Flamenco Vivo

Flamenco was celebrated on the BAM Fisher stage for the first time, as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana presents two programs of original works by acclaimed contemporary flamenco artists, performed with 6  live singers and musicians.

This studio was founded 32 years ago by Carlota Santana and it is one of the oldest studios in USA. It contains an interesting mix of cultures by preserving the strong Spanish soul of Flamenco.

Flamenco is about emotions in dance, where main six component are:

  1. Footwork,
  2. Shawl,
  3. Fan,
  4. Castanets,
  5. Hand Claps and
  6. Guitar.

We had a chance to attend a Program B on May 23-th with guest soloist GUADALUPE TORRES in her US debut, plus the Company in repertory by Angel Muñoz, Antonio Hidalgo, Enrique Vicent and Antonio López.

Performance was in dark design stage, flamenco sounds everywhere. There were number of performances including both group performance and solo. I would like to mention the magic of playing with unique design dresses while dancing solo or with partner, as it was bringing its own chick to dance. So smooth moves when they have never dropped on the dresses with long tails. That was just beautiful.

The most impressive were the Solo performances. Dancers were losing in a dark lights in the stage by becoming a part of the music and kind a disappearing. They like dancing for themselves, dancing as a real hero of a story by forgetting about surrounding life on another side of the stage. By the end of dance I can feel that they have sweat that much that water drops were flying in the air by each moves. So much energy, speed and emotions that I feel they were also need of some time for doing a step from the dance to reality.

One of the interesting moments is the last performance, when each of the musicians also performed a small flamenco piece that came as a surprise for most of us. That was really cool ending of nice evening. So much fun and standing applauds for artists who made that beautiful evening for everyone.

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET to perform Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Legends & Visionaries 2015 from June 18-20, 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC.

Performances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $20 ($15 for Danspace members), and are available online at www.danspaceproject.org or by calling OvationTix/TheaterMania at 866.811.4111.

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Richard Alston's Such Longing, Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite, the World Premiere of Gemma Bond's Cat's Cradle, a new, as-yet-untitled work by David Parker, and Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies.

  • Richard Alston's Such Longing is danced to the music of Chopin, not pretty waltzes or the great virtuoso fireworks but achingly beautiful meditations from his Nocturnes and Etudes. Filled with longing for Chopin's Polish homeland, this lush and lyrical music floods through tender duets and introspective solos for two couples. Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite will be performed by the full company.
  • "Capriol Suite, Ashton's earliest ballet, was choreographed in 1930 for Rambert's students, before she had a company. The music, by Peter Warlock, is based on themes from the 16th Century treatise Orchesographie, by Thoint Arbeau. As well as the music, the book contains descriptions of such dances as the Pavane and the Galliard. Ashton did not follow these, but made some use of the illustrations and other pictorial sources. The ballet is an imaginative recreation of old dances rather than an authentic reconstruction. Originally danced by four couples, the ballet was danced by the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in 1948. It is the version that is the basis of a later revival staged by Elisabeth Schooling and Sally Gilmour, former members of the Ballet Rambert," said David Vaughan.
  • Elena Zahlmann will perform a solo by David Parker and Dark Elegies will feature Rie Ogura, Elena Zahlmann, Carmella Lauer, Choong Hoon Lee and Stephen Campanella.

"New York Theatre Ballet's move downtown is both a symbol of rebirth and renewal," said Diana Byer, artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet. "With three different programs in three different venues, Legends & Visionaries 2015 is a revolutionary season."

New York Theatre Ballet will celebrate their first season in their new home, and honor longtime friends Richard Alston and Valda Setterfield at a Garden Party on opening night, Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6pm at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, New York City. The evening concludes with a performance at 8pm of NYTB's Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC. Tickets are $200 ($100 for children), and include both the party and the performance. Please contact admin@nytb.org to purchase.

These performances are part of DANCE:Access, a self-production series administered by Danspace Project that serves independent choreographers and dance companies.

Magic of Ballet: with Spring performance from Ballet Academy East

John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York, an international leader in educating for justice, offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15 000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. The Theater is dedicated to the creation and presentation of performing arts programming of all disciplines with a special focus on how the artistic imagination can shed light on the many perceptions of Justice in our society.

Ballet Academy East presents its Spring Performance from May 15-17, 2015 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at 524 W. 59th Street, NYC which the myNewYorkeye team had pleasure to attend on May 17th, 2015.

The exciting parents, guests of lovely kids, all gathered in a nice hall to enjoy the event. Kids were very happy, but a little bit nervous while running and getting ready for the big moment which finally started like this:

"All the lights turned completely off and shortly they switched on focusing only on stage which reflected the magical blue and pink tones and beautiful kids standing there. Music and all the moves of dances were so light that one could feel the spring all over. During the first few performances, there were number of very young dancers and I got to know from Julia Dubno - Founder and Director, that the youngest dancers are about 7 years old!

Then ocean started to move the crazy waves and dances were even crazier. As girl’s hair were not folded they felt like a part of storm and created spectacular waves of motion filling the hall with the spring craziness. Performances were mesmerising and very creative with a sweet modern touch. Also the costumes were pretty nice and perfectly matching with the atmosphere their dance created."

Many guests were holding flowers for performers that was such a nice view to see in NYC, as not for all events you get to see so many flowers. We feel very happy for the kids, their teachers and all the guests who had the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful event, including myNewYorkeye.

New York Theatre Ballet to perform CINDERELLA at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

From June 24-28, 2015

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Donald Mahler's Cinderella at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the Doris Duke Theatre from June 24-28, 2015.  Jacob's Pillow, a National Historic Landmark, National Medal of Arts recipient, and home to America's longest-running dance festival, is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA.

Performances: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm.

Tickets Information: Tickets are $35 and $25, with $10 Youth tickets also available for every performance. Tickets are on sale now online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745.

A perennial favorite of NYTB audiences across America, Cinderella is one-hour in length with choreography by Donald Mahler, costumes by Sylvia Taalson Nolan, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith. New York Theatre Ballet last performed at the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2008.

"Gillian Bradshaw-Smith's ingenious scenery included a clock that came alive and danced, and furniture that moved magically about.  And Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, the imaginative costume designer, created a gasp-producing moment when Cinderella's attire changed miraculously from rags to the riches of a ball gown." -The New York Times

During the week of their engagement, company members of NYTB will also teach a free, all-ages, all-levels ballet class to the Pillow public on Sunday, June 28. Limited space, call 413.243.9919 to register.

For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.

Manhattan Youth Ballet presents WITH REGARD and A Gala Benefit honoring Marina Stavitskaya

Manhattan Youth Ballet presents WITH REGARD... In Practice & Performance from May 29 - 30, 2015 and A Gala Benefit honoring Marina Stavitskaya on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. A Gala Benefit honoring Marina Stavitskaya will begin with a cocktail hour at 5pm, followed by the gala performance at 6pm curtain. There will also be a post-performance catered reception and silent auction.

In Practice & Performance will feature world premieres by Brian Reeder, Marina Stavitskaya, Daniel Ulbricht, Frederick Earl Mosley and Natalia Boesch as well as George Balanchine's Valse Fantaisie. Performance times are Friday, May 29 at 7pm and Saturday, May 30 at 3pm and 7pm. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students.   

A Gala Benefit honoring Marina Stavitskayawill feature special performances by GUEST ARTISTS and alumni from American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet as well as WORLD PREMIERES by Brian Reeder, Marina Stavitskaya, Daniel Ulbricht, Frederick Earl Mosley and Natalia Boesch, and George Balanchine's Valse Fantaisie. Gala tickets are $100 for adults and $50 for students. All proceeds will benefit the Manhattan Youth Ballet Scholarship Fund.

