Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Carolyn Dorfman Dance Set for SummerStage

Complexions Contemporary Ballet / Carolyn Dorfman Dance will perform SummerStage @ Central Park, MN on Wednesday, July 27. Doors 7pm / Show 8pm. Free Show.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet: Website

It is artistic directors Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson's lifelong appreciation for the artistic and aesthetic appeal of the multicultural that forms the cornerstone of Complexions Contemporary Ballet's singular approach to reinventing dance. Founded in 1994, Complexions' groundbreaking mix of methods, styles, cultures has created an entirely new and exciting vision of human movement over the past 20 years. The company's foremost innovation is that dance should be about removing boundaries, not reinforcing them. Whether it be the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture, Complexions transcends them all, creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of our world-and all its constituent cultures-as an interrelated whole. Together, Rhoden and Richardson have created in Complexions an institution that embodies its historical moment, a sanctuary where those passionate about dance can celebrate its past while simultaneously building its future. In the 21 years since its inception, the company has bore witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more changeable, and more culturally interconnected than ever before-in other words, a world that is becoming more and more like Complexions itself.

For SummerStage 2016, Complexions Contemporary Ballet will perform several pieces, including "STRUM" - a work paired with music from infamous metal band Metallica. Controversial themes of life, love, death, and evolution move 14 performers rapidly in and out of each other's arms and through space. "STRUM" empowers the bizarre, unleashes the rebel, and embraces the tender heart.

Complexions will also be in Clove Lakes on 8/6. More info can be found at: http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/event/summerstage-complexions/

Carolyn Dorfman Dance: Website

Carolyn Dorfman Dance connects life and dance in bold, athletic and dramatic works by Carolyn Dorfman and nationally renowned choreographers. The company's ten multi-ethnic and stunning dancers tap their unique talents to present high-energy and technically demanding dance that unleashes the powerful storytelling and imagery of its visionary creator. This distinctive combination takes audiences on intellectual and emotional journeys that ultimately illuminate and celebrate the human experience. This is contemporary dance that moves you to think, feel, laugh, cry and engage.

For this SummerStage 2016 performance, Carolyn Dorfman Dance will perform "WAVES." A sensation-based exploration of music and dance. With commissioned score by virtuosic musicians and dancers who push the boundaries of their art forms: cellist Jessie Reagen Mann, multi-instrumentalist and human beat boxer Pete List and recorder player Daphna Mor - the sky's the limit. Dorfman uses this eclectic and unusual grouping of artists, their instruments, sounds, and vocals, to create new and visceral movement connections - WAVES - between her dancers, the music and the dance.

About SummerStage:

SummerStage, a program of City Parks Foundation, is New York's largest free performing arts festival. SummerStage annually presents over 100 performances in sixteen parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin and world music to dance, spoken word and theater, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City's summer arts festival landscape. Since its inception thirty years ago, more than six million people from New York City and around the world have enjoyed SummerStage.

SummerStage is presented by Capital One Bank.

SummerStage shows are RAIN OR SHINE and are only cancelled in the event of what the venue staff judges to be dangerous wind or lightning. All schedules of events and performer lineup is subject to change. The following cannot be brought into the Central Park venue: glass bottles, cans, coolers, folding chairs, bikes, rollerblades, skateboards, beach umbrellas, video cameras, selfie sticks, professional camera gear, tripods or pets. The venue is not responsible for prohibited items left outside the venue. Bags and patrons are subject to search upon entering the venue. Beer and wine are on sale at the Central Park venue for onsite consumption only; alcoholic beverages are otherwise forbidden in NYC Parks. Smoking is prohibited in all NYC parks. The distribution and / or sale of unauthorized media or materials on park grounds is banned. Select shows in Central Park offer first-come, first-served limited seating. The venue will close doors at capacity; arrive early to guarantee entry, get the best available seats and to secure space near the stage.

About City Parks Foundation:

City Parks Foundation is the only independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to offer programs in public parks throughout the five boroughs of New York City. At City Parks Foundation, we are dedicated to invigorating and transforming parks into dynamic, vibrant centers of urban life through sports, arts, community development, and education programs for all New Yorkers. Our programs and community building initiatives -- located in more than 300 parks, recreation centers, and public schools across the city -- reach 425,000 people each year. Our ethos is simple: we believe thriving parks reflect thriving communities.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance will also be in East River Park on 8/13. More info can be found at: http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/event/summerstage-carolyn-dorfman-dance/