Theater Resources Unlimited and The Playroom Theatre present the September TRU Panel

• An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet
• Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), and The Playroom Theatre, present the September panel, An Introduction to TRU: A Free-for-Everyone Seasonal Kick-off plus Networking Meet-and-Greet, on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at 7:30pm at The Playroom Theater, 151 W. 46th Street, 8th floor, NYC 10036. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments; roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm.

Meet the program directors and illustrious board members of Theater Resources Unlimited, including director of writer programs Diana Amsterdam, producer/board member Michael Alden (Disgraced, Grey Gardens, Becoming Dr. Ruth; director of our Producer Development program), producer/board member Patrick Blake (The 39 Steps, Bedlam Theater Hamlet/St. Joan, Play Dead, The Exonerated, In the Continuum; artistic director of Rhymes Over Beats,director of our Producer Development program), TRU literary manager Cate Cammarata, TRU co-founder and Vice-President Cheryl L. Davis, Esq. (offering free legal consultations for new members), not-for-profit consultant/co-chair of YPAC Kimberly Eaton, producer/board member David Elliott (Broadway: Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike; off-Broadway: Bedlam Theater Hamlet/St. Joan, In the Continuum), attorney Eric Goldman, Esq. (offering free mediation services and counsel to TRU members), producer/videographer Jeremy Handelman (On the Town, F#%king Up Everything, White's Lies, The King's Speech on stage), producer Patricia Klausner (Shotgun Productions; Scottsboro Boys,Pippin, The Trip to Bountiful; director of our Producer Development program), producer/co-chair of YPAC Molly Morris (My Life Is a Musical, PopUpTheatrics), producer/board member Tom Polum (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, All Shook Up; head of TRU Voices selection committee), financial advisor Bailie Slevin (TRU Pathways presenter, offering free financial consultations to TRU members), board member Courtney Sweeting, entertainment industry creative consultant and career coach Joanne Zippel (TRU Pathways presenter, offering free career consultations to TRU members).

Learn about our programs, including our Producer Development & Mentorship Program, the TRU Voices Reading Series, Mediation Workshop and other Producer Boot Camps, Speed Dates and Actor Workshops, Writer-Producer Speed Date, Director-Writer Communications Lab, our new How to Write a Musical That Works Workshop and more. Meet our newly formed Young Patrons & Artists Circle (YPAC), and learn if you are eligible to join them. Come with questions. And let us know what we don't offer that you wish we did.

Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments, roundtable introductions of everyone in the room will start at 7:30pm - come prepared with your best one-minute summary of who you are, and what you need. Free for TRU members; usually $12 for non-members, but free for everyone for this season opener. Please call at least a day in advance (or much sooner) for reservations: 212/714-7628; or e-mail

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org or call (212) 714-7628.

NYTB's BALLET SCHOOL NY announces 2015-16 training program beginning Monday, Sep 21

Ballet School NY, the official training school of New York Theatre Ballet, is pleased to announce its 2015-16 training program, beginning Monday, September 21, 2015 at NYTB's home studio, located at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City. Classes will be offered Monday through Saturday. Cost ranges from $1,075 to $3,940 per year, depending on the age and level of the student. An annual recital on June 11, 2016 will conclude the 2015-16 training program.

Qualified children will perform with New York Theatre Ballet throughout the year in special roles created for student dancers. The studio trains in the Cecchetti method, a technique founded by Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti. The school teaches dance as a total art form, developing strong technical skill and discipline. Following the Cecchetti syllabus, classes emphasize music, theatricality, gesture and style. Well-trained Cecchetti dancers have purity of line and simplicity of style, which enables them to take their place in dance companies throughout the world. For the advanced students, a once-a-week workshop is part of the curriculum. Offerings, including jazz, theater dance, modern dance, partnering, change every six weeks.

"There is always a teaching assistant in every class and we teach to the individual child," said Diana Byer, Founder and Artistic Director of NYTB. "Every child gets personal attention in each class."

The Company's 2015/2016 season will include repertory performances at the Schimmel Center Pace University (September 19-20, 2015), Danspace (October 1-3, 2015), and New York Live Arts (February 24-27, 2016). NYTB maintains its association with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall (December 20, 2015), and the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children will continue at Florence Gould Hall throughout the year. NYTB will also continue to offer its Free Ticket Program for families who are unable to afford to attend performances.

For registration and more information, visit www.nytb.org/ballet-school-ny.

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET Announces 2015-16 Season

New York Theatre Ballet announces the 2015-16 season, which will include repertory performances at Schimmel Center at Pace University (September 19-20, 2015), Danspace Project (October 1-3, 2015), and New York Live Arts (February 24-27, 2016). NYTB maintains its association with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, and the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children will continue at Florence Gould Hall throughout the year. NYTB will also continue to offer its Free Ticket Program for families who are unable to afford to attend performances.

New York Theatre Ballet's 2015-16 Season includes:

· September 19-20, 2015 - Schimmel Center at Pace University

· October 1-3, 2015 - Danspace Project

· December 6, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Tarrytown Music Hall

· December 11-13, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Florence Gould Hall

· December 19, 2015 - Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at The Colonial Theater

· December 20, 2015 - A Charlie Brown Christmas with The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall

· February 24-27, 2016 - Glass Project at New York Live Arts

· April 10-11, 2016 - Cinderella at The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, Albany, NY

· April 17, 20156 - Cinderella at Florence Gould Hall

· April 28-29, 2016 - Legends & Visionaries at Keihin Auditorium, Tarboro, North Carolina

· May 1, 2016 - The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies at 92Y

New York Theatre Ballet at Schimmel Center at Pace University

September 19 and 20 at 7:30 (Legends & Visionaries) and September 20 at 3pm (Cinderella)

Tickets: $29 for the evening shows; $20 for Adults and $10 for Students for Cinderella

Box office: 212-346-1715; Ovation Tix 866-811-4111; www.schimmel.pace.edu

New York Theatre Ballet brings fresh insight into classic revivals paired with the modern sensibilities of both established and up-and-coming choreographers. Featured choreographers include Merce Cunningham, Nicolo Fonte, Agnes deMille,and Pam Tanowitz. Cinderella, a perennial favorite of NYTB audiences, features a dancing clock, two wacky stepsisters, and everyone's favorite rags to riches princess. This enchanting story, with choreography by Donald Mahler, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, and costumes by Resident Costume Designer of the Metropolitan Opera, Sylvia Taalson Nolan, will delight the whole family.

New York Theatre Ballet at Danspace Project; Legends & Visionaries

October 1-3, 2015

Tickets: $20, $15 for Danspace Members

Box office: 866-811-4111; www.danspaceproject.org

New York Theatre Ballet performs a mixed bill at Danspace Project featuring Two Timing, Cross Currents, and Lois Bewley's PiR2.Based on Steve Reich's Clapping Music, Two Timing is choreographed by David Parker with costume designs by Pei-Chi Su and lighting design by Serena Wong. Merce Cunningham's Cross Currents is set to music by Conlon Nancarrow with lighting design by Beverly Emmons. These performances are presented through Community ACCESS, which provides subsidized off-season rental opportunities for Danspace Project community members.

