Produced by David LaChapelle in collaboration with Fred Torres

Updated: May 25, 2011 – Choreographer John Byrne presents the world premiere of his first full-length dance work, Transcending Form, this summer at Theatre 80. A work for eight dancers, Transcending Form is set to an eclectic mix of music, and incorporates a figurative photo installation by artist David LaChapelle. Performances run Thursday through Saturday, June 2–4, at 8pm; and Wednesdays, June 15 through August 24, at 8pm. Preview performance on June 2; opens June 3.

An original dance fable, Transcending Form explores ideas of life, afterlife, and the transcending soul. Created and choreographed by Byrne, this 70-minute narrative work conjures archetypal images and themes in purely contemporary terms. Transcending Form is set to the music of Schubert, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky, as well as folk and gospel music, and features live performances by vocalist Gina Figueroa and other musical guests. The work will be performed by dancers Debra Zalkind, Soetkin Jacobs, Ryan Braun, Vincent Marra, Lior Shneior, Rob Laqui, Farrah Olieri, and Kimberly Mhoon. Lighting design is by Stephen Petrilli. Transcending Form is produced by David LaChapelle, with whom Byrne has worked on a variety of film, art, and stage projects over the last ten years.

Performances will take place at Theatre 80, 80 St. Mark’s Place (between First and Second Avenues), in New York City. Tickets can be purchased for $15 online at www.theatre80.net and are also available at the box office for a $15 suggested donation. One hundred percent of the ticket sales will be donated to Education In Dance and the Related Arts, a not-for-profit organization that brings an integrated movement, music, visual arts, and nutrition enrichment program to preschool through high school students in over sixty New York City area outreach schools yearly.

John Byrne is a New York City-based choreographer. He received his formal dance training as a scholarship student at the Juilliard School, The School of American Ballet, and The North Carolina School of the Arts, where he performed works by choreographers George Balanchine, Lar Lubovitch, and Twyla Tharp. At the age of 18, Byrne was the youngest member ever to join Taylor II, with which he toured the United States and Europe, performing and teaching the works of Mr. Taylor. He later originated a role in Promethean Fire with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the American Dance Festival. Byrne has also performed with Erick Hawkins Dance, Battery Dance Company, and Corbin Dances.

As a choreographer, Byrne premiered his solo piece Bridge in Los Angeles in 2004, and for the past seven years has been honing his craft as a choreographer, creating a style and new vocabulary of movement inspired by the influences of Eliot Feld, José Limón, and house dance. As an educator, Byrne has been teaching dance in the New York City Public Schools for the past 10 years, working with disadvantaged populations and children with special needs through Education In Dance and the Related Arts.

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Zena Rommett, who has been credited with expanding and extending some of this century’s great dancers and athletes, died Wednesday November 10 at 1:26 PM in New York City. The cause was recurring cancer. Ms. Rommett was 90.

Memorial services will be held on Sunday November 14 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at the Perazzo Funeral Home at 199 Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village between Sixth Avenue and McDougal Street.

Immigrating to New York from Italy in 1925 at age 5, Ms. Rommett went on to dance on Broadway in Billy Rose’s "Seven Lively Arts" under Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, for USO in Europe with the Radio City Ballet Corp. She also toured as with the Rutloff Trio worldwide.

After teaching Ballet at Robert Joffrey’s American Ballet Center, Zena Rommett opened her own studio on 3rd Street and originated Floor-Barre®, training dancers lying flat on their backs on the floor, which replaces the wooden bar dancers hold onto at the beginning of each day’s preparation. Her studio from the late ’60’s into mid ’80s became an oasis of dance, attracting actors, athletes, skaters and dancers from ballet to Broadway. Zena Rommett began teaching herself at Steps on Broadway in the mid-80’s until 3 months ago. More than a decade ago Zena Rommett initiated teaching training of her Floor-Barre® every August in NYC, projected to continue after her demise in order that the principles and copyrighted verbal instructions can be passed on with renewal, vitality and growth. A list of qualified and current Floor-Barre® teachers are on FLOOR-BARRE.ORG

Zena Rommett is survived by daughter Camille Rommett, sister Lilias, and grandsons Alex Young and Austin Young.

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Master Class

With Matthew Rushing
Modern Dance Based on the Horton Technique

Monday, November 15, 2010 from 7:30-9pm

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center presents a Modern Master Class with Matthew Rushing, a star of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, on Monday, November 15, 2010 from 7:30 – 9:00pm at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 W. 60^th Street, NYC (between 10th and 11th). The class will be based on the Horton Technique, accompanied by a live percussionist. The class is $20/$17. Registration is available at

http://www.manhattanmovement.com/event/master-class-with-matthew-rushing/.

