Dayton-area audiences will be in for a treat when the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) partners with local favorite Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) to present a dazzling array of dance performances by many of the leading Black dance companies from the U.S. and abroad, January 24-26, 2019 at multiple venues throughout the city.
by A.A. Cristi -
ODC Theater, part of the most active center for contemporary dance on the West Coast, has announced its 2019 Season, a program demonstrating the organization's commitment to fostering new performance and to introducing the work of esteemed artists from across the globe to new audiences.
by Julie Musbach -
HBO salutes Ailey at 60 with a social media video series to launch during Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th Anniversary New York City Center season November 28 - December 30. This tribute video series will introduce new audiences to the Ailey legacy through moving commentary from music, film, and TV stars - Jussie Smollett, Vanessa Williams, Jillian Hervey, and Black Thought - who share how Ailey has inspired their artistry, impacted American culture, and continues to reach people of all ages backgrounds around the globe.
by A.A. Cristi -
Last night, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th Anniversary holiday season at New York City Center kicked off with a star-studded Opening Night Gala Benefit performance and party led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, with iconic film stars Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson as honorary chairs. Prudential Financial received the Ailey Legacy Honor for their generous support and commitment to Ailey, especially its education and community programs. The award was presented by Battle and Christopher Taylor, an alumnus of the inaugural AileyCamp Newark (2011) and a current scholarship student at The Ailey School, and accepted by Lata Reddy, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion and Impact at Prudential Financial.
by Stephi Wild -
In advance of the full Festival announcement in mid-December, Jacob's Pillow announces four companies that will be presented in 2019. Following the record-breaking ticket sales of Festival 2018 and amidst a robust season of artist residencies in the Pillow Lab and new programming which serves Berkshire County's year-round population, America's longest-running dance festival gears up for its 87th consecutive summer, June 19-August 25. Compañia Irene Rodriguez brings a particular vision of flamenco that is both Spanish and Cuban, featuring a world premiere; Caleb Teicher & Company presents More Forever, a highly anticipated new collaboration with innovative composer/pianist Conrad Tao; the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates female power with Graham classics, a suite of Lamentation Variations, and a new work by Maxine Doyle and Bobbi Jene Smith; and Boston Ballet returns for the first time in over a decade with works by William Forsythe, resident choreographer Jorma Elo, and twentieth century Russian choreographer Leonid Yakobson.
by A.A. Cristi -
Minneapolis-based Bharatanatyam dancer/choreographer Ashwini Ramaswamy, celebrated for her ability to "[weave] together, both fearfully and joyfully, the human and the divine" (The New York Times) discusses her multidisciplinary original work Let the Crows Come featuring collaborator and "genre-busting" (The Guardian) composer/DJ/author Jace Clayton and Twin Cities dancer Alanna Morris-Van Tassel, who "embodies the power of dance to create deep and lasting connections where words cannot" (Dance Magazine, "25 to Watch"). Using the mythography of crows as a framework to explore memory as a source of guidance and dislocation, the work layers Ramaswamy's visceral interpretation of ancestry, ritual, and tradition with a genre-defying evolution of movement and music across cultural and corporeal boundaries. Presented at the newly-renovated Parkway Theater in South Minneapolis, the work-in-progress conversation is part of the SPCO's Tapestry19 Festival and will include video footage of Ramaswamy's Space Residency at The Baryshnikov Arts Center.
by A.A. Cristi -
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns to the theater's stage from November 28 - December 30, 2018 for a milestone season. During the Company's Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary celebration, Artistic Director Robert Battle leads Ailey's 32 extraordinary dancers during this five-week holiday engagement that will elevate a legacy of excellence in artistry with premieres by some of today's most revered and prolific choreographers, including world premieres by Rennie Harris and Ronald K. Brown; a company premiere by Wayne McGregor; a new production of by Robert Battle; the return of a recent premiere by Jessica Lang, and special performances of rarely seen works by Alvin Ailey himself.
by A.A. Cristi -
ODC Theater is proud to present former Resident Artist Catherine Galasso in ALONE TOGETHER, the third installment of her multi-chapter performance series, Of Iron and Diamonds, inspired by Boccaccio's 14th-century collection of tales, The Decameron. A collaboration with San Francisco-based composer Dave Cerf, Alone Together runs December 6 - 8, Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, and may be purchased online at odc.dance/tickets or by phone at 415-863-9834.
by A.A. Cristi -
Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at 60 on Monday, November 5, 2018 at 7:30pm. In honor of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th anniversary, Artistic Director Robert Battle, Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, and choreographer Rennie Harris join in a conversation moderated by author and television producer Susan Fales-Hill that spotlights what truly makes Ailey so special. Leading up to a milestone holiday season at New York City Center November 28 - December 30, Ailey's acclaimed dancers perform highlights from signature classics by Alvin Ailey, repertory favorites by Robert Battle and Jamar Roberts and commissioned premieres that continue to break new ground, including Wayne McGregor's Kairos, and Rennie Harris' Lazarus - the Company's first-ever two-act ballet.
