RIOULT Dance NY presents Two Programs World Premiere of Cassandra's Curse NYC Premiere of Polymorphous The Joyce Theater

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, returns to The Joyce Theater from June 21-26, 2016 with eight performances featuring World and New York City Premieres. Tickets start at $10 and are on sale now at www.joyce.org. 

An established name in modern dance with a reputation for performing sensual, articulate, and exquisitely musical works, RIOULT Dance NY performs two programs. WOMEN ON THE EDGE examines the role of women in times of conflict and features the World Premiere of Cassandra's Curse, set to live music. The second program is distinguished by the New York City premiere of Polymorphous, a piece exploring the subjectivity of perception through movement and technology; Duets, a suite of magnificent duets drawn from some of Pascal Rioult's finest dances; and two repertory works.

Special events during the company's Joyce Theater engagement include a Family Matinee on Saturday, June 25 with $10 tickets available for children aged 6-14; a Curtain Chat following the Thursday, June 23 performance with members of the company, as well as a gala immediately following the performance on June 22 at Studio 450, 450 W. 31st Street, NYC.  Call 212-398-5901 for gala tickets.

RIOULT Dance NY Season at The Joyce Theater - June 21-26, 2016

PROGRAM A: WOMEN ON THE EDGE...Unsung Heroines of the Trojan War

Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30pm; Thursday, June 23* & Saturday, June 25 at 8pm; Sunday, June 26 at 7:30pm

*Stay with us for a post-performance Curtain Chat after the curtain goes down on Thursday, June 23.

Iphigenia (2013)

Iphigenia is a dance drama chronicling a young woman's transfiguration from innocent child to transcendental heroine. Based on Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis, it focuses on King Agamemnon's decision to sacrifice his daughter - much to the horror of his wife, Clytemnestra, and his daughter's betrothed, Achilles - and Iphigenia's ultimate acceptance of her fate. Through dramatic dance scenes woven together with a recurring ensemble-the Greek chorus, the part-narrative, part-abstract piece unfolds, reintroducing audiences to this beautifully tragic story.

On Distant Shores (2011)

On Distant Shores...A Redemption Fantasy evokes the ancient myth of Helen of Troy. "I always thought Helen got a bad rap," says Pascal Rioult. In this work he sets out to redeem her, imagining she is brought to Troy against her will, where she encounters four god-like warriors. 

Cassandra's Curse (World Premiere)

The world premiere of Pascal's new work, Cassandra's Curse, is set to a commissioned score by acclaimed composer Richard Danielpour and will premiere with live music. Loosely based on Euripides' The Trojan Women, this dance reveals the character of Cassandra, whose gift of prophecy allows her to foresee the unfortunate fate of Troy, though not a soul believes her.  Her curse is a metaphor for a society's tendencies to ignore the voice of reason and to repeat its history of war and violence.

Cassandra's Curse is co-commissioned by ADF with support from the Doris Duke/SHS Foundations Award for New Dance and created in part with the support from the Made in Wickenburg Residency program with funding from the R. H. Johnson Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, WESTAF, and the Wellik Foundation.

Program B

Wednesday, June 22 at 7pm*; Friday, June 24 at 8pm; Saturday, June 25 & Sunday, June 26 at 2pm

*Gala immediately following this performance at Studio 450.  

Dream Suite (2014)

Dream Suite is a contemporary take on romanticism. The contrasting mood of Tchaikovsky's "Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C Major" is juxtaposed with more aggressive, rhythmic and athletic movement. With a palette inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall, this thoroughly contemporary work delves into the surreal as it evolves.

Polymorphous (2015) - NYC Premiere

Set to selections from J.S. Bach's "The Well Tempered Clavier," Polymorphous explores the subjectivity of perception through movement and technology. The work takes on the very idea of polymorphism, referring to the act of something that assumes or occurs in various forms.

Duets

Duets, a series of duets and double duets drawn from Pascal Rioult's extensive repertory, captures his knack for distinctive partnering.

Bolero (2002)

Bolero, one of Rioult's most popular works, is a bold and unique interpretation of Ravel's famous musical score. Its perpetual motion and ever-changing patterns build to an inevitable climax, creating a riveting tour de force.

 For more information, please visit: www.rioult.org

BALLET HISPÁNICO "Carnaval" 2016 Gala Raised More Than $1 Million And Honored RICHARD E. FELDMAN

Ballet Hispánico raised more than $1 million in support of the company's artistic and educational work in New York City and around the country at their 2016 Galaon Monday, May 16, 2016. 

Ballet Hispánico honored Richard E. Feldman with the Civic Inspiration Award and Linda Celeste Sims with the Nuestra Inspiración Award. The evening's festivities were hosted by Univision personality Lili Estefan, co-host of the network's "El Gordo y La Flaca." Proceeds from the evening will benefit the creation of new Company works, need-based financial aid and merit scholarships in the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance, and community arts education programs.

"We are thrilled to announce that we exceeded our goal of $1 million," said Kate Lear, Chair of Ballet Hispanico's Board of Directors. "The overwhelming generosity of our attendees and donors, along with the breathtaking talent of our professional and student dancers, made for a fantastic event with which to celebrate Ballet Hispánico's 45 years of changing lives."

This year's Gala, themed "Carnaval" and attended by 325 guests, was a Latino celebration of life through music and dance, featuring performances by the Ballet Hispánico Company, the rising stars of second company BHdos and students of the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance, along with live music by Latin band Los Hacheros.

