Kaatsbaan Cultural Park continues its mission to be a home for artists across disciplines with their Annual Summer and Fall Festivals. From June 3 to 19, rising stars from American Ballet Theatre Studio Company and Live Arts Global, and the critical darling of the New York scene Taylor Mac will present both classic and new works. On September 16, the Fall Festival opens with a celebration of Philip Glass's 85th birthday as dancers, musicians, poets, visual artists and more perform, interpret, and discuss the composer's Glass Etudesthroughout Kaatsbaan's lush 153-acres in the Hudson Valley. Over the course of both Festivals, sculptures from local Hudson Valley artists will inhabit the landscape, creating a true cultural park, featuring the site-specific work, In Plain Sitefrom Trisha Brown Dance Company during the fall. https://kaatsbaan.org/
"Kaatsbaan's 2022 Festivals represent our commitment to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence as a cultural park and to presenting multidisciplinary works. As such, we are proud to continue contributing to the Hudson Valley's vast cultural landscape as well as the economic health of our Dutchess County community. Through innovative partnerships, we continue to present unparalleled artists from dance, music, culinary, poetry, and visual art, providing our audiences opportunities to engage with today's leading artists. - Sonja Kostich, Chief Executive & Artistic Officer
"We are thrilled to once again convene such notable artists for our upcoming 2022 Festivals. Staying true to our mission of being a year-round dance sanctuary, we also look to support a diverse range of artists both as performers and creators and we strive to ensure that our programming accurately reflects today's society by supporting performers who advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts. - Stella Abrera, Artistic Director
Full programming details and ticket availability will be announced in 2022. Please see below for highlights and dates of the Summer and Fall Festivals.
Summer Festival
Week 1
June 3: Gala dinner by celebrity author and caterer Mary Giuliani and special music concert curated by Kaatsbaan festival music curator, Oliver Ray.
June 4 & 5: World Premiere by Live Arts Global
This new work will be created in part during a Kaatsbaan residency and will feature live musical accompaniment.
Directors & Creators: Joanna DeFelice and Melanie Hamrick
Choreographers: Danielle Agami, Nicholas Palmquist, and Kristin Sudeikis set to the music of The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, Alabama Shakes and more.
Music Director: Gabe McDonough
Producers: Joanna DeFelice, Melanie Hamrick, Lauren Marrus, and Christine Shevchenko
Week 2
June 11 & 12: Featuring rising stars including Elisabeth Beyer and Aleisha Walker from American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Juilliard wunderkind Kayla Mak, and others performing classic and contemporary works plus a new Kaatsbaan commissioned group work from a choreographer selected by Kaatsbaan via an open application for ballet choreographers. Live music from local Woodstock favorite, Maverick Concerts, will feature the Neave Trio.
Week 3
June 18: Sugar in the Tank, an evening of new songs created by Taylor Mac and Matt Ray
Taylor Mac and friends pay homage to queer icons of the past and present in this work-in-progress concert. Mac describes the piece as a performance in the genre of "parade trance" featuring a selection of all-new original songs co-written with composer/music director Matt Ray. Taylor Mac is reunited with longtime collaborators co-director Niegel Smith, choreographer Faye Driscoll and costume designer Machine Dazzle and creative producers Pomegranate Arts. Mac, who is a 2017 MacArthur "genius grant" recipient, and collaborators will create the work during a month-long Kaatsbaan residency, culminating in this performance celebrating Pride month in the Hudson Valley.
June 19: Community Event Commemorating Juneteenth
Saxophonist and composer Tyrone Birkett and his ensemble Emancipation, perform his Postmodern Spirituals and a new composition in collaboration with New York City-based dancer and choreographer Robert Rubama. The weekend includes a specially curated culinary and poetry lineup and is sponsored by the award-winning Sorel Liqueur, the original red drink from Jackie Summers.
Fall Festival
Week 1
September 16: Gala dinner honoring Philip Glass. Kaatsbaan festival culinary curator, Jeff Gordinier, will moderate a conversation about Philip Glass's work, and its impact, with a panel of esteemed guests.
September 17 & 18: The Glass Etudes at Kaatsbaan – celebrating Philip Glass's 85th birthday
Glass's complete Etudes for Piano are some of the most personal and popular works of Philip Glass's storied career. The twenty etudes will be performed across the property featuring world premieres of newly commissioned works by choreographers spanning generations and genres accompanied by live interpretations on piano. The weekend will also feature film, poetry, and visual and culinary arts. Presented by Kaatsbaan and produced in collaboration with Pomegranate Arts.
Week 2
September 24 & 25: Site specific dance performance of Trisha Brown: In Plain Site and music concert curated by Kaatsbaan festival music curator, Oliver Ray.
Week 3
October 1 & 2: Programming to be announced in early 2022
*All programming subject to change
Summer Festival presale tickets for members begin March 1, 2022
Summer Festival general ticket sales begin March 15, 2021
Fall Festival presale tickets for members begin June 16, 2022
Fall Festival general ticket sales begin June 30, 2022
About Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
The mission of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for diverse world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary, media, and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities' space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement – just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as we aim to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects our society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability.