Tickets Information: For In Practice & Performanceand A Gala Benefit honoring Marina Stavitskayacan be purchased at manhattanyouthballet.org beginning on Friday, May 8, or by calling 212-787-1178.

ChEckiT!Dance Application Deadline Extended to 5/22 for 5th Annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival

ChEckiT!Dance is accepting applications from female choreographers to the Fifth Annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival, an eco-friendly evening of dance celebrating female choreographers,on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 5pm at Solar One on the East River, NYC. Pieces from any genre of dance that can be adapted to an outdoor space are encouraged to submit. The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, May 22, 2015 and the application form is available at www.checkitdance.com.

The festival seeks to showcase the talents of strong, female choreographers in a welcoming and fun environment. ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is a carefully curated event that has featured the works of choreographers from across the globe, including California, upstate New York and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Last year's featured artists included:

  • Cathy Allen/Red Desert Dance Ensemble
  • Allison Berger
  • Allison Brzezinski/ChEckiT!Dance
  • Meredith Cabaniss/Selah Dance Collective
  • Alyssa Derling/Derling Dance Arts
  • Melissa Jackson/Innovate Dance Company
  • Alia Kache
  • Lauren Lasorda and Tali Custer
  • AlexJo Natale/Gestalt Dance
  • Joya Powell/Movement of the People Dance Company
  • Jessie Sector
  • Sophie Sotsky/TYKE Dance
  • Jessica Taylor/DAMAGEDANCE
  • Meredith Testa

The ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is the culmination of all of ChEckiT!Dance's efforts to increase performance opportunities for female dance makers. This annual outdoor festival, now in its fifth year, is curated and produced by ChEckiT! Dance each July. Summit Rock in Central Park has been the home of the past four festivals.  This year, the festival will be held at Solar One! on the East River. The ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is a platform designed specifically to provide female choreographers the opportunity to share their work with an eager audience. The work is enriching, lively, and thrilling, and the eclectic styles of dance presented by performers hailing from all corners of the globe, builds a truly global community of female dance artists. In addition, the ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is entirely green and entirely free of admission, providing access for all.

ChEckiT!Dance's performance credits include: Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland; Body Blend, Dixon Place, NYC; JT Lotus First Choreographer's Showcase, The Ailey Studios, NYC; HATCH Presenting Series, The Works Studios, NYC; STEPS Performance Lab Series, STEPS, NYC; New York City Dance Parade, NYC; Dance Fest, The Bandshell at Tompkins Square Park, NYC; ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival, Summit Rock, NYC-- 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014; Waterside Plaza Dance Festival, Waterside Plaza, NYC; Moving Beauty Series Dance Lab, Church of All Nations, NYC; Secrets, Lies and Rumors: A Cabaret, Loft on Fifth, NYC; MishMash201, Sukha Arts Center, Harrington Park, NJ; FigmentNYC,

Governor's Island, NY-- 2012, 2013; TEXT/CONTEXT, The Kraft Center at Columbia University/

Barnard College, NYC *featured artist at talk back*; GHOST Series, The Gershwin Hotel, NYC;

Astoria Dance Festival, Bohemian Beer Garden, Astoria, NY 2012, 2013; Dance Film Association's

Films That Move Series, Solar One, NYC; Home is Where The Art Is, Triskelion Arts, Brooklyn, NY;

20 Years Celebration of Dance, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA.

For more information: www.checkitdance.com.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Announces its 2015-16 Season

Tickets now on sale for Michael Feinstein, the Vienna Boys Choir, Clifford the Big Red Dog™ -- Live!, Moscow Festival Ballet, and more!

***

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College announces its 2015-16 Season of music, dance, theater, and family programming, reflecting the multicultural diversity of Brooklyn.Hailing from Austria, Russia, China, Canada, and across the United States, the awards-winning artists include both Brooklyn Center premieres and returning favorites.Tickets go on sale exclusively to Brooklyn Center Members on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 1pm, with general sales beginning on Thursday, May 14. Tickets can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

"Brooklyn Center is excited to continue to represent and reflect the vibrant diversity of Brooklyn through our upcoming 2015-16 season of live performances," says Jon Yanofsky, the Director of Brooklyn Center. "From the Gershwins and the Beatles to classical ballet and step dancing, the 61st season at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate the best of classic and contemporary arts and culture with world class artists in music, dance, theater, and family programming.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 Season includes:

  • Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me
  • Black Violin
  • Art of Time Ensemble - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
  • The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas In Vienna
  • Dance Theatre in Westchester's The Colonial Nutcracker
  • Step Afrika!
  • Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey
  • Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet /Carmen Suite
  • The Golden Dragon Acrobats
  • Robert Glasper Trio
  • Regina Carter's Southern Comfort
  • Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!
  • Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration
  • Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
  • Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me

2015-16 Season Opener

Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $36-$65

Emmy- and Grammy-nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein brings his impeccable piano skills and unparalleled interpretations to some of the greatest selections in the entire American Songbook, peppered with personal anecdotes from his autobiographical book The Gershwins and Me, which reflects upon his six-year collaboration with the great Ira Gershwin. 

Black Violin

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18
Back by popular demand, virtuoso violinists Kev Marcus and Wil B return to Brooklyn with their electrifying mash-up of hip-hop, classical, and pop tunes. With appearances ranging from the Apollo Theater and the Billboard Music Awards to three NFL Super Bowls and President Obama's official Inaugural Ball, this dynamic duo never fails to take audiences by storm with their unique spin on music for strings.

Art of Time Ensemble

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $30

With hits including "When I'm Sixty-Four," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and the title song, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been designated "the most important rock and roll album ever made" by Rolling Stone magazine. Toronto's Art of Time Ensemble brings this iconic collection to life in a fusion of high art and pop culture that reveals the universal and timeless qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.

The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas in Vienna

Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45

This illustrious group of young musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and crowd-pleasing repertoire. Christmas in Vienna showcases these gifted musicians in an extraordinary program featuring Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, popular songs and, of course, holiday favorites. 

The Colonial Nutcracker

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18

An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic. 

Step Afrika!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm

Tickets: $20

Experience Step Afrika!, the world's first professional company dedicated to stepping, a unique art form born at African American fraternities and based in rich African traditions. Incorporating intricate rhythmic patterns of kicks, stomps, claps, and chants, the dancers use their bodies as instruments, creating an enthralling, high-energy performance that has been praised by The Village Voice as "a jubilation of rhythm and spirit that harks back to the essence of dancing."

Third Annual
 Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
 Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey

Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Brooklyn Center is thrilled to partner once again with the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in an all-new celebration of Chinese arts and culture commemorating the Year of the Monkey, a year characterized by cleverness, curiosity, and playful mischief. Thrilling choreography, traditional music, and dazzling acrobats showcase the rich traditions of one of Brooklyn's most vibrant communities at this festive, family-friendly event.

Moscow Festival Ballet

Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45
 The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are reinvented in this double-bill of one-act ballets. The program begins with a new restaging of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed by Alberto Alonso's fiery Carmen Suite, inspired by Bizet's sensuous and spirited opera.
 
Golden Dragon Acrobats

Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Recognized internationally as today's premier Chinese acrobatic touring company, The Golden Dragons combine award-winning acrobatics, spectacular costumes, and ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present an unforgettable show of breathtaking skill and beauty, representing the best of a time honored tradition that began more than twenty five centuries ago.

The Robert Glasper Trio

Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $35

More than ten years after making his debut at the legendary Blue Note, 2015 Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper graces the Whitman stage with an intimate concert combining original jazz compositions and selections from his June 2015 album Covered, which draws from some of Glasper's favorite songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, John Legend, and Radiohead.

Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 8pm
Tickets: $35
Violin virtuoso and MacArthur fellow Regina Carter is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation, putting her indelible stamp on collaborations with artists as diverse as Wynton Marsalis, Mary J. Blige, and Dolly Parton. Her latest recording, titled Southern Comfort, pays a tender tribute to her paternal grandfather, an Alabama coal miner, as it draws from Appalachian fiddle tunes, church hymns, and the joyous Southern folk music that infused her childhood.

Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $18
Embark on a new adventure with loveable Clifford, the big red dog with the heart of gold. Based on the classic children's books by Norman Bridwell, this brand new musical celebrates the timeless values of sharing, respect, and cooperation.

Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: FREE event, no tickets issued

Children and adults alike will enjoy live music, arts and crafts, and street performers at this free community festival, where interactive family activities highlight the need to create a more sustainable future and care for the earth.

Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
Featuring Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli

Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: $40
As a singer, Nat King Cole was called "the best friend a song ever had," but he was essentially a jazz performer at heart. Three-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis and singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli join forces in this tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop, performing favorites including "Route 66," "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable," and more.

Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move
Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $12
The rest of Alexander's family is moving a thousand miles away, but there's NO way Alexander is going to leave his best friend, his favorite babysitter, or all the places and people he's known all his life. Never. Not ever. No way! Based on Judith Vorst's best-selling Alexander... series, this new family musical teaches us home isn't a house or a place on a map-it's wherever you are when you're with the people who love you.

Multibuy discounts (four or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices (not applicable for Alexander, Who's Not... Going to Move). Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances. 50% discount for children ages 12 and under for select performances. Discounts also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show. 

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College

2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue

Online orders: BrooklynCenter.org

Box Office: 718-951-4500, Tuesday-Saturday, 1pm-6pm

Groups of 15 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Founded in 1954, Brooklyn Center for the PerformingArts at Brooklyn College presents outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Each season, Brooklyn Center welcomes over 65,000 people to the 2,400 seat Whitman Theatre, including up to 45,000 schoolchildren from over 300 schools who attend their SchoolTime series, one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the borough.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are supported, in part, by public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Brooklyn Center's 2015-16 Season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Major support for the 2015-16 season is provided by: Brooklyn College, Con Edison, TD Bank, National Grid, Macy's, Shanachie Entertainment Corp, the Herman Goldman Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Jazz Touring Network, the Alice Lawrence Foundation, the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, Inc., and the TD Charitable Foundation. Additional support provided by CNG Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM. The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott New York Brooklyn is the official hotel of Brooklyn Center's 2015-16 Season. Backstage catering is graciously provided by Applebee's.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges generous support from New York State Assembly members Rhoda Jacobs, Alan Maisel, Félix Ortiz, Annette Robinson, and Helene Weinstein, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Tom Finkelpearl.

ZviDance presents the World Premiere of Escher/Bacon/Rothko

From June 24 - 27, 2015 at New York Live Arts

***

The WORLD PREMIERE of ZviDance's newest work, Escher/Bacon/Rothko, will run for a limited engagement at New York Live Arts (219 W. 19th Street, NYC) from June 24 - 27, 2015 with an Opening Night on Wednesday, June 24, 2015.

Performances:

Set in three parts, Escher/Bacon/Rothkois an evening-length dance piece inspired by the work of M.C. Escher, Francis Bacon and Mark Rothko. Virtuosic in form and versatile in style, Gotheiner's stirring choreography pulsates with each artist's startling notion of modernity.

Cast includes: Chelsea Ainsworth, Todd Allen, Alex Beigelson, Kuan Hui Chew, Alison Clancy, Derek Ege, Samantha Harvey, David Nosworthy, Ying Ying Shiau, and Robert M. Valdez Jr.

TICKETING INFORMATION

An exclusive ticket pre-sale to ZviDance's Opening Night Benefit is available to ZviDance patrons and may be purchased by emailing tickets@zvidance.com or by visiting http://www.zvidance.com/tickets. (Opening Night Celebration Tickets - $150)

Single tickets for the production are available at New York Live Arts Ticket Services (212) 924-0077or by visiting http://newyorklivearts.org/event/zvi_dance_2015 (Evening performances - $35/adults; $28/seniors/students/NYLA Members; Matinee performance - $25/adults; $20/seniors/students/NYLA Members.

For more information, visit www.zvidance.com.

The School of American Ballet announces the Workshop Performance Benefit 2015

At the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

The School of American Ballet announces the Workshop Performance Benefit 2015 on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The evening begins with cocktails at 5:30pm in Juilliard's Morse Hall, followed by the performance at 7pm in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center. A seated dinner at 9pm at the Mandarin Oriental will conclude the evening. 

The Workshop Performance Benefit 2015 is The School of American Ballet's most anticipated event of the year. The annual Workshop Performances are SAB's only public performances and a rare opportunity to get a sneak preview of the ballet world's up and coming young stars. A Benefit Dinner follows the Tuesday evening performance at Lincoln Center, and attracts more than 550 arts patrons, corporate VIPs and New York's social elite. 

The School of American Ballet’s 2014 Workshop Performance Benefit Photos by Erin Baiano

This year's event is headed by Chairmen Michele Barakett, Linda Daines, Hillary Lane Hochberg, Nell Kleinschmidt, and Max R. Shulman; and Young Patron Chairman Stephanie Linka.

This year's benefit will celebrate the legendary Rudolf Nureyev and commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Scholarship. At the peak of his career, Mr. Nureyev spent many hours in the classroom, polishing his technique alongside SAB's students in Stanley Williams's acclaimed advanced men's class. In 1995, the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation generously presented the School with funding for an annual scholarship to support promising students in honor of Mr. Nureyev's affinity for SAB and Mr. Williams's teaching.

In 1964, Alexandra Danilova, George Balanchine's former classmate at the Imperial Ballet and a leading ballerina of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo joined SAB's faculty. In 1965, Madame Danilova established SAB's annual year-end Workshop Performances, giving the School's advanced students an opportunity to participate in professionally staged, publicly performed productions of classic ballet works. Since its inception, the Workshop Performances have seen hundreds of SAB's advanced students make their public debut as they prepare to leave SAB and go on to dance on the world's top stages. The New York Times coined Workshop a "spot-them-before-they-are-stars showcase". Scores of notable SAB alumni have performed at Workshop, including Merrill Ashley, Peter Boal, Maria Kowroski, Lourdes Lopez, Sara Mearns, Benjamin Millepied, Ethan Stiefel, and Wendy Whelan.

Young Patron Chairmen Brynn Putnam and Erica Sheftman

The post-performance dinner has evolved through the years, from an intimate gathering hosted by SAB co-founder Lincoln Kirstein at his Gramercy Park townhouse into a festive fundraiser held in the SAB studios. The continued success of the Workshop Performance Benefit has led to the use of another wonderful New York venue.The post-performance dinner will take place in the magnificentballroom at the Mandarin Oriental with the City's iconic skyline as a backdrop.

The 2015 Workshop Performances program will include 19th & 20th Century Masters (Petipa, Bournonville, Balanchine & Robbins); Harlequinade ("Ballabile des Enfants"), Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by Riccardo Drigo; William Tell (pas de deux), Choreography by August Bournonville, Music by Gioachino Rossini; The Sleeping Beauty (pas de deux), Choreography by Peter Martins (after Marius Petipa), Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky; Valse-Fantaisie, Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by Mikhail Glinka; Stars and Stripes (3rd Regiment "Thunder and Gladiator"), Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Hershy Kay; and Fanfare, Choreography by Jerome Robbins, Music by Benjamin Britten.

The Peter Jay Sharp Theater is located at 155 W. 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway). The Mandarin Oriental is located at 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street, NYC.

