Lake Tahoe Dance Collective (LTDC) presents the eleventh annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, which will take place this summer from July 26-29, 2023 at venues in Tahoe City and Truckee, CA. Tickets start at $25 and are available online at laketahoedancecollective.org.
This summer, the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival includes works by Lar Lubovitch, Natasha Adorlee, Liz Gerritt, Claudia Schreier, Holly Curran, and Marco Pelle.
The festival begins on Wednesday, July 26 at 5:30 PM with the 11th Anniversary Gala Opening Night Celebration, where audiences will enjoy a silent auction with food and wine, and a special presentation by Sage Romero founder of the AkaMya Culture Group, in the indigenous hoop dance. The festival’s Main Stage Performances continue on July 27 at 6PM in Tahoe City and on July 28 at 5:30PM at Incline Village, and on July 29 at 6PM on West End Beach, Truckee, CA.
LTDC celebrates its 11th year of presenting the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival. The festival has presented over 35 works with more than 35 guest artists and 75 local dancers since its beginnings in 2013. The Festival program comprises a variety of dance styles, pairing seminal works from the past with pieces created today.
“When we founded the festival, we felt strongly about programming performances in a way that would be universally accessible,” explained Christin Hanna, who founded LTDC in 2008 and the Festival in 2013 with longtime friend and collaborator Constantine Baecher. “and by showing an evening where each work is dramatically different from the next helps to educate new audiences as well as provide a treat to dance fans.”
“To Each in His Own Time” choreographed by Lar Lubovitch
Performed by Adrian Danchig-Waring and Joseph Gordon
“To Each in His Own Time” was created on Adrian Danchig-Waring and Joseph Gordon for City Center’s Fall for Dance Festival in 2021. Gia Kourlas of the New York Times called the work intimate, luminous, and sophisticated.
“Laytana” choreographed by Natasha Adorlee
Music: Le trio Joubran, Dancer: Kyle Limin
Pow·er (noun): The ability to control people or things. Pow·er (verb): To move or move something very quickly and with great power in a particular direction. Laytana, a contemporary solo dance work, investigates what it takes to harness our internal power both as a construct and as a method to navigate the changing landscape of our world. Set to the music of Le Trio Joubran, it is a raw and vibrant journey within.
“DUET” choreographed by Liz Gerritt
Performed by Kristina Berger and Ashley Bouder
DUET is a commission for The Ashley Bouder Project in 2017, here returning in a new incarnation with ballerina Ashley Bouder partnering with modern dancer Kristina Berger in this post-modern pas de deux. Interpolating the ballet vocabulary into her long developed contemporary practice, Gerring explores the dramatic tension and dynamism of individuality versus duality, working to a commissioned score from award-winning composer Anna Webber.
“Lost Keys” choreographed by Claudia Schreier
Performed by Lia Cirio and Paul Craig
LOST KEYS breaks with tradition and the usual expectations of ballet. The woman, instead of rising lightly into a lift, giving the appearance of weightlessness, instead adopts a dead weight and stares her partner down from above. The man swings his partner by her arms like a little child, and sometimes holds her in a broken pose. Schreier seeks to create architecture on stage and to pursue emotion through architecture.
Newly Commissioned Work choreographed by Holly Curran
Performed by Dwayne Brown and Amber Neff
Inspired by sculpture of the early 20th century, the movement and gestural specificity found in pieces like Harriet Whitney Frishmuth and The Vine. The works of visual art are not only directly in the choreography but also serve as catalysts for new choreographies, elevating these sculptures from a literal to a more abstract and conceptual place. The piece is composed in tandem with music by Doori Na.
“Safe From Sleep” choreographed by Marco Pelle
Performed by Stephen Hanna
Safe From Sleep is the choreographer’s look on his own emotional journey. “From the moment of love’s bliss, to the end of my own dream to finding myself, my voice and who I really am again, once and for all. And even if a love like that won’t cross my path again, that’s ok.”
LTDC will continue to monitor and adjust to the developments and changes in COVID safety policies. In accordance with CDC and California Department of Public Health Guidelines, the most recent updates to our COVID safety procedures are available at laketahoedancecollective.org/safety.
The Young Dancers Workshop, a three-week intensive from July 11-29, 2022 for dancers ages 10 and up, offers training with festival artists in small class sizes with an emphasis on classical ballet, modern technique and improvisation. Dancers learn a repertory work that is performed in the festival.
Lake Tahoe Dance Festival is made possible in part through support from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, The Arts Council of Placer County, The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and the Tahoe Weekly. Additional support from Rodney Strong Winery, Alpenglow Sports, Interwest Insurance, Plumas Bank, Tahoe City Downtown Association, Trunk Show, Tahoe Marina Lakefront, Za’s Lakefront and Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique.
