Renowned Cellist Maya Beiser, Dance Icon Wendy Whelan Perform in Collaboration Among Legends
NASHVILLE, TN – Three of Nashville’s leading arts institutions - co-presenters OZ Arts Nashville and Tennessee Performing Arts Center in partnership with Nashville Ballet - will present a performance of “The Day,” a collaboration among legends from the worlds of ballet, contemporary dance and music 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at TPAC’s Polk Theater. Tickets are now on sale.
“The Day” is a new music and dance work by renowned cellist Maya Beiser, New York City Ballet legend Wendy Whelan, seminal choreographer Lucinda Childs and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. Joining forces across artistic genres, these four creative minds bring their mastery to this performance inspired by the events of 9/11.
Whelan, widely considered one of the world’s leading dancers, is a Louisville native who spent 30 years as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and originated numerous roles in new works by the world's most esteemed choreographers. Beiser, who conceived the piece is a veteran of the world’s most revered stages. The two will be on stage all evening, embodying the iconic choreography of Childs (a Commandeur in France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and 2018 inductee in the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance) set to original music by Lang.
“The Day” had its world premiere earlier this year at the esteemed Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and has been shown at leading performance venues around the country, including UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance in Los Angeles and The Joyce Theater in New York.
For tickets and more information, visit www.tpac.org.
About OZ Arts Nashville
Since opening in 2014, OZ Arts Nashville, a 501(c)(3) contemporary arts center, has changed the cultural landscape of the city. Housed in the former C.A.O. cigar warehouse owned by Nashville’s Ozgener family, OZ Arts, under the artistic leadership of Mark Murphy, brings world-class performances and art installations to the city, and gives ambitious local artists opportunities to work on a grand scale.
The flexible 10,000 square-foot, column-free venue, nestled amidst five acres of artfully landscaped grounds, is continually reconfigured to serve artists’ imaginations, and to challenge and inspire a diverse range of curious audiences. OZ Arts regularly engages the community for participation with visiting artists and artworks – either directly, through school visits, workshops, master classes, school performances and/or curated programs led by local teaching artists.
In addition, OZ Arts founded a program called OZ School Days, a daylong, multi-arts program presented in partnership with Centennial Performing Arts Studios that aims to engage students aged 5 – 15 years old on days when Metro Nashville Public Schools are out of session (ex: Columbus Day, Presidents Day). For more information, please visit http://www.ozartsnashville.org.
About Nashville Ballet
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming.
Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students age 2 to 70.
Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. Institutional sponsors for TPAC include Nissan North America and Coca-Cola. TPAC is funded in part by support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission.