For press information contact: William Murray, (212) 254-1357 or wilmurray@aol.com

Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre
Choreography by Dušan Týnek

Sixth Annual New York Season
Three Premieres Including Middlegame

Dance Theater Workshop (DTW)
219 W. 19th Street, New York, NY
June 2 - 5 at 7:30pm

Also, Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre to Open
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2010

"The Czech choreographer Dusan Tynek is a bit of an anomaly nowadays: he makes dances, formal ones, set to Baroque music that burst with leaps, turns and lifts ... Both [Apian Way and Fleur-de-lis] are striking for their architectural rigor and fervid movement invention ... He has only seven bodies, including his own, at his disposal, but Mr. Tynek is the rare choreographer whose vision would soar with a dozen more." – The New York Times

"Týnek's choreographic flights of fancy [are] alluring ... fascinating ... powerful" – The New York Times

"luminous with imagination ... filled with vision, charm and wit ... art that preserves uncorrupted the poetic fantasies of childhood" –The Village Voice

(New York, NY) -- Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre presents their sixth annual New York season at Dance Theater Workshop (DTW) with three world premieres June 2 - 5 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 and $20 (senior/student/child/DTW member) and can be purchased online (without a fee) at www.dtw.org or 212.924.0077.

Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre’s season consists of an evening of three new dances, each for eight dancers, and features Middlegame. Employing tactics of game strategy and seduction, Middlegame takes its inspiration from the game of chess and 19th century café life. Exploring ideas of elitism, power and submission within interpersonal relationships, Dušan Týnek considers the manipulation of “being played, while playing along.” Middlegame’s music includes selections from Bach, Carlos Paredes, Raymond Scott, Yann Tiersen and Czech gypsies.

The second premiere (as yet to be titled) is inspired by origin stories and is accompanied only by a single, ticking metronome. The metronome’s steadiness is contrasted by the dancers who embody the tempo and develop phrases in increasingly complex variations. Choreographed for eight performers, there are rarely more than one or two couples on stage at a time, inferring a larger dance that extends beyond the stage.

Transparent Walls, the final premiere, is set to the orchestral work (10 winds, percussion, celesta and cello; premiered 11/15/08) of the same name by acclaimed contemporary Serbian composer Aleksandra Vrebalov. Transparent Walls examines organized chaos – where individuals break free from life’s tumultuous machinery to find moments of connectedness and humanity.

The New York Times critic Jennifer Dunning selected Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre’s 2006 season as one of the top five dance events that year. Additionally, The New York Times critic Roslyn Sulcas wrote in 2007 of Fleur-de-lis:
“…a cascade of haunting moments that seem perfectly in accord with the music ... Mr. Tynek has a gift for creating movement that looks physically impossible; men cantilever off the women’s bodies; a woman floats away from a man, her legs flying out behind her. He also makes beautifully architectural dance, often weaving a diagonal line of dancers through a vertical one, and he has an acute musical sensibility evinced in a strangely effective stop-and-start section to the surging violin in ‘Resurrection.’”

Costumes are by Dave Johnson (Middlegame) and Karen Young (Transparent Walls and Untitled). Lighting is by Roderick Murray.

Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre to Open Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2010
The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival 2010 will open on June 23, 2010 (at 6:15 p.m.) with a performance of Middlegame by Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre as part of its Inside/Out series. The performance will be followed by a brief question and answer session with the audience. Other evening performances include: Nina Ananiashvili & the State Ballet of Georgia and Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble. The full schedule and additional information is available at www.jacobspillow.org.

DUŠAN TÝNEK – CHOREOGRAPHER AND PERFORMER

DUŠAN TÝNEK was born in Czechoslovakia and came to the U.S. in 1992. He received his B.A. from Bard College, with a concentration in dance performance and composition as well as studies in the natural sciences. Known for his striking blend of theatricality, musicality, and humanism in formally structured modern dance, Týnek owes much of his training and inspiration to the Judson Church luminary Aileen Passloff as well as Merce Cunningham who personally tutored him for several years while Týnek served as an understudy for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. As a member of the Merce Cunningham Repertory Understudy Group, he performed throughout the Northeastern U.S., including Lincoln Center. Týnek went on to perform and tour with a number of New York City-based modern dance companies and choreographers including Douglas Dunn, Michael Mao, and Molissa Fenley
among many others. In 2000, Týnek joined the Lucinda Childs Dance Company for its 25th Anniversary Season touring throughout Europe including performances in Lisbon, Palermo, the Montpellier Dance Festival, the Vienna Tanz Festival, and seasons at both the Theatre de la Ville in Paris, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Týnek re-joined the company for the revival of the seminal work “Dance” in 2009). From 2001-2002, Týnek toured extensively throughout the Netherlands and Switzerland as a member of Dance Works Rotterdam (Netherlands), and collaborated with the Leine en Roebana Company in Amsterdam.