Matthew Rushing was born in Los Angeles, CA.  He began his dance training with Kashmir Blake in Inglewood, CA, and later continued his training at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.  He received a Spotlight Award and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.  He trained at The Ailey School and later became a member of Ailey II, where he danced for a year.  During his career, Mr. Rushing has performed as a guest artist for galas in Vail, Colorado, as well as in France, Russia, Canada, Austria, and Italy.  He has performed for former presidents George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush and for President Barack Obama, as well as at the 2010 White House tribute to Judith Jamison.  During his time with the Company he has choreographed two ballets: Acceptance in Surrender (2005), a collaboration with Company members Hope Boykin and Abdur Jackson, and Uptown (2009), a tribute to the Harlem Renaissance.  He was recently named a 2010 recipient of the Dance Magazine Award.  Mr. Rushing became Rehearsal Director in June 2010. He joined the Company in 1992.

About Manhattan Movement & Arts Center

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center was developed by Rose Caiola as the home of the Manhattan Youth Ballet, a graded, pre-professional ballet academy and performance company. Ms. Caiola, a former dancer and actress, founded the academy in the fall of 1994 as Studio Maestro at 48 W. 68th Street, and serves today as the youth ballet’s executive artistic director.

The school is modeled after the European academies and adheres to the French School of classical ballet technique. Under the direction of Francois Perron, managing artistic director, the Manhattan Youth Ballet has acquired a reputation for excellent teaching in an intimate and individually supportive environment. The school’s graduates have danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Nederland Dans Theater, Ballet de Espana, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions.

As the ballet academy grew, the search for a larger space inspired in Ms. Caiola a highly personal vision of a studio and theater complex that would encompass all aspects of dance education and performance.

MMAC opened its doors in June 2008, occupying a dramatic bi-level space within The Element, a luxury high-rise condominium located to the southwest of Lincoln Center. In addition to the Manhattan Youth Ballet, MMAC’s studios and theater host daily adult dance and fitness classes, the MMAC Kids program, summer intensive programs, as well as an array of performances and special events.

For more information about mmac, visit www.manhattanmovement.com.

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What is Big Octopus? And why did we name the show this? 

No good answer, but imagine James Bond meets all of the best gams in New York, mixes them with dreams about flight, a pair of hot blondes, and a group of Sirens….puts them on an intimate stage in Soho… called The Rover… and you got yourself "Big Octopus". Don’t ask questions unless you plan on coming to the show….You will not regret… 
Featuring an evening of new works by

Yarden Raz and Genna Baroni

with "You Drool On Me"

Megan Bascom

with "dream. fly. awaken. continue."
and

Lane Gifford / Lane and Co.

with "Bi-Coastal" and "Siren Unsung"
Doors open at 7:30pm, 

For more details and a link to buy tickets online: 
www.theroversoho.com
Tickets: $15 General, $12 Students w ID, $10 Seniors, $8 Children under 12 
Tickets for "Big Octopus"

The Rover Soho 
41 Wooster Street
Floor 2
(between Grand and Broome)
(A/C/E/R/W/B/D/V/F trains nearby)
Pictured: Yarden Raz and Genna Baroni
Photographed by Kevin McCullough

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THE AILEY SCHOOL NAMES TRACY INMAN AND
MELANIE PERSON AS CO-DIRECTORS

LONG STANDING FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE OVER 20 YEARS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

 
(New York) August 26, 2010 – Today, the Ailey organization announced that Tracy Inman and Melanie Person have been named Co-Directors of The Ailey School.  Since the passing of Denise Jefferson, the beloved long-time Director of The Ailey School, Inman and Person have served as Acting Co-Directors.  Both have long-standing careers with the Ailey organization and have previously been Co-Directors of The Junior Division and Associate Directors of The Ailey School.

“Tracy and Melanie have been an invaluable part of The Ailey School over the past decade, working closely with Denise Jefferson and sharing her loving dedication to our educational mission,” stated Artistic Director Judith Jamison.  “Denise and I agreed that they are well-prepared to guide The Ailey School’s legacy of excellence and build upon our tradition of training young well-rounded dancers.”