Attendees included Gala Chairs Jody and John Arnhold, Kate Lear and Jon LaPook, and David Pérez and Milena Alberti; Benefactors Martin and Perry Granoff, James F. McCoy and Alfio J. Hernandez, Charle S. Wortman and Laura Baldwin, Jessica Rodriguez, Beth Owen-Wade, Brian and Shirley Colona, Michelle and Stephen Dizard, The Fribourg Family, Lisa and Mehmet Oz, Raul Pineda, Michael Rankowitz and Sheila Heffron, Olivier Rustat, Herb Scannell;Eduardo Vilaro, Lili Estefan, Rosie Herrera, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Stephen Dizard, Therese Caruso, Rita Rodriguez, Herb Scannell, James F. McCoy, Phil Colón, Olivier Rustat, Tina Ramirez, Richard Feldman, Sandra Rivera, Kathy Ross-Nash, Pedro Ruiz, Nancy Ticotin, Nancy Turano, Vanessa Valecillos, Rodney Hamilton, Linda Celeste Sims, Gale Brewer Manhattan Borough President, Marty and Perry Granoff , John and Gaily Beineke, Yue Bonnet, Cecilla Caceres, Cosme Caceres, Anne Cohen, John and Paula Connor, Paul Ellis/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Winston B. Layne, Maggie Lear, Teresa Narvaez, Florence Peyrelongue, Ann and Richard Sarnoff, Glenn Allen Sims, Heidi Stamas, and Richard and Maritza Williamson, Roger Kluge, Denise Roberts Hurlin.

For more information, visitwww.ballethispanico.org. Follow Ballet Hispanico on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

AMANDA SELWYN DANCE THEATRE presents FOOTPRINTS: A Modern Dance Festival Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, NYC May 19-21, 2016 at 7:30pm

The West Side YMCA Community Arts Department and Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre present FOOTPRINTS: A Modern Dance Festival, May 19-21, 2016 at 7:30pm, at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater.  This second annual dance festival will celebrate innovative works of contemporary dance from diverse new and established voices in NYC dance. 

FOOTPRINTS will feature the following works:Dreaming into Being by Lillian Stamey and 96b; It is You, and You, and You by Jin-Wen Yu; Shaft Medley by Sue Samuels and Jazz Roots Dance Company; Untitled by Alana Marie Urda and Amalgamate Dance Company; EVO by Winnie Berger and Mook Dance Project; and Refuge by Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre. 

Performances will take place Thursday, May 19, 2016 through Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 7:30pm in the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd St, NY, 10023. Tickets are priced at $15 for all premium and regular seats,  $10 for Students/Children, and $10 for YMCA NYC Members. To purchase tickets, visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/957283.

Performance dates/times:

Thursday, 5/19 at 7:30PM

Friday, 5/20 at 7:30PM

Saturday, 5/21 at 7:30PM

To learn more about the West Side YMCA Community Arts Department, contact Amanda Selwyn, Director of Community Arts, at 212-912-2635, aselwyn@ymcanyc.org, or visit http://www.ymcanyc.org/westside/pages/communityarts. 

About Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre creates original and dynamic dance theatre that raises questions, challenges social norms and values, and magnifies humanity through dance. Productions pivot around core themes and through an interplay between athletic and pedestrian motion, activate emotional expression, character, and narrative in a rich and abstract collage. Presenting dance in an immediate, mature, and inclusive way, we engage audiences from start to finish and beckon a response of thought, feeling, and soul. amandaselwyndance.org

Founded in 2000, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre has presented over 30 productions at NYC venues including New York Live Arts, Dance Theatre Workshop, Dance New Amsterdam, Danspace Project, Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Kumble Theater, and John Jay College. We have been presented twice at Jacob's Pillow, Westfest, DUMBO Dance Festival, Dixon Place, Dance Teacher Summit, COOL NY, Movement Research, and Pushing Progress Series. We have toured to festivals, presented open rehearsals, interactive performance events and workshops, and offer arts-in-education programming through Notes in Motion Outreach Dance Theatre to children in the NYC public schools.

"Amanda Selwyn is a master at illustrating the symbiosis of sound and movement, 
the romance of motion and emotion - she had me laughing, crying, cringing and gasping
all in the short 55-minute production." - Inside New York

"Amanda Selwyn's work is masterly and emotionally expressive, 
she is truly gifted in the art of dance making." - NYC Dance Stuff

About the West Side YMCA Community Arts Department

The West Side YMCA Community Arts Program strives to empower, educate, and maximize the potential of youth and adult emerging artists. Our classes are led by experienced instructors who create a stimulating atmosphere with lively activities, discussion and insightful feedback. We strive to create innovative performances, events, and programs that inspire, entertain, and reflect our diverse community.

About the Y

The Y is one of the nation's leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children - regardless of age, income or background - to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation's health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net

Ardea Arts Presents Showcase Performances of BOUNCE The Basketball Opera

Ardea Arts announces BOUNCE The Basketball Opera, their latest project in development. Showcase performances will take place at Paerdegat Park in East Flatbush, Brooklyn Saturday-Monday June 25-27, 2016 at 6pm.

BOUNCE is grounded in pressing issues facing today's youth. Based on the Greek myth The Flight of Icarus, BOUNCE tells the story of Ike "The Flight" Harris, a high school basketball star bound for stardom. Audiences will see if "Flight" can rebound from the emotional and physical pain of gun violence as the story plays out on local basketball courts across the country.

Pairing diverse casting with a fresh approach to arts engagement, local high school students working alongside seasoned professionals are integrated into the production using the powerful medium of basketball. They become the basketball players, the cheerleaders and Flight's classmates and teammates. Local and national community leaders also play a number of the adult roles.

