Dance Theatre of Harlem's New Ballet "Passage" Commemorates The Collision Of Three Cultures In 1619 Virginia As Part Of The Kennedy Centers' Ballet Across America Program

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "Passage," the new ballet from Dance Theatre of Harlem, commissioned by Virginia's 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, in partnership with Virginia Arts Festival, made its Kennedy Center debut May 28 – May 31 as part of the venue's Ballet Across America program. Themes of the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, which commemorates key historic events that occurred in Virginia in 1619, are reflected in the ballet. The performance on May 29^th featured a reception that included representatives of the Virginia Delegation, 2019 Commemoration leadership, the Virginia Arts Festival, partners and sponsors.

The new work, titled "Passage," is created by a female creative  team: Choreographer Claudia Schreier, an award-winning young choreographer who has drawn attention from American Ballet Theatre, the Vail Dance Festival, and many others; the composer Jessie Montgomery, who created an entirely new score for the piece, and whose music has been hailed as "wildly colorful and exploding with life" (The Washington Post). Dance Theatre of Harlem is under the direction of Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director, and Anna Glass, Executive Director.

"We are thrilled to bring the new interpretive ballet, Passage, to the Kennedy Center and be able to engage a new audience with themes that emerged when African, Virginia Indian and English cultures first collided in 1619 Virginia," said Kathy Spangler, Executive Director of 2019 Commemoration. "The 2019 Commemoration and our partner, Virginia Arts Festival, had strong vision for this commissioned piece, and we are astounded by the incredible final work created by Claudia Schreier, Jessie Montgomery, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. This contemporary display of our history truly showcases the human spirit, its endurance and its fortitude."

Added Robert W. Cross, Executive Director and Perry Artistic Director of the Virginia Arts Festival: "Virginia Arts Festival, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution have enjoyed a rich partnership over the past three years that has explored our country's complex history through performing arts and highlighted the artistic significance of important historical events."

"Passage" will be performed again in Blacksburg, VA on September 13, 2019. The Dance Theatre of Harlem performances are American Evolution "Signature Events." Virginia's 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution is conducting more than 20 events, programs and educational initiatives with notable Virginia institution partners in 2019 to showcase key occurrences from 1619 Virginia. These events set our nation on a course towards the ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity, and include the first representative legislative assembly in the New World, the arrival of the first recorded Africans to English North America, the recruitment of English women in significant numbers, the first official English Thanksgiving in North America, and the development of the Virginia colony's entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. A full schedule of American Evolution programming can be found here.

About the 2019 Commemoration

The 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, highlights events that occurred in Virginia in 1619 that continue to influence America today. Featured programs, events and legacy projects will position Virginia as a leader in education, tourism and economic development. American Evolution commemorates the ongoing journey toward the key ideals of democracy, diversity and opportunity. Dominion Energy is an American Evolution Founding Partner and Altria Group and TowneBank are Virginia Colony Partners.

About the Virginia Arts Festival

Since 1997, the Virginia Arts Festival has transformed the cultural scene in southeastern Virginia, presenting great performers from around the world to local audiences and making this historic, recreation-rich region a cultural destination for visitors from across the United States and around the world. The Festival has presented numerous U.S. and regional premieres, and regularly commissions new works of music, dance, and theater from some of today's most influential composers, choreographers and playwrights. The Festival's arts education programs reach tens of thousands of area schoolchildren each year through student matinees, in-school performances, artists' residencies, master classes and demonstrations.

SOURCE American Evolution

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