by A.A. Cristi -
As a centerpiece to its yearlong Ailey Ascending 60th Anniversary celebration and a kickoff to its five-week holiday season, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will host a star-studded gala benefit on Wednesday, November 28th at 7pm, complete with a performance for the ages at New York City Center and party at the New York Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom. The Honorary Chairs for the evening are screen icons Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson. Bassett, a Golden Globe Award winner, stars in the hit television series 9-1-1, and was most recently featured in the 2018 blockbusters Black Panther and Mission: Impossible - Fallout. Tyson - known for a myriad of roles across television and film, including Roots, Fried Green Tomatoes, and most recently How to Get Away With Murder - has received three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and on November 18th will make history as the first black woman to receive an Honorary Academy Award.
by Julie Musbach -
This month NY Madness is proud to co-present a Midterm Mayhem! A Doomsday Cabaret, featuring excerpts from the new musical, 'Red Sky'. Red Sky is a parable for our times, and features, Danielle Alonzo, Jonas Barranca, Eden Eernissee, Steven Halliwell, Timothy Mullins, Chuk Obasi, and Ansi Rodriguez. The show will take place on Sunday, October 28th at 8pm at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). November 9th Forever is co-producing this special event. Also featuring Voting Rights activist Victor Pate from the National Action Network.
by A.A. Cristi -
As part of the "Ailey Ascending" 60th Anniversary celebration, the Choreography Unlocked Festival of performance, conversation, and master classes will take place at Ailey's home across two weekends - October 12 - 14 & 26- 28. Building on the success of the New Directions Choreography Lab, created by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle in 2011, the festival will elevate The Joan Weill Center for Dance's role in the community as a hub for creating and presenting new work and fostering the next generation of choreographers.
by Alan Henry -
Ailey's 60th Anniversary holiday season at New York City Center, November 28 - December 30, will elevate a legacy of innovation and excellence in artistry with premieres by some of today's most revered and prolific choreographers along with timeless treasures by Alvin Ailey. From Rennie Harris comes the Company's first two-act work, Lazarus, inspired by the life and legacy of Mr. Ailey and addressing the racial inequities our nation has faced, in 1958 when the company was founded and today.
by Julie Musbach -
At an audition attended by 100 men held on September 2 and 3, Devon Louis and Paul Giarratano were selected by Artistic Director Designate Michael Novak to join the world-renowned Paul Taylor Dance Company.
by A.A. Cristi -
There is much to celebrate as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater heads into its 60th Anniversary season entitled Ailey Ascending. In addition to an unparalleled New York City Center holiday season November 28th - December 30th, the organization will honor and carry forward Alvin Ailey's pioneering legacy through a variety of exciting programs and events, including a two-weekend Choreography Unlocked festival of performance, conversation and master classes; rare discussions and legacy panels at partner institutions throughout New York City; and more.
by Julie Musbach -
Misty Copeland will open the 61st annual Dance Magazine Awards. The evening will honor Ronald K. Brown, Lourdes Lopez(presented by Darren Walker), Crystal Pite, and Michael Trusnovec (presented by Patrick Corbin). A special Leadership Award will be presented to Nigel Redden. Since 1954 the Dance Magazine Awards have recognized outstanding men and women whose contributions have left a lasting impact on dance. This year's Awards will take place on Monday December 3, 2018 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater at 7:30pm.
by Julie Musbach -
Jacob's Pillow announces the second season of residencies offered through the Pillow Lab, a year-round incubator of new work that encompasses a robust series of customized artist residencies. Built from the Jacob's Pillow mission as an integral component of Vision '22-the organization's five-year strategic plan which drives the Pillow's transition into a year-round institution-the Pillow Lab strengthens the artistic core of Jacob's Pillow by increasing resources that nurture the process of choreography and proactively investing in the development of new work.
by Stephi Wild -
When Alvin Ailey and a small group of African-American modern dancers first took the stage in 1958, appearing at New York City's 92nd Street Y, the engagement was for one night only—but it turned out to be the start of a new era in the performing arts. Mr. Ailey became one of the groundbreaking greats in African American history, while the work of his Company grew beyond the limits of the stage to encompass education at all levels, community outreach and cultural diplomacy. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater now embodies six decades of achievement, celebrating the human spirit with performances that unite and inspire all.
by A.A. Cristi -
Jacob's Pillow announces the participants of the 2018 National Dance Presenters' Forum, a three-day dance leadership development intensive held on its site in Western Massachusetts, July 12-14. Reinstated after over a decade and developed in collaboration with key partners from across the U.S., the immersive experience is framed as a catalytic opportunity for emerging dance presenters. The Forum will provide a learning environment for participants to discuss critical issues, strengthen curatorial practice, grow professional networks, and bolster support for the field of dance. The 2018 Forum planning committee selected 17 emerging dance presenters with diverse backgrounds as curators, cultural organizers, and service providers to artists and audiences, from a pool of over 71 applicants from 25 states and the District of Columbia.
by Stephi Wild -
Announced today, arts PR executive and cultural strategist Fatima Jones will join the legendary Apollo Theater as the Senior Director of Public Relations and Communications to lead their communications and social media team. Starting on July 9, Jones will work closely with the organization's leadership team, raising awareness and buzz for the legendary theater's range of artistic and community programs.
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