Press Center

For Immediate Release                                                                     February 23, 2009
Media Contact:          Sarah Dixon
(970) 949-1999
sdixon@vvf.org

VAIL INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL RECEIVES GRANT FROM RUDOLF NUREYEV DANCE FOUNDATION IN SUPPORT OF MORPHOSES/THE WHEELDON COMPANY 2009 RESIDENCY PROGRAM

     VAIL, Colorado—Universally recognized as one of the world’s foremost new ballet companies, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and it’s celebrated choreographer, Christopher Wheeldon, will have some additional inspiration during their residency in Vail this summer as the Vail International Dance Festival has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the prestigious Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation in support of the company’s 2009 visit.

Created as part of the 2007 Dance Festival, the Morphoses residency features two weeks of intensive work on both existing choreography and new projects, culminating in a full performance on August 7 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. The company’s performance schedule also includes an UpClose evening, a unique combination of discussion, demonstration and performance, hosted at Beaver Creek’s Vilar Performing Arts Center on August 6.

“Receiving this grant from the Nureyev Dance Foundation is a tremendous honor for the Festival and for Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company,” explained Damian Woetzel, Dance Festival Artistic Director. “Sixteen years after his death, Nureyev remains an iconic name in dance and he continues to inspire and support the new generations through the great work of his foundation. I knew Mr. Nureyev in the years before his death, and his advice and example were essential to my development as a dancer— it is so heartening to now see his legacy at work in helping to create the great dancers and works of the future.”

An American-based offshoot of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation the dancer established in 1975, the Nureyev Dance Foundation provides grants in the U.S. for ballet and modern dance performances, funds dance schools and dance scholarships, provides financial assistance for the creation of new choreography and re-staging the great choreographic productions Rudolf Nureyev created, and supports the establishment of dance collections and film archives to preserve the history, tradition and appreciation of dance.

One of the foremost summer dance celebrations in the world, the 2009 Vail International Dance Festival will be highlighted by the return of tap legend Savion Glover, in addition to the residency of Christopher Wheeldon and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company. The season will also include popular favorites such as the International Evenings of Dance, Ballroom’s Best and the sophomore season of Dance for $20.09.

New to the Dance Festival in 2009 will be a residency and performances featuring Miami City Ballet.  The addition of Miami City to the Festival roster will mark the next installment of company residencies that began in 2007 with Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Tickets for the 2009 Vail International Dance Festival are priced from $17 to $85 and are available online at www.vaildance.org or by phone at either (970) 845-TIXS (8497) or 888-920-ARTS (2787).

The Vail International Dance Festival is a project of the Vail Valley Foundation.  For additional information on the Foundation, visit www.vvf.org.

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