Director Damian Woetzel — a retired New York City Ballet principal — has recruited some of the starriest names in the dance world, and he also has an eclectic view of dance. In 2011, he booked Lil Buck as a resident artist after bringing him together with violinist Yo-Yo Ma for a performance of “The Dying Swan” that went viral. This year, Wendy Whelan, who also recently retired from NYCB and is exploring different forms of dance, will perform Restless Creature, a series of duets created for her by four contemporary choreographers. The Pennsylvania Ballet will stage an all-Balanchine program; the Martha Graham Dance Company will perform; and there will be a ballroom spectacular that includes waltz, tango and merengue. In addition, the festival’s two International Evenings of Dance will showcase amazing national and international talents; nowhere else could you see an assembly like this in a single evening.
“There are, inevitably, times when I feel I see too much dance,” wrote New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay of the festival in 2012. “These two evenings made me feel I can’t see enough of it.”
The Vail International Dance Festival runs today through August 9 at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. For more information, call 888-920-2787 or go to vvf.org/arts/vail-international-dance-festival.
July 27-Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m., 2014
