Arts Festival to Include Several World and U.S. Premier Events...
Now an annual event, the Ringling International Arts Festival will be held Oct. 13-17 on the campus of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Arts and the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
- Orders for festival passes are now being accepted at the Historic Asolo Theater box office.
- Single tickets go on sale May 15.
- Call 360-7399 or visit www.ringlingartsfestival.org.
Ringling International Arts Festival 2010:
October 13 - 17, 2010
The Ringling International Arts Festival is the result of a unique partnership between the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and New York's Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC).
The Festival's eleven main stage productions reflect BAC's commitment to presenting contemporary, innovative work by both emerging and established artists at the forefront of their fields.
Priority Ticketing
Because you were the first to support the Ringling International Arts Festival, you are among the first to hear our exciting line-up of stage performances for RIAF 2010.
More importantly, you can be the first in line to enjoy Priority Ticketing for both the Night of Premieres and Festival Passes before general ticket sales begin on May 15.
Plan now to join us for five exciting days and nights of theater, music, dance, art exhibitions, and so much presented in the theaters, galleries, and gardens of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
And watch for news of Festival sARTeé, a celebration of the arts stretching from Englewood to Anna Maria Island.
Do not delay. Priority ticket orders will be filled in order of receipt prior to general ticket sales on May 15.
About The 2010 Ringling International Arts Festival
Building on the momentum from last fall's inaugural Ringling International Arts Festival, organizers have said the next festival will include several world and U.S. premieres, including performances by renowned dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov... Wow!
Organizers also said that the festival, a collaboration between the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, will be an annual rather than biennial event. It is scheduled for Oct. 13-17.
The lineup also includes the world premieres of a play written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner Nilo Cruz, a musical composition commissioned from modernist composer Philip Glass and the U.S. premiere of a circus-music-puppetry act from the Czech Republic.
According to a March 11th article in the Herald Tribune entitled, Ringling International Arts Festival Includes Many Premieres, moving to an annual event made sense after the success of last fall's festival.
Associate director of museum programming at the Ringling Museum, Dwight Currie is quoted as saying, "I don't even remember what night we were in the life of the festival, but Mr. Baryshnikov said we must do it again next year, we can't let the momentum die."
No small challenge according to Stanford Makishi, BAC's executive director, since many performers are booked two and three years in advance.
"There were many, many people who were excited and changed their plans to get involved," Makishi said. "The success of the 2009 festival made it such an appealing thing. Everybody wants to jump into something that's successful."
In the article it says, "The debut festival sold 92 percent of its tickets, leading organizers to accelerate their plans toward an annual event."
The 2009 festival was funded through a $1.5 million grant from the Florida Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, while the 2010 festival will be funded through grants from the city of Sarasota and Sarasota and Manatee counties totaling $600,000.
We can thank former State Sen. John McKay, who's direct appeals for those grants was the driving force behind bringing the festival to fruition.
McKay said his primary drive for the festival has been economic development. The rest is up to us, according to Currie, through ticket sales at the box office and sponsorship.
Responding to some grumbling from area arts organizations about funding going to the festival rather than to the arts groups, McKay said that the Ringling festival broadens the cultural season in Southwest Florida.
"The scope of the Ringling International Arts Festival is such that it will bring people here that otherwise might not come, at a time when they otherwise might not come, and that creates jobs, and that is our objective," he said.
The article goes on to explain that, "McKay's vision also includes an expansion of the festival into an event that would extend from Anna Maria Island to the southern reaches of Sarasota County. Arts organizations in Manatee and Sarasota counties are expected to announce plans soon for a fringe festival tentatively planned to bracket the dates of the Ringling festival."
"I'm told by the parties involved that for the first time ever, the Manatee and Sarasota arts organizations are working jointly on a project, and it happens to be this one," said McKay. "Where you really get the bang for the buck is in the fringe festival."
Currie said the point of the Ringling festival is not to showcase area arts organizations, but instead "to curate this beautiful exhibition of everything else that's out there in the world."
Read the full Herald article, Ringling International Arts Festival Includes Many Premieres.
Ringling International Arts Festival Details
The festival lineup includes the following premieres:
Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
- Solos with Mikhail Baryshnikov and David Neumann, featuring works by Susan Marshall, Neumann and others. Also 2 p.m. Oct. 14, 5 p.m. Oct. 15.
- “Capricho,” world premiere of a play written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. Also 2 p.m. Oct. 14, 8 p.m. Oct. 15, 5 p.m. Oct. 16, 5 p.m. Oct. 17.
- “Glass and Bach for Solo Piano,” with Tim Fain performing a world premiere composition by Philip Glass. Also 2 p.m. Oct. 14.
- “Obludarium,” U.S. premiere of music and puppetry by the Forman Brothers from the Czech Republic. Also 8 p.m. Oct. 14, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 15, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 16.
Dance Productions
- Les Slovaks Dance Collective, folk-inspired music and modern dance from Slovak dancers now living in Brussels, Belgium. Shows at 8 p.m. Oct. 14, 2 p.m. Oct. 15, 5 p.m. Oct. 16, 5 p.m. Oct. 17
- Choreographer Victor Quijada and Rubberbandance Group, hyperkinetic hip-hop. Shows at 5 p.m. Oct. 14, 8 p.m. Oct. 15, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 16, 2 p.m. Oct. 17.
- Choreographer John Jasperse and the John Jasperse Company. Shows at 8 p.m. Oct. 14, 2 p.m. Oct. 15, 8 p.m. Oct. 16, 2 p.m. Oct. 17.
Theater Productions
- “The Boys,” story line from “The Brothers Karamazov,” Theater Art Studio from Moscow. Shows at 8 p.m. Oct. 14, 5 p.m. Oct. 15, 5 p.m. Oct. 16, 2 p.m. Oct. 17.
- “Space Panorama,” live documentary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing by British director/performer/minimalist Andrew Dawson. Shows at 5 p.m. Oct. 14, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 15, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 16, 5 p.m. Oct. 17.
Music Productions
- “Gypsy in a Tree,” cabaret artists Sandra Weigl and The Takeishis pay homage to Gypsy music and the Weimar Republic. Shows at 5 p.m. Oct. 14, 10 p.m. Oct. 15, 2 p.m. Oct. 17.
- “Jazz with Kate Davis,” bassist, violinist and jazz singer. Shows at 5 p.m. Oct. 15, 10 p.m. Oct. 16.
The Ringling International Arts Festival is an event you do not want to miss!
Learn more about Anna Maria Island's Cultural Connection and how they hope to use the month-long Festival sARTee to capitalize on the attendance of the second annual Ringling International Arts Festival in October.
Cultural Connections on Anna Maria Island is the "guiding light to area festivals, art, theater, history and other must-see events".
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