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at Tarrytown Music Hall

December 6, 2015 at 2pm and 5pm

Box office: 877-840-0457; www.tarrytownmusichall.org

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcrackerat Florence Gould Hall

December 11 at 12pm, December 12 & 13 at 11am, 1pm, & 3:30pm

Tickets: $35 via www.ticketmaster.com; Group Sales: 212-679-0401 or email groups@nytb.org

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) returns with Keith Michael's The Nutcracker, an enchanting holiday ballet. From clockwork imps to a luminous owl that flies above the audience, mice dressed in polka dots and dancers dancing with huge chopsticks, this timeless, re-imagined classic bursts with energy and excitement. This holiday ballet, danced to Tchaikovsky's beloved score, is set in Art Nouveau style circa 1907 with innovative choreography by long-time NYTB choreographer, Keith Michael; set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith; and costumes by Resident Costume Designer of the Metropolitan Opera, Sylvia Nolan.  Ages 3-9. 

New York Theatre Ballet performs Keith Michael's The Nutcracker at The Colonial Theater

December 19 at 2pm and 5pm

Box office: 603-352-2033; www.thecolonial.org 

New York Theatre Ballet performs with The New York Pops in A Charlie Brown Christmas at Carnegie Hall

December 20, 2015 at 3pm

Tickets: $10, $18, and $25

Box office: 212-247-7800; www.carnegiehall.org

New York Theatre Ballet joins Steven Reineke, The New York Pops and John Bolton bringing holiday spirit to Manhattan with classic tunes from Charles M. Schulz's hit franchise.  

New York Theatre Ballet at New York Live Arts; Legends & Visionaries

February 24-27, 2016 at 7:30pm, February 27, 2016 at 2:30pm

Tickets: $30, $15 students/seniors

Box office: 212-924-0077; www.newyorklivearts.org

New York Theatre Ballet returns to New York Live Arts with its highly acclaimed Legends & Visionaries series. The program includes a world premiere choreographed by San Francisco choreographer Milissa Bradley and former New York City Ballet dancer Antonia Franceschi to live accompaniment of Piano Etudes by Philip Glass. NYTB will also present a revival of Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs, which had its premiere on February 2, 1984 at the New York State Theater. The performance will feature original lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, and original costume design by Florence Kotz. The return of Richard Alston's Such Longing, with music by Frederic Chopin, will conclude the evening.

New York Theatre Ballet at The Egg Center for the Performing Arts, Albany, NY; Cinderella

April 10, 2016 at 3pm; April 11 at 10:15am (school performance)

Box office: 518-473-1845; www.theegg.org 

New York Theatre Ballet at Florence Gould Hall

April 17, 2016 at 11am, 1pm, 3:30pm

New York Theatre Ballet at Keihin Auditorium, Tarboro, North Carolina; Legends & Visionaries

April 28-29, 2016

Box office: 252-823-5166, ext. 187; www.edgecombe.edu

New York Theatre Ballet at 92Y; The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies

May 1, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $35 adults, $25 children

Box office: 212-415-5500; www.92y.org

New York Theatre Ballet brings The Alice-in-Wonderland Follies with choreography by Keith Michael to 92Y! Follow Alice's adventures through Wonderland as she meets some of the most beloved characters in children's literature.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts 2015-16 Season: Dance

Featuring Step Afrika!, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and Moscow Festival Ballet

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College is pleased to announce its 2015-16 World Dance series. Since the inception of the dance series in 1966, more than 175 regional, national and international companies have premiered new works as a part of this series. This year's lineup includes Step Afrika! featuring stepping dancers led by the artistic director Mfoniso Akpan, Nai-Ni Chin Dance Company performing a Lunar New Year Celebration, and Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite.These companies reflect the artistic excellence and cultural diversity to which Brooklyn Center is dedicated. Tickets to Brooklyn Center's World Dance series range from $20-$45 and can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

Brooklyn Center will also present an annual presentation of Dance Theatre in Westchester's family-friendly The Colonial Nutcracker.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 dance events include:

· Dance Theatre in Westchester's The Colonial Nutcracker

· Step Afrika!

· Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Monkey

· Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

The Colonial Nutcracker

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18

An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic. 

Step Afrika!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm

Tickets: $20

Experience Step Afrika!, the world's first professional company dedicated to stepping, a unique art form born at African American fraternities and based in rich African traditions. Incorporating intricate rhythmic patterns of kicks, stomps, claps, and chants, the dancers use their bodies as instruments, creating an enthralling, high-energy performance that has been praised by The Village Voice as "a jubilation of rhythm and spirit that harks back to the essence of dancing." 

Third Annual
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey

Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Brooklyn Center is thrilled to partner once again with the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in an all-new celebration of Chinese arts and culture commemorating the Year of the Monkey, a year characterized by cleverness, curiosity, and playful mischief. Thrilling choreography, traditional music, and dazzling acrobats showcase the rich traditions of one of Brooklyn's most vibrant communities at this festive, family-friendly event. 

Moscow Festival Ballet

Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45
The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are reinvented in this double-bill of one-act ballets. The program begins with a new restaging of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed by Alberto Alonso's fiery Carmen Suite, inspired by Bizet's sensuous and spirited opera.

Visit BrooklynCenter.org for a complete season lineup.

Multibuy discounts (four or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices (not applicable for Alexander, Who's Not... Going to Move). Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances. 50% discount for children ages 12 and under for select performances. Discounts also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College

2 train to Brooklyn College/Flatbush Avenue

Online orders: BrooklynCenter.org

Box Office: 718-951-4500, Tuesday-Saturday, 1pm-6pm

Groups of 15 or more: 718-951-4600 x3331

Zullo/RawMovement presents The Architecture of Proximity

Zullo/RawMovement presents The Architecture of Proximity at the Theater at the 14th Street Y from Wednesday - Saturday, October 28-31, 2015 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 1, 2015 at 3 p.m. at the 14th Street Y, 344 E. 14th Street, 10003, NYC.  Tickets are $30 ($25 for students and seniors) and can be purchased at www.14streety.org, by calling (646) 395-4310, or in person at the 14th Street Y.   The Architecture of Proximity is presented in association with the Dance Series at the 14th Street Y. 

The Architecture of Proximity combines elements of post-modern dance, voguing, gestural, and impulse generated movement. It is an immersive dance work that explores the relationship between architectural spaces and their physical and psychological effects on the body. The work examines what happens when the proximity between audience and performer is erased and investigates how boundaries and borders define a sense of "ownership" of self and space. Zullo uses the collected essays in Space & Psyche, edited by Elizabeth Danze and Stephen Sonnenberg from the Center for American Architecture and Design at The University of Texas at Austin, to further consider how spaces effect the body both physically and psychologically. Composer David Engelhard creates an original and interactive sound score that responds to the performers' choices.

The Architecture of Proximity was performed alongside Mana Hashimoto's Stories of Blind-Light, Shadow and Wind on January 29, 2015 at FLICfest at the Irondale Center.