Inman’s history with the Ailey organization began in 1981 when he auditioned and was awarded a scholarship to study at The Ailey School.  Two years later, he was selected by Sylvia Waters to become a member of Ailey II and in 1989, was invited by Judith Jamison to join The Jamison Project.  After Jamison became Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in December 1989, Inman followed her and enjoyed a five-year career with the Company.  He began teaching the Horton technique at The Ailey School in 1999, was named Co-Director of The Junior Division in 2001, and Associate Director of The Ailey School in 2009.  “Since my time as a student at The Ailey School, under Denise’s direction, I have been groomed and nurtured,” Inman shared.  “I’ve always believed this was a special place and it’s where I really grew up, both professionally and personally.  I’m grateful for this terrific opportunity to be a positive influence in our students’ lives, following the inspiring example set for me by Ms. Jamison, Ms. Waters and Ms. Jefferson.”

In the fall of 1999, Denise Jefferson asked former Dance Theatre of Harlem dancer Melanie Person to join The Ailey School faculty as a ballet instructor.  Shortly after being named Co-Director of the Junior Division in 2000, she became chair of the ballet department and joined Ms. Jefferson on the School’s annual audition tours across the nation.  “Denise Jefferson taught me that directorship is not about the four walls of an office, but how you connect with people beyond them,” acknowledged Person.  “Tracy and I will join in upholding the high standard that Ms. Jefferson set for this prestigious training institution, furthering the opportunities for gifted students from all backgrounds to benefit from the extensive programs at The Ailey School.

“Both Melanie and Tracy have a deep understanding of the unique needs of the young developing dancer and the talent, experience, and commitment to be wonderful Directors of The Ailey School,” affirmed Executive Director Sharon Gersten Luckman.  “I am proud of their past accomplishments and confident in their future leadership of Ailey’s world-renowned center for dance education.”

As Co-Directors, they will continue to supervise the Junior Division, which has tripled in size in the past decade.  Mr. Inman will be responsible for the Fellowship and Certificate programs, Pace Actors classes, and the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) partnership.  Ms. Person will oversee both the U.S. and International Independent Study programs.   Ana Marie Forsythe has been named Director of the Ailey/Fordham BFA program, which she helped initiate, through her planned retirement from that program on June 30, 2011.  After that time, Melanie Person will assume responsibility for the Ailey/Fordham BFA program as part of her Co-Director duties.  Ms. Forsythe, a noted expert on the Horton technique, will continue her long affiliation with The School by remaining chair of the Horton department, a teacher of technique class, and the leader of Horton Pedagogy instruction programs for dance educators from around the globe.

###

Tracy Inman is a native of Washington, D.C. and a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts where he majored in music.  1981, He changed his artistic course from music to dance and moved to New York City where he auditioned and was awarded a scholarship to study at The Ailey School.   After completing two years of study as a scholarship student, Tracy was invited to join Ailey II by Artistic Director, Sylvia Waters.

Tracy is a former cast member of the Vienna, Austria company of CATS, and has performed in the Antwerp, Belgium company of CATS as well.  Tracy was personally invited to join The Jamison Project in 1989 and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1990 by Ms. Judith Jamison. He toured nationally and internationally with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for five years working with choreographers such as Ulysses Dove, Jerome Robbins, Donald Byrd and Louis Johnson.

Following his five-year tenure with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, in 1999 Tracy began teaching the Horton technique at The Ailey School.  Inman was named Co-Director of the Junior Division in 2001 where he along with Melanie Person grew the program from 350 students to its current enrollment of over 900 students. Mr. Inman serves as Director of the Ailey Athletic Boys Dance Program, is a faculty advisor, Rehearsal Director for Ailey/Fordham Student Dancers and conducts several auditions around the country for The Ailey School.   In 2009, he was appointed Associate Director of The Ailey School and Co-Director in 2010.  Photography by George Larkins 

Melanie Person was born in Greenville, North Carolina. She began her early dance training in Jackson, Mississippi at the age of six. Upon moving to Columbia, South Carolina a few years later, she continued her dance training at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance while performing with the Columbia City Ballet. In the winter of 1976, by recommendation of her teacher Ann Brodie, Ms. Person auditioned for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Summer Intensive and was offered a full scholarship. Upon completion of that summer program, she became an apprentice to the professional company and in 1979, became a full member after graduating from the Professional Children’s School. For twelve years, Ms. Person performed with DTH traveling around the world performing a diverse repertoire.  She later went on to earn her BA from SUNY Empire State College. 