For more information,

LABA and Yehuda Hyman/Mystical Feet Company presents the World Premiere of THE MAR VISTA

The World Premiere of THE MAR VISTA, a dance/theater work written and choreographed by Yehuda Hyman in collaboration with the Mystical Feet Company (Ron Kagan, Dwight Kelly, Amanda Schussel and Hyman), will be presented at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, from June 11 - 13, 2015 at 8pm and June 14, 2015 at 3pm and 7pm, as part of NYTF's KulturfestNYC. Tickets are $18 in advance or $22.50 at the door. Tickets are available at 646-395-4310 or www.labajournal.com/2014/12/mar-vista/. 

THE MAR VISTA is a fractured memoir about an American Jewish family. Taking place over a span of almost 100 years, THE MAR VISTA weaves together dance, gesture, spoken word, improvisation and ritual to tell a comical/tragical fragmented narrative about Hyman's parents.

"Mar Vista" is Spanish for "view of the sea." It is also the name of the Los Angeles neighborhood where Hyman grew up, a working class area on the Westside that had a high population of World War II and Korean War veterans and their families, many of whom bought their homes with the help of GI loans. The neighborhood's name held within it a promise of views of the Pacific Ocean for all.  Unfortunately, the Hyman's small house was at the bottom of a big hill, which blocked his family's view. In this lyrical and quirky new work, Hyman attempts to climb that hill and witness the sea below. 

THE MAR VISTA is performed in three parts:

  • Part 1:  Hamsa, is a solo performed by Hyman, which deals with curses, Passover, the 10 plagues and the story of his father.
  • Part 2:  Leaning Into Moisture, a duet for Hyman and Amanda Schussel about his mother and her forbidden wartime romance in Istanbul.
  • Part 3:  Cincinnati, takes place in Cincinnati, 1951 on the night that Hyman's father proposed to his mother - in a hurry.

The MAR VISTA was incubated at LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture at the 14th Street Y.

"LABA was the breeding ground for the birth of THE MAR VISTA," explained Artistic Director Ronit Muszkatblit. "That year the theme of 'Mother' resonated with Yehuda and inspired him to develop this exciting dance theater work."

Creative Credits

Artistic Director/Choreographer: Yehuda Hyman

Performers: Yehuda Hyman, Ron Kagan, Dwight Kelly, Amanda Schussel

Costume Designer: Amy Page

Lighting Designer: Kryssy Wright

Sound Designer: Dominick Boyle

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana's Spring 2015 NYC Season at BAM Fisher - May 19 - 24, 2015

Flamenco is celebrated on-stage at BAM Fisher for the first time as FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA presents ANGELES/ALMAS, the company's Spring 2015 NYC season, May 19-24 at Brooklyn Academy of Music's BAM Fisher Building, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, New York. 

Founded in 1983, FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA is one of this country's longest-established flamenco companies, dedicated to promoting flamenco as a living, evolving art form. During its week-long BAM Fisher season, the company will present two programs featuring the world premieres of three works by contemporary Spanish dance artists, accompanied by live music.

The first world premiere is Angeles (Program A) choreographed by Ángel Muñoz. The New York Times praised Muñoz' previous Flamenco Vivo commission, A Solas (2012), as "impressive for its compositional finesse" (while describing Muñoz himself as "singing with his feet").  Angeles portrays angels in myth, music and motion; building off of an earlier solo piece selected for the Festival de Jerez and London Flamenco Festival, the new work features Muñoz with a cast of nine more dancers and musicians.

The second premiere work, by Enrique Vicent and Antonio López is Martinete-Seguiriya (both programs), named after the flamenco form and rhythm featured in the piece.  Seguiriya is one of the oldest flamenco forms where the serious, almost tragic sound of the music gives the dancer a chance to express sorrowful feelings, while the martineterhythm said to derive from the workers in the forge, from the word martillo,meaning hammer.  Vicent and López were commissioned as part of a new collaboration between Flamenco Vivo and Madrid's El Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco, one of Spain's most prestigious dance competitions. 

The third premiere is Ausencia (Program B): Guadalupe Torres, a two-time winner of the Madrid Certamen, reveals the soul of flamenco in a new solo work created for her US debut performances. The engagement also features other company repertory including A Solas (2012 - both programs) a work by Ángel Muñoz showcasing the soleá por bulerías style; Mujeres (2009 - Program B only), choreographed by company associate artistic director Antonio Hidalgo, which offers a modern take on the traditional elements used by women in flamenco (the castanets, fans, shawls and dresses with bata de cola trains); and De Milonga (2003 - both programs), also by Hidalgo, which celebrates Latin American influences on flamenco.

Flamenco Vivo's BAM Fisher season features a cast of accomplished dancers and musicans from Spain and the US, including company dancers Antonio Hidalgo, Charo Espino, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn and Alice Blumenfeld; guitarists Gaspar Rodriguez and Pedro Medina, singers Pedro Obregón and Felix de Lola, flutist Diego Villegas and percussionist Jose Moreno; and guest artists Ángel Muñoz and Guadalupe Torres.

Performances are May 19-24, 2015, (Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30pm; matinees Saturday-Sunday 2pm) at BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, New York.  Tickets range from $20 - $59 and can be purchased at www.flamenco-vivo.org. Tickets for the company's First Night Fiesta on May 19, including premium seating and a post-performance reception with the artists, are $100-$250; for more information, call 212.736.4499 or visit www.flamenco-vivo.org. Flamenco Vivo will also offer a post-performance artist talk following the Thursday, May 21 show.  Performance schedule:

  • Program A: Angeles, Martinete-Seguiriya, A Solas, De Milonga

Tuesday-Thursday, May 19-21 at 7:30pm 

  • Program B: Ausencia, Martinete-Seguiriya, Mujeres, A Solas, De Milonga.

Friday-Saturday, May 22-23 at 7:30pm; Saturday-Sunday May 23-24 at 2:00pm 

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana's Spring 2015 season at BAM Fisher is made possible, in part, through support from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Rockefeller Brother Fund, the Harkness Foundation for Dance and the Consulate General of Spain. ANGELES/ALMAS is presented by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. BAM house and ticketing policies may not apply. All programs and casting subject to change. 

SEASON REPERTORY

Angeles - World Premiere

Choreography by Ángel Muñoz
Original Score by Gaspar Rodriguez

Dancers: Ángel Muñoz, Antonio Hidalgo, Charo Espino, and Isaac Tovar

Angeles builds off of a solo piece developed by Ángel Muñoz, in which he reflects choreographically on the contradictory meanings of his first name: angel of light, dark angel, guardian angel, fallen angel, avenging angel. For the new production, Muñoz will use all these symbols as points of departure for a series of solos, duets and ensemble movements, accompanied by 6 live musicians.

Angeles was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Spain Culture New York - Consulate General of Spain: member of the network SPAIN arts & culture. 

Ausencia - World Premiere

Choreography by Guadalupe Torres

Dancer and choreographer Guadalupe Torres, a two-time winner of Madrid's prestigious Certamen de Coreografía competition, reveals the soul of flamenco in a new solo work developed especially for her first-ever appearance in New York. 

Martinete-Seguiriya - World Premiere

Choreography by Enrique Vicent and Antonio López

Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn, and Alice Blumenfeld

The martineterhythm is said to derive from the workers in the forges and from the word martillo, meaning hammer. Seguiriya is one of the oldest flamenco forms, where the serious, almost tragic sound of the music, gives the dancer a chance to express sorrowful feelings. The heaviness of the music allows a chance to work with complex rhythmic patterns.

This choreography was made possible by a partnership between Flamenco Vivo and the Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco of Madrid and supported by Spain Culture New York - Consulate General of Spain: member of the network SPAIN arts & culture.

Mujeres (2009)

Choreography by Antonio Hidalgo

Dancers: The Company

Mujeres demonstrates flamenco traditions within a contemporary context. The work highlights the traditional elements used by women in flamenco dance - the castanets, fans and shawls and how the bata de cola (dress with a train) is used in both traditional and contemporary flamenco. This traditional costume was once only used as stately attire, but the modern female dancer uses this costume in new ways: as a partner, as defense/offense against the male dancer, and as a "toy" to play with and express humor and lightness.

