Kaatsbaan Cultural Park will present its 2021 Summer Festival on Saturdays and Sundays from August 28 – September 12, 2021, taking place both outdoors across its 153-acres in the Hudson Valley as well as in its indoor Theater. The multi-disciplinary festival will feature three new classical dance commissions from Gemma Bond, Claire Davison, and Lauren Lovette with live music; a premiere screening in partnership with the Woodstock Film Festival of In Balanchine’s Classroom; a free weekend of western swing music, art, and picnicking; and the inaugural outdoor end-of-summer dinner celebration, “Playing Field Dinner” with a Peruvian pachamanca, curated by Jeff Gordinier. https://kaatsbaan.org/
“Following Kaatsbaan’s inaugural Spring Festival, which focused largely on New York dance, music, and culinary icons, Kaatsbaan is pleased to announce its Summer Festival 2021, featuring and supporting the next generation of creators and artists, bridging them with the rich history that preceded them, as well as focusing significantly on our community during this time of renewal as we come together once again.” said Sonja Kostich, Chief Executive & Artistic Officer.
“Kaatsbaan has always been a haven for artists, and this was never more evident than during these last sixteen months. We felt it was our responsibility to find a way to provide safe work spaces and performance opportunities for artists throughout the pandemic. The Summer Festival 2021 is building off the success of our past two Festivals, which supported over 300 New York City artists and allowed us to welcome more than 3,500 audience members to Kaatsbaan.” said Stella Abrera, Artistic Director.
Highlights of Summer Festival 2021 include:
August 28 and 29, 2021
6:00pm – 7:30pm
The premiere of three Kaatsbaan commissioned classical dance works
Choreographer Gemma Bond (former dancer from Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, current Artist-in-Residence at CoLab Dance), brings a new creation to Kaatsbaan’s outdoor Mountain Stage, with dancers from American Ballet Theatre, including Devon Teuscher, Cory Stearns, Lauren Bonfiglio, Tyler Maloney, Chloe Misseldine, and Jose Sebastian. Renowned concert pianist, Cecile Licad, will play excerpts from Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic 13 Preludes in an exciting collaboration with these dancers. Costume design by Harriet Jung.
Choreographer Claire Davison (American Ballet Theatre, Corps de Ballet), brings a site-specific physical comedy piece to Kaatsbaan, with elements of clowning, dance, slapstick, juggling and aerial dance to live music. Performing artists include Kyle Driggs, Andrea Murillo, Omari Soulfinger, Jeff Seal, and Tyler West. The Ávila Ensemble, with Ana Aparicio, Laura Pérez, Juan Diego Mora, and Elizabeth Liotta, students from Bard Conservatory, will accompany with Venezuelan folk music and music from classical repertoire.
Choreographer Lauren Lovette (New York City Ballet, Principal Dancer), brings a new pas de deux to Kaatsbaan’s outdoor Mountain Stage, with ABT dancer Zimmi Coker and TBD with the Balourdet String Quartet.
• A solo recital with Steinway Artist Cecile Licad will open the Mountain Stage portion of the evening. The piano has been provided by Steinway & Sons – the Artistic Choice of Kaatsbaan Summer Festival.
September 4 and 5, 2021
Music shows at 12:00pm and 2:00pm
A celebration of music and art
Free admission, park open from 11:00am – 6:00pm, donations welcome
Kaatsbaan Cultural Park opens its 153-acre park to the community for Labor Day weekend
Bring a picnic and enjoy western swing music with Tamar Korn & A Kornucopia and stroll through the Kaatsbaan sculpture garden featuring local Hudson Valley artists.
First-look screening of a new unreleased film by Jeremy Jacob, based on American Lyric, the music and dance site-specific commission which premiered at Kaatsbaan’s Spring Festival and featured pianist Hunter Noack from IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild™ and dancer/producer Garen Scribner.
Curated craft cocktails and beverages available for purchase onsite from Milk and Honey Mobile Taps.
September 11, 2021
4:00pm: Matinee screening, 5:30pm: Panel Discussion, 6:15pm: Reception, 7:00pm: Evening screening
A retrospective of the prolific New York City Ballet choreographer, George Balanchine
In partnership with the Woodstock Film Festival
Hudson Valley premiere of the film, In Balanchine’s Classroom
This screening is courtesy of Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber Incorporated
Invited guest speakers includes filmmaker, Connie Hochman, with former NYCB Prima Ballerina Merrill Ashley
Special installation of select books from the library of Clive Barnes, the late dance and theater critic for the New York Times, whose family generously donated the Clive Barnes Dance Library to Kaatsbaan
September 12, 2021
Kaatsbaan’s inaugural end of summer feast
1:00pm: Arrival, 1:00pm-4:00pm: Pachamanca festivities + cocktails, 4:00pm-5:00pm: Jeff Gordinier and Ruth Reichl in conversation, 5:00pm-6:00pm: Dinner
The inaugural “Playing Field Dinner,” curated by Jeff Gordinier, author of Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World. Kaatsbaan’s first annual end of summer feast is in partnership with JuanMa Calderón and Maria Rondeau of Esmeralda and Celeste, who will prepare a pachamanca — an ancient Peruvian technique of cooking in the ground for which they were recently featured in the New York Times. Special conversation with Jeff Gordinier, former food writer for the New York Times and Esquire, and Ruth Reichl, the former restaurant critic for both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, as well as the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. Among her many books are the bestsellers Save Me the Plums, Comfort Me with Apples, and Tender at the Bone. **Availability limited to 150 dinner guests
All programming is subject to change.
Additional program and ticket information will be made available online at https://kaatsbaan.org/. Tickets for Kaatsbaan members on sale now. Join Kaatsbaan’s membership for early access at https://ci.ovationtix.com/36035/store/donations/40538. General tickets go on sale July 22.
Summer Festival events and performances will take place both outside across the 153-acres of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and in its indoor Theatre, following all CDC and NYS guidelines. Proper safety protocols will be in place.
About Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
The mission of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities’ space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement – just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as we aim to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects our society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability.
