Juilliard’s New Dances: Edition 2024 Features World Premieres by Houston Thomas, Jenn Freeman, Yue Yin, and Pam Tanowitz, Whose Work Is Set to New Music Composed by Caroline Shaw

[New York, November 25, 2024]—Juilliard presents New Dances: Edition 2024, showcasing four brand-new works created specifically with each class, by choreographers Pam Tanowitz (Arnhold Creative Associate), Houston Thomas, Jenn Freeman, and Yue Yin. New Dances is the cornerstone of the Dance Division’s fall semester, and it illustrates the exceptional opportunities for dancers to collaborate directly with today’s leading creative voices in dance and music.

“Each choreographer graciously worked alongside the dancers, musicians, composers, and production designers to create enduring works revealing the beauty of collaboration and creativity in motion,” said Alicia Graf Mack, dean and director of the Dance Division. “Throughout the rehearsal period, the dancers learned how to achieve the choreographer’s vision by availing themselves to creative process and boundless possibility.”

All four dances feature music composed or adapted by living composers, including a world premiere by Arnhold Creative Associate Caroline Shaw created specifically for Tanowitz and New Dances. Each choreographer brings an array of movement styles to each cohort showcasing the range of material students master and carry forward into the field.  

Details about each work  

• Houston Thomas, Supernova (first-year class)
  Inspired to work with this next generation of dancers, Thomas brings together classical and contemporary styles of dance and music. Supernova is set to “Stings of Life,” adapted for piano by Juilliard alum Francesco Tristano from an electronic house track by DJ Derrick May and Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit.
• Jenn Freeman, Falling and Waking Forever (second-year class) 
  Freeman is an autistic choreographer, performer, and educator. Created with the second-year class, this highly physical and personal piece is inspired by the symphony Unforgettable Sunrise, by Jacob Rock, a nonverbal autistic composer who’s 20 years old. Emotionally charged, Falling and Waking Forever represents the inability to verbally express physical anguish—an experience Rock has shared through creating music.  
• Pam Tanowitz, Showpiece & Afterpiece for DG (third-year class)  
  A partnership between two Juilliard Arnhold Creative Associates, Tanowitz’s playful and theatrical piece is set to new music by Caroline Shaw that is performed live by Juilliard musicians. Continuing her ongoing work with the school, Tanowitz gave dancers prompts to create movement that she wove into a larger structure.
• Yue Yin, Sigra Sigra (fourth-year class) 
  Yue Yin is known for her original movement vocabulary, which is inspired by Chinese classical and folk dance as well as modern dance techniques. Sigra Sigra is a dynamic, high-endurance piece set to music by Indonesian composer Raja Kirik.

New Dances: Edition 2024 
The Juilliard School, Peter Jay Sharp Theater
155 W. 65th St., New York, NY 10023

Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 7:30pm
Thursday, December 12, 7:30pm
Friday, December 13, 11AM, Relaxed Performance*
Friday, December 13, 7:30PM
Saturday, December 14, 2pm
Saturday, December 14, 7pm
Sunday, December 15, 3pm

TICKETS: Tickets are available at juilliard.edu and at the Juilliard box office.
Tickets $40 | Members $20

*This relaxed performance will feature Houston Thomas and Jenn Freeman’s New Dances pieces and requires a free ticket. Relaxed performances give audiences permission to relax and respond naturally to what’s happening on stage and take an easygoing approach to noises or movements. This structure can be beneficial for families with young children, people who are neurodivergent, and anyone who finds that traditional performance protocols do not work for their accessibility needs. Read more about what to expect at relaxed performances at Juilliard.

The dance commissions of Houston Thomas, Jenn Freeman, Pam Tanowitz, and Yue Yin are made possible with generous support from The Howard Gilman Foundation and the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.  

 Juilliard gratefully acknowledges additional support provided by the Muriel Gluck Production Fund.

About the Artists
Houston Thomas
Jenn Freeman
Pam Tanowitz 
Yue Yin 

About Juilliard Dance  

About The Juilliard School
Damian Woetzel, President
Adam Meyer, Provost

Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors, composers, choreographers, and playwrights from around the world so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Juilliard is led by Damian Woetzel, seventh president of the school, who has prioritized affordability and access to the highest level of artistic education while championing Juilliard’s tradition of excellence.  

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). More than 800 artists from 42 states and 50 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 700 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the U.S., and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division—Pre-College and Music Advancement Program (MAP). MAP serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K–12 educational curricula and preparatory and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China. 

juilliard.edu @juilliardschool  

CONTACTS:  
Allegra Thoresen 
[email protected]

Photo by Rosalie O'Connor, courtesy Juilliard

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