Mujeres was made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts

A Solas (2012)

Choreography by Ángel Muñoz

Dancers: The Company

Originally choreographed for five women, A Solas was first performed during the Flamenco in the Boros tour in New York City in 2012. In early 2013, the men's parts were added to this soulful piece, exemplary of the soleá por bulerías style.

A Solas was made possible by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts

De Milonga (2003)

Choreography by Antonio Hidalgo

Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo or Isaac Tovar and Alice Blumenfeld

This work is an excerpt from Bailes de Ida y Vuelta and celebrates the Latin American influences in the flamenco art form.

BALLET ACADEMY EAST Spring Performance May 15-17, 2015

Ballet Academy East will present its Spring Performance from May 15-17, 2015 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at 524 W. 59th Street, NYC.

Performances:

  • Friday, May 15 at 7:00pm,
  • Saturday May 16 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and
  • Sunday May 17 at 2:00pm.

The Saturday May 16, 2:00pm performance will be a special family matinee, which will feature craft activities in the lobby during intermission, (recommended for ages 6 and up).

The performance will feature the Pre-Professional Division, levels 2-9, in ballets choreographed by Jenna Lavin, Matthew Neenan, Margo Sappington and Rex Wheeler.

For more information, visit: www.baenyc.com.

www.jjay.cuny.edu/theater

BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance presents The Mantises Are Flipping W.3

BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance presents The Mantises Are Flipping W.3 as part of the DANCE: Access series* at Danspace Project from May 21-23, 2015 at 8pm at St. Marks Church, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Dancespace members) and can be purchased on dancespaceproject.org, by calling the Dancespace Project box office at 866.811.4111, or by visiting the box office in person. For more information, please visit http://bodystoriesfellion.org.

Derived from Teresa Fellion's original solo work, Mantises utilizes contrasting movement qualities, while creating polyrhythmic movement where the upper and lower body performs separate dynamics and rhythms. With Fellion's direction, the company dancers are investigating themes including: the nature of opposites, "sanity versus insanity", the effects of sound on the body both internally and externally, and the changing psychological states of several individuals in a thread of isolation. These have informed their ever-changing imaginative development process to cultivate new discoveries. 

"The Mantises Are Flipping W.3 is a long-term contemporary dance project which has evolved during three separate, detailed stages of fresh development, exploring duality that creates a voyeuristic point of observation into idiosyncratic worlds and relationships among individuals," said Teresa Fellion, Artistic Director of BodyStores: Teresa Fellion Dance. "World One premiered at ICA Boston and CPR-Center for Performance Research in 2013, exposing our sound and movement vocabularies, created to contain opposing qualities simultaneously. World Two premiered at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center and Bryant Park Summerstage in 2014, offering layers of cohesion to four distinct, rich environments. Through further movement and sound development, as well as extended spatial and interactive design research, in May 2015 we will premiere a new work, Mantis W.3, which will give the audience an immersive experience in the imaginative, playful, yet 'unfortunately adult' world of Mantises Are Flipping."

Mantises will feature dancers Iman Barnes, Zach Bergfelt, Corey Bliss, Mia DeWeese, Alex Jenkins, Monica Mordaunt, and Audrey Rachelle Stanley; with costumes by Ljupka Arsovska; lighting design by Tim Cryan; and live music and original composition by Ryan Edwards and John Yannelli.

"Bodystories: Teresa Fellion Dance have stepped bravely up to the mirror and refused to shy away from our most unpleasant characteristics, while unfailingly celebrating the potential for beauty within each of us. Through repeated movements, loving touches and some of the angriest dance I have ever seen women undertake on the stage, this group has created true magic."

- Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

*DANCE: Access is a self-produced series administered by Danspace Project that serves independent choreographers and dance companies.

BodyStories: Teresa Fellion Dance is a contemporary dance company that strives to capture and communicate universal human encounters through dynamic, purposeful movement. We are a multifaceted, highly physical company laced with provocative, emotional, political and humorous edges. Our mission is to examine depths of society in their darkest and brightest moments and to inspire audiences to physically sense emotional and psychological aspects of the human condition on stage. Live music is an important factor in many of our works. We also consistently work via in-depth collaborations in lighting, costume, video and set design. In addition to creating and performing innovative works, our company is committed to reaching diverse populations through outreach and education and maintaining a stable business model to sustain our work. Our company values international exchange; we collectively speak nine languages and research, perform, and collaborate with artists from five continents.  Shown works and taught at Baryshnikov Arts Center, Jacob's Pillow, ENTPE University (France), NYU, UME, UFL, Pace, SLC, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ailey Citigroup Theatre, Bryant Park Summer Stage, Dixon Place, 92nd St. Y, 4 Times Square, Franco-American Cultural Centre, BDF Edinburgh, Ailey School, and in concerts with Phish. 

For more information, visit: www.bodystoriesfellion.org.

OPERA SARATOGA Announces its 2015 Summer Festival Season

Opera Saratoga announces its 2015 Summer Festival season, which will run from July 2 - July 26, 2015 at multiple venues throughout Saratoga Springs, New York.

The 2014/2015 season is the first programmatic year under the artistic and general direction of Lawrence Edelson and marks an expansion for the company in several ways: the first World Premiere presented by the company in nearly 30 years, three operas instead of two, and a longer festival season including performances at multiple venues in the region.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Opera Saratoga into its next chapter, and thrilled that my first season will provide opportunities for audiences to see three operas that show the breadth and depth of what is happening in opera today, with some of the foremost artists of our generation," said Lawrence Edelson. "The season includes three operas that couldn't be more different. La Cenerentola (Cinderella) is a bubbling comedy by Rossini that features virtuoso singing to impress the most passionate opera lovers, and is also an ideal introduction to opera for family audiences. Our presentation of Dido and Aeneas will be our first site-specific production, presented in partnership with the National Museum of Dance. Operas that prominently feature dance will be a part of our programming every season moving forward, and this particular production not only builds upon the region's connection to dance, but also takes advantage of the stunning natural beauty of Spa State Park, where we are located.  The world-premiere of The Long Walk marks a reaffirmed commitment to the inclusion of contemporary American opera as a regular part of our programming. The Company has produced 33 works by American composers in its history, 5 of which have been world premieres, but The Long Walk, by two of the most exciting writers in American opera today - composer Jeremy Howard Beck, and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann - will actually be the first world-premiere for the company in 27 years! 

This year, we are initiating new partnerships with a wide variety of cultural organizations throughout the region, enabling us to offer exciting new performance programs that compliment the season's operas, which provide even more ways for audiences to connect with the company and our wonderful artists. By expanding the festival, and moving it into July, we are providing more opportunities not only for local audiences to enjoy our programs, but opportunities for audiences from around the country to enjoy the cultural riches that Saratoga Springs has to offer. With a train station in the heart of the city, and Albany airport less than 30 minutes away, we look forward to welcoming opera lovers from around the country to enjoy not only Opera Saratoga, but all of the restaurants, shops, cultural attractions, historic sites, and natural beauty that Saratoga Springs has to offer." 