RawMovement dancers: Bong Ian Dizon, Sarah Eichler, Hana Goldstone, Heidi Morgan, Jillian Sawyer, and guest performers Brittany Beyer, Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone, Liz Little, Dale Ratcliff, Kat Sullivan.

Collaborators: Visual Artist Sarah Crespo, Composer David Engelhard, Visual Technology Artist Kat Sullivan

"Zullo awakens all of the senses through the experiential nature of The Architecture of Proximity." - Dance Enthusiast

"Dance enthusiasts look for innovation and a style that delivers something new to the art. In their weekend performances at Danspace Project at the St. Mark's Church, Zullo/RawMovement did just that with unique choreographies and passionate performers." - Marina Kennedy, Broadway World

"Zullo is to be applauded for bringing his work and his collaborators' contributions to us so creatively." - Times Square Chronicles

"John's choreography clothes elements of contemporary dance in a gritty patina; the edgy aspects of his style are well-expressed by his dancers, and while the movement is always well- mapped-out there is also a feeling of spontaneity in each dancer's unique delivery of the steps and gestures." - Philip Gardner, Oberon's Grove

John J Zullo is originally from the Bronx, New York and currently resides in NYC. He graduated from American University in 1996 with a B.A. in Anthropology and 1999 with an M.A. in Dance. John danced with many artists while at American University. While there,  he performed in a work by Ohad Naharin, presented his choreography at Dance Place in Washington, D.C. and was awarded the Arts Club of Washington's Award for Outstanding Choreographer 1999. 

In January 2010 Zullo/RawMovement began performing at various venues in NYC. Zullo/RawMovement was one of six artists selected for FLICfest 2015 at the Irondale Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. There they premiered The Architecture of Proximity, an evening length immersive work where the boundary between performer and spectator is erased. Zullo/ RawMovement presented the Memory Suite evening of works at the Dance Complex in Cambridge, Massachusetts in June 2014 where it was a Boston Globe pick of the week. Zullo/RawMovement presented its 2013 season at Danspace Project at St. Mark's church as part of the Dance:Access series. The evening of works, the Memory Suite, included "this Exquisite diversion/mysterious Skin" (2013), "ALL what THIS do HAS you HAPPENED see? BEFORE" (2012), & project Xiii (2013). Zullo/RawMovement was presented for a sold out run at the LaMaMa Moves! Festival 2013 and invited to perform in the Dumbo Dance Festival 2013.

Zullo/RawMovement was presented at the LaMaMa Spoleto Open in Spoleto, Italy September 2012. Dixon Place presented an evening of Zullo's work in November 2012 as well as a Split Bill in June 2012 and the July 2012 Moving Men Series as part of the HOT! Festival. Zullo/RawMovement was presented at Green Space 2010 & 2011. DanceNOWNYC presented Zullo/RawMovement for the RAW Festival in April 2011 as well as the Evolve Festival in Tarrytown, New York and the IndepenDance Festival at City Center Studio 5, 2010. Zullo/RawMovement had its first New York Season at Theater for the New City in April 2011 and Zullo/RawMovement was presented at BAM for the 3rd annual EveryBooty LGBTQ Pride event June 2015.

Zullo currently teaches Raw Movement Labs for the Guest Artist Program at Gibney Dance Center. He has taught at the Modern Guest Artist Series at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC since 2012. Zullo has also taught and lectured at New York University, The Greenwich Academy in Connecticut, Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland,the Dance Complex and Green Street Studios in Cambridge, Mass,  American University, The Washington Ballet at THEARC in Washington, D.C., Adelphi University, Hunter College, Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, Wells College and the YMCA/Evolve Dance in Tarrytown, New York.

General Mischief Dance Theatre presents the World Premiere of Up and Away

General Mischief Dance Theatre presents the World Premiere of Up and Away - Dances for all Hours. Performances will take place on October 11 at 1pm and 6pm at the Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium, JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Avenue, NYC.

Tickets: $25 ($20 in advance, $15 for students and seniors, $10 for children 10 and under), available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling (212) 714-4694.

The program highlight is a collaboration with actor and sculptor Kevin Reese, who shares his talents with schools and communities across the country. Reese will be designing and making an overhead mobile that General Mischief will assemble and then elevate in the course of the dance.  Thanks to generous support from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the mobile he produces is going to be built in Washington, D.C. by hundreds of volunteers as part of the Atlas Arts Center's "Mobilizing Our Community" project.

The piece is set to music by flautist/composer Donna Viscuso from San Francisco. Choreographer Emily Smyth Vartanian will use some of Viscuso's songs from Vnote as well as a score Viscuso wrote with General Mischief in mind, called Milo's Ballet.  The process will be guided by creative consultant and director Amanda Friou.

General Mischief Dance Theatre is dedicated to reinforcing the power that joy and laughter have in communicating ideas. The company's mission is to create and present theatrical dance works that engage audiences emotionally, socially, and kinesthetically. Combining aerial work with more earthbound forms of movement, the company removes spatial and physical limits from theatrical dance.

The program will also include a new suite of dances, The Love Trio, featuring the music of Paul Tillotson and Suite Shel, a one-act suite of dances inspired by the poems of Shel Silverstein, choreographed by Madeline Hoak, Celine Rosenthal, and Emily Smyth Vartanian, and set to the music of Lizzie Hagstedt.   The cast includes Jane Abbott, Ellen Henry, Madeline Hoak, Wendy Lechuga, Saki Masuda, Jaisson Restrepo, Andrea Steiner, and Emily Smyth Vartanian.

"Question: What's the difference between a performance by General Mischief Dance Theatre and entertainment at a child's birthday party? Answer: Nothing. Except that the party isn't just for children, the performers are highly competent dancers, and you go to see them at a theater. And it's much better... Intelligent silliness....entertainingly performed." - Ballet-Dance

Amanda Friou is a Brooklyn based director and multidisciplinary artist whose highly theatrical and intellectually rigorous work is distinguished by the organic and inclusive process by which she develops productions. She is particularly interested in non-traditional creative collaborations. Favorite directing projects include the NY premiere of Naomi Wallace's No Such Cold Thing and a site specific production of Martha Boesing's Pimp which she also designed. She has worked nationally at ART, La Jolla, CTG, The Guthrie, Asolo Rep, Geva Theatre Center, and the University of Iowa, and in NYC for Ars Nova, NYU, HERE, and Second Stage; including assisting directors Jo Bonney, Henry Wishcamper, and Tony winner Warren Carlyle. An accomplished puppet builder, she also frequently collaborates with puppeteer Basil Twist. In 2013, her production of Avenue Q was a KCACTF honoree. Friou is a 2011 Drama League Fall Directing Fellow, and is devising a puppetry infused dance/theatre piece as one of their 2015 Resident Artists.  She is also a member of the 2015-2016 St. Ann's puppet lab where she is collaborating with puppeteer Kate Brehm on an abstract puppet show about technology and theoretical math. Proud alum of Macalester College. Member SDC. 