Basketball is a simple game - get the ball in the basket. But this 'simple' game becomes complex when outside forces like money and fame challenge team ethics. Isaac "Flight" Harris, a gifted and ambitious young player is on a fast track to stardom until his wings are clipped by the actions of a jealous teammate. We experience Flight's descent, then the powerful epiphany that changes his world forever. Synthesizing the grandeur of operatic singing with the grittiness of street rhythms, electronic dance music and urban hip-hop vocal stylings, BOUNCE asks: how does one rise up after being knocked down? The answer is in the game of basketball itself.

The creative team includes: Grethe Barrett Holby (Opera Director/Creative Producer), Glen Roven (Lead Composer/Music Supervisor) and Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Story and Libretto), with additional music by Tomás Doncker, (Global Soul Composer) and Ansolo (EDM tracks). The Production staff includes Dr. Everett McCorvey (lead Music Director), Gloria Parker (Producing Director), Chidi Ozieh (Managing & Media Director) and Clarence Tennell (Basketball Coach). The cast includes professional singers, actors, a hip-hop artist and high school students from GMACC, Inc. (Gangsta's Making Astronomical Community Changes) in East Flatbush, The EBC High School for Public Service in Bushwick, and the Business of Sports School (BOSS) in Manhattan. The production is 90 minutes in length with no intermission.

Ardea Arts has been developing BOUNCE in partnership with The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre. BOUNCE partners and advocates include prominent local council members, community leaders, and basketball industry advocates. This project is made possible in part by the support of The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, The John and Jody Arnhold Foundation, with in-kind contributions from BOYLAN Bottling Company, Newman's Own, Inc. and Marquee Screen Printing.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

  • Grethe Barrett Holby (Concept & Direction) The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center Festival, Houston Grand Opera, La Scala, LA Opera & companies across the US. Originating cast member Einstein on the Beach; collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Lou Reed, Robert Wilson and Yusef Komunyakaa. Founding Artistic & Executive Director Ardea Arts and Family Opera Initiative; Founder of American Opera Projects; a Rockefeller Fellowship recipient, Holby holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from MIT.
  • Glen Roven (Lead Composer/Music Supervisor) Composer, lyricist, conductor, pianist; Founder and Artistic Director for RovenRecords, distributed worldwide by Naxos; 12 -time nominee and 4-time Grammy winner; collaborated with Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews, Aretha Franklin, Renee Fleming, Kathleen Battle and hundreds of other celebrities for film, television, Broadway, Carnegie Hall and many other international venues and orchestras.
  • Charles R. Smith, Jr. (Story and Libretto) Award-winning author, photographer and poet with over thirty books to his credit including a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration (2010) for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem "My People" and a Coretta Scott King Honor Author Award (2008) for his biography on Muhammad Ali, "Twelve Rounds to Glory." Early books such as "Rimshots", "Hoop Kings" and "Hoop Queens" focus on his love of basketball.
  • Tomás Donker (Additional Music) Global Soul composer and producer. Directs, composes and performs with his ensemble, Tomás Doncker Band. Guitarist for James Chance & The Contortions, Defunkt, J. Walter Negro & The Loose Jointz. Collaborated with Boosty Collins, Yoko Ono, The Itals, & Prince Charles Alexander. Current projects with Ivan Neville, Bonnie Raitt, Meshell Ndegeocello, Living Colour's Corey Glover, P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler Shamekia Copeland, & Bill Laswell.
  • Ansolo (EDM tracks) A DJ and Electronic Dance Music Producer, Ansolo has performed in major EDM concert venues and festivals around the world.
  • Everett McCorvey (Lead Music Director) Professor of Voice, OperaLex Endowed Chair in Opera Studies, and Director and Executive Producer of The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre: Artistic Director of the National Chorale, New York City; Director, American Spiritual Ensemble; Vice chair Kentucky Arts Council. Professional Credits: the Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Communale (Italy), Radio Music City Hall. A basketball fan, he often sings the National Anthem for UKY Wildcats games.

ARDEA ARTS creates and produces provocative new works of music-theater and opera to entertain, challenge and inspire today's diverse global community, uplift the human spirit, and encourage new ways of seeing our world.  In addition to BOUNCE, Ardea Arts repertory includes Flurry Tale  (1999), Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2001), Fireworks!  (2002), Animal Tales (2005), The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz (2007), The Man in the Black Suit (2008), Goodnight Moon/Plums (2009), CAT (2010), Maya's Ark  (2013), BABAR The Little Elephant (2014), One Christmas Long Ago (2015), and in development, The Three Astronauts.

For more information, visit http://www.ardeaarts.com/bounce/.

Ed Rothstein to host (Un)Silent Film Night - May 13, 2016

The New School's College of Performing Arts is pleased to welcome the public for the third edition of its (Un)Silent Film Night series, in which the College of Performing Arts Theater Orchestra will perform Jazz student Nathan Kamal's original score to Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece The Birds. The event will be hosted by Ed Rothstein, Critic at Large at The Wall Street Journal and Hitchcock devotee. This production follows November 2015's edition of (Un)Silent Film Night which was hosted by actor, clown, and comedian Bill Irwin. The inaugural event in April 2015, hosted by Matthew Broderick, drew a capacity crowd to the 800-plus-seat Tishman Auditorium at University Center.

The upcoming (Un)Silent Film Nightwill take place Friday, May 13, 2016 at 7pm at the Tishman Auditorium,  63 Fifth Avenue, Room U100, New York, NY 10003. Admission is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations required. 

Hitchcock's 1963 horror film The Birds, the chilling tale of a series of unexplained and gruesome bird attacks on people in Bodega Bay, California, is critically acclaimed as one of the legend's greatest works. The film, described as "unflawed" by esteemed critic David Thomson, is renowned as a stunning example of Hitchcock's masterful application of psychological tension. Instead of a conventional score, Hitchcock used sparse source music and sound effects to emphasize deliberate silences.

