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Touhill Performing Arts Center - University of Missouri-St. Louis
United States
Missouri
St. Louis, MO

Dance St. Louis and Emerson present 11th Annual Emerson SPRING TO DANCE® Festival 2018, May 25-26

by Sarah Thompson
April 27, 2018
Touhill Performing Arts Center - University of Missouri-St. Louis
1 University Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63121
(866) 516-4949
Dance St. Louis closes its 2017-18 season with the 11th Annual Emerson SPRING TO DANCE® Festival. Noted as one of the region’s must-see festivals, the vibrant extravaganza brings together more than 25 professional dance companies from across the country and beyond for two unique, exhilarating nights of nonstop dance on Memorial Day weekend. This year’s participating companies come from as far as Havana, Cuba, Toronto, Canada, Los Angeles and New York City and as near as Chicago, Memphis and St. Louis. From ballet, modern and contemporary to flamenco, hip-hop and more, the festival offers something for everyone with a distinct, dynamic program each night. Tickets are $10-$20 per night, and are available for purchase at http://touhill.org or http://dancestlouis.org. The Touhill Performing Arts Center is the collaborative partner of SPRING TO DANCE.

WHAT:
11th Annual Emerson SPRING TO DANCE® Festival 2018

FEATURES:
• 25+ professional dance companies from across the country and beyond, varying in style and repertoire, perform for 2 nights of nonstop dance

• Premier companies include Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Wewolf, Project 44 and more!

• Ballet highlights include performances by principal dancers from Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Houston Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada

WHEN:
Friday & Saturday, May 25 & 26
5:30 p.m. – Terrace Lobby performances
6 p.m. – Lee Theater performances
7:30 p.m. – Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall performances

WHERE:
Touhill Performing Arts Center

TICKETS:
$10-20 per night
Call 314-516-4949 or visit http://touhill.org.
For additional information, please contact Dance St. Louis at http://dancestlouis.org or 314-534-6622.

The festival begins at 5:30 p.m. each night in the Touhill’s Terrace Lobby with St. Louis-area community dance groups leading interactive demonstrations and performing various dance styles. This year’s local community groups include Kari James Dance Network, Convergence, Collective Motion and Wei Dance Arts on Friday, and Alma de Mexico St. Louis, Hui Hula 'O Punahele Hula Halau, and Ballroom Dance Academy of St. Louis on Saturday. At 6 p.m. performances by the festival’s featured professional companies begin in the Lee Theater, followed by the 7:30 p.m. mainstage performances in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall.

The 11th Annual Emerson SPRING TO DANCE® Festival program order is as follows:

FRIDAY, MAY 25
Lee Theater, 6-7 p.m.
Clinard Dance (Chicago, IL)
MOMENTA (Oak Park, IL)
LaneCoArts (New York, NY)
DamageDance (Denver, CO)
Chicago Dance Crash (Chicago, IL)

A-B Performance Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Owen/Cox Dance Group (Kansas City, MO)
MADCO (St. Louis, MO)
The Big Muddy Dance Company (St. Louis, MO)
- Intermission -
Wewolf (Los Angeles, CA)
Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, IL)
Chicago Human Rhythm Project (Chicago, IL)
Ballet Memphis (Memphis, TN)

SATURDAY, MAY 26
Lee Theater, 6-7 p.m.
Kristi Faulkner Dance (Detroit, MI)
DanceWorks Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Pas De Monkéy Dance (Akron, OH)
Flying Foot Forum (Minneapolis, MN)
Kambré Contemporary Dance Company (St. Louis, MO)

A-B Performance Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
DanceWorks Chicago (Chicago, IL)
The Seldoms (Chicago, IL)
Houston Ballet / The National Ballet of Canada (Houston, TX / Toronto, Ontario)
Project 44 (New York, NY)
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL)
- Intermission -
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL)
San Francisco Ballet / National Ballet of Cuba (San Francisco, CA / Havana, Cuba)
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater (Chicago, IL)


REVIEWS

Covered by the New York Times and Dance Magazine, the festival has gained national and regional attention for thrilling audiences with a smorgasbord of dance styles from the country’s premier and emerging professional dance companies for a ticket price under $20. “Arguably the best dance buffet in the Midwest,” hails the Chicago Tribune. “In a difficult economic climate, Dance St. Louis has just the ticket,” states Dance Magazine. Time Out Chicago says, “Audiences flock to the performances—the price is right and the offerings are generous.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says, “Of all the local Memorial Day weekend events, perhaps the most consistently exciting is… Spring to Dance Festival presented by Dance St. Louis.”

TICKETS
Tickets are $10-$20. Save $5 when selecting a Lee Theater ticket and main stage Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall ticket for the same night. Tickets are available at the Touhill Ticket Office at One University Boulevard (on the campus of UMSL), St. Louis, MO 63121, or by calling 314-516-4949 or visiting http://touhill.org.

FESTIVAL & SEASON SPONSORS
Dance St. Louis is grateful for sponsor support to continue its mission to present world-class dance. Emerson is the title sponsor of the 11th Annual Emerson SPRING TO DANCE® Festival. The Whitaker Foundation, Wells Fargo Advisors, and Centene Charitable Foundation are presenting sponsors. Edward Jones is the underwriting sponsor. The Touhill Performing Arts Center is the collaborative partner of SPRING TO DANCE®.

The 2017-2018 season sponsors include local and regional funders: Ameren, Arts and Education Council, Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission. National funders include National Endowment for the Arts and The Shubert Foundation.

Dance St. Louis
Founded in 1966, Dance St. Louis has been bringing the greatest dance of the world to St. Louis audiences for 52 years. Dance St. Louis is dedicated to the enrichment of the cultural landscape and artistic reputation of St. Louis by presenting great dance and educational opportunities that make dance accessible to everyone. Dance St. Louis also conducts a broad range of education programs for the St. Louis community. Each year, the Education Outreach Program introduces thousands of schoolchildren to the magic of dance through in-school residencies and mainstage performances. For more information, please visit http://dancestlouis.org.
Wewolf (Los Angeles, CA)

Wewolf (Los Angeles, CA)

Photo © & courtesy of Dance St. Louis


Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, IL)

Joffrey Ballet (Chicago, IL)

Photo © & courtesy of Dance St. Louis


Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Photo © & courtesy of Dance St. Louis


Owen/Cox Dance Group (Kansas City, MO)

Owen/Cox Dance Group (Kansas City, MO)

Photo © & courtesy of Dance St. Louis

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