LEWISTON —  The Bates Dance Festival has announced its 2013 season of public events taking place July 12 through Aug. 10 on the Bates College campus.

Featuring master works and Maine premieres, the renowned contemporary dance companies appearing at the six-week festival are Nejla Yatkin / NY2Dance; Doug Varone and Dancers; Bebe Miller Company; and Bridgman / Packer Dance.

Entering its fourth decade as a leading American dance center, the BDF is an important laboratory for artists noted for important contributions to the contemporary dance lexicon. In addition to presenting these dancemakers who have experienced significant artistic growth through the festival, the BDF continues to welcome emerging choreographers.

Information about tickets and event locations, as well as additional performance details, will be available on April 1 at batesdancefestival.org

Opening the season, Nejla Yatkin / NY2Dance performs the world premiere of “Oasis”: an evening-length multimedia work based on the story of Layla and Majnoon, an allegorical tale regarded as the Middle Eastern forerunner of “Romeo and Juliet.”

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13, at Bates College’s Schaeffer Theatre.

“Oasis” employs mystical realism to weave a layered story through movement, poetic imagery, shadow play, humor and text. Featuring a score by Maine-based Persian composer Shamou, “Oasis” grapples with issues of veiling, torture and inequality.

Yatkin, artistic director of NY2Dance, was born in Turkey and grew up in Berlin, Germany. Her work integrates diverse traditions to explore the beauty and complexity of memory, migration, transformation, identity and multiculturalism.

One of America’s most gifted dance makers, Doug Varone returns to the 2013 Bates festival for his seventh creative residency since 1992. Celebrating its 25th season, Varone’s company performs the stunning new duet “Able to Leap Tall Buildings,” as well as his signature work “Rise.”

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, July 18 and 20 in Schaeffer Theatre.

Since its founding in 1986, Doug Varone and Dancers have commanded attention for their expansive vision, versatility and technical prowess. On the concert stage, in opera, theater and on the screen, Varone’s kinetically thrilling work makes essential connections and mines the complexity of the human spirit.

A longtime Bates Dance Festival favorite, the Bebe Miller Company returns to Lewiston with the retrospective performance installation “A History” which centers on the nuanced, decade-long dancing relationship between veteran company members Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27 in Schaeffer Theatre.

Incorporating video by Lily Skove and an accompanying installation by Maya Ciarrocchi, “A History” shifts the focus from performance to process, sharing with audiences what dance making feels like, sounds like and thinks like.

Together for more than 30 years, Bridgman / Packer Dance has developed a unique approach to integrating video into dance — making it, in effect, a third dance partner for artistic directors Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer. “Voyeur,” their Bates Dance Festival offering and latest work, invites audiences into this evocative world.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2 and 3 in Schaeffer Theatre.

In “Voyeur,” Bridgman and Packer push into new territory choreographically, thematically and technologically. Inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, “Voyeur” presents fragments of private lives playing out on a set whose windows and doorways permit the audience to be, like Hopper, “one who looks.”

Schaeffer Theatre is located at 305 College St. Online tickets on sale beginning June 1 at batestickets.com Advance reservations by phone beginning July 1: 207-786-6161, 1-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

More festival events

All told, the Bates Dance Festival comprises mainstage and informal performances, lectures and other presentations by more than 50 internationally recognized dancers from across the United States and abroad. The festival offers events in addition to the mainstage performances:

The annual Musicians’ Concert, a global mix of music by 10 remarkable composers and players, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, in the Franco-American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston.

The Festival Finale presents dancers of all ages and abilities performing modern, hip hop and contemporary works by Jennifer Archibald, Bebe Miller, Bridgman / Packer and Doug Varone. Also representing the festival’s Youth Arts Program, the finale takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in Alumni Gymnasium, 130 Central Ave.

Each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. the festival presents a free Show and Tell by a company in residence. Offering a glimpse into the artists’ creative processes, Show and Tell takes place in Schaeffer Theatre for Nejla Yatkin on July 9; Doug Varone, July 16; Bebe Miller, July 23; and Bridgman / Packer, July 30.

The festival offers a special Show and Tell about site-specific choreography by Stephan Koplowitz, an award-winning artist known for creating multimedia works for architecturally significant sites, at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28, in Room 301, Pettigrew Hall, 305 College St.

