Neville Dance Theatre to Present CELEBRATING WOMEN COMPOSERS at MMAC in March

Neville Dance Theatre will present the World Premiere of CELEBRATING WOMEN COMPOSERS with choreography by Brenda Neville, Kristen Klein, Lauren Settembrino Music by Caroline Shaw, Zoe Keating, Missy Mazzoli, Nkeiru Okoye, Lo Kristenson, Hildur Guonadottir, and more on Saturday March 25 at 3 PM & 7:30 PM at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street (bet. 10th Avenue & West End Avenue).

Tickets: $28; $18 for students/seniors

Reservations: (Part of the proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to the Willie Mae Rock Camp, a non-profit Brooklyn organization dedicated to empowering girls and gender-expansive youth through music education and mentorship.) www.williemaerockcamp.org

Dancers: Mackenzie Allen, Kayla Armgardt, Laura Dearman, Agustin Gomes, Tori Hey, Shoshana Mozlin, Cassandra Punzo, Lauren Settembrino, and Amanda Summers
In celebration of Women's History Month, choreographer Brenda Neville will present her Neville Dance Theatre in a program of three world premieres, all choreographed to music by Caroline Shaw, Zoe Keating, Missy Massoli, Nkeiru Okoye, Lo Kristenson, Hildur Guonadottir, and others.

Choreographers are Brenda Neville, Kristen Klein, and Lauren Settembrino, the latter two both recipients of the Neville Dance Theatre's 2023 Winter Chance-to-Choreograph*.

Two performances, Saturday March 25 at 3 PM & 7:30 PM at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street.

Chance to Choreograph* program offers selected choreographers an opportunity to work with the Neville Dance Theatre, to create new works, and have presented during one of the Company's performance seasons or bookings.

Premieres (all choreographers are "Chance to Choreograph Artists")

Identities by Brenda Neville explores self-perceptions of individual identity, with focuses on how the dancers see themselves against the perceptions of others and societal sterotypes.

The Pursuit by Kristen Klein is a look at mankind's intuitive drive for success, accomplishment, and progress. The work is inspired by the performer's personal thoughts on how we chase our dreams and goals;

Flee Porneia. by Lauren Settembrino. Set to "Ruin" by composer Zamilska, the work examines the layered process of unlearning traumatic systems, explored through the lens of human sexuality. The solo progresses through stages of suppression, conflict, and an eventual pleasure in heresy.

The program will also include repertory works Exposed, music by Hildur Guonadottir with Hauschka; Eclipse to music by Helen Jane Long; and Banter to music by Zoe Keating.

About Neville Dance Theatre

Hailed as "compelling", "imaginative" and a "pure delight" by both critics and patrons alike, Neville Dance Theatre brings theatrical and thematic innovation to dance in works that span the classical to contemporary ballet spectrum. Through eclectic and universally themed works that celebrate the human spirit and our shared world, this vibrant company creates a colorful tapestry of movement woven from a diverse array of dance styles, enabling the joy and artistry of dance to be felt by audiences of all ages and persuasions. The company prides itself on fostering an artistic exchange of styles, outlooks, and attitudes with both its artists and audience, and furthering an appreciation of dance as a powerful means of expression, communication, and artistry.

Founded in 2005 by Brenda R. Neville and composed of artists from across the globe, Neville Dance Theatre regularly performs at venues and festivals throughout the five boroughs and beyond. They have been presented at the 92nd Street Y Fridays@Noon Series, Queens Fringe Festival, COOL NY Dance Festival, DUMBO Dance Festival, the NYC Dance Parade and Dance Fest, and venues including the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Kumble Theatre for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn, the Hudson Guild Theatre in Manhattan, The United Theatre in Westerly, RI, The Marcus Center, Vogel Hall in Milwaukee, WI, and Harmony In the Woods in Hawley, PA. The company annually presents New York City seasons of new works and repertory favorites and has a variety of community engagement opportunities through the company's 'Chance' programs. Neville Dance Theatre has been recognized in media and press publications including Dance Magazine, Time Out New York, the New York Post, and on Fox 5's 'Good Day New York'. Neville Dance Theatre offers educational workshops, classes and intensives to schools, universities, and organizations in a wide array of dance styles, including repertory, classical ballet, contemporary dance, Argentine Tango, Flamenco and others. They are available both in conjunction with the company's performances or independently as an educational component. Neville Dance Theatre is a non-profit, 501c3 organization.

