Vail Dance Festival 2025 to feature 5 acclaimed companies, 8 world premieres, more than 150 artists

The Vail Valley Foundation recently issued the following press release on the initial programming for its 37th annual Vail Dance Festival set for July 25 through Aug. 5:

The non-profit Vail Valley Foundation is pleased to announce initial programming for the 37th annual Vail Dance Festival scheduled to take place July 25 – August 5 throughout the Vail Valley, including Beaver Creek, Avon and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Led by Artistic Director Damian Woetzel, the internationally acclaimed Festival will include 14 performances and over 30+ events throughout the season celebrating excellence and innovation in the world of dance.

Anchoring the season are five acclaimed major companies that will present performances and repertory specially curated for this year’s Festival: Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, Colorado Ballet, and BalletX. 

Acclaimed tap dancer Michelle Dorrance returns to the Festival with The Center Will Not Hold; a new production created by Dorrance and Ephrat Asherie. Born from “a little room,” a short duet created and performed by Asherie and Dorrance in December 2022, The Center Will Not Hold features a company of 11 extraordinary performers and original music composed by Donovan Dorrance and performed live.

The Festival will present a one-night-only Balanchine Celebration, featuring dances by George Balanchine, the greatest of ballet choreographers and founder of New York City Ballet. This evening will celebrate Balanchine’s genius with masterpieces including Concerto Barocco, which will feature Colorado Ballet with Festival stars, the bravura showpiece Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Apollo, with Roman Mejia making his debut in the title role and India Bradleyin the role of Terpsichore.

Choreographers making new dances this season will include Festival returnees Melissa Toogood, Michelle Dorrance, Larry Keigwin, Justin Peck, and Bobbi Jene Smith. And in their Festival debuts, new works will be created by Robert Battle, Gianna Reisen, and My’Kal Stromile. New dances will be featured throughout the Festival and on the NOW: Premieres program, which focuses on new work exclusively.

The International Evenings of Dance, which since 1993 have brought a succession of extraordinary artists to the Vail stage, continue the tradition this summer with dancers making their Festival debuts including American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Chloe Misseldine and Royal Danish Ballet principal dancer Ryan Tomash. Returning dance stars will include Broadway and ballet star Robbie Fairchild, American Ballet Theatre’s Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Catherine Hurlin, Calvin Royal III, and James Whiteside, New York City Ballet’s Chun Wai Chan, Joseph Gordon, Sara Mearns, Roman Mejia, Mira Nadon, Tiler Peck, and Unity Phelan, modern dance force Melissa Toogood, and street dance pioneer Lil Buck. These dance stars will be joined by rising artists including Dominika Afanasenkov, Olivia Bell, Gilbert Bolden III, India Bradley, Naomi Corti,  and KJ Takahashi from New York City Ballet, ABT’s Takumi Miyake, independent dancers Rachel Lockhart (MJ: The Musical), Zack Gonder and Daisy Kate Jacobson (Twyla Tharp’s Diamond Jubilee national tour), and Spencer Lenain, Kayla Mak, and Emiko Nakagawa who are all former Vail Dance Festival Scholars-in-Residence and are now emerging young artists in the professional dance world.

Musicians performing during the Festival will include Brooklyn Rider (violinists Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen, violist Nicholas Cords and cellist Michael Nicolas) who will return as Quartet-In-Residence, and Grammy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Leonard Bernstein Composer-In-Residence Caroline Shaw. The season will also feature performances by bass-baritone Davóne Tines, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kate Davis, and pianists Cameron Grant, Joel Wenhardt, and Tony Yun. Shelbie Rassler will return as Festival Music Director.   

2025 Performance Season Highlights: 

Opening Night
Friday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. 
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail  
 

A thrilling Opening Night program samples and celebrates what is to come with performances by stars of New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and other celebrated individual artists, along with an appearance by Alonzo King LINES Ballet. The program features a range of choreographic genius demonstrating the ambitious reach of the Festival, from works by iconic choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins to dances by today’s leading creative voices including Michelle Dorrance and Pam Tanowitz.  

Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet
Saturday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. 
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet has been a major creative force in dance since its founding in 1982 by acclaimed choreographer Alonzo King. The beloved company returns to Vail this season with an evening featuring two recent works by King: Ode to Alice Coltrane, honoring the legendary spiritual and jazz icon, and Mother Goose, King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony that delves into the enchanting world of Ravel’s 1912 suite Ma mère l’Oye. 