In late April, The College of Performing Arts (http://www.newschool.edu/performing-arts/) at The New School (http://www.newschoo.edu) presented the first annual (Un)Silent Film Night, in which music ensembles from the College's performing arts schools-the Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz, and the School of Drama-performed live with screenings of landmark silent films. This inaugural program, hosted by Matthew Broderick, marked the debut of the Mannes Theatre Orchestra, which, under the baton of Charles Neidich, performed a new score by Craig Marks to the Buster Keaton film Sherlock Jr.

In (Un)Silent Film Night, the College of Performing Arts Theater Orchestra-featuring students from both Mannes School of Music and The School of Jazz-will improvise a full score with Kamal's "musical sketches" as a guide to Hitchcock's originally scoreless classic film. Out of Kamal's respect for Hitchcock's vision, the rich "natural" sounds of the film serve as the starting point for the new score, and the spontaneous quality of the musicianship will fit with the spirit of Hitchcock's mammoth capacity for invention. The orchestra will use a broad sonic vocabulary ranging from lush chorale harmonic textures to extreme dissonance and extended techniques. 

Richard Kessler, Executive Dean for the College of Performing Arts, said, "(Un)Silent Film Night demonstrates the potential that students and faculty are able to realize now that Mannes, the School of Jazz and the School of Drama have been brought together in our new College of Performing Arts. The program-like so many programs in the current professional arts landscape-brings together multiple art forms in a single production, and allows students to collaborate across disciplines."

Edward Rothstein, host of the event, is Critic at Large at The Wall Street Journal. He has also served as the cultural Critic at Large and the Chief Music Critic for The New York Times, and the Music Critic for The New Republic. Rothstein supports the theory that music and mathematics share common origins as discussed in his book Emblems of Mind. Rothstein is a Hitchcock aficionado.

ChEckiT!Dance now accepting applications for the Sixth Annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival - Deadline for Applications: May 6, 2016

ChEckiT!Dance is now accepting applications from female choreographers to the Sixth Annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival, an eco-friendly evening of dance celebrating female choreographers, on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 5pm at Solar One on the East River, NYC (Rain date is Sunday, July 24th at 5pm). Pieces from any genre of dance that can be adapted to an outdoor space are encouraged to submit. The deadline to apply is May 6, 2016 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, The Dominican Republic, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and more. The festival seeks to showcase the talents of strong, female choreographers in a warm and welcoming environment. Last year's featured artists included:

  • Cindy Sosa
  • Joya Powell/Movement of the People Dance Company
  • Jessie Sector/Tangent Dance
  • MJ/Innovate Dance
  • Bridge & Olive Dance
  • Ashley Sleeth
  • Cathy Allen/Red Desert Dance Ensemble
  • Victoria Brown/MashUp Contemporary Dance Company
  • Erica Hart
  • Jana Prager/Jana Prager Dance Theater
  • Kara Dudley/Kara Dudley Dance
  • InstaDance Collective
  • Allison Brzezinski/ChEckiT!Dance

The application deadline is May 6, 2016 to be considered for participation in the festival. 

Festival Application Guidelines:
1. Submit all materials listed on the application via email to checkitdance@gmail.com by Friday, May 6, 2016 (press kit, application form, link to performance/rehearsal footage), unless otherwise requested and approved by ChEckiT!Dance. 

2. Submit a non-refundable $65.00 application fee via PayPal on www.checkitdance.com, by Friday, May 6, 2016 or by check. Please send checks made out to Checkitdance LLC postmarked by May 6, 2016 to: 72-17 34th Avenue, Apt. 1R Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Choreographers must submit pieces no longer than 10 minutes in legth. For more information and to download a PDF of the 2016 Festival Application Form, please visit our website www.checkitdance.com.

To view photos and videos from the past five years of the festival, please visit our Facebook page:www.facebook.com/checkitdance

You can also check us out on Instagram by following @checkitdance

If you would like to receive an MS Word version of the 2016 Application Form or if you have any questions regarding the application process of the festival, please feel free to email us atcheckitdance@gmail.com.

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 sixth year, is curated and produced by ChEckiT! Dance each July. Summit Rock in Central Park was the home of the first four festivals. For the second 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.

Brand New, Seven-Screen Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Coming this Summer to the Heart of Downtown Brooklyn to Celebrate the Best in Film, Food and Drink!

“You talkin’ to me?” Not at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn. The Austin-based cinema chain, known for its strict “no talking, no texting” policy is pleased to officially announce their much-anticipated theater in Downtown Brooklyn is set to open Summer 2016.

Currently in its final phase of construction, the flagship theater, located at 445 Gold Street - at the intersection of Fulton and Flatbush Avenues - will be a movie-lover's paradise featuring seven screens celebrating all forms of cinema. True to the brand’s roots, Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn will feature a diverse programming slate blending the best arthouse and independent releases with Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. With the ability to screen both 35mm film and digital formats, the theater will also boast a robust repertory program that salutes the classics and the obscure with equal fervor.

“It’s been a long time coming but we cannot wait to bring the Alamo Drafthouse experience to Brooklyn,” said Alamo Drafthouse Founder and CEO Tim League. “The impact on film from this region is indelible and expansive. Hopefully, we can add to that rich fabric and give fans, new and old, a place to honor the joy of cinema.”

While this new location will feature the Alamo Drafthouse’s signature series Terror Tuesday, Video Vortex and Girlie Night, the programming will also champion the distinct tastes of Brooklyn and New York audiences.  “As a local and avid moviegoer myself, I know New Yorkers are equally excited for the latest from Pixar as they are the first from Michael Haneke,” says Brooklyn Creative Manager Cristina  Cacioppo. “This city has the most adventurous audiences of anywhere in the world and our screens will be reflective of that.”