Brenda R. Neville

NDT Artistic Director & Choreographer Brenda R. Neville is the Founder, Artistic Director, and resident choreographer of Neville Dance Theatre. She has created over 25 works, spanning the classical to contemporary ballet spectrum, for the company over its eighteen-year history. Hailed as "compelling", "imaginative" and a "pure delight" by critics and patrons, her portfolio includes two full length narrative ballets, eight concert length works, multiple stand-alone shorts, and numerous restagings of classical ballets. She has received several choreographic grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, and other others.

Prior to founding Neville Dance Theatre, for over two decades Brenda performed and choreographed in over 18 different countries including Argentina, China, Hungary, Japan, Romania, and Spain with companies such as the Milwaukee Ballet, Indianapolis Dance Company, AllNations Dance Company, Marc DeGarmo & Dancers, and Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn. An extremely versatile singer and actress as well, she trained at the Lee Strasberg Actors Studio in NYC and has performed lead roles in numerous musical productions such as "Footloose", "My Fair Lady", "La Cage aux Folles", "Crazy for You" and in several film and commercial roles. She trained and performed with some of the top talents in dance, including Juan Carlos Copes, Antonio Cervila Jr., Jose Molina, Soledad Barrio, Sean Curran, Niall O'Leary, David Howard, Marjorie Mussman, Graciela Kozak, and Diana Cartier and at schools including The Ailey School, JKO School, the Milwaukee Ballet School and Peridance.

An active dance teacher, Brenda teaches Junior Division ballet at The Ailey School, Advanced Ballet and Ethnic Dance at Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, and guest teaches at various studios and schools around the country. Her students have been accepted into some of the most sought after and reputable dance programs, colleges, and companies in the country, including American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, The Ailey School and Point Park College and on Broadway. She is a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana with a B.A. in Dance Pedagogy, cum laude, and is an ABT Certified Teacher, successfully completing the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary - Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.

An expert ballet pointe shoe fitter, Brenda led the US Retail Department and NYC Boutique for Freed of London, USA for the last 15 years and aided in the development of the original Gaynor Minden pointe shoe. She is a nationally renowned pointe shoe fitter and was an expert pointe shoe fitter and consultant for students at prestigious schools across the country, including the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Miami City Ballet for the last 25 years and can can be seen in the Ron Howard/Disney+ SAB series 'One Pointe'.

Kristen Klein

2023 Chance-to-Choreograph* Guest Artist

Kristen Klein is a Brooklyn based choreographer, dancer, pointe shoe fitter, and dance educator. She hails from Connecticut and holds a BFA from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Boston, MA. Kristen has freelance performed with Harvard University, Six Degrees Dance Company, Tribe of Human, C.Eule Dance, Leyya Mona Tawil/Dance Elixir, Kelley Donovan & Dancers, The Paper Dances, and Stephan Koplowitz Projects, among others. In 2009 she founded Inclined Dance Project, a collaborative all-female identifying contemporary dance company. Inclined Dance Project aims to present works that challenge the stereotypical roles of a female dancer while allowing dialogue, deconstruction, and personal contribution from the performers to influence choreographic choices. Her works have been performed throughout New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and in Japan at such venues and festivals as the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music Fischer Space, RAW Artists San Francisco & Brooklyn editions, The BARNES Foundation, the Ailey Citigroup Theater, Boston University, Festival Ballet Providence, The Dance Complex, Dixon Place, Triskelion Arts, The Actors Fund Arts Center, Greenspace, Baruch College, and the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, among many others. In addition to choreographing with her company she has set work on Nimbus Dance Works, Nimbus2, One Day Dance, and Dancewave Studio Company, where she is also a teaching artist. Inclined Dance Project has been previous artists in residence at Chen Dance Center and Union Street Dance, where they were also a two-time recipient of a Mertz Gilmore Foundation Production Grant. Kristen is also the custom pointe shoe fitter for Freed of London and has worked with ballerinas from the nation's top ballet companies including New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, LA Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Boston Ballet to name a few.

Lauren Settembrino

2023 Chance-to-Choreograph* Guest Artist

Lauren is a New York-based movement artist. She is most interested in working from a place of honesty - with the body, with material, and with those she shares space with. Lauren has been noted for the sincerity and openness she extends to her movement; she brings an inherent emotional connection to her work that allows her to perform with palpable sensitivity. As a dancer, Lauren has performed at New York City Center, BAM Fisher, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and on tours throughout the East Coast and Midwest. She has performed works by Crystal Pite, Stefanie Batten Bland, Ori Flomin, Brenda Neville, and more. Lauren is currently a member of Neville Dance Theatre and Angie Moon Dance Theatre, alongside freelance projects. Choreographically, Lauren's explorations include deep emotionality, intersecting intimacy and explosiveness, technical challenge, and a shameless abundance of air drumming.
www.nevilledance.org

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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