In 2002, Týnek returned to New York to found Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre (DT)2 and has since created over a dozen major dances and held five critically-acclaimed seasons in NYC at The Kitchen, Joyce SoHo, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Brooklyn Lyceum, and Dance Theater Workshop (which Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times named one of New York City’s top 5 dance performances of 2006). In addition to New York, Týnek has also presented his work in the eastern U.S., the Netherlands, Poland and Russia. He has also taught modern dance and ballet in New York City, Bard College (Annandale, NY), Windhover Performing Arts Center (Rockport, MA), North Carolina School of the Arts, and in the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia.

PERFORMERS

ALEXANDRA BERGER came to New York in 1999 to pursue her B.F.A. in Dance, which she received from The Joffrey Ballet School/New School University in 2003. In the Fall of that year she joined Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre as a founding member. While dancing for (DT)2 she has worked as a freelance artist for several other New York-based choreographers, including Tricia Brouk, Matthew Westerby, and Alice White. From 2005-2007 she studied on scholarship at the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation and in 2007 danced as a member of the Repertory Understudy Group (RUG) of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company under the direction of Merce Cunningham and Robert Swinston. Alexandra has taught modern dance in Gloucester, MA; Bytom, Poland; and St.Petersburg, Russia. You can also finding her teaching Gyrotonic(R) at Fluid Fitness in NYC, and pouring wine at Stonehome Wine Bar in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

ANN CHIAVERINI, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joined Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre in 2006. She has performed with (DT)2 in New York City, as well as on tours throughout the Northeast U.S. and internationally in Poland and Russia. She has also had the pleasure of performing with Edisa Weeks/Delirious Dance Company, Nancy Meehan Dance Company, and choreographers Stephan Koplowitz and Larry Keigwin in New York City, as well as Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit, MI. Ann has taught ballet, modern dance, and arts-in-education programs for several organizations which include American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Tech, and guest instruction/choreography at Oakland University (Auburn Hills, MI). Ann has particularly enjoyed teaching festival master classes in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Bytom, Poland as part of (DT)2 's 2007 East European tour. Ann holds a B.F.A. in Dance from the Joffrey Ballet School/New School University.

AHMAUD CULVER, is from California and studied dance at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He has performed with a number of choreographers in CA and NY including Marlene Hall, Jason Williams, Stephanie Nuggent, Collin Conner, Cynthia Young, Jackie Ji, Tanya Durbin, Laura Miller, Nejla Yatkin, and Micki Weiner. Ahmaud joined (DT)2 in 2010.

EMILY GAYESKI received her B.F.A. from the North Carolina School of the Arts. She has performed L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed it Moderato and The Hard Nut with the Mark Morris Dance Group from 2002-07. Emily was also a member of the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company from 1998-2004 and Isabel Gotzkowsky and Friends since 1994. She currently performs with Lady Rizo and the Assettes and is certified in both Pilates and Kinesis Myofascial Integration. Emily joined (DT)2 in 2010.

EDEN MAZER was born in Gloucester, MA, and studied dance with Ina Hahn, Mimi Ferrell and at St. Paul’s School and Barnard College. She has performed with Jonathon Appels, Sue Hogan, Stephanie Lazzara, Spela Sterle, and, for many years, with bopi’s black sheep/dances by Kraig Patterson, and Gina Gibney Dance. She was also active with Gibney’s Women at Work Domestic Violence Project. Eden’s own choreography has been shown at St. Mark’s Church, Joyce SoHo, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Windhover Center for the Performing Arts, and Cleveland State University. Eden joined Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre in 2003 as a founding member.

LUKE MURPHY is originally from Ireland and received his B.F.A. from Point Park University. Luke has worked with Heidi Latsky Dance, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Sean Curran Company, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and NorthWest Professional Dance Project. Luke joined (DT)2 in 2010.

ELISA OSBORNE is from Venezuela and has danced with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Connecticut Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Lexington Ballet, Ian Spencer Bell Dance Circle and has collaborated with musician and husband Brian Osborne. Osborne attended La Escuela de Ballet Teresa Carreno in Caracas, Venezuela prior to training at the North Carolina School of the Arts where she received her High School Diploma and B.F.A. She currently teaches dance and Pilates at Dancewave and Pilates at Hunter College. Elisa joined Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre in 2003 as a founding member.

SATOSHI TAKAO is from Japan, where he studied ballet, jazz and hip hop at the Osaka School of Music. He has performed choreography by Kanji Segawa, Ichinohe Saeko, Jeff Moen, and Darcy Nagannuma, and joined (DT)2 in 2008.