In the fall of 1999, Denise Jefferson invited her to join the PPAS ballet faculty at The Ailey School and later that year, in the spring of 2000, Ms. Jefferson appointed her as the Co-Director of the Junior Division alongside Tracy Inman.  Shortly thereafter, Ms. Person was made Chair of the ballet department and President of the Emergency Fund for Student Dancers.  Person has served as a judge for Seoul International Dance competition and Japan’ Grand Prix.  In 2009 she was named Associate Director of The Ailey School and most recently Co-Director with Tracy Inman after Jefferson’s passing.  Photography by Martha Swope

Ana Marie Forsythe received her formal dance training at the Newark Ballet Academy under Fred Danieli and her Horton training under Joyce Trisler. She began her professional career with the Garden State Ballet company at age 13 and with the Joyce Trisler Dance Company at age 14. She also performed with the Sophie Maslow Dance Company as well as her own company. Ms. Forsythe began teaching the Horton technique in the 1960’s and has devoted more than twenty years to documenting the Lester Horton technique. She is an internationally-recognized master teacher of the technique and has been invited to teach in more than a dozen countries. In preservation of the Horton technique, she co-authored The Dance Technique of Lester Horton, and was artistic director of three Horton videos documenting this important modern dance technique. In 2010, Ms. Forsythe was named the Director of the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program at The Ailey School where she has taught since 1973 and has been the Chair of the Horton department since 1979. She conducts an annual Horton Pedagogy Workshop at The Ailey School each summer.  Photography by Dorothy Shi

ABOUT THE AILEY SCHOOL

Guided by the belief that dance instruction should be made available to everyone, Alvin Ailey founded The Ailey School in 1969. The Ailey School offers aspiring dance students in its Professional Division and Junior Division Programs a curriculum of diverse dance training of the highest caliber and makes dance accessible to young people and adults through dance training, innovative community outreach, and arts in education programs.

The Ailey School offers one of the most extensive dance education programs in the world, training approximately 3,500 students and offering over 300 fellowships annually, as well as a pioneering Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program with Fordham University. Now under the direction of Tracy Inman and Melanie Person, The Ailey School has a faculty of 75 dance specialists and has attracted students from over 93 countries.

Many graduates from The Ailey School have gone on to careers with the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet National de Espana and the Ailey Company itself.  Over 85 percent of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s current members were trained at The Ailey School.

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Performance:  Savion Glover’s "Sole Power"
Venue:  Joyce Theater,  www.Joyce.org
Run:  June 21 – July 10, 2010

Listen to Interview NOW…..

Definitely an inspiration to all young tappers and future Broadway dancers… Savion Glover takes the theater world by storm with youthful zeal as a 12 year old prodigy performing in his first Broadway show, The Tap Dance Kid.   By 15 years old, Savion performs in Black & Blue, in which he is nominated for a Tony, and by 18 years of age, Savion stars in Jelly’s Last Jam.   By age 23, Savion solidifies his place as the "Son of Sound" (coined by our very own iDANZ Critic, Martine Quigley) by starring and choreographing his own Broadway show, "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk,"  co-directed by George C. Wolf, which Savion wins the Tony for best choreography.  Savion continues to perform as a featured guest artist, in addition to performing his choreography in his own full-length productions showcasing his artistry to audiences worldwide. 

On Monday night, June 28, I had a chance to interview Savion Glover in his dressing room at The Joyce Theater immediately following the performance of Sole Power, an intergalactic show that pays homage to the greats such as Jimmy Slyde and Gregory Hines and showcases the versatile feet of the great contemporaries such as Mr. Glover and Marshall Davis Jr.  In this interview, Savion expresses the importance of always being a student of life and developing relationships with "old people" in order to gain wisdom and constantly grow as an artist… His message, "Keep Slyde Alive!"  Moreover, Savion talks about his "dark period", after which, he felt like a new man whose reasons for performing changed dramatically. 

On a lighter note, Savion talks about the tap shoes he’s been wearing for years and also talks about the process leading into the famous Tony Award Winning show Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk. 

Enjoy this fascinating peek into the life of Mr. Glover!  -Adrienne Jean "AJ" Fisher, iDANZ Critix Corner

Check out Savion Glover’s Sole Power at The Joyce Theater June 21 through July 10.  For more information, visit www.Joyce.org.

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September 8–11, 2010

The annual DanceNOW [NYC] Festival celebrates New York City’s vibrant dance community. Produced by DanceNOW [NYC] and presented in partnership with Dance Theater Workshop, this year’s festival features 40 choreographers, from young innovators to mid-career and established artists, in a lively showcase format. Continuing its signature “short takes” programming, the Festival offers audiences an opportunity to experience a wide range of dance by some of New York’s most innovative and dynamic artists.