In tandem with the expansion of the season, the Young Artist Program - the second oldest program of its kind in the country - is being expanded to provide greater professional development opportunities for emerging professionals. The program will consist of three tiers for singers, as well as opportunities for pianists, conductors and directors, under the direction of Laurie Rogers. Opera Saratoga has selected 28 gifted artists from over 1,000 applicants from across the country, who will be in residence in Saratoga Springs this summer. A complete list of Young Artists may be found at http://www.operasaratoga.org/2015-young-artists/

OPERA SARATOGA'S 2015 SUMMER FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING

LA CENERENTOLA (Cinderella)

Music by GioachinoRossini, Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti, Based on the Fairy Tale by Charles Perrault

Directed by Lawrence Edelson, Conducted by Gary Thor Wedow

Featuring Sandra Piques Eddy, Andrew Owens, John Brancy, David Kravitz, and Ryan Kuster

Performances: Thursday, July 2, 2015 at 7:30pm; Saturday, July 11, Tuesday, July 14, and Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 2pm; Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 7:30pm

Opera Saratoga opens the 2015 Summer Season with Rossini's beloved version of Cinderella. Based on Perrault's timeless fairytale, La Cenerentola features plenty of magical enchantment; the ridiculous, over-the-top situations and toe-tapping melodies that you expect from the master of comic Italian opera; and heartfelt emotion to bring together this story of forgiveness and true love.  The ultimate rags to riches tale; it's a Cinderella story...but not quite as you may know it! Opera Saratoga is proud to present the company debuts of five extraordinary singers in La Cenerentola: Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy sings the virtuoso title role along side tenor Andrew Owens as Prince Ramiro, baritone John Brancy as his valet Dandini, David Kravitz as her wicked step-father Don Magnifico, and Ryan Kuster as the mysterious philosopher Alidoro. Gary Thor Wedow also makes his company debut conducting this new production by Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson.

DIDO AND AENEAS

Music by Henry Purcell, Libretto by Nahum Tate

Directed and Choreographed by Karole Armitage, Conducted by Nicole Paiement

Featuring Jennifer Johnson Cano and ArmitageGone! Dance Company

Presented in Partnership with the National Museum of Dance

All tickets include admission to the wonderful exhibits at The National Museum of Dance, beginning at 7pm. Seating is general admission, with seating beginning at 7:45pm for the performance beginning at 8:15pm.

Performances:  Monday, July 6, 2015; Sunday, July 12, 2015; Sunday, July 19, 2015; Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Opera Saratoga is thrilled to present the first Baroque opera in the company's history in a truly unique production under the stars! One of the earliest English operas, Dido and Aeneas is one of Purcell's foremost theatrical works. This heartbreaking opera recounts the love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, for the Trojan hero, Aeneas, and her despair when he abandons her. The combination of exquisite vocal music and extensive use of dance has inspired many interpretations of the great score. Opera Saratoga has invited world-renown choreographer and director Karole Armitage to create a very special site-specific production for Saratoga Springs that embraces the natural beauty and history of The National Museum of Dance located in Spa State Park. The production will feature Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano in her company debut Jennifer Johnson Cano as Dido, along with the exquisite dancers of the ArmitageGone! Dance Company in what is sure to be one of the most talked about productions of the summer for dance and music lovers alike.

WORLD PREMIERE

THE LONG WALK

Composed by Jeremy Howard Beck, Libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann

Based on The Long Walk, A Story of War and the Life that Follows, by Brian Castner

Directed by David Schweizer, Conducted by Steven Osgood

Featuring Daniel Belcher, Heather Johnson, Caroline Worra, David Blalock, Javier Abreu, Justin Hopkins, and Donita Volkwijn

Commissioned by American Lyric Theater

Performances:  Friday, July 10, 2015 at 7:30pm; Monday, July 13 and Friday, July 17, 2015 at 2pm; and Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 7:30pm

The Long Walk is based on Brian Castner's critically acclaimed book of the same name. The opera is a deeply personal exploration of a soldier's return from Iraq where he served as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and his battle with what he calls "the Crazy" as he tries to reintegrate into his family life upon returning from the war. Opera Saratoga is honored to present the world premiere of The Long Walk in partnership with American Lyric Theater. Internationally renowned theater and opera director David Schweizer makes his Opera Saratoga debut, with celebrated American conductor Steven Osgood on the podium. Grammy Award winning baritone Daniel Belcher returns to Opera Saratoga to create the role of Brian, alongside mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, who makes her company debut as his wife Jessie. The cast also includes the company debuts of sopranos Caroline Worra and Donita Volkwijn, tenors David Blalock and Javier Abreu, and bass baritone Justin Hopkins.

In addition to the three operas being presented, an extensive series of concerts and community events will take place throughout the month of June and July. These include:

Season Preview Concert

Wednesday, June 17 at 1:30PM, Free

The Sembrich Museum in Bolton Landing

This concert will feature arias and scenes from the three operas in Opera Saratoga's 2015 Summer Season, performed by members of the company's Young Artist Program. 

Stars of Tomorrow!

Saturday, June 6 at 8 PM, Free
Dee Sarno Theater, Saratoga Arts Center
320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs

Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program is the second oldest mentorship program for emerging professional singers in the country, also providing opportunities for gifted young conductors, pianists and directors. This season, we received over 1,000 applications for 24 spaces - making the selection process more competitive than getting into Harvard! The singers that we have selected represent some of the most gifted young artists in the country. Join us for this very special program where you will have a chance to get to know the incredible young artists who will be a part of our community this summer. We promise, one day you'll be able to say, "I heard them before they were stars!"

A Master Class with Joan Dornemann

Sunday, June 14 at 2 PM, $20 in advance ($15 for subscribers) or $25 at the door.
Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall
Arthur Zankel Music Center, Skidmore College
815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs

Joan Dornemann, Metropolitan Opera Assistant Conductor, is one of the most highly respected opera coaches in the world today. She has worked with such singers as Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Sherrill Milnes, Kiri Te Kanawa, Montserrat Caballe, Deborah Voigt, Renée Fleming, and Leo Nucci. She has been associated with the Gran Liceo in Barcelona, the Spoleto Festival, New York City Opera, Opera National de Paris and the Kirov Opera. She received an Emmy Award for her contribution to the highly acclaimed first Live From the Met telecast of La Bohème and is the founder of the International Vocal Arts Institute. Joan will lead a special master class on the art of singing Rossini, featuring members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program. This is a very special opportunity to see one of the world's leading authorities on bel canto mentor our emerging professional artists, leading up to the season opening of La Cenerentola. 

Mr. Tambourine Man at Caffè Lena with soprano Caroline Worra

Friday June 19 and Saturday 20 at 8PM, $20 in advance ($15 for subscribers) or $25 at the door.
Caffè Lena
47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs

Opera Saratoga makes a special appearance at the historic Caffè Lena to celebrate the poetry and lyrics of Bob Dylan in a concert featuring soprano Caroline Worra. Caroline has been hailed by Opera News as "one of the finest singing actresses around," and has sung over 75 different operatic roles including more than 20 World, American, and Regional Premieres.  At the center of this special concert is the Saratoga premiere of John Corigliano's Mr. Tambourine Man, a beautiful, haunting and powerful setting of some of Dylan's most famous song lyrics by the Academy Award winning composer of The Red Violin. 

If it aint Baroque...

Sunday, June 21 at 2 PM, Free
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald A. Riggi Theater
The National Museum of Dance
99 South Broadway, Saratoga Springs

In honor of Opera Saratoga's first production of a Baroque opera, members of the Young Artist Program will perform a program of arias and ensembles from a wide variety of Baroque operas, including works by Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Lully Rameau, and Purcell, including a special preview from our production of Dido and Aeneas.

Songs of Longing and Desire with mezzo soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano

Friday, June 26 at 8 PM, $20 in advance ($15 for subscribers) or $25 at the door
Picotte Recital Hall at the Massry Center for the Arts, Albany

Jennifer Johnson Cano is one of the country's most exciting young mezzo sopranos. The New York Times extolled that "emotion suffused every moment of her eloquent, impassioned New York debut recital." Opera Saratoga is delighted to not only present Jennifer's role debut as Dido this season, but to also offer our audiences the opportunity to hear her in recital with Christopher Cano, who is not only her husband, but an extraordinary pianist with whom Jennifer collaborates often. Jennifer and Christopher have put together a special selection of songs of longing and desire, including works by Brahms, Dove, Barber, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. 

