Al Blackstone News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Monday! Time to kick off the first full week of spring by catching up on the top Broadway news!

World-class dance returns to the breathtaking Great South Bay when Fire Island Dance Festival, the charitable event of the Fire Island summer, celebrates its 25th anniversary this July 19-21, 2019. The annual weekend of established and emerging choreographers and companies is produced by and benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is ending its smash hit 2018/19 season with an iconic American musical that's impossible not to love: West Side Story. And it's almost sold out!

Break the Floor Productions in partnership with The Montalban in Hollywood present, MOVES at The Montalban, a festival that offers audiences the chance to see the latest emerging talent in the world of choreography and dance. Over the course of the inaugural festival's three-day engagement - from Friday, March 15th through Sunday, March 17, 2019 - the inside of the historic theatre will host engaging, world-premiere live dance performances.

Dance Lab New York (formerly Broadway Dance Lab) will celebrate its new identity, reflective of its mission to be an inclusive hub for dance makers of all genres at their annual Spring Gala on Monday, March 25, 2019 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater (405 W 55th Street, NYC).

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), today announced SDC Member, and Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce will host the 2019 "Mr. Abbott" Award Gala on March 25 at the French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF). In honor of this special evening Concord Theatricals and The Shubert Organization, Inc. will serve as lead sponsors.

Broadway Dance Lab Founding Artistic Director Josh Prince (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) announced today that the non-profit organization will officially become Dance Lab New York (DLNY) today, Friday, February 1, 2019. While the mission will remain the same, the new name and branding is emblematic of the organization's service to the greater dance and theater community while also allowing for partnership opportunities with major arts organizations in New York City and around the world.

Seattle's critics' circle announces Nominees of Excellence in Seattle theatrical productions. Spanning dozens of theater companies and productions, from large and prominent to small and humble, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor the excellence found in the myriad of professional theater productions that we reviewers attend in a year.

10 Hairy Legs, the male repertory dance company, received 100+ responses to its call to choreographers to create new works for the company. Submissions included candidates from across the United States, Europe, Puerto Rico and India. 44% of the submissions were from women. Candidates were asked to submit a vision for the work in 10 words or less and a video that best represents their aesthetic.

10 Hairy Legs, the male repertory dance company will teach 4 Int/Adv Contemporary Classes at STEPS on Broadway Wednesdays and Fridays January 9 - 18 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. Artistic Director Randy James and members of the Artistic Staff will oversee and observe all the classes. Class begins with dynamic floor sequences that warm up the body's core, using the floor as a tool to explore connectivity throughout the entire body. The floor sequences build on one another, bringing the mover to standing phrases across the floor. Once on two feet the class establishes the body's connection with dynamic shifts in and out of the ground, culminating in a final phrase that builds upon the body's exploration of different initiations with supple and expressive virtuosity. Phrase work from our extensive repertory of commissioned and curated work will be explored.

10 Hairy Legs, the male repertory dance company, will accept and consider submissions to create new works for the company. The initiative is open to anyone seeking to work with the company. Submissions must include a maximum of 10 words to describe the choreographer's vision for the work and a link to one sample representing that artist's dance esthetic.

ACT (A Contemporary Theater) of Connecticut is thrilled to announce that legendary Broadway and film composer, Alan Menken and 2018 TONY Award winner Lindsay Mendez, recent star of the Broadway revival of Carousel, have joined ACT's Artistic Advisory Board, adding their extensive theatrical expertise and talent to aid in the future success of the theater.

Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation, announced today the New York City dance organization's programming for its Spring/Summer '19 season. Featuring a host of New York and world premieres, as well as iconic works from lauded companies, The Joyce Theater fulfills its mission of promoting the richness and variety of the performing arts to embrace the entire spectrum of movement styles and traditions. the upcoming Joyce season is poised to deliver engaging pieces for dance aficionados and newcomers alike.

10 Hairy Legs, the all-male repertory dance company is pleased to announce Alex Biegelson has been promoted to Associate Artistic Director, effective immediately. Previously he served as Associate Director, and is a founding member of the company. BIG

10 Hairy Legs, the all-male repertory dance company has commissioned Larry Keigwin and Adam Barruch to create new works for the company that will debut during its New York Season at New York Live Arts June 26 - 29, 2019.

Under the intimate warmth of the Axelrod footlights, Andrea McArdle capably delivers both her trademark Broadway-belt and a comic sense of desperation.

10 Hairy Legs will provide the Dance to Learn program to all second grade students at iPrep Academy and George Washington School #1 in Elizabeth, NJ in Fall 2018. The Creative Movement Residency includes 14 consecutive weekly classes during the school day taught to 100 students by 10 Hairy Legs Teaching Artist Shawn Brush. Brush works actively as a professional dancer as well as a Teaching Artist. Brush graduated Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University earning BFA's in Dance. The professional company will perform at Jerome Dunn Academy on Thursday, December ­­20 at 9:30 am with students participating in the program. The performance is free and open to the community.

The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC), the Jersey Shore's newest professional theater, will welcome composer Charles Strouse to celebrate his 90th birthday at the opening night of "Annie" this Friday, November 2! 

Washington New Jersey's own Echo Picone makes her debut as "Annie" at the Axelrod PAC this November.

Emmy-nominated director, choreographer, and educator Al Blackstone is revisiting his NJ roots to direct and choreograph the Axlerod PAC's production of "Annie, the Musical," starring Andrea McArdle, Broadway's original Annie, in the role of Miss Hannigan.