Point Park's Conservatory Dance Company Opens New PNC Theatre With Winter Dance Concert

Point Park University's Conservatory Dance Company opens Winter Dance Concert, the first production to hit the brand new Pittsburgh Playhouse's PNC Theatre stage in Downtown Pittsburgh. Winter Dance Concert is a one-of-a-kind, powerful performance of works by world renowned choreographers Aszure Barton, Nacho Duato, Tyce Diorio and Edwaard Liang. Winter Dance Concert runs from Dec. 7 - 16 at the PNC Theatre in Point Park University's new Pittsburgh Playhouse, 350 Forbes Avenue.Performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Adult tickets are $20-24, students and seniors are $10; tickets can be purchased by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000 or visitingwww.pittsburghplayhouse.com.

Winter Dance Concert features Art of War by Edwaard Liang; Chaplin...Then and Now by Tyce Diorio; Palmeras by Nacho Duato; andHappy Little Things by Aszure Barton.

"Winter Dance Concert is an incredible lineup of works by world class choreographers, a truly unique dance experience," said Ronald Allan-Lindblom, artistic director, Pittsburgh Playhouse. "It fittingly is the first production to open the magnificent PNC Theatre in the new Pittsburgh Playhouse, giving audiences the chance to see an exceptional production in an equally exceptional venue."

Aszure Barton has been described as "brilliant" by the San Francisco Chronicle, "audacious" by the New York Times, and the Boston Globe considers her "a rare accomplishment in the world of contemporary dance." She has collaborated with celebrated dance artists and companies including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Teatro alla Scala, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theater, National Ballet of Canada, and Martha Graham Dance Company, among many others. She is the founder and artistic director of Aszure Barton & Artists. Her works have been performed on countless international stages including the Palais Garnier (Paris), Mariinsky Theater (Russia), The Kennedy Center (DC), Sadler's Wells (London), The Alicia Alonso Grand Theater (Cuba), and Lincoln Center (NY).

Tyce Diorio is an Emmy Award-winning choreographer with a celebrated career in film, television, concert stage, commercials and theatre. He is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the industry, well known for his frequent guest judging on 15 seasons of the FOX hit, "So You Think You Can Dance." Tyce recently choreographed the second "High Strung" dance film, and he's currently working on the theatrical production, Music City. He's performed on Broadway in Chicago and Fosse. He's worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Cameron Diaz, Meghan Mullally, Katie Holmes, Christina Applegate, Tom Cruise, Queen Latifah, Tobey Maguire, Laverne Cox, Lorde, The Weeknd, Annie Lenox and Jewel.

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning choreographer Nacho Duato started his professional career with the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm and the Nederlands Dans Theater in Holland. His first choreographic attempt in 1983, Jardí Tancat, to Spanish/Catalan music by compatriot Mª del Mar Bonet won first prize at the International Choreographic Workshop at Cologne. His ballets form part of the repertoire of companies like Paris Opera, Cullberg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Deutche Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Finish Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The Singapore Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Hubbard St. Dance Chicago, North Carolina Dance Thatre, The Boston Ballet, The Gothemburg Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Northen Ballet, Ballet du Capitole, Ballet du Rhin, Teatro Comunale Florence, National Ballet of Portugal,The Norweigian Ballet, National Theatre Tokio, The Universal Ballet, Stars Foundation Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Staats Theater Berlin, Bolshoi Ballet, among others. At the Stuttgart Opera, he was offered the Benois de la Danse, one of the most prestigious international awards for choreography, presented by the International Dace Association for his ballet, Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness, in April 2000. In January 2011, he took the position of Artistic Director of Mikhailowsky Ballet (Saint Petersburg, Russia). In 2014, he became Intendant and Artistic Director of Berlin State Ballet (Germany).

Edwaard Liang joined the New York City Ballet in 1993, and in 2001 joined the Tony Award-winning Broadway cast of Fosse. Mr. Liang has built an international reputation as a choreographer. He has created works for the Bolshoi Ballet, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and Washington Ballet. He has won numerous awards for his choreography including the 2006 National Choreographic Competition. In 2013, Mr. Liang was named Artistic Director at BalletMet where he continues to choreograph new works for companies both domestically and abroad. In 2017, he received an Emmy Award for his short dance film, "Vaulted."

"We are honored to present the spectacular work of these incredible, award-winning artists who are known all over the world to Pittsburgh audiences," said Garfield Lemonius, chair of dance and associate artistic director, Point Park University. "Winter Dance Concert showcases the diversity, strength, versatility and resounding talent of Point Park's dance students, as they perform the renowned work of these international dance legends."

For more information about the Conservatory Dance Company's season, visit pittsburghplayhouse.com.

About the Pittsburgh Playhouse - The brand new Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University is a 90,411 square-foot theater complex that serves as an artistic laboratory for the prestigious Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA), comprised of professional, artist educators dedicated to an approach to training that enables students to pursue careers as professionals. COPA includes Departments of Theatre, Dance, and Cinema.

The four-story, state of the art facility, located in Downtown Pittsburgh at 305 Forbes Avenue, is home to the professional theatre company, The REP and student companies -- Conservatory Theatre Company, Conservatory Dance Company and Playhouse Jr. The Pittsburgh Playhouse features the 550-seat PNC Theatre whose backstage and inner workings are visible from the street, resulting in an intentional glimpse into performing arts classes; the 200-seat Highmark Theatre; and the 99-seat Rauh Theatre. The new Pittsburgh Playhouse was designed to be a learning laboratory for all Point Park students, providing experiential learning opportunities in producing, marketing, management, ticketing, and programming. The Playhouse will collaborate with the University's Rowland School of Business and Center for Media Innovation on events, lectures and related programming.

The new Pittsburgh Playhouse's first season runs from Oct. 26, 2018, through April 14, 2019 and features the award-winning musicals Cabaret and Sunday in the Park with George as well as the Broadway smash, History Boys. Full price season subscriber packages include a complimentary season parking pass at the PNC Garage, across the street from the Playhouse. More information is available at pittsburghplayhouse.com.