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Island Moving Company (IMC) welcomes five exceptional dance companies from around the globe in July

June 17, 2019 – NEWPORT, RI – Island Moving Company, Newport’s Contemporary Ballet will present its tenth annual summer dance festival July 14-21, 2019 on an outdoor stage on the gorgeous seaside lawn of St. Michael’s Country Day School in Newport, RI. The Newport Dance Festival (formerly known as Great Friends Dance Festival) will feature a unique lineup of dances each evening drawing on the talent, artistry, and individual styles of the festival’s five visiting dance companies, accompanied by Newport’s own Island Moving Company (IMC).

Picnics, blankets and lawn chairs are suggested to enjoy world class dance in a relaxed, community setting. Each performance will be preceded by live music and a 15-minute informational Q&A “Talk-Forward”, so guests are encouraged to arrive early.

Over the course of the eight-day Newport Dance Festival, visiting resident company Thomas/Ortiz Dance of New Canaan, Connecticut, will combine IMC and
Thomas/Ortiz Dance companies together to create a new work commissioned
for the festival, with choreography by its Artistic Director Ted Thomas. This
“Big Piece” will be presented to the public on Saturday, July 20 and
Sunday, July 21.

Other pieces presented by IMC at the festival will include works by Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen, Associate Artistic Director Danielle Genest, company dancer Glen Lewis and choreographers Rodney Rivera and Colin Connor.

Headlining the festival and performing each night with IMC is Thomas/Ortiz Dance from New Canaan, Connecticut. Ted Thomas and Frances Ortiz founded Thomas/Ortiz Dance in 2001, melding his urban athleticism with her Latin sensuality, and their combined choreographic and musical sensibilities. The company of twelve dancers from culturally diverse backgrounds performs a repertoire, which explores a
multitude of thought-provoking and socially-relevant themes.

Additional dance companies in the 2019 lineup include the Breathing Art Company of Bari, Italy. Directed by Simona De Tullio, the Breathing Art Company has presented
its work in Germany, Spain, Hungary, Albania, and Puerto Rico with a mission to
give young talent an opportunity to explore the art of dance. De Tullio has
directed the international San Nicola Dance Prize since 2010, and is influenced
in part by her work with American contemporary ballet legend Alonzo King.

Ballet Dallas, under the direction of Carter Alexander, will also be joining the mix. This Texas-based dance company seeks to collaborate with innovative choreographers to create new dance. Their mission is to use the language of ballet and contemporary dance and music to present ballet as a progressive and innovative art form.

Matthew Westerby  Company of New York, NY will contribute with their unique mission motivated to create projects that foster community, building works that are accessible to all as participants and audience. Westerby’s choreographic approach is inclusive yet challenging by nature, asking each performer for unique contributions to the
process, insuring the work has the imprint of each participant.

Trainor Dance, founded by Caitlin Trainor, will be adding to the festival with their robustly physical, interdisciplinary work. The company has a supple structure, with an ever-growing repertoire that canvasses concert dance, sight specific work, and audience interactive performances. Trainor’s choreography consistently maintains a commitment to highly musical, visually stimulating work with a social conscience.

Donna Salgado’s CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet of New York, NY will return this year with their classically-trained dancers with contemporary artistic voices. The company aims to create work that plays in the concert dance spectrum while celebrating a spirit of dance-making that is inspiring, collaborative, and progressive.

In addition to the professional companies, dancers attending IMC’s pre-professional summer intensive perform each night of the festival. The intensive is a two-week
program for young dancers. Some of the students were selected from auditions
during a competition in Italy.

IMC’s Newport Dance Festival will begin each show with an Etude, a short piece that is choreographed by one of the festival choreographers during the day and performed with a group of self-selected festival dancers that same night.

The Newport Dance Festival was founded in 2010 by IMC to showcase new work and
artists from around the country. The festival brings visiting dance companies
to Newport each summer in July, with an exchange performance by IMC with the
resident dance company the following spring.

NEWPORT DANCE FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

Doors open and live music
begins each night at 6:00pm.

Choreographer talk-forward
begins at 6:45pm.

Show begins at 7:00pm.

SUNDAY, JULY 14
(BANK NEWPORT NIGHT)
Caitlin Trainor Dance
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Island Moving Company

MONDAY, JULY 15
Caitlin Trainor
Thomas/Ortiz
Island Moving Company

TUESDAY, JULY 16
CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Island Moving Company

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17
CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Island Moving Company

THURSDAY, JULY 18
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Matthew Westerby Company
Island Moving Company

FRIDAY, JULY 19
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Matthew Westerby Company
Breathing Art Company
Island Moving Company

SATURDAY, JULY 20
Ballet Dallas
CONTINUUM Contemporary Ballet
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Matthew Westerby Company
Breathing Art Company
Island Moving Company

SUNDAY, JULY 21
Ballet Dallas
CONTINUUM Contemporary/Ballet
Thomas/Ortiz Dance
Island Moving Company

Tickets to performances are $30 with discounted ticket packages available online at islandmovingco.org, or over the phone at (401) 847-4470.