Fall lineup at Lincoln Center highlights new works

Lincoln Center is going global this fall with some untraditional choices for the season’s repertoire.

An Armenian dance ensemble, choreographers from the Paris Conservatory, and dancers from Juilliard present their talents and unique styles at this cultural melting pot in the center of New York City. On Saturday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m., the AGBU Antranig Armenian Dance Ensemble will perform in Alice Tully Hall. The group will dance a piece entitled “Reflections” in a 40th anniversary production and celebration. Choreographed by Gagik Karapetian from Yerevan, “Reflections” pays homage to over 300 dancers who were formerly involved with the company. This work, like others on the program, will feature a mixture of traditional folk dance and contemporary choreography, exemplifying the heritage and history of the company as well as the culture of Armenia.

The inclusion of this dance company in the fall and winter programming is an interesting choice, because traditional programming tends to focus on ballet and modern dance. This is possibly an attempt to emulate the summer season during the Lincoln Center Festival, which works to include more culturally diverse companies and productions.

In a more traditional vein, the Juilliard Dance Division will collaborate with composers and choreographers from the Paris Conservatory from Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 5, in Peter Jay Sharp Theater. The series of performances comes as an epilogue to the dance division’s summer European tour, which included performances at the Paris Conservatory. The pieces in December will feature new dances with live music, some of which is performed by musicians from the Paris Conservatory itself. This choice of programming highlights a long-lasting alliance between the American music schools and those in Europe, particularly France, and brings contemporary music to the forefront, something that Lincoln Center has been slow to do.

Lastly, in a mixture of the mainstream and lesser-known, American Ballet Theatre is presenting three premieres, along with repertory staples at Avery Fisher Hall from Oct. 7 through Oct. 10. Young Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky will present a new ballet, written to the under-appreciated piano sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti. Benjamin Millepied, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet and fast rising choreographer, will present a dance performance set to music by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang, while Canadian Aszure Barton has choreographed a ballet inspired by a Maurice Ravelviolin sonata. These three premieres by the leading young choreographers may be the progressive works to transform dance as an art form and keep it alive.