Of Arms and the Man I Sing

The New York State Military Museum, where Opera Saratoga will present two programs during the 2015 Summer Festival.

Sunday, July 12 at 2PM, Free
The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center
61 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs

Opera Saratoga's world premiere production of The Long Walk builds upon a rich and important history of operas that explore the dynamics of war, and the emotional journeys our soldiers take in their efforts to protect our freedom. Join us for a special concert featuring members of the company's Young Artist Program, featuring excerpts from operas from Monteverdi's Il ritorno di Ulysses in Patria, to the 2012 Pulitzer Prize award winning American masterpiece Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell. 

A World War I Tribute with baritone John Brancy

Thursday, July 16 at 8 PM, $20 in advance ($15 for subscribers) or $25 at the door
The New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center
61 Lake Avenue, Saratoga Springs

Baritone John Brancy is a fast-rising star making his debut with Opera Saratoga this summer. This season, John is also making important recital debuts at The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, so we couldn't resist the opportunity to present him in recital and share a very special program with our community. John has put together a journey into the music of WWI - revealing the thoughts, emotions and psyche of the great composers during that tremulous time. The program will include a performance of George Butterworth's (who died in combat during the Battle of the Somme in 1916) famously beautiful settings of poetry from A.E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad, as well as songs by Gerald Finzi, Claude Debussy, Carl Orff, and Charles Ives. 

2016 Season Preview

Thursday, July 23 at 2 PM, Free
Spa Little Theater

Are you curious what the Summer of 2016 will bring to Opera Saratoga? Join us for a season preview, featuring music from all three operas to be presented in 2016, sung by members of the Young Artist Program. 

Subscriptions are currently on sale, providing a savings of up to 15% off single ticket prices, including special visitor subscription packages for out of town guests. Single tickets are also now on sale. Ticket information is available at www.operasaratoga.org.  

Special packages are available for out-of-town visitors that will provide an opportunity to see multiple operas over a few days while enjoying the many other things that the city has to offer, including the summer residency of New York City Ballet at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), and the opening of the Track Season, which coincides with the final weekend of the festival.

For more information, visit www.operasaratoga.org.

Happy Birthday August Wilson!

Jujamcyn Theaters & Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company Announce Judges For 7TH Annual National August Wilson Monologue Competition At August Wilson Theatre Monday, May 4, 2015 

The late August Wilson was started his prolific career late. I remember this detail because he and I share the same birthday, April 27th. These facts of trivia, to some, is a motivator for me.

Tony award winning director Kenny Leon, grew up in Tallahassee, Flordia which is where my mothers' tribe is located, Miccosukee Indians, an off-shoot of the Seminole tribe.

When I asked him, during the 2014 Tony Awards was he also a member if the indigenous tribe, he smiled and said no: "I'm black but I know the area well."

Trivia aside, the Jujamcyn Theaters (Jordan Roth, President) and True Colors Theatre Company (Kenny Leon, Co-Founding Artistic Director) have announced the judges for the 7th Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition on Monday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street). 

Good news for those on a budget. This event is free and it's open to the public. Featuring high school students from New York, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles,  Pittsburgh, Portland and Seattle three talented actors perform monologues by the late, legendary American playwright. 

The competition is fierce. This year, the 2015 Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition will include Crystal Dickinson (actress), Brandon J. Dirden (actor), David Gallo (scenic designer), Stephen McKinley Henderson (actor), and Pauletta Washington (actress). The evening will also include a special performance by musician Guy Davis. 

All storytellers worry about the legacy that they leave. Perhaps not when they are creating the work but at some point, the issue of "immortality" is addressed.

The Annual August Wilson Monologue Competition, started in 2007, aims to expose a new generation of creative minds to the life’s work and artistic legacy of this seminal American playwright. 

Mentoring is key to strong foundations and growth and to that end, the program participants—in cities across the country—encounter Wilson’s ten-play cycle and receive coaching from teaching artists as they prepare their monologues for local, city-wide and national competitions. 

It's not all work and no play, this year the competition will afford students from these cities around the country the opportunity to attend the new Broadway musical Something Rotten!, work closely with two of Wilson’s closest collaborators: director Kenny Leon and dramaturg Todd Kreidler, and explore popular Manhattan attractions before making their Broadway stage debuts. 

Finally, the two finalists from each regional city will compete, and the top contestants will be chosen to perform on the August Wilson Stage on Monday evening, May 4th. 

Money makes the world go around and the top three contestants from the national competition receive monetary awards. The first place winner will receive a $1500 cash prize, the runner-up a $1000 cash prize and the honorable mention a $500 cash prize. Each of the winners will also become eligible for college scholarship opportunities and all finalists receive the gift of TCG’s Century Cycle collection.

The Monologue Competition is also featured in “The Start of Dreams”, a documentary directed by The Horne Brothers. Featuring A-list actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Phylicia Rashad, “The Start of Dreams” is packed with Hollywood’s elite weighing in on this important art form and what it means to the United States.

The documentary has been screened at 9 festivals across the country including the Atlanta Film Festival, the Pan-African Film Festival in Los Angeles, and the UrbanWorld Festival in New York. A trailer for the film is available at the link listed below.

The national August Wilson Monologue Competition is presented by Delta Air Lines with additional funding support from Publix Supermarket Charities, Massey Charitable Trust, Bank of America, The Imlay Foundation, and Macy's.

For more information, visit www.AugustWilsonMonologue.com

“THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WAY” WILL PREMIERE OFF-BROADWAY THIS SPRING

It's Spring and it's time to wake up and to smell, all of the roses.

Some say, it might be "The Twentieth-Century Way," which is Tom Jacobson’s acclaimed two-person play about homosexual entrapment in Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century, will premiere Off-Broadway this spring.

Directed by The Theatre @ Boston Court’s Michael Michetti, and starring Will Bradley and Robert Mammana, the play will begin previews May 28, 2015, with opening night set for June 3, 2015 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre (224 Waverly Place, NYC). 

The limited engagement will run through July 19, 2015. 

Based on a little-known incident in LA history, this theatrical thrill ride explores the collision of reality and fantasy as two actors juggle various roles to entrap homosexuals for "social vagrancy" in the public restrooms of 1914 Long Beach. But are they actually entrapping each other? Who they are and what they need is a mystery that deepens with every twist and turn. 

The Twentieth-Century Way earned Mr. Jacobson a PEN Center USA Award for Drama, and was a sensation at the 2010 NY International Fringe Festival, winning Overall Excellence in Production of a Play.

This co-production continues the association between two companies – The Theatre @ Boston Court (Los Angeles) and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre (New York). 

Tickets for The Twentieth-Century Way range from $10 - $50 and can be purchased by visitingwww.rattlestick.org. 

Highlights from the 2014 Lilly Awards

The performance schedule is as follows: Thursdays at 8:00 p.m., Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m., Mondays at 8:00 p.m.

The Woman's Voice In Theater is celebrated with the 6TH ANNUAL LILLY AWARDS CEREMONYSET FOR MONDAY, JUNE 1st

AT PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS

TO CELEBRATE AND HONOR WOMEN OF DISTINCTION IN THE AMERICAN THEATER

"I am woman, hear me roar" and on Monday, June 1st, the 6th Annual Lilly Awards Ceremony (beginning at 5 p.m.) at Playwrights Horizons (416 West 42nd Street) will give that mike to host, writer and performer, Lisa Kron. 

Miss Kron will "roar" because the Lilly Awards will honor the extraordinary contributions made to the American Theater by women, as well as announce the $25,000 Stacey Mindich Prize, which funds a new work by a female playwright, and the Leah Ryan Prize, which awards an annual cash prize to an emerging woman playwright and produces a reading of the winning play in New York City. 

