Parsons Dance to Present UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL Benefit at Joe's Pub, 5/20

Parsons Dance, under the artistic direction of acclaimed choreographer David Parsons, will play a special one night only benefit engagement at Joe's Pub to launch the Company's new Generation NOW Choreographic Fellowship. Tickets, priced from $100 - $275, can be purchased by calling The Public Theater box office at 212-697-7555 or via the internet at www.joespub.com. Joe's Pub at the Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street (at Astor Place) in the East Village. For more information, visit www.parsonsdance.org.

Parsons Dance brings its blend of athleticism, stunning ensemble work and pure joy to the stage for the exclusive one-night only performance. To continue the celebration of the 30th anniversary season, Parsons Dance is proudly launching the GenerationNOW Fellowship, a mentorship and commissioning project for emerging choreographers. GenerationNOW gives one young American choreographer the chance to create new works for the company to premiere during the NYC Joyce season, and tour for maximum exposure on stages across the world.

The performance party will help raise funds for this exciting program's first commission while partying with the Parsons Dancers, David Parsons and GenerationNOW's first choreographer Natalie Lomonte. Enjoy cocktails,
appetizers, and a unique opportunity to preview work showcasing the choreography of THIS generation of Parsons' talent. The program features interactive performances created by Natalie Lomonte, dancers Steven Vaughn, Omar Roman de Jesus, and the Parsons Company, as well as a sneak peak of David Parson's New Work Whirlaway to be seen in full on the Joyce stage in January 2015. The performance is set to music by two Brooklyn based blues boogie woogie bands, Norwood Club regular Joaquin and the Hot Knives, and a staple at
the Edison Hotel's Rum House Chickentown.

David Parsons (Artistic Director/Founder) has enjoyed a remarkable career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer of dance. Mr. Parsons was born near Chicago and raised in Kansas City. He was a leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, where Mr. Taylor created many roles for him in works such as Arden Court, Last Look and Roses. He is a recipient of the 2000 Dance Magazine Award, the 2001 American Choreography Award, as well as, the 2011 Dance Masters of America Award. Mr. Parsons has
created more than 70 works for Parsons Dance. He has also received commissions from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, the Spoleto Festival and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, to name a few. His work has been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Nederlands Danse Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance and Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, among many others.

Natalie Lomonte attended the BFA program at Marymount Manhattan College. She has toured with Momix, Pilobolus and Parsons Dance. Her TV and film credits include: HANES National Commercial, Amici (Italian National Television) and Sex and the City 2. On Broadway, she performed in the original cast of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and served as Dance Captain and Dance Supervisor. She is a Professor of Dance for the Fordham Musical Theater Summer Workshop. Her choreography credits include: pool(no water), Skin Tight, What We Know, Stockholm (One Year Lease), Love in the Time of Cholera (Repertorio Español), Sette Mondi (Incanto Productions). Natalie is the first recipient of the Parsons Dance GenerationNOW Fellowship and has
received a commission to create a New Work for Parsons Dance's 2014-2015 season.

Parsons Dance is an internationally renowned contemporary dance company under the artistic direction of dancer/choreographer David Parsons. Parsons Dance is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are both engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. Parsons Dance tours nationally and internationally, including an annual season in its home community of New York City. Parsons Dance includes eight full-time dancers and maintains a repertory of more than 70 works choreographed by David Parsons. Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured more than 350 cities, 35 countries, five continents and millions of audience members. Many more have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network and the Discovery Channel.