Parsons Dance to Perform at UB as Part of M&T Bank Dance Series

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Center for the Arts will present Parsons Dance on Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. in the Mainstage theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North Campus. There will be a pre-performance talk at 7:15 p.m. The performance is sponsored by M&T Bank.

Parsons Dance is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. The company tours nationally and internationally, including annual seasons in New York, Brazil and Italy.

Parsons Dance has a company of 10 full-time dancers and maintains a repertory of more than 70 works choreographed by David Parsons, 20 of which feature originally commissioned scores by leading composers and musicians, including Dave Matthews, Michael Gordon and Milton Nascimento. Parsons Dance has collaborated with many other leading artists, including Julie Taymor, William Ivey Long, Annie Leibovitz, Donna Karan and Alex Katz.

Co-founder and choreographer David Parsons has had a remarkable career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer of dance. He was a leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, where Taylor created many roles for him. Parsons has received commissions over the years from The American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival and Jacob's Pillow. His work has been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and Hubbard Street Dance, and he has been called "one of the greatest movers of modern dance" by The New York Times.

Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year, to a total of more than 235 cities, 30 countries, six continents and millions of audience members. Many others have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network and the Discovery Channel. Millions watched Parsons Dance perform live in Times Square as part of the internationally broadcast, 24-hour Millennium New Year's Eve celebration.

The UB performance will feature six pieces choreographed by Parsons between 1982 and 2003, set to music from composers ranging from Bach and Rossini to Robert Fripp and Milton Nascimento.

This tour of Parsons Dance Company is made possible by a grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets for Parsons Dance are $26.50 general admission and $13 for students (any school). Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts Box Office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 1-800-745-3000; in Canada, call 416-870-8000. For group sales, call 716-645-6771. For more information, call 716-645-2787.