Over 100 theater professionals were asked for their nominations for the 2016 honorees. The presenters and winners will be announced shortly.

Following the ceremony, guests and honorees will attend a cocktail reception at the West Bank Cafe (407 West 42nd Street).

The Lilly Awards were started in the Spring of 2010 as a way to honor the work of women in the American Theater. The founders of The Lillys are Julia Jordan, Marsha Norman and Theresa Rebeck. The awards are named for Lillian Hellman, a pioneering American playwright who famously said “You need to write like the devil and act like one too when necessary.” 

Previous winners who have won the Lilly Award include Mary Rogers, Dominique Morisseau, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Jeanine Tesori, Liesl Tommy, Kelli O’Hara, Pam MacKinnon, Leigh Silverman, Anne Kauffman, Sarah Ruhl, Kristin Chenoweth, Annie Baker, Susan Stroman, Lynn Ahrens, Tina Fallon, Amy Herzog, Nina Arianda, Diane Paulus, Katori Hall, Tina Howe, Estella Parsons, Lynne Meadow, Ntozake Shange, Jessica Hecht and  Lois Smith.

Check out the  Lilly Awards—www.thelillyawards.org.

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NEW YORK! GET UP AND BOOGIE!

Annual Taste Of Dance Showcase

Hey, New York, do you feel like dancing? It’s almost that time of year when the dance lovers of the city take to the streets and go crazy!

It’s Dance Parade time and it’s a  gathering of 10,000 dancers, strong, that make May just another reason to well — dance — but before they do that again, the creative people need your help.

To get the “dance” started they are throwing a Taste of Dance Parade Showcase this Sunday, for the Advanced ticket price of only $20 but you can get $5 off until April 7th by using the discount code “livefreeanddance.”

Art ain't free. Come on - help the creative folks out!!!! If you can, be a “Mover and Shaker” with a $100 contribution and get listed as a major sponsor in the event program and website, and enjoy food and drinks at the show.

  ·  Get tickets here!

  ·  RSVP and spread the word on Facebook.

The showcase is a teaser for the juggernaut of the 9th Annual Dance Parade and Festival which features 75 unique styles, making it the world’s largest display of cultural diversity. The parade, festival and dance classes in Tompkins Square Park are all free, which is why our showcase benefit is so crucial.

Donnie D'Amato will emcee a dazzling program including Chinese ribbon dancers, Salsa, Samba, physically integrated dance, hip-hop and even fire hooping and a triple trapeze piece-- all in the intimate space of Dixon Place Theater with a group of New Yorkers who love and support dance.

Not able to make it but still want to support us? There's a way to donate online as well. 

I hope to see you April 12th. Until then, enjoy the newsletter below and thanks so much for helping keep dance free in the streets of New York!

BALLET HISPANICO ANNOUNCES TWO-WEEK NEW YORK SEASON AT THE JOYCE THEATER

Spring means many things in the city. It’s a signal to enjoy the fruits and the bounty that the creative community brings, year after year, to New York.

The spring season of BALLET HISPANICO (April 14-26, 2015) is no exception!

Artistic director, Eduardo Vilaro of Ballet Hispanico keeps true to his roots while mixing it with an eclectic, sleek, modern style that has always been favored by audience and critics alike with The New York Times calling the dynamic company “...the best contemporary repertory ensembles" (The New York Times).

This year, some of the highlights of the Joyce season include the world premiere by Mexico-based choreographer Miguel Mancillas and the dazzling New York premiere of Show.Girl. by Miami-based, Princess Grace Award-winning choreographer Rosie Herrera.

Other gems include the Joyce Premiere of Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's CARMEN.maquia, a contemporary spin on the iconic story about a passionate gypsy with set design by Luis Crespo and costumes by fashion designer David Delfin; Sombrerísimo, choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and commissioned by New York City Center for the 10th anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival; and El Beso, choreographed by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, with original costumes by Venezuelan fashion designer Angel Sanchez.

Keeping up with the times, this will be the first New York season where Ballet Hispanico will also offer a 90-minute matinee on Saturday, April 18 that is specially curated for children and families. 

Ballet Hispanico's fun, interactive and educational Performances for Young People is now celebrating 30 years-give families a glimpse into the beauty of the arts and Latino culture.

This dynamic program will feature excerpts from Ballet Hispanico's diverse repertory and a Q&A with the dancers. This event will be hosted by Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro and Education Director AnaMaria Correa.

"Our New York Season truly offers something for everyone," said Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director of Ballet Hispanico. "The works this season highlight the full breadth of the company's powerful ability to interpret the many shades of the Latino cultural experience. From raw human expression to stylized theatrical seduction, each work is a chapter in the past, present and future of our American experience. And, I am particularly excited to offer our beloved and signature Performances for Young People to family audiences through a special Saturday matinee."

Ballet Hispanico's New York Season at The Joyce Theater - April 14-26, 2015

World Premiere of Conquer by Miguel Mancillas 

New York Premiere of Show.Girl by Rosie Herrera 

Joyce Premiere of Evening-Length CARMEN.maquia

Special Matinee for Children and Families on Saturday, April 18 .

BAM SLAMS WITH POETRY -- BROOKLYN DOES IT BEST!

Flip out the metro-card, it's time to roll out to Brooklyn. If you are luck to live in Brooklyn, take a bow and still use that Metro-card because it's time to hear the truth which is being spoken at BAM.

Poetry 2015: Speaking Truth at BAM, is a hugely popular poetry showcase. The evening is filled with dynamic interdisciplinary performances by spoken word artists, rappers, and musicians. 

That includes nationally recognized performers, along with two selected students from the BAM Brooklyn Reads residency program will explore the theme of Speaking Truth, directed by Baba Israel. 

This year’s showcase is full of talent, including the poets muMs, Kelly Zen- Yie Tsai, the 2014 Nuyorican Poets Cafe Slam Team, and Najee Omar, with music performances by Yako440, and Brooklyn’s own DJ Reborn.

 The winners from BAM Education’s poetry residency, Brooklyn Reads, and have been selected through an online voting process to perform in this annual main stage show.

They have been chosen out of 500 high school participants to present their work alongside the professional artists in Poetry 2015: Keisie Barzola,(12th grade,) West Brooklyn Community High School, and Kirkland DeBrosse (12th grade,) Cultural Academy for the Arts & Science

Poetry 2015: Speaking Truth

BAM Fisher (Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Pl)

Apr 2 at 7:30pm

EVERYTHING ABOUT BILLIE IS BEAUTIFUL - To Celebrate the 100th Birthday of Billie Holiday

If you know the blues then you know the sound of the immortal Billie Holiday. She would have been a cool 100 years-young and to celebrate her enduring work, the Apollo is kicking off Billie Week starting with a very special ceremony where the songstress will be inducted into the Apollo Walk of Fame where she will get “her star" under the Apollo marquee on Monday, April 6th. 

The musical ceremony will include Two-Time Grammy Winner Cassandra Wilson. The event is presented in collaboration with Absolutely Live Entertainment and will include performances by violinist Kersten Stevens and Harlem School of the Arts Choir; photo ops with Apollo president and CEO Jonelle Procope, two time Grammy winner and jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, son of Jazz great and Billie Holiday’s friend and collaborator Lester Young  Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr. , managing partner of The Bicycle Music Company and representative of the Estate of Billie Holiday Steven Salm, and Legacy Recordings president Adam Block.

The power of music prevails and this ceremony will also celebrate the release of Cassandra Wilson’s upcoming Legacy Recordings release, Coming Forth By Day (April 7th) and include a special concert, on April 10th — Cassandra Wilson: A Celebration of Billie Holiday.  This will be the first time headlining the Apollo.

 The Apollo Theater is located at 253 West 125th Street.