New Acts Announced for DANCE ON THE LAWN Montclair's Outdoor Dance Festival

Dance on the Lawn, Montclair, NJ's premiere outdoor dance festival, will "return to the lawn" with live performances on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 3-5pm at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 73 South Fullerton Avenue. Free. The 2021 DOTL Festival will also be live streamed on DOTL's virtual channels, YouTube and Facebook. The DOTL 2020 festival took place virtually last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrating its eighth year, Dance on the Lawn is a premiere showcase and mentoring launchpad for NJ and NY's finest choreographic talent. DOTL offers Montclair residents and neighboring communities a sneak peek at emerging and established artists from New Jersey and the New York area. (Photos attached.)

The 2021 DOTL performances this year will include Dance on the Lawn Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer Amber Sloan, New York Company 277 Dance Project, and New Jersey company Nai-Ni Chen Dance. Just added to the lineup are Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers Chalvar Monteiro and Jacquelin Harris will perform excerpts from Merce Cunningham's Landrover. Chalvar, who began his formal dance training at Montclair's Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts, will be returning home for the first time since joining Ailey. Jacquelin, in 2016, was named one of "25 to Watch" by Dance Magazine. "Landrover" is presented with permission of The Merce Cunningham Trust.

Founded by Montclair resident Charmaine Warren in 2014, Dance on the Lawn hopes to increase New Jersey's exposure to dance by bringing professional and emerging companies, plus students of dance from around the state, together to perform in a community setting. In addition to offering presentation opportunities, Dance on the Lawn created an "Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer" and mentor program to help support young, emerging artists.

Dance on the Lawn acknowledges the support of dance company 10 Hairy Legs, which donated their net assets to DOTL following the company's dissolution. The 10HL funding specifically supports the annual DOTL NJ Emerging Commissioned Choreographer award. "This financial support underscores the intention of our NJ dance community to keep the attention on dance in NJ. It gives us at DOTL even more power to introduce and support young NJ dance makers on their path, and we are honored to be chosen by 10HL as recipients of these funds," said Ms. Warren.

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