Twyla Tharp News

The exclusive season of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is almost here, running from 28 August to 7 September 2014.

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's WICKED below!

Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive Program will be hosting several guest teachers this year, including New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan. Phelan originally trained at Princeton Ballet School from 2000 to 2009, and then continued her training at the School of American Ballet, the official training academy of New York City Ballet. She became an apprentice of the company in December of 2012, and joined New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in November of 2013.

The New York Dance and Performance Awards (The Bessies), NYC's premier dance awards honoring outstanding creative work in the field, celebrates a milestone 30th anniversary this year. Today, the 36 nominees for the 2013-14 season were announced at a press conference by members of The Bessies Selection Committee. The nominations (listed below) were selected by an independent committee of 40 dance industry professionals. Produced in partnership with Dance/NYC, Bessie Award categories include Outstanding Performer, Outstanding Production, Outstanding Visual Design, Outstanding Music Composition or Sound Design and Outstanding Revival.

American Repertory Ballet has named Vanessa Logan as its new Executive Director. Logan joins ARB from Boston Ballet, where she most recently served as Chief of Staff.

Ballet Academy East has announced that Wendy Whelan will join the Pre-Professional Division Faculty. Ms. Whalen's tenure will begin with Ballet Academy East's Summer Intensive from August 18-29 and will continue through the school year, which begins on September 16, 2014. Ms. Whalen will primarily teach the upper level students of the Pre-Professional Division.

Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive Program will be hosting several guest teachers this year, including New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan. Phelan originally trained at Princeton Ballet School from 2000 to 2009, and then continued her training at the School of American Ballet, the official training academy of New York City Ballet. She became an apprentice of the company in December of 2012, and joined New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in November of 2013.

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston will present Me and My Girl from today, July 10-20, 2014 as part of its 46th Annual Summer Season at the Robinson Theatre (617 Lexington St. Waltham, MA).

Tickets for the 8th annual Chicago Dancing Festival, the free Festival at venues across downtown Chicago, will become available to the general public today and tomorrow, July 8 and 9.

Chicago Dancing Festival founders Lar Lubovitch and Jay Franke are pleased to announce today additional works being added to the 2014 Festival lineup, including two more World Premieres, plus plans for a pre- and post-performance sponsors party around the "Celebration of Dance" Grand Finale performance, Saturday, August 23. Free tickets for the Festival's indoor performances become available to the public this week, July 8 and 9. The 2014 Chicago Dancing Festival, featuring top ballet, modern and hip-hop companies from Chicago and across the country, is set to take place August 20 - 23.

Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston will present Me and My Girl from July 10-20, 2014 as part of its 46th Annual Summer Season at the Robinson Theatre (617 Lexington St. Waltham, MA). Me and My Girl is the joyously funny story of an unrefined cockney gent who must choose between love or money. The mixture of cockney and nobility results in a rollicking, hilarious Downton Abbey with engaging song and dance.

Today in 1985, Singin' in the Rain opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 367 performances. Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures. Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina.

On June 23, 2014, many young dancers started summer dance programs with Princeton Ballet School at its Cranbury studio and on campus at Princeton University. These programs are known as Summer Intensive Intermediates and Summer Intensive Juniors. They are divisions of Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive, a nationally recognized program in its 32nd year.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: The next installment in Encores! Off-Center is FAUST: THE CONCERT, featuring Randy Newman and an all-star cast, plus The Skivvies strip down and more!

The LakeArts Foundation will present the World Premiere of TROPHIES, a unique collaborative performance piece that blends sculptural masks by Roland Gebhardt, choreography by Mercedes and music by Moondog, performed live by HalfMoon Consort, under the direction of Louis Nicolia. It will be performed tonight, June 26 at Jack Hanley Gallery.

On Monday, June 23, ballet students from around the world started their first day of training at Princeton Ballet School's studios in the Princeton Shopping Center. This is Princeton Ballet School's 32nd year of offering their Summer Intensive course, making it one of the oldest programs in the United States.

Young Soon Kim and WHITE WAVE DANCE present the World Premiere of Eternal NOW. An ambitious collaboration reuniting Young Soon Kim's fluid and intertwining dramatic movement with longtime collaborator composer Marco Cappelli, who will perform an original score live, as dancers interact with scenes of lusciously composed images and edited footage by video artist, Kate Freer, playing on widescreen monitors.

The American Ballet Theatre (ABT) has confirmed that its full company of dancers will travel to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) to perform in the exclusive Brisbane season which runs from 28 August to 7 September 2014.