NJPAC Hosts Alternate Routes Series Annual GLBT FESTIVAL

NJPAC's Alternate Routes series returns to Newark for its annual two-day GLBT festival, opening with Work! A Big Ol' Gay Dance Party, an event that takes place on the stage and under the lights of the Arts Center's Victoria Theater, featuring a performance by Vogue Evolution from MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and dancing to house music by Newark's own DJ Naeem Johnson. Night two heralds the return of the annual audience-pleaser, Out, Loud & Proud V, a night of spoken word focusing on sexuality with performances by international folk poet Alix Olson and Brave Soul Collective. The evening will also feature the premiere of a new work by guest curator and host Pandora Scooter.

Work! A Big Ol' Gay Dance Party takes place onstage in NJPAC's Victoria Theater on Friday, May 6 at 7:30p.m. Tickets are $28. Out, Loud & Proud V takes place in NJPAC's Chase Room on Saturday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $16. All tickets can be purchased by telephone at 1-888-GO-NJPAC (1-888-466-5722), at the NJPAC Box Office at One Center Street in downtown Newark, or at www.njpac.org. Alternate Routes is made possible, in part, by American Express, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Discover Jersey Arts.

OUT, LOUD & PROUD V is a provocative evening featuring international spoken word artist/folk poet Alix Olson. Olson twice headlined HBO's Def Poetry Jam and was included in Utne Magazine's InRadio compilation. Since winning the National Poetry Slam with her New York City team 1998 and the OutWrite LGBT Slam in 1999, Olson co-authored Burning Down the House, published two books of poetry, produced two spoken word CD's and an award-winning documentary, and has had her work featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Advocate as well as in dozens of anthologies and compilations. Sharing the stage with Olson will be Brave Soul Collective, an education, outreach and support organization for LGBT individuals and comprised by actor/vocalist/musician/spoken word artist Monte Wolfe, rapper/poet Tim'm T. West and actor/writer/educator/award-winning performance artist Cornelius Jones. The goal of the collective is to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS by using the arts as a platform for honest discussion about disease prevention, stigmas, and personal responsibility. For more information: www.alixolson.com and www.bravesoulcollective.org.

Pandora Scooter, the host and guest curator of Out, Loud & Proud V, is a self-identified "QUEERMAMASAPIEN," whose words and rhymes have inspiring effects on audiences. Her work has included everything from stand-up comedy to hip hop to folk poetry to performance art. Scooter, will premiere a new work about coming out at the performance. Among her numerous credits, including a critically acclaimed and timely anti-bullying work "Outwordly Fabulous," this frequent NJPAC collaborator has performed multiple solo shows and four sold-out performances of Out, Loud & Proud. www.pandorascooter.com

Work! A Big Ol' Gay Dance Party will include performances by Vogue Evolution (from MTV's America's Best Dance Crew) and house music by DJ Naeem Johnson, who will mix contemporary, urban-flavored tracks with dance classics in an effort to resurrect the height of the club era, including the glory days of The Paradise Garage, The Loft, and Newark's own Zanzibar.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. As New Jersey's Town Square, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors (more than one million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

Programming has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

NJPAC is a wheelchair accessible facility and provides assistive services for patrons with disabilities. For more information, call 888-GO-NJPAC.

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