Nimbus Dance Works' Announce New Location for 2017-18 Season

Facing an August 31st deadline to identify a new home, Nimbus Dance Works announces that the organization, one of Jersey City's largest professional arts non-profits, and a leading dance organization statewide, will relocate to 165 Newark Avenue for the 2017-18 season, adjacent to the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza. With two dance studios, office and storage space, Nimbus' new location will house the professional company and Nimbus2 (second company), the School of Nimbus Dance Works, the NimbusPresents performance series, and company offices from which Nimbus administers dance education programs throughout the Jersey City school system. Nimbus has announced a campaign to raise funds and for in-kind items to support the move to the new location.

Made available by Matt Weinreich and Hopkins Group LLC, the new location offers a temporary solution to Nimbus' critical space needs. Nimbus hopes to publicly announce plans soon for a significant new arts facility in Jersey City to be constructed over the next 2 years.

Says Nimbus Artistic Director Samuel Pott, "As arts groups struggle for space, funding and traction amidst the fast-changing urban environment in Jersey City, we couldn't be more pleased about the opportunity to move our company and school to 165 Newark Avenue. Jersey City's character is intertwined with the arts, and residents seek opportunities to experience high quality dance and dance instruction. We are grateful that Matt Weinreich and Hopkins Group share this vision for Jersey City and, at a critical moment for our organization, have made this fantastic space available to Nimbus for the immediate future."

Says Matt Weinreich of Hopkins Group LLC, "As long-time Jersey City investors and developers, we recognize the importance of the arts as part of the community's cultural fabric. We are glad to be able to provide an attractive temporary home to Nimbus as it finalizes its permanent location within Jersey City."

Jersey City arts groups are facing increasing financial pressure on account of rising rents, cost of living, and a lack of public and private funding sources. City Council President Rolando Lavarro who assisted with Nimbus' relocation to 165 Newark Avenue says, "I recognize that the Arts are vital to our City's growth and success. Whether it's working with developers like Matt and Hopkins Group or finding money in our budget to fund the arts, I am committed to do what I can so that valuable cultural assets like Nimbus will not just survive, but will flourish in Jersey City.".

Nimbus seeks financial and in-kind support for the move, to assist with construction and improvements, office equipment, theatrical lighting equipment, and curtains for the new location. Donations may be made through Nimbus' website: www.nimbusdanceworks.org or through www.gofundme.com/nimbusnewhome.

Nimbus Dance Works' relocation will coincide with the start of the company's 13th season which will see the company perform throughout New Jersey, New England, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Fisher Theater, where the company will present the world premiere of Samuel Pott's Esther, in collaboration with Brooklyn-based indie-rock band, Sky Pony. The School of Nimbus Dance Works' Fall term will commence September 11th with classes for ages 2yrs - adult. Jersey City Nutcracker rehearsals will commence shortly after. Stay tuned for Grand Opening date, School Open House events, auditions for: Jersey City Nutcracker, Pre-professional program, Nimbus Youth Ensemble (13-18yrs), and Junior Youth Ensemble (9-12 yrs), and NimbusPresents performance dates.

Nimbus Dance Works focuses its work on the intersection between high-level dance and innovative ways of involving communities and audiences. In addition to work by Artistic Director Samuel Pott, the company commissions dances by leading international dancemakers including Pedro Ruiz (Cuba/USA), Huang Yi (Taiwan), Korhan Basaran (Turkey), Darshan Singh Bhuller (UK/India) and Xiao-Xiong Zhang (Australia/Taiwan). The company has received acclaim for its program Dance Speaks Out - the company presents significant, historic, socio-political modern dance works - including Pearl Primus' Strange Fruit (1942) and Charles Weidman's Lynchtown (1936) - and leads community members in the creation of dance work that respond to socio-political subjects of significance in their community. Through company performances, programs for youth and seniors, partnerships with institutions such as the Jersey City Board of Education and Rutgers University, and collaborations with notable composers and visual artists, Nimbus weaves together artistic excellence and community impact.

Nimbus' programs impact more than 12,000 people each year. Nimbus' educational programs serve over 1,200 annually in the Jersey City public schools. The School of Nimbus Dance Works offers training in Ballet and Modern Dance for over 130 youth ages 2-18, including a pre-professional program. Nimbus presents semi-annual seasons in Jersey City, annual New York City Seasons, and touring regionally including many of the most prestigious venues in the region including: Brooklyn Academy of Music, NJPAC, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater.

About Samuel Pott, Artistic Director

Samuel Pott (Artistic Director) Samuel Pott founded Nimbus Dance Works in 2005 drawing on a deeply held personal belief in the value that the arts can play in bringing people and communities together. Under his direction the company has grown each year adding performances, new repertory, and new community initiatives and projects. Known for creating structured and musical dances that evoke deep-rooted emotional connection, Mr. Pott's choreography has been shown in New York City and throughout New Jersey, New England and California at venues including the Joyce Theater and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. He has collaborated with many esteemed contemporary artists including composers Daniel Bernard Roumain, Samson Young, Judd Greenstein, Aaron Parks and visual artists Nicola Lopez and Trudy Miller.

A member of the New Jersey State Arts Council's Arts in Education roster of artists, he has taught dance at the elementary, high school, college, and professional levels and has served on the faculty of Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. In 2012 he founded the School of Nimbus Dance Works, grounded in the belief that dance can serve as a meeting point for diverse communities for growth towards common values and goals. The School makes high quality dance training available to youth throughout Jersey City regardless of financial background. Mr. Pott founded and directs NimbusPresents, a Jersey City performance series featuring local and national performers. Mr. Pott has received Choreography Fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in 2008 and 2016 and was named a Distinguished Teaching Artist by the council in 2012. Mr. Pott was one of 25 arts leaders nationally selected for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters' (APAP) inaugural Leadership Fellows Program. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Jersey City Arts Council.

Mr. Pott began his dance training at the University of California, Berkeley, and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999. As a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company, his repertoire included such iconic roles as the Husbandman in Appalachian Spring, Agamemnon in Clytemnestra, and Adam in Embattled Garden. In addition to working with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Mr. Pott has performed as a lead dancer with many ballet and contemporary companies including American Repertory Ballet, the Oakland Ballet, Savage Jazz Dance Company. Featured roles are from a wide range of dance styles and choreographers including works by Marius Petipa, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Isadora Duncan, Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch, and theater directors Robert Wilson and Ann Bogart among many others.