Choreographer

From their mid-thirties to their early nineties: the four choreographers in Generation Dance vary considerably in age, but what unites them is that, each in their own way, they exuberantly celebrate the power of dance. The youngest, rising star Rena Butler makes her Dutch debut in this program, in combination with two recent hit productions by Ted Brandsen and William Forsythe and an 'all-time favorite' by Hans van Manen.

Generation Dance

National Opera & Ballet

Between 1910 and 1940, many Chinese immigrants flowed through the immigration station on Angel Island inside San Francisco Bay, facing mass discrimination under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, with few exceptions. With music by acclaimed Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo, Angel Island revisits this chapter of American history with a poignant multimedia experience scored for voices and a string quartet that blurs the boundaries of opera, theater, dance, and music. Huang Ruo, along with director Matthew Ozawa, weaves a powerful requiem from the century-old poetry engraved on the detention center’s walls by some of the hundreds of thousands of incarcerated Chinese immigrants. Angel Island arrives amid an ongoing epidemic of brutal violence and rampant discrimination against immigrants, asylum-seekers, and Asians across the diaspora. This production is a stirring plea for care and empathy as well as a visceral, clear-eyed tribute to the rebellion and resilience of those who passed through and perished at Angel Island.

EPSG:4326

Angel Island

Brooklyn Academy of Music

What death has stolen, the musician Orpheus is determined to bring back. With Love as his guide, Orpheus journeys into the underworld to save his wife, Eurydice. But there is one condition: he must not look back at her until they return to the mortal world. Orpheus and Eurydice returns in a fully staged production for only the second time in the Company’s history. In this new production, director Matthew Ozawa joins award-winning choreographer Rena Butler to take us on a heartfelt journey into the stages of grief.

Orpheus and Eurydice

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Embrace humanity and expand your mind as you explore the three pieces in our final production of the season.
Twyla Tharp’s American masterpiece Nine Sinatra Songs is still sharp 40 years after its premiere. In it, Tharp effortlessly floats between dance genres, set to the familiar strains of Frank Sinatra hits. Two pieces from innovative choreographers Rena Butler and PNB’s own Kiyon Ross round out the program, and promise to connect us with our inner desires while allowing us to touch the stars.

Rena Butler

Choreographer

Events

Upcoming events

May 30 - Jun 8, 2025

Director’s Choice · Pacific Northwest Ballet

Past events

11 - 25 Sep, 2024

Generation Dance · Nationale Opera & Ballet

11 - 13 Jan, 2024

Angel Island · Beth Morrison Projects

About

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