Donna Viscuso is an experienced performer, composer and educator who has been part of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for over 20 years. Playing flute, alto saxophone and harmonica, Donna has performed, recorded and toured with many groups including The VNote Ensemble (formerly The Snake Trio); Jackeline Rago and The Venezuelan Music Project; Altazor; Wild Mango; the KTO project; Chelle and Friends; Violist Mimi Dye; Brazilian singer Adriana Moreno, Storyteller Diane Ferlatte and Chilean singer/songwriter Lichi Fuentes. She has composed music for several award-winning documentaries: My Home My Prison, Sex Is, and Chuck Solomon Coming of Age.  Her compositions can also be heard on the popular "Living Books" collection of educational CD-Roms including The ABC Book, Green Eggs and Ham, Harry and the Haunted House and Arthur's Reading Race. Since 2001 Donna has introduced San Francisco elementary school children to multi-cultural music experiences through the Adventures in Music (AIM) program, sponsored by the San Francisco Symphony. Donna studied music at San Francisco State University and Laney College and traveled to Venezuela to further her musical studies. While there, she performed and recorded with several renowned musicians including percussionist Alexander Livinalli and members of the Fundacion Bigott (Venezuela's Folkloric Institute). In addition she has recorded with Venezuelan musicians Aquiles Baez, Gonzalo Grau, Marco Granados, and Leo Blanco.

Emily Smyth Vartanian is a lifelong dancer and has produced dance events for over fifteen years. She loves moving, telling stories with movement, and merging different dance vocabularies to tell each story in the most effective way. Her training facilitates this multi-lingual approach; she is a graduate of the Dance Concentration in the World Arts and Cultures program at UCLA as well as a student of Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project, the Diavolo Intensive workshop, and the Oakland Ballet. Her choreography has been presented nationally at venues ranging from the Freud Playhouse, Kaufman Hall, Highways Performance Space, and the House of Blues Sunset Strip in Los Angeles to Manhattan Movement and Arts, the JCC, Alvin Ailey, the Connelly Theater, Theater for the New City, The Zipper Theater, Medicine Show Theater, and the Kumble Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Her work ranges from more grounded contemporary movement and body music to the airborne styles of Lindy Hop and rope harness and bungee. As a producer, she is a graduate of multiple Commercial Theater Institute programs, including the 14-Week Program, as well as a member of the production team for the 2009 Frankie 95 Celebration at the Manhattan Center and the New York residency of Kybele Dance Theater among other projects. She takes great pride in the company's efforts to make each General Mischief performance a positive adventure for both the performers and the audience.

Paul Tillotson is an acclaimed jazz pianist and has been celebrated for many successes - from his self produced recordings to his live shows.  He's performed across America with such renowned performers as Gene Harris, Lynn Seaton, Vernel Fournier, Mike Merritt (Conan O'Brien Show), James Wormworth (Conan O'Brien Show), Lew Soloff (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Chris Minh Doky, Luther Hughes, Paul Kreibich, Matt Wilson, Aton Fig (David Letterman Show), Shawn Pelton (Saturday Night Live Band), Mark Pender, Jerry Vivinno, Red Hollaway, Jimmy Norman (The Coasters), Ernie Watts and Dispatch. Paul has performed his music in The Montreux Jazz Festival,  The Den Haag Jazz Festival,  The Jazz in the Canyon Festival, The Gene Harris Jazz Festival, Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree, The Rochester International Jazz Festival, and Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble.

For more information, please visit www.generalmischief.com.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts Announces its 2015-16 Season

Tickets now on sale for Michael Feinstein, the Vienna Boys Choir,

Clifford the Big Red Dog™ -- Live!, Moscow Festival Ballet, Darlene Love, and more!

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College announces its 2015-16 Season of music, dance, theater, and family programming, reflecting the multicultural diversity of Brooklyn. Hailing from Austria, Russia, China, Canada, and across the United States, the awards-winning artists include both Brooklyn Center premieres and returning favorites. Tickets can be purchased at BrooklynCenter.org or by calling the box office at 718-951-4500 (Tue-Sat, 1pm-6pm).

"Brooklyn Center is excited to continue to represent and reflect the vibrant diversity of Brooklyn through our upcoming 2015-16 season of live performances," says Jon Yanofsky, the Director of Brooklyn Center. "From the Gershwins and the Beatles to classical ballet and step dancing, the 61st season at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate the best of classic and contemporary arts and culture with world class artists in music, dance, theater, and family programming.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 Season includes:

• Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me
• Black Violin
• Art of Time Ensemble - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas In Vienna
• Dance Theatre in Westchester's The Colonial Nutcracker
• Step Afrika!
• Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey
• Moscow Festival Ballet's Romeo and Juliet /Carmen Suite
• The Golden Dragon Acrobats
• The Robert Glasper Trio
• Darlene Love
• Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
• Regina Carter's Southern Comfort
• Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!
• Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration
• Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
• Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move

Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me

2015-16 Season Opener

Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 7:30pm

Tickets: $36-$65
Emmy- and Grammy-nominated entertainer Michael Feinstein brings his impeccable piano skills and unparalleled interpretations to some of the greatest selections in the entire American Songbook, peppered with personal anecdotes from his autobiographical book The Gershwins and Me, which reflects upon his six-year collaboration with the great Ira Gershwin.

Black Violin

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18
Back by popular demand, virtuoso violinists Kev Marcus and Wil B return to Brooklyn with their electrifying mash-up of hip-hop, classical, and pop tunes. With appearances ranging from the Apollo Theater and the Billboard Music Awards to three NFL Super Bowls and President Obama's official Inaugural Ball, this dynamic duo never fails to take audiences by storm with their unique spin on music for strings.

Art of Time Ensemble

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $30

With hits including "When I'm Sixty-Four," "With a Little Help From My Friends," and the title song, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has been designated "the most important rock and roll album ever made" by Rolling Stone magazine. Toronto's Art of Time Ensemble brings this iconic collection to life in a fusion of high art and pop culture that reveals the universal and timeless qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.

The Vienna Boys Choir - Christmas in Vienna

Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45

This illustrious group of young musicians has been delighting music lovers across the globe for six centuries with their purity of tone, distinctive charm, and crowd-pleasing repertoire. Christmas in Vienna showcases these gifted musicians in an extraordinary program featuring Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces, popular songs and, of course, holiday favorites.

The Colonial Nutcracker

Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 2pm

Tickets: $18

An annual holiday favorite, Dance Theatre in Westchester performs its family-friendly, full-length version of Tchaikovsky's ballet set in wintry colonial Yorktown, complete with a red-coated mouse army, an enchanted nutcracker prince, and simultaneous narration to help young audience members enjoy this timeless classic.

Step Afrika!

Saturday, January 23, 2016 at 2pm

Tickets: $20

Experience Step Afrika!, the world's first professional company dedicated to stepping, a unique art form born at African American fraternities and based in rich African traditions. Incorporating intricate rhythmic patterns of kicks, stomps, claps, and chants, the dancers use their bodies as instruments, creating an enthralling, high-energy performance that has been praised by The Village Voice as "a jubilation of rhythm and spirit that harks back to the essence of dancing."

