Dance Ensemble RIOULT Makes D.C. Area Debut at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts

Be a part of local dance history by attending the D.C. area debut of RIOULT at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 8 p.m. The modern dance ensemble will present its daring and imaginative interpretations of classical compositions, blending captivating musicality and evocative movement.

Founded in 1994 by former Martha Graham principal dancer Pascal Rioult, RIOULT is committed to presenting stunning choreography set to works by the world’s greatest composers. The company creates modern dance that is both technically powerful and rich with intellect and emotion. This will be showcased in a program featuring 2011’s “Celestial Tides,” danced to Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 6; two works danced to music by Ravel: 1995’s “Wien,” set to “La Valse,” and 2008’s “Bolero,” set to the piece by the same name; and 2011’s “On Distant Shores,” a work inspired by Helen of Troy, danced to music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis. RIOULT is the recipient of the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography, as well as numerous grants, including those from the National Endowment of the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. The company features 11 dancers and one apprentice. 

Pascal Rioult had an unlikely start to his career in the arts, training for many years as a track and field star in France. He began to consolidate his transition to dance when he moved to the United States to study modern dance on a fellowship from the French Ministry of Culture in 1981. After performing in the companies of May O’Donnell and Paul Sanasardo, he was invited to join the Martha Graham Dance Company. There he performed many prestigious roles as a principal dancer with the company. He went on to perform opposite of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Joyce Herring, and was also featured in two television specials, “Martha Graham in Japan” and “Five Dances by Martha Graham at the Paris Opera.” Since he founded RIOULT, audiences and critics alike have praised him for his choreography and signature style. Festivals and companies from around the globe, including the American Dance Festival and the Geneva Ballet, have commissioned his works.

A pre-performance discussion, free to ticket holders, begins 45 minutes prior to the performance on the Center’s Grand Tier III and is sponsored by the Friends of the Center for the Arts. 

Tickets are $23, $38 and $46. Tickets to this performance can be purchased at the box office at George Mason University's Center for the Arts (open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or by calling 888-945-2468 or visiting cfa.gmu.edu. George Mason University's Center for the Arts is located on Mason's Fairfax Campus, at the intersection of Braddock Rd. and Rt. 123. Free parking is available in Lot K and paid parking is available in the Mason Pond Parking Deck adjacent to the Concert Hall.

For more information about this performance or other events at George Mason University's Center for the Arts, please visit cfa.gmu.edu. Like the Center for the Arts on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmucfa and follow the Center for the Arts on Twitter at @GMU_CFA.

This article was written by Amanda Rodriguez, with assistance from Jill Graziano Laiacona.