Like all of the company’s theaters, Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn will match its love of movies with its love of food and drink to provide in-theater dining in all seven screens featuring a full menu influenced by local flavors and ingredients. The theater bar will also showcase a deep array of the best local beers on tap as well as the finest hand-crafted cocktails. And true to form, the ironclad “no-talking, no-texting” policy will be in full effect  along with unique special events, multi-course film feasts, live performances and the extensive participation of filmmaking talent.

For more information on Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn, please visit: https://drafthouse.com/nyc

FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA presents VOCES DE ANDALUCIA 2016 NYC Season at BAM Fisher May 3-8, 2016

Featuring World Premieres of new dance and music works inspired

by Pablo Picasso and Federico Garcia Lorca; plus Angeles II, choreographed and performed by British National Dance Award nominee Ángel Muñoz

FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA celebrates the fundamental power and diversity of flamenco in VOCES DE ANDALUCIA, the company's 2016 NYC season, May 3-8 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. Following its successful BAM Fisher debut last year, the company returns with a program featuring four commissioned works of contemporary Spanish dance and music, including two world premieres.

In VOCES DE ANDALUCIA, Flamenco Vivo presents a suite of contemporary flamenco dance and music inspired by the cultural richness of Andalucia, the region of Spain known as "the cradle of flamenco." Voces - "voices" - explores this land of inspiration through the genius of two Andalucian-born artists, Pablo Picasso and the playwright-poet Federico Garcia Lorca. The suite features three new works: the world premiere PiCa, Susana di Palma's dance/fiction about Picasso; Federico, a celebration of Lorca's life, art and his profound connection to flamenco and its peoples; and Música Andaluza an adaption of Lorca verses, in a world premiere instrumental/vocal composition by Gaspar Rodriguez.  The program also includes Angeles II, choreographed and performed by British National Dance Award nominee Ángel Muñoz, praised by The New York Times for his "spontaneity, invention and surprise."

Flamenco Vivo's BAM Fisher season features a cast of twelve accomplished dancers and musicians from Spain and the US, including guest artist Ángel Muñozand company dancers Antonio Hidalgo, Charo Espino, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn, Laura Peralta and Elisabet Torras Aguilera; guitarists Gaspar Rodriguez and Pedro Medina, singer Felix de Lola, flutist Diego Villegas and singer/percussionist Francisco ("YiYi") Orozco.

Performances take place May 3-8, 2016, (evenings, Tuesday-Saturday, 7:30pm; matinees, Saturday and Sunday, 2:00pm) at BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, New York.  Tickets are priced from $25, and can be purchased at flamenco-vivo.org, or through BAM.org.

For the opening on May 3, guests can join the company for its First Night Fiesta, including premium seating and a post-performance tapas reception with the artists. Fiesta tickets, $125 and $250; for more information, call 212.736.4499 or visit www.flamenco-vivo.org. 

Flamenco Vivo will also offer a post-performance artist talk immediately following the Thursday (May 5) show; free and open to all same-day ticket-holders. Pre-show Chats before the evening performances on Wednesday (May 4), Friday (May 6) and Saturday (May 7) offer insights by flamenco experts, Fisher Building Lower Lobby at 6:30pm; free for same-day ticket holders, with pre-registration required to fvcsinfo@flamenco-vivo.org. 

Major funding for Flamenco Vivo's 2016 NYC season at BAM Fisher has been generously provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, with additional support from the Harkness Foundation for Dance; the Charles Schwartz Foundation for Music; the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency; and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. 

VOCES DE ANDALUCIA is presented by Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. BAM house and ticketing policies may not apply. All programs and casting subject to change. 

FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA

2016 NYC Season at BAM Fisher

May 3-8, 2016

Season Repertory and Key Artist Background

SEASON REPERTORY

 

PiCa - World Premiere

Choreography: Susana di Palma

Music: Gaspar Rodriguez

Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo, Isaac Tovar, Eliza Llewellyn, Elisabet Torras Aguilera, Laura Peralta

 

Música Andaluza- World Premiere

Inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca's Canciones Populares

Adaption: Gaspar Rodriguez

Musicians: Full company

 

Federico

Original choreography (1997): Angel Rojas and Juan Andres Maya    

Original Script and direction: Manuel Duque

Re-staging:  Antonio Hidalgo

Dancers: Antonio Hidalgo, Eliza Llewellyn, Elisabet Torras Aguilera, Laura Peralta, Isaac Tovar
Music: Cañadu and Gaspar Rodriguez

 

Angeles II

Choreography: Ángel Muñoz
Original Score: Gaspar Rodriguez

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

Musicians: Full company

 

KEY ARTIST BACKGROUND

 

CARLOTA SANTANA is an internationally renowned Spanish dance artist and educator, and the founder (1983) of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. She has been called "The Keeper of Flamenco" by Dance Magazine in recognition of her commitment to creating new works and developing young artists and in 2013, the King and Spanish Government awarded Ms. Santana with La Cruz de la Orden al Merito Civil medalfor "all the years of passion, excellence and dedication to the Flamenco art." Ms. Santana has produced many major performance programs, presented nationally and internationally, toured extensively, developed and implemented Flamenco Vivo's curriculum-based arts education programs and created numerous community partnerships and residency programs.  She has been a member of the Dance Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts, and has served on the panel for the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Santana is on the faculty of Duke University, and has taught at New York University and Long Island University.