 
UpClose: Song & Dance
Sunday, July 27 at 6 p.m. 
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail 

 
The combination of song and dance is timeless, with a rich history that constantly expands. Hosted by Festival Artistic Director Damian Woetzel, UpClose features Festival stars taking on classic and contemporary pairings of songs and dances in rehearsal and performance mode, in a variety of dance styles from ballet and modern to street dance, tap, and more. 

Balanchine Celebration
Monday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail 

The genius of George Balanchine takes center stage in a program of dance masterpieces under the stars, featuring brilliant artists from companies including New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. The evening will include the pioneering choreographer’s groundbreaking work, Apollo, with New York City Ballet’s Roman Mejia making his role debut in the title role and India Bradley in the role of Terpsichore. Also featured will be Balanchine’s bravuraTschaikovsky Pas de Deux, and his classic Concerto Barocco set to Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, presented in collaboration with Colorado Ballet. 

Paul Taylor Dance Company
Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. 
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail 
 
Since its founding in 1954, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has been a groundbreaking force in American modern dance and has been described byThe New York Times as “one of the most exciting, innovative and delightful dance companies in the entire world.” Last seen in Vail in 2018, the company returns with a tribute to their founder, the late Paul Taylor, on what would have been his 95th birthday. The program salutes the American dance icon with repertory that includes Company B, a seminal piece of Americana that recalls the turbulent era of the Great Depression through the hit songs of the Andrews Sisters, and a 50th anniversary presentation of Taylor’s masterpiece Esplanade described by The New Yorker as “a mythic dimension on ordinary aspects of our daily lives.”   
 
Watching Dance with Heather Watts

Wednesday, July 30 at 11 a.m.

Vail Mountain School Theater, Vail 
 
Legendary Balanchine ballerina Heather Watts hosts an interactive exploration of dance repertory, featuring live demonstrations with Festival artists and historical video footage.

The Center Will Not Hold  
A Dorrance Dance ProductionWednesday, July 30 at 6 p.m.

Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek 
 
Following a sold-out performance last year, acclaimed tap dancer Michelle Dorrance returns with The Center Will Not Hold: a new Dorrance Dance production created by Dorrance and Ephrat Asherie featuring a collective of singular performers deeply rooted in one or many street, club and vernacular dances: house, breaking, hip hop, tap dance, Chicago Footwork, Detroit Jit, Litefeet, Memphis Jookin and body percussion. The Center Will Not Holdfeatures original music composed by Donovan Dorrance, performed live by extraordinary drummer and percussionist John Angeles.

International Evenings of Dance

Friday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 2 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Three incredible performances showcasing a selection of today’s dance stars representing a wide range of styles and genres from ballet and modern to tap and street dance. These signature performances have become legendary in featuring new partnerships, debuts and daring collaborations by extraordinary artists from around the world.

A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Sunday, August 3 at 6 p.m.

Vilar Performing Arts Center, Beaver Creek

The critically acclaimed contemporary dance company A.I.M by Kyle Abrahammakes its Vail Dance Festival debut! Led by Princess Grace and MacArthur winner Kyle Abraham, the company is celebrated around the world for its engaging and dynamic performances that are galvanized by Black culture and history. The program will feature Abraham’s homage to Nina Simone entitled If We Were a Love Song and Abraham’s celebrated solo Show Pony, along with other recent works.

NOW: Premieres
Monday, August 4 at 7:30 p.m. 
Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail 
  

NOW: Premieres is the Festival’s annual showcase of new commissioned dance works, all making their debut on one legendary night, performed by an extraordinary cast of dancers and musicians. This season’s choreographers will include Robert Battle*, Michelle Dorrance, Justin Peck, Gianna Reisen*, Bobbi Jene Smith, My’Kal Stromile*, and Melissa Toogood. 

*Festival debut.  

Dance for $20.25 with BalletX
Tuesday, August 5 at 6 p.m.

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, Vail

Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet BalletX, celebrating its 20th anniversary season, closes out this year’s festivities with a thrilling performance featuring Matthew Neenan’s acclaimed dance The Last Glass, set to the music of the band Beirut. Join us for this special community celebration to close out the Festival with special prices including pavilion seats for just $20.25!

The FREE Dancing in the Park performance at Nottingham Park in Avon will take place on Thursday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m. featuring Philadelphia’s BalletXand a selection of Festival artists.

 
Additional casting and artistic programming to be announced in the months to come, along with details on Festival events including Master Classes, Dancing in the Streets, and the popular Conversations on Dance live recordings with Rebecca King Ferraro and Michael Sean Breedan.

Vail Dance Festival donors receive presale access starting February 27.Tickets will go on sale to the public at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 13.  For information on becoming a donor, please contact the Vail Valley Foundation by calling 970.777.2015 or visiting vaildance.org.

All programs and casting are subject to change.