For more information about the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, visit laketahoedancecollective.org.
About the Artists
Natasha Adorlee is a choreographer and multi-disciplinary artist from San Francisco, CA, and UC Berkeley Alum. Over the last 15 years, she has danced with Robert Moses’ Kin, Kate Weare Company (New York), and ODC/Dance, where she was an Isadora Duncan Dance Award Recipient. In addition, she has created several works for stage, screen, and music. Her short film Take Your Time was awarded “Best Short” at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival, and she received a Regional Emmy Award for her performance and music composition in the TV Special Baseballet: Into the Game. In 2022, Natasha became an Artistic Fellow with Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, where she premiered her original dance work Liminal Space for the Sketch 12 Series and will premiere Blooming Flowers and the Full Moon, an NEA-awarded piece in 2023. Natasha was recently an awardee in Joffrey Ballet Winning Works Program and was commissioned to create a new piece. In 2023, Natasha will embark on many new commissions and residencies, most notably being named a Jacob’s Pillow Choreographic Fellow. In addition, she will continue to produce original and commissioned film work through her company, Concept o4, and she serves as an artistic advisor for Ballet22.
Kristina Berger is a principal dancer with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company and a creator of her own work. her professional career ranges from Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus Dancer to First Female and Westerner to perform the virtuoso solo “Hanuman the Monkey King” in Bali. She has also performed with Lester Horton Dance Theater, Molissa Fenley & Dancers, Joyce Trisler Danscompany, Washington Opera Ballet and the Ballery in Berlin. Kristina continues to tour and perform professionally while dedicating the majority of her time to the Joan Palladina School of Dance at Dean College where she holds a full-time faculty position as Assistant Professor of Dance, teaching both Horton and Hawkins Techniques.
Ashley Bouder was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and began her ballet training at the age of six at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with Marcia Dale Weary. After attending the 1999 Summer Program at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, she was invited by SAB to continue her training during the Winter Session. Ms. Bouder was named an apprentice with New York City Ballet in June 2000 and became a member of the corps de ballet that October. She was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, Ms. Bouder was promoted to principal dancer. Ms. Bouder has danced in ballet galas around the world and guest starred in companies including the Paris Opera Ballet, Rome Opera Ballet, and the Mariinsky Ballet. She has been awarded Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise at the School of American Ballet as a student. As a professional her awards include the Janice Levin Honoree from the New York City Ballet, the Miss Expressivity for 2011 and the Miss Virtuosity for 2013 from the Dance Open Gala, and a 2014 Benois de la Danse nomination. Beginning her teacher training in her teens at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB), Ms. Bouder has taught at the summer programs of the School of American Ballet (SAB), Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive (SSDI), Manhattan Youth Ballet (MYB), Carolina Ballet School, and the CPYB. She continues to be a frequent guest teacher at Ballet Academy East, MYB, and SAB, while guest teaching and holding master classes around the country, including the Boston Ballet School and Princeton University. As a choreographer, using the arts collaborative she founded, The Ashley Bouder Project as an outlet for her work, Ms. Bouder hopes to promote other female choreographers, while also setting an example for women to be more forward and prominent in the creation and directorial sides of the arts world. Her previous work has been presented at the School of American Ballet Choreographic Workshop, the New York City Ballet in the Dancer’s Choice Program, the Ashley Bouder Project at New York’s Peter Norton Symphony Space, and at Bryant Park Presents.
Dwayne Brown is a native New Yorker who has lived in every borough (…except the fifth) and loves the ways in which the city still reveals itself even after three decades. He trained at The Ailey School and received a B.A. in Psychology from Vassar College. As a professional dancer and performer his credits include: (Theatre/Stage) The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall; (TV/Film) At Home With Amy Sedaris (TruTV), The Get Down (Netflix), Great Performances at The Met (PBS); (Commercial) Mount Gay Rum, Stadium Goods, The Consistency Project, and NYFW; (Modern Dance) Bill T. Jones/AZ Co., Ralph Lemon, Kevin Beasley, Sean Curran. Recent credits: Lyric Opera Chicago as a soloist dancer, Lifes exhibit at The Hammer Museum, and the upcoming film She Came To Me, directed by Rebecca Miller. He is represented by Clear Talent Group and currently serves on the advisory committee for ARTBATH, an immersive performance salon series at the historic Blue Building.