 

ANTONIO HIDALGO (Associate Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer) was born in the town of Lucena (Córdoba) Spain, and has worked with many leading Spanish dance companies throughout his professional career. These include the companies of Jose Antonio, Paco Romero, Jose Greco and Antonio Gades, where he danced the principal role of Escamillo. He has collaborated with companies such as that of Maria Benitez, Masamy Okada and Yolanda Gonzalez, as well as various flamenco-fusion groups such as Kon-raza and Arickytwon. Hidalgo has appeared on Spanish television and theatre, working with such directors as Miguel Naros, Salvador Tavara and Antonio Molero. In partnership with Inmaculada Ortega, he directs the Company Aroma Flamenca. He has received commissions from the New York State Council on the Arts for his acclaimed pieces "Mano a Mano" and "Bailaor/Bailaora" and "Imagenes Flamencas," which toured nationally and premiered in New York at The Joyce Theater in 2001, 2002 and 2006 respectively.  Named Flamenco Vivo's Associate Artistic Director in 2013, Antonio has also served as rehearsal director and performer with the Fundación Antonio Gades, whose mission is to preserve the legacy of this famed Spanish choreographer.

 

SUSANA DI PALMA - (Choreographer) has studied Spanish dance and flamenco since childhood, training in Spain with maestros Ciro, Manolo Marin, Manolete, Carmen Mora and Merche Esmeralda, and performing throughout Spain in tablaos and with companies such as La Singla.  In 1985, she founded Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater in Minneapolis with the mission to create innovative theater works that expand on traditional flamenco to reflect on controversial contemporary issues. Di Palma's full length theater-flamenco ballets include:  Flor, Garden of Names, Gernika, Sadja , First, I Dream,  La Virtud Negra, Encuentros, Tales of the Black Legend, Convivir, Los Caprichos among others. Her works have been presented at The Cowles Center, New York's Joyce Theater, Miami's Florida Dance Festival, St. Paul's O'Shaughnessy Theater's "Women of Substance Series," and the Walker Art Center. Di Palma has received grants and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board; National Endowment for the Arts; The McKnight Foundation; Jerome Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and The Bush Foundation. She currently divides her time between Madrid and Minneapolis.

 

GASPAR RODRIGUEZ (Composer, Guitarist, Musical Director) was born in Estepona, Málaga.  He has won several prestigious awards, including the "Sabicas," and was a finalist of La Unión in flamenco guitar.  An accomplished composer, Gaspar has traveled throughout Spain, Europe and in New York City with Cañadú with whom he has produced several CD's, and has worked for El Nuevo Ballet Español under the direction of Angel Rojas.  In addition to touring worldwide with many esteemed flamenco artists, including Juan Andrés Maya, Rocío Molina, Juanito Maravillas, Andres Lozano, Maite Maya and Paco del Pozo, he regularly performs in Madrid tablaos Casa Patas and Las Carboneras.  Gaspar first worked with Flamenco Vivo in 1997 and currently servies as Musical Director for the company's New York seasons and National Tours.


ÁNGEL MUÑOZ (Choreographer, Dancer), born in Córdoba, began his studies with Inmaculada Luque and as a student of the Conservatory of Dance, then won the prize "La Mejorana" in 1994 in the National Contest of Flamenco Art in Córdoba. He began his performing career with Javier Latorre's Company Ziryab Dance, and went on to roles as first dancer with the companies of José Antonio and María Pages in Spain, and with María Benitez in the USA. He is the first dancer and guest artist with Paco Peña, and his work with Peña's ensemble earned him a nomination for Britain's 2015 National Dance Awards. Ángel has created choreographies for his own company and in collaboration with the guitarist Victor Monge, "Serranito" and Juan Manuel "Cañizares," with whom he has released a record. He was in the movie Callas Forever directed by Zeffirelli, performs often in London, America and throughout Europe. Ángel first worked with the Flamenco Vivo in 1996, and has been a featured guest artist and choreographer since 2012.

AMANDA SELWYN DANCE THEATRE presents FOOTPRINTS: A Modern Dance Festival Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, NYC May 19-21, 2016

The West Side YMCA Community Arts Department and Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre present FOOTPRINTS: A Modern Dance Festival, May 19-21, 2016 at 7:30pm, at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater.  This second annual dance festival will celebrate innovative works of contemporary dance from diverse new and established voices in NYC dance.

FOOTPRINTS will feature the following works:Dreaming into Being by Lillian Stamey and 96b; It is You, and You, and You by Jin-Wen Yu; Shaft Medley by Sue Samuels and Jazz Roots Dance Company; Untitled by Alana Marie Urda and Amalgamate Dance Company; EVO by Winnie Berger and Mook Dance Project; and Refuge by Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre.

Performances will take place Thursday, May 19, 2016 through Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 7:30pm in the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd St, NY, 10023. Tickets are priced at $15 for all premium and regular seats,  $10 for Students/Children, and $10 for YMCA NYC Members.

To purchase tickets, visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/957283.

For more information, please visit:

LABAlive Presents BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG at the Theater at the 14th Street Y April 7 & 9, 2016

LABAlive presents BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG created by LABA fellows Rebecca Margolick and Maxx Berkowitz on April 7, 2016 and April 9, 2016 at 8pm at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th St, New York, NY.  BIRD SING A PRETTY SONG is a new performance piece combining dance, interactive media and film from dancer Rebecca Margolick and composer and graphic artist Maxx Berkowitz. The work is an exploration of solitude, beauty and chaos and the way in which technology amplifies and minimizes those states of being. 

Tickets are $20 (drinks included) and can be purchased at www.labajournal.com/calendar or by calling 646-395-4310.

 

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College and Anton Krilloff present The Snow Maiden

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College will team up once again with producer Anton Krilloff present a Russian holiday fairy tale, The Snow Maiden (Снегурочка), on Sunday, December 20, 2015 at 4pm. Ticket prices range from $35 to $60 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm). The running time is 1 hour and 10 minutes with no intermission. The Snow Maiden is performed in Russian with English subtitles.

