MMAC Presents a Halloween Spooktacular Benefit 10/24

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center presents Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun! and Things That Go Bump in the Night, two Halloween-themed benefit shows to raise money for the Manhattan Youth Ballet on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W. 60th Street, NYC (between Amsterdam & West End Avenues).

The day kicks off with two 30-minute kid-friendly performances of Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun! the firstat 3:30pm (ages 2 and up) and the second at 4:30pm (ages 5 and up), along with a haunted open house of Halloween games and activities from 4 - 4:30pm (all ages). Tickets are $15 for adults/$10 for kids, which include one 30 minute show and the open house. The evening events begin with a Halloween Happy Hour from 6 - 7pm, followed by a performance of Things That Go Bump in the Night at 7pm, featuring aerial circus acts and contemporary dance (ages 18 and up). Tickets for the evening performance are $20 and are available by visiting www.manhattanmovement.com/calendar/. Participants are encouraged to arrive in costume.

These Halloween-inspired shows combine the flavor of the season with aerial and circus acts of wonder, all while supporting the work of the Manhattan Youth Ballet. The MYB academy is grounded in the French classical tradition, encouraging the development of outstanding technique and artistry. As a not-for-profit arts organization, the Manhattan Youth Ballet also helps to inspire a love of dance through outreach in the New York City Public Schools.

About Manhattan Movement & Arts Center
Manhattan Movement & Arts Center was developed by Rose Caiola as the home of the Manhattan Youth Ballet, a graded, pre-professional ballet academy and performance company. Ms. Caiola, a lifelong dance enthusiast and a former actress, founded the academy in the fall of 1994 as Studio Maestro at 48 W. 68th Street, and serves today as the youth ballet's executive artistic director.

The school is modeled after the European academies and adheres to the French School of classical ballet technique. Under the direction of Francois Perron, managing artistic director, the Manhattan Youth Ballet has acquired a reputation for excellent teaching in an intimate and individually supportive environment. The school's graduates have danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Nederland Dans Theater, Ballet de Espana, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions.

As the ballet academy grew, the search for a larger space inspired in Ms. Caiola a highly personal vision of a studio and theater complex that would encompass all aspects of dance education and performance.

MMAC opened its doors in June 2008, occupying a dramatic bi-level space within The Element, a luxury high-rise condominium located to the southwest of Lincoln Center. In addition to the Manhattan Youth Ballet, MMAC's studios and theater host daily adult dance and fitness classes, the MMAC Kids program, summer intensive programs, as well as an array of performances and special events.

For more information about MMAC, visit www.manhattanmovement.com.