Lia Cirio began her training at Swarthmore Ballet Theatre with Lori Ardis. She went on to train at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary and Darla Hoover, where she also studied privately with Theresa Crawford and Rafael Grigorian. From 2008-2009, Cirio toured with Trey McIntyre Project, performing throughout the United States and the world. She danced principal roles in McIntyre’s Reassuring Effects of Form, Poetry, and A Day in the Life, and originated roles in various new works by McIntyre. Her repertory with Boston Ballet includes featured and/or principal roles in classics such as Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (Cinderella, Winter Fairy); George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Chaconne, Coppélia, Jewels (Diamonds and Emeralds), Symphony in C (second movement), Symphony in Three Movements, Theme and Variations, Divertimento No.15, Episodes, Who Cares?, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Ballo de la Regina, La Valse, Serenade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Agon, Piano Concerto No. 2, and Kammermusik No. 2; Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias (Olympe); Florence Clerc’s La Bayadère (Nikiya, Gamzatti, Lead Shade) and Les Sylphides (the Sylph); Sorella Englund’s La Sylphide (principal); Larissa Ponomarenko’s Giselle (Giselle); Maina Gielgud’s Giselle (Myrtha, Peasant pas de deux); Harald Lander’s Etudes (the Ballerina); Vaslav Nijinsky’s Afternoon of the Faun (principal nymph); Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake (Odette/Odile, pas de trois, pas de cinq, Four Little Swans) and The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, Snow Queen, Arabian); Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote (Kitri, Mercedes, Queen of the Dryads); Marius Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty (Aurora, Lilac Fairy, Woodland Glade Fairy) and Paquita (principal role), along with numerous pas de deux. She has danced principal roles in Peter Martins’ Barber Violin Concerto; John Neumeier’s Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler; and Jerome Robbins’ Antique Epigraphs and Glass Pieces. Her contemporary repertoire includes works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Christopher Wheeldon, Jeffrey Cirio, Alexander Ekman, Helen Pickett, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, among others. She originated roles in Elo’s Carmen (Micaela), Brake the Eyes, Sharper Side of Dark, and Awake Only, along with numerous others. At age 16, Cirio was awarded a Level One award from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts and was a Presidential Scholar in the Arts finalist. She was also awarded the top scholarship and Founder’s Award by Barbara Weisberger at the Regional Dance America Festival. She was Boston Ballet’s Princess Grace Nominee in 2004. Cirio was named in Dance Magazine’s first “On the Rise” feature article, and has been featured in additional articles in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, and on the cover of Pointe. She has been hailed as “one of the most accomplished actress-dancers in the company” by The Patriot Ledger, and as “an outstanding performer with tremendous stage presence” during Boston Ballet’s Spain tour. She has performed in galas around the world including in the Philippines with Ballet Manila and in Mongolia and Japan with United Ballet Company. She has performed at the Lincoln Center and at the Guggenheim in Sonya Tayeh’s Unveiling, as well as at Jacob’s Pillow in Ballet Coast to Coast. Cirio was the co-founder of Cirio Collective, where she serves as the Assistant to the Artistic Director, as well as a dancer. In 2018, Cirio made her choreographic debut with Sta(i)r(e)s during BB@home: ChoreograpHER. In 2019, she choreographed Lenore for the second ChoreograpHER installment, as well as …the peppermint wind for Boston Ballet School’s Next Generation. She choreographed Chesire for Ballet Academy East in New York City and will be choreographing world premieres for Festival Ballet Rhode Island and Boston Ballet’s mainstage ChoreograpHER program in 2022. At 16, Cirio was invited by Mikko Nissinen to join Boston Ballet II. She was promoted to Boston Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2004, to second soloist in 2006, and to soloist in 2007. From 2008-2009, Cirio toured with Trey McIntyre Project, performing throughout the United States and the world. Following her time with Trey McIntyre Project, she returned to Boston Ballet for the 2009-2010 season and was named principal dancer in 2010.