In this magical Russian Christmas version of the Cinderella story, Grandfather Frost (the Russian Santa Claus) transforms a poor young girl into the beautiful Snow Maiden after proving her worthiness. This delightful children's extravaganza incorporates traditional Russian songs, dances and elaborate costumes to create a winter wonderland. At the end of the performance, every child in the audience will receive a Christmas candy gift box. 

The festivities begin with a musical interlude of Russian folk music played by the ensemble Barynya, followed by entertainment and riddles by skomorokhi, traditional Russian clowns who historically traveled from town to town, performing in the streets and at fairs, singing comedic songs and acting out satirical sketches. As the pre-show comes to a close, Grandfather Frost (the Russian Santa Claus) is introduced, who acts as a type of narrator for the musical fairy tale to follow.

The Snow Maiden premiered in 2008 in Moscow. The creative team on this show includes an honored Russian writer and director Boris Boreyko (The Bremen Town Musicians), director and choreographer Andrey Ivanov, and costume designer Tatyana Kudryavtseva. All costumes were created by the Mariinsky Theatre tailors. www.thesnowmaiden.com.

Visit BrooklynCenter.org for a complete season lineup.

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

Theater Resources Unlimited and The Playroom Theatre present the September TRU Panel

  • An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet
  • Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), and The Playroom Theatre, present the September panel, An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet, on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm at The Playroom Theater, 151 W. 46th Street, 8th floor, NYC 10036. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments; roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm.

Meet the program directors and illustrious board members of Theater Resources Unlimited, including director of writer programs Diana Amsterdam, producer/board member Michael Alden (Disgraced, Grey Gardens, Becoming Dr. Ruth; director of our Producer Development program), producer/board member Patrick Blake (The 39 Steps, Bedlam Theater Hamlet/St. Joan, Play Dead, The Exonerated, In the Continuum; artistic director of Rhymes Over Beats,director of our Producer Development program), TRU literary manager Cate Cammarata, TRU co-founder and Vice-President Cheryl L. Davis, Esq. (offering free legal consultations for new members), not-for-profit consultant/co-chair of YPAC Kimberly Eaton, producer/board member David Elliott (Broadway: Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike; off-Broadway: Bedlam Theater Hamlet/St. Joan, In the Continuum), attorney Eric Goldman, Esq. (offering free mediation services and counsel to TRU members), producer/videographer Jeremy Handelman (On the Town, F#%king Up Everything, White's Lies, The King's Speech on stage), producer Patricia Klausner (Shotgun Productions; Scottsboro Boys,Pippin, The Trip to Bountiful; director of our Producer Development program), producer/co-chair of YPAC Molly Morris (My Life Is a Musical, PopUpTheatrics), producer/board member Tom Polum (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, All Shook Up; head of TRU Voices selection committee), financial advisor Bailie Slevin (TRU Pathways presenter, offering free financial consultations to TRU members), board member Courtney Sweeting, entertainment industry creative consultant and career coach Joanne Zippel (TRU Pathways presenter, offering free career consultations to TRU members).

Learn about our programs, including our Producer Development & Mentorship Program, the TRU Voices Reading Series, Mediation Workshop and other Producer Boot Camps, Speed Dates and Actor Workshops, Writer-Producer Speed Date, Director-Writer Communications Lab, our new How to Write a Musical That Works Workshop and more. Meet our newly formed Young Patrons & Artists Circle (YPAC), and learn if you are eligible to join them. Come with questions. And let us know what we don't offer that you wish we did.

Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments, roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm - come prepared with your best one-minute summary of who you are, and what you need. Free for TRU members; usually $12 for non-members, but free for everyone for this season opener. Please call at least a day in advance (or much sooner) for reservations: 212/714-7628; or e-mail

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call (212) 714-7628.

Zullo/RawMovement presents The Architecture of Proximity

Zullo/RawMovement presents The Architecture of Proximity at the Theater at the 14th Street Y from Wednesday - Saturday, October 28-31, 2015 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 3 p.m. at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, 10003, NYC.  Tickets are $30 ($25 for students and seniors) and can be purchased at www.14streety.org, by calling (646) 395-4310, or in person at the 14th Street Y.   The Architecture of Proximity is presented in association with the Dance Series at the 14th Street Y. 

The Architecture of Proximity combines elements of post-modern dance, voguing, gestural, and impulse generated movement. It is an immersive dance work that explores the relationship between architectural spaces and their physical and psychological effects on the body. The work examines what happens when the proximity between audience and performer is erased and investigates how boundaries and borders define a sense of "ownership" of self and space. Zullo uses the collected essays in Space & Psyche, edited by Elizabeth Danze and Stephen Sonnenberg from the Center for American Architecture and Design at The University of Texas at Austin, to further consider how spaces effect the body both physically and psychologically. Composer David Engelhard creates an original and interactive sound score that responds to the performers' choices.

The Architecture of Proximity was performed alongside Mana Hashimoto's Stories of Blind-Light, Shadow and Wind on January 29, 2015 at FLICfest at the Irondale Center.

RawMovement dancers: Bong Ian Dizon, Sarah Eichler, Hana Goldstone, Heidi Morgan, Jillian Sawyer, and guest performers Brittany Beyer, Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone, Liz Little, Dale Ratcliff, Kat Sullivan.

