New York City Center Hosts Series of Master Classes and Conversations as Part of ¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival

New York City Center today announced a studio series of master classes and conversations with artists and other guests as part of the ¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival. This celebration of the rich and vibrant artists of Cuba begins Sunday, April 22, with an evening of music and conversation at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC & WQXR featuring jazz giant Arturo O'Farrill, tap artist Ayodele Casel, and trumpet player Yasek Manzano Silva. Offering an up-close look at the work of these inspiring artists, the festival also includes intimate conversations, held in City Center's studios, exploring the Cuban American Songbook and what it means to be an Afro-Latin artist today. Master classes for advanced students and professionals will be hosted by dancer Carlos Luis Blanco of Acosta Danza and choreographer Ronald K. Brown (City Center Choreography Fellow), and Arturo O'Farrill andYazek Manzano Silva will deconstruct Afro-Latin jazz in a master class open to the public to observe.

"At a time when access to Cuba is uncertain, it is important to provide a platform for this country's remarkable performers by bringing them to the United States," said Stanford Makishi, City Center VP of Programming. "We are thrilled that our audiences will be able to see firsthand what these exceptional artists are creating in contemporary Cuba."

The mainstage performances begin Wednesday, April 25, with the US debut of Acosta Danza, international ballet star Carlos Acosta's new Havana-based company. The City Center program features Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero's Alrededor no hay nada and Cuban choreographer Marianela Boán's intense two-man duet El Cruce sobre el Niágara. Raúl Reinoso's Nosotros features live musical accompaniment from cellist Cicely Parnas and pianist José Gavilondo and Acosta himself will perform in a new duet by Belgium-based Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Mermaid, about a tipsy encounter between strangers. The program concludes with Twelve from Madrid's Jorge Crecis-a fast-paced frenzy that utilizes glow sticks, water bottles, and immaculate timing to explore the limits of the human body.

Closing the Festival (April 28) is an evening of Afro-Cuban music curated by and featuring five-time Grammy Award winner Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, with special guests including tap artist Ayodele Casel, Havana rapper Telmary Diaz, jazz pianist Roberto Fonseca, singer Omara Portuondo, trumpet player Yasek Manzano Silva, and Camerata Romeu, the first all-female string orchestra in Latin America.

Tickets start at $25 ($15 for talks and master classes; $20 for kickoff event) and can be purchased online atNYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office. New York City Center is located at 131 W 55th St, between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

Visit NYCityCenter.org/AdelanteCuba for more information.

FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival Kickoff
Sun, Apr 22 at 6pm
The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC & WQXR (44 Charlton St)
Tickets: $20
Arturo O'Farrill, tap artist Ayodele Casel, and trumpet player Yasek Manzano Silva kickoff the festival with an evening of music and conversation.

MASTER CLASS: Music with Arturo O'Farrill and Yasek Manzano Silva
Mon, Apr 23 at noon
The Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street, 5th floor)
Tickets: $15
Bandleader Arturo O'Farrill and Cuban trumpet player/composer Yasek Manzano Silva deconstruct Afro-Latin Jazz in this master class, which is open to the public.

TALK: What Is Afro-Latin Culture?
Mon, Apr 23 at 6:30pm
The Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street, 5th floor)
Tickets: $15
Tanya Rivero, anchor of CBSN at CBS News, moderates a discussion with guests - including Arturo O'Farrill and Ayodele Casel - about what it means to be an Afro-Latin artist.

TALK: The Great Cuban American Songbook
Wed, Apr 25 at 6pm
The Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street, 5th floor)
Tickets: $15
Arturo O'Farrill and Zenaida Romeu, music director of Camerata Romeu, explore the history of Cuban American musical collaborations.

PERFORMANCE: Acosta Danza (US debut)
Apr 25 - 27, Wed & Thu at 7:30pm, Fri at 8pm
Tickets start at $25
Alrededor no hay nada (Goyo Montero)
El Cruce sobre el Niágara (Marianela Boán)
Nosotros (Raúl Reinoso)
Mermaid (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
Twelve (Jorge Crecis)

MASTER CLASS: Dance with Acosta Danza*
Thu, Apr 26 at noon
The Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street, 5th floor)
Tickets: $15
Company dancer Carlos Luis Blanco leads participants in this contemporary dance workshop.

MASTER CLASS: Dance with Ronald K. Brown*
Sat, Apr 28 at noon
The Barbara and David Zalaznick Studio at New York City Center (130 W 56th Street, 5th floor)
Tickets: $15
Choreographer Ronald K. Brown has extensive experience working in Cuba. To create his movement language, he draws from modern dance and African and Afro-Caribbean vocabularies.

PERFORMANCE: A Night with Arturo O'Farrill and Friends
Sat, Apr 28 at 8pm
Tickets start at $25
Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Ayodele Casel
Telmary Diaz
Roberto Fonseca
Omara Portuondo
Camerata Romeu
Yasek Manzano Silva

*For advanced student and professional dancers

New York City Center gratefully acknowledges the Ford Foundation for serving as Lead Sponsor of ¡Adelante, Cuba! Festival. Major support for ¡Adelante, Cuba! is also provided by Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Leadership support for Dance at New York City Center is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and The Harkness Foundation for Dance.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the City since 1943 when it was founded by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia with the civic mission to make the best in the performing arts accessible to all. Today, the distinctive neo-Moorish theater welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to experience internationally acclaimed artists. For 25 years, the Tony-honored Encores! series has given new life to the American musical theater canon, complimented by the Encores! Off-Center series, which features seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's innovative artists. Dance continues to be an integral part of the theater's mission through programs like the annual Fall for Dance Festival, which exposes a new audience to an international array of artists by offering highly subsidized tickets. City Center is also the home to a roster of renowned national and international companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (City Center's Principal Dance Company) and Manhattan Theatre Club. Through its education and community programs, City Center brings the performing arts to over 9,000 New York City students each year and activates all areas of the building with talks, master classes, art exhibitions, and intimate performances that provide audiences an up-close look at the work of the great theater and dance artists of our time.