Bates Dance Festival next: Miller offers ‘A History’; ‘Musicians’ Concert’ July 31

Award-winning dancer-choreographer Bebe Miller and her company return to the Bates Dance Festival to celebrate 25 years of dancemaking with the retrospective performance installation “A History” in performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, in Bates College’s air-conditioned Schaeffer Theatre, 305 College St.

The following week brings the annual “Musicians’ Concert,” an evening of eclectic international sounds performed by composer-accompanists affiliated with the festival, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, in the Franco-American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St.

Learn more about the Bebe Miller concert and the “Musicians’ Concert.’ ”

Miller tickets are $25 for the general public, $18 for seniors and $12 for students. “Musicians’ Concert” admission is $15 for adults and $7 for seniors and students.

Tickets may be purchased online; by phone at 207-786-6161 from 1-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; or by mail or in person. Learn more about Bates Dance Festival ticketing.

The Miller company holds a free Show & Tell lecture-demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, in Schaeffer. A discussion with the company immediately follows the Friday concert. Dance writer Hannah Kosstrin offers a pre-performance Inside Dance lecture at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27, also in Schaeffer.

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

Bebe Miller Company and ‘A History’

Miller’s newest work, the evening-length “A History” centers on the nuanced, decade-long dancing relationship between company veterans Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones. 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 dancemaking feels like, sounds like and thinks like.

A New York Times reviewer wrote of Miller, “Her movement is infused with a spirit that clings to the audience even after she and her dancers have left the stage.” Exploring the unruly edges of heart and mind, she has created a unique physical language that fully expresses the complexities of the human condition.

Collaboration being fundamental to her process, she has worked with such notables as choreographer Ralph Lemon; composers Fred Frith and Don Byron; filmmaker Isaac Julien; writer-director Ain Gordon; and visual artist Caroline Beasley-Baker.

Bebe Miller Company has toured throughout the United States and eight other countries. The company has been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, City Center Theater, The Joyce Theater, Wexner Center for the Arts, Walker Art Center, On The Boards, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Dance Place, Dance Theater Workshop, Dancing in the Streets and The Danspace Project, among others.

Musicians’ Concert

Thoughtful, playful and profound music takes center stage when these extraordinary composers, known for their collaborations with dancers, perform original and improvised works that blend musical styles from around the globe.

The evening features multi-instrumentalists Jesse Manno, Terrence Karn and Shamou, whose collective musical repertory spans Africa, Asia and the Middle East; composer-pianists Peter Jones, Carl Landa and Mike Vargas; electronic music wizard Albert Mathias; and violin prodigy, Rob Flax.

The Bates Dance Festival, a summer series of renowned contemporary dance, is in its fourth decade as a leading American dance center. The festival 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.