Collaborators: Visual Artist Sarah Crespo, Composer David Engelhard, Visual Technology Artist Kat Sullivan

"Zullo awakens all of the senses through the experiential nature of The Architecture of Proximity." - Dance Enthusiast

"Dance enthusiasts look for innovation and a style that delivers something new to the art. In their weekend performances at Danspace Project at the St. Mark's Church, Zullo/RawMovement did just that with unique choreographies and passionate performers." - Marina Kennedy, Broadway World

"Zullo is to be applauded for bringing his work and his collaborators' contributions to us so creatively." - Times Square Chronicles

"John's choreography clothes elements of contemporary dance in a gritty patina; the edgy aspects of his style are well-expressed by his dancers, and while the movement is always well- mapped-out there is also a feeling of spontaneity in each dancer's unique delivery of the steps and gestures." - Philip Gardner, Oberon's Grove


John J Zullo is originally from the Bronx, New York and currently resides in NYC. He graduated from American University in 1996 with a B.A. in Anthropology and 1999 with an M.A. in Dance. John danced with many artists while at American University. While there,  he performed in a work by Ohad Naharin, presented his choreography at Dance Place in Washington, D.C. and was awarded the Arts Club of Washington's Award for Outstanding Choreographer 1999. 

In January 2010 Zullo/RawMovement began performing at various venues in NYC. Zullo/RawMovement was one of six artists selected for FLICfest 2015 at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. There they premiered The Architecture of Proximity, an evening length immersive work where the boundary between performer and spectator is erased. Zullo/ RawMovement presented the Memory Suite evening of works at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts in June 2014 where it was a Boston Globe pick of the week. Zullo/RawMovement presented its 2013 season at Danspace Project at St. Mark's church as part of the Dance:Access series. The evening of works, the Memory Suite, included "this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin" (2013), "ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE" (2012), & project Xiii (2013). Zullo/RawMovement was presented for a sold out run at the LaMaMa Moves! Festival 2013 and invited to perform in the Dumbo Dance Festival 2013.

Zullo/RawMovement was presented at the LaMaMa Spoleto Open in Spoleto, Italy September 2012. Dixon Place presented an evening of Zullo's work in November 2012 as well as a Split Bill in June 2012 and the July 2012 Moving Men Series as part of the HOT! Festival. Zullo/RawMovement was presented at Green Space 2010 & 2011. DanceNOWNYC presented Zullo/RawMovement for the RAW Festival in April 2011 as well as the Evolve Festival in Tarrytown, New York and the IndepenDance Festival at City Center Studio 5, 2010. Zullo/RawMovement had its first New York Season at Theater for the New City in April 2011 and Zullo/RawMovement was presented at BAM for the 3rd annual EveryBooty LGBTQ Pride event June 2015.

Zullo currently teaches Raw Movement Labs for the Guest Artist Program at Gibney Dance Center. He has taught at the Modern Guest Artist Series at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC since 2012. Zullo has also taught and lectured at New York University, The Greenwich Academy in Connecticut, Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland,the Dance Complex and Green Street Studios in Cambridge, Mass,  American University, The Washington Ballet at THEARC in Washington, D.C., Adelphi University, Hunter College, Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, Wells College and the YMCA/Evolve Dance in Tarrytown, New York.

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, Darlene Love, 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 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
  • The Robert Glasper Trio
  • Darlene Love
  • Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
  • 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.

Darlene Love

Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $40

Pop icon Darlene Love has been captivating audiences worldwide for decades with her warmth, grace, and electrifying performances.  She has sung with legends including Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, lit up the Broadway stage in such musicals as Grease and Hairspray, and was featured in the 2014 Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. From her No. 1 hit, "He's A Rebel," to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she continues to blaze a trail of success, proving why Rolling Stone magazine calls her "one of the greatest singers of all time."

Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration
Featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $25

Renowned DJ/producer Felix Hernandez, creator and host of the widely popular Rhythm Revue radio show and dance parties, teams up with the "King of Latin Soul," Joe Bataan, for an evening of live music and DJ'ing that celebrates the musical genre known as Latin Soul and Boogaloo. Originating in Spanish Harlem in the 1960s, this fusion of mambo and Latin jazz with African American R&B, soul, and doo-wop resulted in a highly danceable and distinctively urban form of music that reflects the amazing multicultural fabric of New York City.

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 The Snow Maiden or 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.

For more details, please visit: BrooklynCenter.org

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET announces PILATES CLASSES

Beginning Tuesday, July 7, 2015

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) is pleased to announce its new Pilates classes, beginning Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at NYTB's home studio, located at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City. Classes will be offered on both Tuesday evenings, from 7-8pm, and Thursday mornings, from 8:15-9:15am. Cost will be $15/class walk in, $60 per 5-class card.

Taught by Amanda Treiber, principal dancer with NYTB, this gentle Pilates class is designed to build strength, coordination, and flexibility while gaining the understanding of the muscles used and the technique of the exercises. Combining the ideas of basic ballet and STOTT Pilates allows for many modifications that are used throughout the class to accommodate the most beginner level to the most advanced. This class is especially good for all types of physically active people who are looking to balance out the body in a gentle constructive way.

New York Theatre Ballet presents Carnival of the Animals - June 6-7

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) presents Carnival of the Animals from June 6-7, 2015 as part of the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, NYC.  

"In a magical forest, Queen Diana and her shaggy lion rule a charming assortment of animals who live more or less peaceably until a pair of lost children wander in, and then the fun begins!"

Choreography by: Beth Storey Taylor.

The performance will feature live music, with four hands on one piano.

  • Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm.  
  • Tickets: $35 for children, $40 for adults.
  • Single tickets: Available through ticketmaster.com, and
  • Subscriptions: Can be purchased by submitting an order form to admin@nytb.org. 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.nytb.org/calendar-and-tickets/view/Carnival-of-the-Animals.

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.

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.

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!

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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.

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,