AARON WALTER received his B.F.A. in Dance Performance from The Ohio State University in 2003. He began his training at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Texas. While there, he worked with Paula Sloan and the Texas Tap Ensemble. In New York, he is currently working with the Brian Brooks Moving Company, Nicholas Andre Dance Theater, and the Sean Curran Company. He has also worked with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Keigwin + Company, the Julian Barnett Project, robbinschilds, and Scott Cohen/Lisa Race. Aaron joined Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre in 2006.

DESIGNERS

RODERICK MURRAY’s lighting designs have been seen nationally and internationally since 1992 on the works of Kimberly Bartosik, Paul Simon, Benjamin Millepied, Ralph Lemon,Wally Cardona, American Ballet Theater, Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, Susan Marshall, Yanira Castro, Luca Veggetti, Sekou Sundiata, Andonis Fiondakis, Paradigm Dance, Scotty Heron, Pepatian, Hot Mouth, Donna Uchizono, Ricochet Dance, Risa Jaroslow and Dancers, Bill Young and Dancers, Kriota Willburg, among many others. He received a 2001 Bessie Award for his work for Wally Cardona's Trance Territory. Rick has lit all five NYC seasons of Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre. Upcoming productions include Iannis Xenakis' Oresteia at the Miller Theater, Benjamin Millepied at Paris Opera and Kimberly Bartosik at Danspace in New York. Prior to dedicating himself full time to design, he performed for 9 years with the award winning Circus Amok.

KAREN YOUNG (Costume Designer), Karen Young has designed costumes for numerous dance, theater, and video art projects in New York. Costume design credits for video art include: David Michalek’s “Slow Dancing” recently on view at Lincoln Center, Eve Sussman & the Rufus Corporation’s "89 Seconds at Alcazar" and "The Rape of the Sabine Women", Toni Dove's "Spectropia" and Matthew Barney's "Cremaster 5" and "Cremaster 1". Costume design for dance includes recent projects with: the Martha Graham Dance Company (where she has been a costumer for many years), Andrea Haenggi/AMDaT, Pascal Rioult Dance Theatre, Keely Garfield, Elisa Monte Dance, Karole Armitage, Philadanco, and Noémie Lafrance's "Agora", among many others. Theater credits include: "The Trojan Women" with Allegra Kent and Maria Tucci at Toni Morrison's Princeton Atelier and "El Retablo Embrujado" in Mexico City. www.karenyoungcostume.com

DAVE JOHNSON (Costume Designer), is an apparel designer with twenty years experience in design, merchandising, and product and line development for national brands. His background covers all areas of line development and timeline management, from initial concept through final garment production He is most recently a Design Director for Marc Ecko Enterprises and was previously a Design Director for Kenneth Cole. Prior to that Dave was the Owner/Design Director for The Best Revenge, Inc. Dave has a B.V.A. in Surface Design from Georgia State University. This marks his first collaboration with dance.

COMPOSER

ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV has had her works commissioned and/or performed by Kronos Quartet, Carnegie Hall, Moravian Philharmonic, Sausalito Quartet, Belgrade Philharmonic, Ijsbreker and Providence Festival Ballet, etc. Residencies/festivals include: New York’s New Dramatists, MacDowell Colony, American Opera Projects, Other Minds Festival in San Francisco, Rockefeller Bellagio Center, and Tanglewood. Awards/fellowships include Barlow, Highsmith Composition Competition, Vienna Modern Master, Soros Fund, ASCAP, Meet the Composer, and Douglas Moore Fellowship. Aleksandra holds a B.A. in Composition from Novi Sad University in Serbia, M.M. from San Francisco Conservatory of Music and D.M.A. from the University of Michigan. She teaches composition and theory at City University of New York/City College. This marks her second collaboration with Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre. www.aleksandravrebalov.com

Middlegame was created in part thanks to a commissioning grant from the Greenwall Foundation. Additional funding and promotional assistance for these performances has been provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Ford Foundation Matching Gift Program and the Czech Center New York.

Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre Holds Intensive Workshops and Performances at Windhover Center in Massachusetts
The Windhover Center for the Arts in Rockport, MA welcomes the return of Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre for the first two weeks of August 2010. The first week will include classes and workshops for middle and high school students, followed by a weekend of performances on Windhover’s outdoor stage August 6-8. The second week of August, Dušan Týnek Dance Theatre will hold its first ever intensive workshop for professional and pre-professional (college-age) dancers at Windhover. The week will include workshops and classes in ballet, modern, company repertory, and pilates and each evening will feature an educational dance film. Registration is available at www.windhover.org.

More information about the company can be found at www.dusantynek.org.

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