Third Annual
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Lunar New Year Celebration - Year of the Monkey

Sunday, January 31, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Brooklyn Center is thrilled to partner once again with the prestigious Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in an all-new celebration of Chinese arts and culture commemorating the Year of the Monkey, a year characterized by cleverness, curiosity, and playful mischief. Thrilling choreography, traditional music, and dazzling acrobats showcase the rich traditions of one of Brooklyn's most vibrant communities at this festive, family-friendly event.

Moscow Festival Ballet

Romeo and Juliet / Carmen Suite

Saturday, March 5, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $36-$45
The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are reinvented in this double-bill of one-act ballets. The program begins with a new restaging of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed by Alberto Alonso's fiery Carmen Suite, inspired by Bizet's sensuous and spirited opera.
Golden Dragon Acrobats

Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 3pm

Tickets: $25/$12.50 (children 12 and under)

Recognized internationally as today's premier Chinese acrobatic touring company, The Golden Dragons combine award-winning acrobatics, spectacular costumes, and ancient and contemporary music and theatrical techniques to present an unforgettable show of breathtaking skill and beauty, representing the best of a time honored tradition that began more than twenty five centuries ago.

The Robert Glasper Trio

Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $35

More than ten years after making his debut at the legendary Blue Note, 2015 Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper graces the Whitman stage with an intimate concert combining original jazz compositions and selections from his June 2015 album Covered, which draws from some of Glasper's favorite songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, John Legend, and Radiohead.

Darlene Love

Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $40

Pop icon Darlene Love has been captivating audiences worldwide for decades with her warmth, grace, and electrifying performances.  She has sung with legends including Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, lit up the Broadway stage in such musicals as Grease and Hairspray, and was featured in the 2014 Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. From her No. 1 hit, "He's A Rebel," to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she continues to blaze a trail of success, proving why Rolling Stone magazine calls her "one of the greatest singers of all time."

Rhythm Revue: A Latin Soul Celebration
Featuring Joe Bataan and DJ Felix Hernandez
Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 8pm

Tickets: $25

Renowned DJ/producer Felix Hernandez, creator and host of the widely popular Rhythm Revue radio show and dance parties, teams up with the "King of Latin Soul," Joe Bataan, for an evening of live music and DJ'ing that celebrates the musical genre known as Latin Soul and Boogaloo. Originating in Spanish Harlem in the 1960s, this fusion of mambo and Latin jazz with African American R&B, soul, and doo-wop resulted in a highly danceable and distinctively urban form of music that reflects the amazing multicultural fabric of New York City.

Regina Carter's Southern Comfort

Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 8pm
Tickets: $35
Violin virtuoso and MacArthur fellow Regina Carter is considered the foremost jazz violinist of her generation, putting her indelible stamp on collaborations with artists as diverse as Wynton Marsalis, Mary J. Blige, and Dolly Parton. Her latest recording, titled Southern Comfort, pays a tender tribute to her paternal grandfather, an Alabama coal miner, as it draws from Appalachian fiddle tunes, church hymns, and the joyous Southern folk music that infused her childhood.

Clifford the Big Red Dog™ - LIVE!

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $18
Embark on a new adventure with loveable Clifford, the big red dog with the heart of gold. Based on the classic children's books by Norman Bridwell, this brand new musical celebrates the timeless values of sharing, respect, and cooperation.

Ninth Annual National Grid Earth Day Celebration

Sunday, April 17, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: FREE event, no tickets issued

Children and adults alike will enjoy live music, arts and crafts, and street performers at this free community festival, where interactive family activities highlight the need to create a more sustainable future and care for the earth.

Straighten Up & Fly Right: The Nat King Cole Tribute
Featuring Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli

Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 3pm
Tickets: $40
As a singer, Nat King Cole was called "the best friend a song ever had," but he was essentially a jazz performer at heart. Three-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Ramsey Lewis and singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli join forces in this tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop, performing favorites including "Route 66," "Mona Lisa," "Unforgettable," and more.

Alexander, Who's Not Not Not Not Not Not Going to Move
Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 2pm
Tickets: $12
The rest of Alexander's family is moving a thousand miles away, but there's NO way Alexander is going to leave his best friend, his favorite babysitter, or all the places and people he's known all his life. Never. Not ever. No way! Based on Judith Vorst's best-selling Alexander... series, this new family musical teaches us home isn't a house or a place on a map-it's wherever you are when you're with the people who love you.

Multibuy discounts (four or more shows) save 15% off individual ticket prices (not applicable for The Snow Maiden or Alexander, Who's Not... Going to Move). Multibuyers enjoy flexible ticket exchanges and discounted parking for purchased performances. 50% discount for children ages 12 and under for select performances. Discounts also available for seniors, students, Brooklyn College faculty/staff/alumni, and groups. $10 student rush tickets available day-of-show.

For more details, please visit: BrooklynCenter.org

Manhattan Youth Ballet Announces Fall Auditions - September 9, 2015

Manhattan Youth Ballet will hold Fall Auditions on Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

• Audition class schedule is Ages 7-9: 4:00-4:45pm, Ages 10-12: 4:45-6:00pm, and Ages 13 & up: 6:00-7:30pm.
• Dancers should arrive 30 minutes prior to their audition class. 
• Registration opens at 3:15pm.
• Audition fees are $30 pre-registration and $35 on day of registration.
• Pre registration forms are available at www.manhattanyouthballet.org.
• Dancers must bring a headshot and first arabesque photo.

For more information, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

ChEckiT!Dance announces Fifth Annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival

NOTE- THIS EVENT IS RESCHEDULED TO: Sunday, July 19, 2015, 5pm

ChEckiT!Dance presents the fifth annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival: A Celebration of Female Choreographers, an eco-friendly evening of dance celebrating female choreographers, at Solar One on the East River, NYC.

Admission is free.

The evening will include works from more than 10 female choreographers, at various stages in their careers, from across the United States and abroad.

Presenting Choreographers/Companies include:

• Cindy Sosa
• Joya Powell/Movement of the People Dance Company
• Jessie Sector/Tangent Dance
• MJ/Innovate Dance
• Bridge & Olive Dance
• Ashley Sleeth
• Cathy Allen/Red Desert Dance Ensemble
• Victoria Brown/MashUp Contemporary Dance Company
• Erica Hart
• Jana Prager/Jana Prager Dance Theater
• Kara Dudley/Kara Dudley Dance
• InstaDance Collective
• Allison Brzezinski/ChEckiT!Dance 

The fifth annual ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival sponsors include:

• One on One NYC;
• The Philly Knitters;
• Speliotis Video;
• Marcie Mauro, Speaker, Author and Intuition Coach;
• Michael L. Campbell & Rie Poirier-Campbell; and
• efpnyc bottlecharms.

The ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is the culmination of all of ChEckiT!Dance's efforts to increase performance opportunities for female dance makers. This annual outdoor festival, now in its fifth year, is curated and produced by ChEckiT! Dance each July.  Summit Rock in Central Park has been the home of the past four festivals.  This year, the festival will be held at Solar One! on the East River. The ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is a platform designed specifically to provide female choreographers the opportunity to share their work with an eager audience. The work is enriching, lively, and thrilling, and the eclectic styles of dance presented by performers hailing from all corners of the globe, builds a truly global community of female dance artists. In addition, the ChEck Us OuT Dance Festival is entirely green and entirely free of admission, providing access for all.

For more information visit www.checkitdance.com or email checkitdance@gmail.com. 

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET announces PILATES CLASSES

Beginning Tuesday, July 7, 2015

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) is pleased to announce its new Pilates classes, beginning Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at NYTB's home studio, located at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City. Classes will be offered on both Tuesday evenings, from 7-8pm, and Thursday mornings, from 8:15-9:15am. Cost will be $15/class walk in, $60 per 5-class card.

Taught by Amanda Treiber, principal dancer with NYTB, this gentle Pilates class is designed to build strength, coordination, and flexibility while gaining the understanding of the muscles used and the technique of the exercises. Combining the ideas of basic ballet and STOTT Pilates allows for many modifications that are used throughout the class to accommodate the most beginner level to the most advanced. This class is especially good for all types of physically active people who are looking to balance out the body in a gentle constructive way.

Ballet Hispanico to perform SOMBRERÍSIMO at inaugural Hudson River Dance Festival | @HudsonRiverPark

JUNE 17 & 18, 2015

TWO FREE PERFORMANCES

***

Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization since 1970, will perform in the first Hudson River Dance Festival at Hudson River Park on June 17 & 18, 2015 at 6:30pm.

Hudson River Park, one of the nation's longest waterfront parks and an urban oasis for New Yorkers and visitors from every corner of the world, will host the first-ever Hudson River Dance Festival, presented this summer on the Pier 63 lawn in Hudson River Park. This free celebration of NYC's premier dance culture is a rare and unique opportunity for diverse audiences to experience some of the city's most talented and acclaimed dancers and ground-breaking dance compositions and performances.

The same program will be featured each evening, with Ballet Hispanico, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Parsons Dance sharing the bill. Each company has planned engaging and distinctive programs that spotlight the cultural wealth and stylistic innovation that makes New York the epicenter of the American dance scene. The repertoire is designed to delight a broad audience, from aficionados and dance enthusiasts, to families and new audiences alike. The Hudson River Dance Festival is sponsored and presented by SHS Foundation in association with The Joyce Theater, with funding from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and the Hudson River Park Trust.

"We are thrilled to be a part of the inaugural Hudson River Dance Festival and to share our artistry with the larger New York City community," said Ballet Hispanico Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro. "For this performance we present Sombrerísimo, a witty audience favorite that showcases the athleticism of the Ballet Hispanico Company's men and the exuberance of Latinos."

Choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and commissioned by New York City Center for the 10th anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival, Sombrerísimo is an absorbing exploration of identity. The piece references the surrealist world of the Belgian painter René Magritte, famous for his paintings of men in bowler hats.

"Celebrating our City's culture, and keeping the arts-especially dance-accessible and relevant for all New Yorkers is at the heart of what we do at SHS," said Richard Feldman, President of the SHS Foundation. "We are excited to bring these iconic dance companies and their talented artists to Hudson River Park, which showcases so many quality events each summer."

The Hudson River Dance Festival is part of an ongoing commitment by the Hudson River Park Trust to present free and low cost cultural, artistic and educational programming for all visitors to the Park's Manhattan's waterfront location from 59th Street to Chambers Street, on the west side.

"There is nothing quite like sunset on the Hudson River in the summertime," said Madelyn Wils, CEO and President of Hudson River Park Trust. "It is a privilege to launch with the support of The SHS Foundation, Hudson River Park's first-annual dance festival, with such diverse and extraordinary dance companies. We invite everyone to join us this June to experience these exciting, beautiful and spirit-lifting works of art that celebrate life and our connection to the world around us."

For more information, please visit:

http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/events

www.hudsonriverpark.org

www.facebook.com/HudsonRiverPark

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre presents GREEN AFTERNOON III - East Hampton, NY

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre announces Green Afternoon III, a performance and cocktail reception at the home of architects Marcia Previti and Peter Gumpel in East Hampton, NY on Saturday, August 15, 2015. The evening begins at 5 p.m. with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and several outdoor sitting rooms featuring performance installations, with performers dancing in tree houses, on outdoor sculptures, in and around the swimming pool, in the woods, and more. A more formal performance will begin at 5:50pm and will be followed by a reception. Green Afternoon III takes place at 230 Old Stone Hwy, East Hampton, NY 11937.

Tickets are $85 ($150 for Patron Tickets) and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/green-afternoon-iii-tickets-17150930896. 

Amanda Selwyn will present an excerpt of her newest work, Renewal, an evening-length piece that unpacks the state of being made fresh or strong again - dramatizing how we re-invent ourselves again and again over time. Renewal will be composed of a series of shorts that shift the physical and visceral present movement, re-starting, reclaiming, and revitalizing our experience of it. Each short will highlight signature structures and elements in Selwyn's style including gesture, partnering, virtuosic artistry juxtaposed with pedestrian movement, humor, character, and theatricality. With Selwyn's fresh and vibrant movement language of extended limbs, physical risk, athleticism, energy, release, touch, and balance, she will activate emotional expression and offer many in-roads for audiences to make meaning for themselves.

"Amanda Selwyn is a master at illustrating the symbiosis of sound and movement, the romance of motion and emotion - she had me laughing, crying, cringing and gasping all in the short 55-minute production." - Inside New York

"Amanda Selwyn's work is masterly and emotionally expressive, she is truly gifted in the art of dance making." - NYC Dance Stuff

Dancers: Adam Robert Dickerson, Manon Halley, Robert Moore, Torrey McAnena, and Sarah Starkweather. Costume Design: Anna-Alisa Belous, Lighting Design: Dan Ozminkowski, Sound Design: Joel Wilhelmi, Rehearsal Director: Jenny Gillan.

To get to the performance site from the center of East Hampton, take Montauk Highway/Route 27 to first traffic light past windmill. Turn left onto Accabonac Highway. Drive 4 miles to stop sign at forked intersection. Cross main road and turn right onto north-most fork, Old Stone Highway. Drive 0.25 mile to #230 (mailbox on tree). Please park on main road and walk up drive to first house on right.  

For more information, please visit: www.amandaselwyndance.org

New York Theatre Ballet performs Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Legends & Visionaries 2015 from June 18-20, 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC.

Performances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $20 ($15 for Danspace members), and are available online at www.danspaceproject.org or by calling OvationTix/TheaterMania at 866.811.4111.

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Richard Alston's Such Longing, Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite, the World Premiere of Gemma Bond's Cat's Cradle, a new, as-yet-untitled work by David Parker, and Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies.

Richard Alston's Such Longing is danced to the music of Chopin, not pretty waltzes or the great virtuoso fireworks but achingly beautiful meditations from his Nocturnes and Etudes. Filled with longing for Chopin's Polish homeland, this lush and lyrical music floods through tender duets and introspective solos for two couples. Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite will be performed by the full company.

