BEYOND BABEL to Return Off-Broadway This Fall

The dance theatre hit Beyond Babel will return to New York this fall to complete the final eight weeks of its original Off-Broadway run. Performances will begin again on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street).

Beyond Babel was co-created by Josh Aviner and Lyndsay Magid Aviner of Hideaway Circus and the award-winning team of Keone and Mari Madrid, who will appear in select performances.

Keone and Mari Madrid said in a joint statement, "Coming back to a story full of themes that feel even more relevant today than they already did pre-pandemic is an immense honor, separate from the joyous fact that we can finally reunite under the essential magic of live theatre. To that we dance!"

Nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, the New York production of Beyond Babel first opened February 1, 2020 at The Gym at Judson for an extended engagement before taking a hiatus March 12, 2020 due to the pandemic.

"We are thrilled to finally be able to announce Beyond Babel's return to the stage," said Josh and Lyndsay Aviner. "After a year of hiatus and months of preparing for this moment, we're very thankful that everything will be in place for our show to safely welcome audiences back to the theatre this fall. We hope our incredibly talented, diverse will inspire those first audiences returning to live performance."

Told through a narrative urban dance riff on Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Beyond Babel takes a contemporary look at the consequences of building physical - and ideological - walls to create division. The narrative follows two divinely linked lovers fighting to connect as authorities raise a border that tears their families apart and forces their community to confront its diverging identities.

World-renowned dancers and choreographers, Keone & Mari recently collaborated on Disney's first animated short film in five years, Us Again, now out in theatres and set to debut on Disney+ in June. The Madrids' work has been featured on "So You Think You Can Dance," "World of Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars." They have worked with BTS, Billie Eilish, Ed SHeeran, Flying Lotus & Kendrick Lamar, among many others, and also choreographed and starred in Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself" video, which has amassed over 1.6 billion views on YouTube.

The elite team of dancers from the 2020 production reprise their roles: Olivia Battista, Melissa De Jesus, Noelle Franco, Selene Haro, Shannon Kelly, Samuel Moore, Mikey Ruiz, Julian "Juju" Sena, and Fabian Tucker. Also returning are ensemble members Julia Alaimo, Eric Delgado, Rosalind Hsu, Maya Kell-Abrams, James Kho, Jen Margono, Brianna Mercado, Esosa Oviasu, Kaylar Preite, Aaron Quini, and Darien Van Rensalier.

Beyond Babel features a contemporary soundtrack and a set comprised of vast crochet art installations and backdrops by singular visual artist London Kaye, alongside lighting design by Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter and Sean Beach. Costume designer Barbara Erin Delo joins the creative team for the upcoming run. The Aviners serve as Lead Producers and Creative Directors, while the Madrids serve as Choreographers and Artistic Directors.

Following Covid-19 safety guidelines, The Gym at Judson has upgraded its ventilation system to a new isolated HVAC with MERV 13 filters. The production will implement a number of changes for enhanced safety, including a contactless entry and exit process, and will adhere to all New York State protocols for cleaning, sanitation and handling audience flow.

Tickets are available now at www.beyondbabelshow.com

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