Photo Credit: Grant Halverson
Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, Doug Varone and Dancers comes to Philadelphia at The Prince Theater with six performances from January 18th through January 22nd. Award-winning choreographer and director Doug Varone works in dance, theatre, opera, film, and fashion. He is a passionate educator and articulate advocate for dance. His work is known for its emotional range, kinetic breadth and the diversity of genres in which he works. His New York City-based Doug Varone and Dancers has been commissioned and presented to critical acclaim by leading international venues for three decades. A much sought after director, Varone is recognized for his work in opera, theater, dance, and film, which has appeared on stages worldwide earning him a Guggenheim Fellowship, an OBIE Award, and three Doris Duke Awards.
In its appearance at The Prince Theater, Doug Varone and Dancers will present the Philadelphia premiere of ReComposed (2015), which is inspired by Joan Mitchell’s pastel drawings and set to an explosive score Dystopia by Michael Gordon. Another program highlight will be Possession (1994) — a poignant, powerful and physically-thrilling work set to Philip Glass’ Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and based on A.S. Byatt’s novel. Folded (from in the shelter of the fold) will be another feature of the Philadelphia program.
In the concert dance world, Varone has created a body of works globally. Commissions include the Limón Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Rambert Dance Company (London), Martha Graham Dance Company, Dancemakers (Canada), Batsheva Dance Company (Israel), Bern Ballet (Switzerland) and An Creative (Japan), among others. In addition, his dances have been staged on more than 75 college and university programs around the country.
In opera, Doug Varone is in demand as both a director and choreographer. Among his four productions at The Metropolitan Opera are Salome with its Dance of the Seven Veils for Karita Mattila, the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy, and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, designed by David Hockney. His Met Opera production of Hector Berloiz’s Les Troyens was broadcast worldwide in HD. He has directed multiple premieres for Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Washington Opera, New York City Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera, among others. His numerous theatre credits include choreography for Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theatres across the country. His choreography for 2012’s musical Murder Ballad at Manhattan Theatre Club earned him a Lortel Award nomination. Film credits include choreography for the Patrick Swayze film, One Last Dance. In 2008, Varone’s Bottomland, set in the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky, was the subject of PBS’s Dance in America: Wolf Trap’s Face of America. Most recently, he directed and choreographed MasterVoices’ production of Dido and Aeneas at New York City Center, starring Tony Award winners Kelli O’Hara and Victoria Clark, alongside the Company.
Varone received his BFA from Purchase College where he was awarded the President’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. Numerous honors and awards include a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, an OBIE Award (for Lincoln Center’s Orpheus and Euridice), the Jerome Robbins Fellowship at the Boglaisco Institute in Italy, two individual Bessie Awards, two American Dance Festival Doris Duke Awards for New Work, and four National Dance Project Awards. In 2015, Varone was awarded both a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Dance Guild. Varone teaches workshops and master classes around the world for dancers, musicians and actors. He is currently on the faculty at Purchase College, teaching composition and choreography.
Doug Varone and Dancers
January 18 – 22, 2017
Prince Theater, 1412 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tickets: $20-$55
Available online at https://filmadelphia.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0S1a00000Ef1ahEAB
- Diane Sharp-Nachsin Embarks on Irish Residency to Craft “DNA” with SHARP Dance Company - April 19, 2024
- Mariposas by Christina Castro-Tauser Premieres at Teatro Esperanza, April 27 - April 16, 2024
- Contemporary West Dance Theatre On Tour: Bernard Gaddis Brings his Company Home to Philly, April 26-27 - April 11, 2024
