CrossCurrents

The past couple of years have been rough for everyone and, for the Pittsburgh Dance Council, it showed in the bottom line. As the Pittsburgh series with a real international flavor, PDC had always surprised and educated us with its global approach.But the economy hit everyone hard.

In the 2008-09 season, which had seven companies, over half of them came from outside the U.S., including Ballet Maribor, Inbal Pinto, Batsheva and Ballet Boyz. The following year, there was only one (Britain’s Vincent Dance Theatre) and Margaret Jenkins’ collaboration with Guandong Modern Dance Company. Last season there were only six groups and Israel’s Barak Marshall pulled out, to be replaced by David Dorfman’s Sly Stone project and giving the series an all-American flavor.

Not that all-American is a bad thing. But there is something more engaging about international diversity. We can say the economy was partly to blame, but so were visas for international artists, which became increasingly difficult. Still it looks like all is on the mend for next year, with a great balance of old favorites and new experiments.

Heidi Latsky’s “Gimp” gives the PDC a seventh concert, although it is a collaboration with the FISA Foundation, which helps girls, women and people with disabilities in southwestern Pennsylvania. The piece, which will combine dancers with and without disabilities, will provide workshops to involve the local community and will PDC’s first foray to the August Wilson Center. PDC patrons might recognize Heidi as a former principal dancer with Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, where the tiny dancer paired with 200-pound plus Lawrence Goldhuber. In the years since she left the company, she has been forging her own choreographic reputation, as well as forming an interest in the healing art of dance.

The international accent is back, mainly due to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s “Distinctively Dutch Festival,” still to be fully revealed. Hopefully it will follow in the singular footsteps of the Australian and Quebec festivals.

Photo by Robert Benschop

The Dance Council will contribute a pair of programs, both United States premieres (always exciting news!), to the event.  Former Nederlans Dans Theater artistic director and master choreographer Jiri Kylian has joined forces with Michael Schumacher, a leading figure in dance improvisation in Europe, for “Last Touch First.” Dance Works Rotterdam/ Andre Gingras features a revival from the Canadian choreographer, “Anatomica,” first presented by Rambert Dance Company in England and featuring “danger, beauty and consequences of the body on display.”

The rest of the season will comprise a group of American masters. MOMIX has blossomed under Moses Pendleton, also a co-founder of Pilobolus, and Cynthia Quinn since 1980. The company delves into the inventive garden of  “Botanica” with video, projections and some very large props.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

There will be some downsizing as Paul Taylor, the most revered choreographer of his generation, and Lar Lubovitch, that most symphonic of choreographers, return for the first time to the Byham Theater. Both had previously appeared at the Benedum Center. But they will be highly anticipated, nonetheless.

Joining them will be Karole Armitage, finally making her debut here in Pittsburgh. Known as the “punk ballerina,” she will extend the footprint laid down by George Balanchine in “Three Theories,” based on physicist Brian Greene’s best-selling book, “The Elegant Universe.”

Overall the PDC 2011-12 season exudes a strong potential  in presenting both the force and the artistry of the body in exciting ways. Love the arc of the 2011-12 season, ending with Lar. Welcome back!

The full listing: MOMIX, Byham, Sept. 16-17; Paul Taylor Dance Company, Byham, Oct. 22; Dance Works Rotterdam/ Andre Gingras, Byham, Feb. 18; Armitage Gone! Dance, Byham, Mar. 3; Jiri Kylian and Michael Schumacher, August Wilson Center, Apr. 6-7; Lar Lubovitch, Byham, Apr. 28. Subscription packages run from $109-217. Call 412-456-1390. Heidi Latsky Dance is  a Dance Council Special and will be performed as a separate event at the August Wilson Center – tickets only $17.