Paul Craig started his training with Deb Knight and Jefferson Baum at the Conservatory of Dance. He later received the Garold Gardner Scholarship to train at Virginia School of the Arts under the direction of Petrus Bosman and Tyrone Brooks. Before graduating, he was awarded the Virginia School of the Arts Merit Award and the Dean’s Award. In 2006, he trained in Boston Ballet School’s Trainee Program. His Boston Ballet repertoire includes August Bournenville’s Pas de Six, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias (Gaston), Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot’s (adapted by Larissa Ponomarenko) Giselle (Hilarion), John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet (Paris, Tybalt) and Onegin (Prince Gremin), Ivan Liška’s Le Corsaire (Konrad), and Leonid Yakobson’s Vestris. Craig has also enjoyed dancing an array of Neoclassical and Contemporary works including George Balanchine’s Chaconne, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Episodes, Divertimento No. 15, Symphony in Three Movements, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theme and Variations, and Four Temperaments, Jorma Elo’s Plan to B, Slice to Sharp, Double Evil, La Sacre Du Printemps, and Brake the Eyes, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, The Second Detail, Pas/Parts 2018, Blake Works, and Playlist (EP), Jiri Kylian’s Bella Figura, Wings of Wax, and Petit Mort, Wayne McGragor’s Chroma and Obsidian Tear, John Neumeier’s Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, Justin Peck’s In Creases, Helen Pickett’s Tsukiyo, Petal, and Eventide, Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and Interplay, Norbert Vesak’s Belong, and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia. He has performed in Jacob’s Pillow, Tanglewood Music Festival, Cape Cod Dance Festival, Spoleto Festival, World Ballet Competition Gala (2011 and 2012), American Dance Competition Gala (2016), and performed internationally in Russia, South Korea, Spain, Germany, France, Finland, Mexico, England, and Canada. He is also a dancer with Cirio Collective, a Boston-based contemporary dance company. Craig joined Boston Ballet II in 2007, was promoted to Corps de ballet in 2008, and to Second Soloist in 2014. He was promoted to Soloist during the 2015–2016 season and to Principal dancer in 2017.
Adrian Danchig-Waring was born in San Francisco, California. He began his dance training at the age of 11 at Dance Theatre Seven with David Roxander. Mr. Danchig-Waring entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in the fall of 2001. In October 2002 he became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and in June 2003 he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In February of 2009 Mr. Danchig-Waring was promoted to soloist and became a principal in February 2013. Since joining NYCB, Mar. Danchig-Waring has performed numerous featured roles in ballets by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Kim Brandstrup, Ulysses Dove, Boris Eifman, Annabelle Lopoz Ochoa, Eliot Feld, Peter Martins, Wayne McGregor, Anjelin Preljocaj, Justin Peck, Jerome Robbins, Liam Scarlett and Christopher Wheeldon. Mr. Danchig-Waring is also the head of the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet.
Joseph Gordon was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began his dance training at the age of five at The Phoenix Dance Academy. Mr. Gordon began studying at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2006 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall. In August of 2011, Mr. Gordon became an apprentice with NYCB, and in July of 2012, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In February 2017, Mr. Gordon was promoted to soloist and in October 2018, he was promoted to principal dancer.
Kyle Limin is an Educator, Choreographer, and Performing Artist with a focus on contemporary and Hip Hop dance. They continue to contribute over fifteen year’s worth of art and education to their hometown, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area. They teach at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Dance Mission Theater and run the dance program at Creative Arts Charter School. In addition, they teach in schools ranging from elementary to university level.
Amber Neff Nominated by Pointe Magazine as Standout Performance of 2022, Amber is an independent artist based in New York. She is currently a member of New Chamber Ballet and has danced for The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Claudia Schreier & Company, Emery LeCrone DANCE, Intermezzo Dance Company, Boston Ballet and Richmond Ballet. Amber received her at The Dance Design School, the HARID Conservatory, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO) School at American Ballet Theater.
Marco Pelle was born in Vicenza, Italy, and began his dance training in his hometown, continued in Monaco at the Academie de Danse Classique Princess Grace before moving to New York City to study under merit scholarship with famous American choreographer, Merce Cunningham. As a choreographer, he was introduced to the opera world by MOT Founder and Artistic Director David Di Chiera and presented his early works at numerous dance festivals. He began collaborating with New York Theatre Ballet in 2002. He created several works for the company, among which Solitude, Spaces, and Endless Possibilities of Being were all composed by his brother Federico Pelle. He has choreographed for several ballet stars including Roberto Bolle, Polina Semionova, Letizia Giuliani, and Isabelle Ciaravola. Mr. Pelle collaborated with Alessandra Ferri on her comeback show The Piano Upstairs, presented at the Spoleto Festival. In 2013 Mr. Pelle received the SAIE National Award in Italy for his contribution to the arts. In the same year he choreographed Passage, a short movie which opened at the Venice Film Festival, directed by Fabrizio Ferri and starring Roberto Bolle and Polina Semionova. In 2014 he created a theater version of Passage which has toured all over Europe and premiered in the USA in July 2015. His work Libera! has been performed by New York Theatre Ballet. In 2015, Paris Opera Ballet étoile Isabelle Ciaravola performed his work Esprit Libéré in several European festivals. Marco Pelle is the recipient of the 2016 Primi Dieci USA Award, under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.