemic. Canada’s RUBBERBAND will make its Pittsburgh area premiere in January at Byham Theater with “Ever So Slightly” by choreographer Victor Quijada — known for his contemporarydance- meets- breakdance movement vocabulary.
“It’s a big spectacle, and it’s almost too big for our stage,” Miller said, adding that it includes a live music component.
Looking ahead to March, Miller is optimistic that Le Patin Libre, a contemporary ice skating company from Montreal, will finally get to share its blend of dance, skating and theatrics at the UPMC Rink at PPG Place.
“When it was canceled, I went for a walk by the PPG rink and was like, ‘Oh, it’s a nice day this year.’ I’m hopeful we can replicate that two years in a row.”
Two programs initially promoted as part of the Dance Council’s 50th anniversary season will close out its 52nd year. A twist to traditional flamenco dancing will come to Byham Theater in April, courtesy of Spanish choreographer Rocío Molina. Her work “Caida del Cielo” (which means “Fallen From Heaven”) challenges movement and gender norms and is done to a live band. The Pittsburgh performance will be its U.S. premiere. (Recommended for ages 13 and older due to partial nudity.)
The season finale will be a tribute to the the organization’s roots with the return of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — the first company the Pittsburgh Dance Council ever presented. In May 2023, it will showcase at Benedum Center a sampling of works from its six decades of modern dance, including its signature piece “Revelations.”
Beyond the nod to history, Miller is pleased to highlight Ailey to show audiences the shared lineage among several American dance companies. Other companies presented by the Dance Council — like this season’s Complexions Contemporary Ballet — were started by former Ailey stars.
“That kind of cross-season contextualization is something I’m really happy to be able to do,” he said.
He’s also happy about the response he’s seen so far this year at Pittsburgh Dance Council performances — and is hopeful the solid turnout continues.
“For the Dance Council, the shows we’ve been able to do in the theater have crushed it,” he said, noting that each has either met or exceeded goals for ticket sales. “I’m very grateful to Pittsburgh’s dance community and to the community at large to continue to support this work.”
He’s also ready to resume more regular travel this summer to find more cutting-edge pieces to intrigue, entertain and impress dance audiences for seasons to come.
“I don’t ever want to be in a situation where I’m sitting in a theater with 1,000 people who know I brought [this show] to them, and I’m seeing it along with them for the first time. That’s terrifying,” Miller said. “It is critical for us to maintain our position at the forefront by having people with boots on the ground and eyes in places to see what’s happening and what’s special.”