Dance writer Hannah Kosstrin presents “Inside Dance: Understanding Contemporary Dance,” a series of pre-performance lectures and post-performance talks in Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St. Offering insight into the artists and their work, Saturday lectures precede the Varone performance at 7 p.m. July 20; Miller at 7 p.m. July 27; and Bridgman / Packer at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. Talkbacks follow most Friday evening performances.

About the Bates Dance Festival

Founded in 1982 at Bates College, the Bates Dance Festival brings together an international community of contemporary choreographers, performers, educators and students in a cooperative community to study, perform and create new work.

The festival serves as an annual destination for artists, students and audiences to engage in a full range of dance activities and performances that foster a creative exchange of ideas, encourage exploration of new ground and afford access to a wide spectrum of dance and movement disciplines.

2013 Bates Dance Festival Calendar of Events

July 1-Aug. 10

General information

*Admission price for seniors. **Admission price for students.

All events take place at Bates College except as noted. Schaeffer Theatre and Pettigrew Hall are located at 305 College St., Commons at 136 Central Ave. and Alumni Gymnasium is 130 Central Ave.

Online tickets on sale beginning June 1 at batestickets.com

Advance reservations by phone beginning July 1: 207-786-6161, 1-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Events

Monday, July 1, Fireplace Lounge, Commons, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily until Aug. 10. Free

Dance Photo Exhibit by Arthur Fink

Tuesday, July 9, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Free

Show & Tell: Nejla Yatkin / NY2Dance

Friday, July 12, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Nejla Yatkin / NY2Dance. With “Oasis,” the company weaves a tale of the Middle East — a classic Persian love story with dance, music, video and text. A talkback with the artists follows the concert.

Saturday, July 13, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Nejla Yatkin / NY2Dance (see July 12). A talkback with the artists follows the concert.

Tuesday, July 16, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Free

Show & Tell: Doug Varone and Dancers

Thursday, July 18, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Doug Varone and Dancers. One of America’s leading choreographers celebrates his 25th anniversary with a stunning concert of new and revived master works. A talkback with the artists follows the concert.

Saturday, July 20, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Pre-performance lecture: Inside Dance with dance writer Hannah Kosstrin, 7 p.m.

Performance:

(see July 18)

Tuesday, July 23, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Free

Show & Tell: Bebe Miller Company

Friday, July 26, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Bebe Miller Company. Miller mines her 25 years as a dancemaker in the duet performance and installation “A History.” A talkback with the artists follows the concert.

Saturday, July 27, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Pre-performance lecture: Inside Dance with dance writer Hannah Kosstrin, 7 p.m.

Performance: Bebe Miller Company (see July 27)

Sunday, July 28, Pettigrew Hall, Room 301, 7:30 p.m. Free

Show & Tell: Highlights of Site Specific Choreography by Stephan Koplowitz

Tuesday, July 30, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Free

Show & Tell: Bridgman | Packer Dance

Wednesday, July 31, Franco-American Heritage Center, 7:30 p.m. $14 / $7*

Performance: The Musicians’ Concert. A festival favorite, this eclectic concert features gifted composers and multi-instrumentalists playing original and improvised music from around the world.

Friday, Aug. 2, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Bridgman | Packer Dance. Inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper, their newest work, “Voyeur,” masterfully integrates live performance with video.

Saturday, Aug. 3, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Pre-performance lecture: Inside Dance with dance writer Hannah Kosstrin, 7 p.m.

Performance: Bridgman | Packer Dance (see Aug. 2)

Wednesday, Aug. 7, Alumni Gymnasium, 7:30 p.m. Free

Performance: Moving in the Moment. An evening of improvisational dance and music by contact improviser Nancy Stark Smith and festival faculty and musicians.

Thursday, Aug. 8, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Different Voices. A diverse evening of new works by international and emerging choreographers.

Friday, Aug. 9, Schaeffer Theatre, 7:30 p.m. $25 / $18* / $12**

Performance: Different Voices (see Aug. 8)

Saturday, Aug. 10, Schaeffer Theatre, 1-5 p.m. Free

Informal performance: Young Choreographers / New Works. This informal adjudicated showing presents more than 20 new works by talented festival students.

Saturday, Aug. 10, Alumni Gymnasium, 7:30 p.m. $6

Performance: Festival Finale. Festival participants perform new works by Jennifer Archibald, Autumn Eckman, Bridgman | Packer, Bebe Miller and Doug Varone, plus a production by our Youth Arts Program participants.

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