"Capriol Suite, Ashton's earliest ballet, was choreographed in 1930 for Rambert's students, before she had a company. The music, by Peter Warlock, is based on themes from the 16th Century treatise Orchesographie, by Thoint Arbeau. As well as the music, the book contains descriptions of such dances as the Pavane and the Galliard. Ashton did not follow these, but made some use of the illustrations and other pictorial sources. The ballet is an imaginative recreation of old dances rather than an authentic reconstruction. Originally danced by four couples, the ballet was danced by the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in 1948. It is the version that is the basis of a later revival staged by Elisabeth Schooling and Sally Gilmour, former members of the Ballet Rambert," said David Vaughan.

Elena Zahlmann will perform a solo by David Parker and Dark Elegies will feature Rie Ogura, Elena Zahlmann, Carmella Lauer, Choong Hoon Lee and Stephen Campanella. 

"New York Theatre Ballet's move downtown is both a symbol of rebirth and renewal," said Diana Byer, artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet. "With three different programs in three different venues, Legends & Visionaries 2015 is a revolutionary season."

New York Theatre Ballet will celebrate their first season in their new home, and honor longtime friends Richard Alston and Valda Setterfield at a Garden Party on opening night, Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6pm at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, New York City. The evening concludes with a performance at 8pm of NYTB's Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC.

Tickets are $200 ($100 for children), and include both the party and the performance. Please contact admin@nytb.org to purchase.

These performances are part of DANCE:Access, a self-production series administered by Danspace Project that serves independent choreographers and dance companies.

BALLET HISPANICO selected Mexican-American Choreographer MICHELLE MANZANALES for Instituto Coreográfico

Ballet Hispanico, recognized as the nation's leading Latino dance organization since 1970, presented the latest installment of its choreographic institute, Instituto Coreográfíco,with a showing held on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at the company's headquarters at 167 W. 89th Street, NYC. This year's Instituto Coreográfico featured Mexican-American choreographer and Ballet Hispanico Rehearsal Director Michelle Manzanales, who was paired with filmmaker Fernando Venegas Traba and photographer Madeline Campisano. The 2015 installment of the Instituto program was made possible through support from the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

The groundbreaking Instituto Coreográfico provides emerging Latino choreographers, dance filmmakers, and now dance photographers with a professional and supportive environment in which to explore their heritage and develop their craft. Choreographers receive ongoing feedback from a group of notable artistic mentors and advisors, daily archive DVD recordings of the rehearsals, an edited film of the resulting work, an academic advisor, and a showing of their work.  Should an artistically appropriate work emerge from this process, it could enter Ballet Hispanico's permanent repertory. Filmmakers will be paired with a choreographer and will be mentored by filmmaker Nel Shelby.

For more information, visit: www.ballethispanico.org.

New York Theatre Ballet presents Carnival of the Animals - June 6-7

Photos by Richard Termine

Photos by Richard Termine

Photos by Richard Termine

Photos by Richard Termine

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB) presents Carnival of the Animals from June 6-7, 2015 as part of the Company's Once Upon A Ballet series for children at Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, NYC.  

"In a magical forest, Queen Diana and her shaggy lion rule a charming assortment of animals who live more or less peaceably until a pair of lost children wander in, and then the fun begins!"

Choreography by: Beth Storey Taylor.

The performance will feature live music, with four hands on one piano.

• Performances: Saturday and Sunday at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm.  
• Tickets: $35 for children, $40 for adults.
• Single tickets: Available through ticketmaster.com, and
• Subscriptions: Can be purchased by submitting an order form to admin@nytb.org. 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.nytb.org/calendar-and-tickets/view/Carnival-of-the-Animals.

The School of American Ballet announces Workshop Performance Benefit 2015

View fullsize

At the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

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The School of American Ballet has announced the Workshop Performance Benefit 2015 on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. The evening begins with cocktails at 5:30pm in Juilliard's Morse Hall, followed by the performance at 7pm in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Lincoln Center. A seated dinner at 9pm at the Mandarin Oriental will conclude the evening.

The Workshop Performance Benefit 2015 is The School of American Ballet's most anticipated event of the year. The annual Workshop Performances are SAB's only public performances and a rare opportunity to get a sneak preview of the ballet world's up and coming young stars. A Benefit Dinner follows the Tuesday evening performance at Lincoln Center, and attracts more than 550 arts patrons, corporate VIPs and New York's social elite. 

This year's event is headed by Chairmen Michele Barakett, Linda Daines, Hillary Lane Hochberg, Nell Kleinschmidt, and Max R. Shulman; and Young Patron Chairman Stephanie Linka.

This year's benefit will celebrate the legendary Rudolf Nureyev and commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Scholarship. At the peak of his career, Mr. Nureyev spent many hours in the classroom, polishing his technique alongside SAB's students in Stanley Williams's acclaimed advanced men's class. In 1995, the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation generously presented the School with funding for an annual scholarship to support promising students in honor of Mr. Nureyev's affinity for SAB and Mr. Williams's teaching.

In 1964, Alexandra Danilova, George Balanchine's former classmate at the Imperial Ballet and a leading ballerina of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo joined SAB's faculty. In 1965, Madame Danilova established SAB's annual year-end Workshop Performances, giving the School's advanced students an opportunity to participate in professionally staged, publicly performed productions of classic ballet works. Since its inception, the Workshop Performances have seen hundreds of SAB's advanced students make their public debut as they prepare to leave SAB and go on to dance on the world's top stages. The New York Times coined Workshop a "spot-them-before-they-are-stars showcase". Scores of notable SAB alumni have performed at Workshop, including Merrill Ashley, Peter Boal, Maria Kowroski, Lourdes Lopez, Sara Mearns, Benjamin Millepied, Ethan Stiefel, and Wendy Whelan.

The post-performance dinner has evolved through the years, from an intimate gathering hosted by SAB co-founder Lincoln Kirstein at his Gramercy Park townhouse into a festive fundraiser held in the SAB studios. The continued success of the Workshop Performance Benefit has led to the use of another wonderful New York venue.The post-performance dinner will take place in the magnificentballroom at the Mandarin Oriental with the City's iconic skyline as a backdrop.

The 2015 Workshop Performances program will include 19th & 20th Century Masters (Petipa, Bournonville, Balanchine & Robbins); Harlequinade ("Ballabile des Enfants"), Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by Riccardo Drigo; William Tell (pas de deux), Choreography by August Bournonville, Music by Gioachino Rossini; The Sleeping Beauty (pas de deux), Choreography by Peter Martins (after Marius Petipa), Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky; Valse-Fantaisie, Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by Mikhail Glinka; Stars and Stripes (3rd Regiment "Thunder and Gladiator"), Choreography by George Balanchine, Music by John Philip Sousa, arranged by Hershy Kay; and Fanfare, Choreography by Jerome Robbins, Music by Benjamin Britten.

Tickets for the 2015 Workshop Performance Benefit may be purchased online at sab.org/workshopbenefit and tickets for the Saturday, May 30 performances at sab.org/workshop. The Peter Jay Sharp Theater is located at 155 W. 65th Street (between Amsterdam and Broadway). The Mandarin Oriental is located at 80 Columbus Circle at 60th Street, NYC.

For more information, please visit:

www.sab.org/workshopbenefit.

Flamenco Vivo

Flamenco was celebrated on the BAM Fisher stage for the first time, as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana presents two programs of original works by acclaimed contemporary flamenco artists, performed with 6  live singers and musicians.

This studio was founded 32 years ago by Carlota Santana and it is one of the oldest studios in USA. It contains an interesting mix of cultures by preserving the strong Spanish soul of Flamenco.

Flamenco is about emotions in dance, where main six component are:

1. Footwork,
2. Shawl,
3. Fan,
4. Castanets,
5. Hand Claps and
6. Guitar.

We had a chance to attend a Program B on May 23-th with guest soloist GUADALUPE TORRES in her US debut, plus the Company in repertory by Angel Muñoz, Antonio Hidalgo, Enrique Vicent and Antonio López.

Performance was in dark design stage, flamenco sounds everywhere. There were number of performances including both group performance and solo. I would like to mention the magic of playing with unique design dresses while dancing solo or with partner, as it was bringing its own chick to dance. So smooth moves when they have never dropped on the dresses with long tails. That was just beautiful.

The most impressive were the Solo performances. Dancers were losing in a dark lights in the stage by becoming a part of the music and kind a disappearing. They like dancing for themselves, dancing as a real hero of a story by forgetting about surrounding life on another side of the stage. By the end of dance I can feel that they have sweat that much that water drops were flying in the air by each moves. So much energy, speed and emotions that I feel they were also need of some time for doing a step from the dance to reality.

One of the interesting moments is the last performance, when each of the musicians also performed a small flamenco piece that came as a surprise for most of us. That was really cool ending of nice evening. So much fun and standing applauds for artists who made that beautiful evening for everyone.

NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET to perform Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Legends & Visionaries 2015 from June 18-20, 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC.

Performances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:00pm.

Tickets are $20 ($15 for Danspace members), and are available online at www.danspaceproject.org or by calling OvationTix/TheaterMania at 866.811.4111.

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Richard Alston's Such Longing, Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite, the World Premiere of Gemma Bond's Cat's Cradle, a new, as-yet-untitled work by David Parker, and Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies.

• Richard Alston's Such Longing is danced to the music of Chopin, not pretty waltzes or the great virtuoso fireworks but achingly beautiful meditations from his Nocturnes and Etudes. Filled with longing for Chopin's Polish homeland, this lush and lyrical music floods through tender duets and introspective solos for two couples. Frederick Ashton's Capriol Suite will be performed by the full company.
• "Capriol Suite, Ashton's earliest ballet, was choreographed in 1930 for Rambert's students, before she had a company. The music, by Peter Warlock, is based on themes from the 16th Century treatise Orchesographie, by Thoint Arbeau. As well as the music, the book contains descriptions of such dances as the Pavane and the Galliard. Ashton did not follow these, but made some use of the illustrations and other pictorial sources. The ballet is an imaginative recreation of old dances rather than an authentic reconstruction. Originally danced by four couples, the ballet was danced by the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet in 1948. It is the version that is the basis of a later revival staged by Elisabeth Schooling and Sally Gilmour, former members of the Ballet Rambert," said David Vaughan.
• Elena Zahlmann will perform a solo by David Parker and Dark Elegies will feature Rie Ogura, Elena Zahlmann, Carmella Lauer, Choong Hoon Lee and Stephen Campanella.

"New York Theatre Ballet's move downtown is both a symbol of rebirth and renewal," said Diana Byer, artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet. "With three different programs in three different venues, Legends & Visionaries 2015 is a revolutionary season."

New York Theatre Ballet will celebrate their first season in their new home, and honor longtime friends Richard Alston and Valda Setterfield at a Garden Party on opening night, Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 6pm at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery, 131 E. 10th Street, New York City. The evening concludes with a performance at 8pm of NYTB's Legends & Visionaries 2015 at Danspace Project, 131 E. 10th Street, NYC. Tickets are $200 ($100 for children), and include both the party and the performance. Please contact admin@nytb.org to purchase.

These performances are part of DANCE:Access, a self-production series administered by Danspace Project that serves independent choreographers and dance companies.

Magic of Ballet: with Spring performance from Ballet Academy East

John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York, an international leader in educating for justice, offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15 000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. The Theater is dedicated to the creation and presentation of performing arts programming of all disciplines with a special focus on how the artistic imagination can shed light on the many perceptions of Justice in our society.

Ballet Academy East presents its Spring Performance from May 15-17, 2015 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at 524 W. 59th Street, NYC which the myNewYorkeye team had pleasure to attend on May 17th, 2015.

The exciting parents, guests of lovely kids, all gathered in a nice hall to enjoy the event. Kids were very happy, but a little bit nervous while running and getting ready for the big moment which finally started like this:

"All the lights turned completely off and shortly they switched on focusing only on stage which reflected the magical blue and pink tones and beautiful kids standing there. Music and all the moves of dances were so light that one could feel the spring all over. During the first few performances, there were number of very young dancers and I got to know from Julia Dubno - Founder and Director, that the youngest dancers are about 7 years old!

Then ocean started to move the crazy waves and dances were even crazier. As girl’s hair were not folded they felt like a part of storm and created spectacular waves of motion filling the hall with the spring craziness. Performances were mesmerising and very creative with a sweet modern touch. Also the costumes were pretty nice and perfectly matching with the atmosphere their dance created."

Many guests were holding flowers for performers that was such a nice view to see in NYC, as not for all events you get to see so many flowers. We feel very happy for the kids, their teachers and all the guests who had the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful event, including myNewYorkeye.

New York Theatre Ballet to perform CINDERELLA at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

From June 24-28, 2015

New York Theatre Ballet will perform Donald Mahler's Cinderella at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the Doris Duke Theatre from June 24-28, 2015.  Jacob's Pillow, a National Historic Landmark, National Medal of Arts recipient, and home to America's longest-running dance festival, is located at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA.

Performances: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:15pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2:15pm.

Tickets Information: Tickets are $35 and $25, with $10 Youth tickets also available for every performance. Tickets are on sale now online at jacobspillow.org and via phone at 413.243.0745.

A perennial favorite of NYTB audiences across America, Cinderella is one-hour in length with choreography by Donald Mahler, costumes by Sylvia Taalson Nolan, set design by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith. New York Theatre Ballet last performed at the Inside/Out Stage at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2008.

"Gillian Bradshaw-Smith's ingenious scenery included a clock that came alive and danced, and furniture that moved magically about.  And Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, the imaginative costume designer, created a gasp-producing moment when Cinderella's attire changed miraculously from rags to the riches of a ball gown." -The New York Times

During the week of their engagement, company members of NYTB will also teach a free, all-ages, all-levels ballet class to the Pillow public on Sunday, June 28. Limited space, call 413.243.9919 to register.

For more information, visit www.jacobspillow.org.