“We are always looking for ways to inspire today’s dance makers, to challenge and support the creative process, and to provide artists with new resources to develop their craft,” says Artistic Director and Producer Robin Staff. Now in its sixteenth season, Festival Twenty Ten is taking the DanceNOW “less is more” policy to task, challenging Festival participants to create a new work or present a repertory work seven minutes or less, that offers a concise, clear, and complete artistic statement. The artist that best meets the DanceNOW Challenge will be awarded a week-long residency at Silo at Kirkland Farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, along with a $1000 residency stipend and a paid teaching opportunity at DeSales University, with whom DanceNOW has partnered since 2006 to bring New York City-based choreographer/educators to Bucks County/Lehigh Valley, to teach and perform. The artist will be selected during the Festival by a panel of administrators, educators, and peers.

Performances are at Dance Theater Workshop, September 8–11 (Wednesday through Saturday) at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door, and can be purchased by calling 212-924-0077, or online at www.dancetheaterworkshop.org. Dance Theater Workshop is located at 219 West 19th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues) in NYC. Subway: 1 train to 18th Street; A, C, E, L trains to 14th Street/8th Avenue.

Program / Festival Artists:

Wednesday, September 8

• Abraham.in.motion /Kyle Abraham
• ad hoc Ballet /Deborah Lohse
• The Bang Group /David Parker
• Bridgman/Packer Dance
• The DASH Ensemble /Gregory Dolbashian
• Jamal Jackson Dance Company
• Kawamura the 3rd
• Khaleh London
• Skybetter & Associates
• Dusan Tynek Dance Theatre

Thursday, September 9

• binbinFactory /Satoshi Haga
• Erica Essner Performance Co-Op
• Independentdancemaker /Kara Tatelbaum
• Roger C. Jeffrey /Subtle Changes
• Nicholas Leichter Dance
• Inmixedcompany /Maura Nguyen Donohue
• John-Mark Owen
• Iain Rowe
• Amber Sloan

Friday, September 10

• Camille Brown
• Daniel Charon
• Jennifer Chin
• Gina Gibney Dance
• INSPIRIT dance company
• Stefanie Nelson Dance Group
• Riedel Dance Theater
• small apple co /Makiko Tamura
• Christopher Williams
• Ellis Wood Dance /Ellis Wood

Saturday, September 11

• John Heginbotham
• Sara Hook Dances
• Malcolm Low
• Pengelly: Projects /Fritha Pengelly
• PORTABLES /Claire Porter
• Race Dance /Lisa Race
• Marta Renzi
• Singh & Dance /Paul Singh
• Misnomer Dance Theater
• TAKE Dance /Takehiro Ueyama

DanceNOW [NYC] is produced by Directors Robin Staff, Tamara Greenfield, and Sydney Skybetter.

Bending the rules and defying the standard, DanceNOW [NYC] has followed its own path for more than two decades, seeking new means to promote, challenge, and develop the artistic careers of a wide genre of choreographers and connect new audiences to dance. Embracing its signature short-format programming, DanceNOW [NYC] offers cultural events that are distinct, accessible, and reflective of the new direction and passion of New York City dance makers. The DanceNOW [NYC] vision is directed toward developing relationships with New York City dance makers via year-round performance opportunities through the annual Festival at Dance Theater Workshop and the Dancemopolitan series at Joe’s Pub; promotion to new audiences to increase visibility; and creating opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, DanceNOW [NYC] supports artists through its artist-in-residency program at Silo at Kirkland Farm. For more information, visit www.dancenownyc.org.

DanceNOW [NYC] is supported, in part, with funds from the Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Edith C. Blum Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, and New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Image: PIERDUO, The Bang Group, Photo by Nicholas Burnham

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PROGRESSIVE, EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE

ARTISTS, DANCERS AND PERFORMERS HAVE A NEW HOME IN SOHO, New York City

With the ever shrinking shortage of rehearsal space available in New York City, a sweet glimmer of hope in affordable rehearsal space has begun to shine over the horizon.  Rani Welch, founder and art director, along with Bradley Scott, co-art director, open The Rover, a multi-functional art space focused on the expansion of creative expression.  The Rover is wandering, searching, on a journey for original thought and unrestrained creation.

The Rover will present various dance performances, art exhibits and film screenings in hopes of being a catalyst in not only the progression of art but also in the progression of societal perceptions on a whole.  Most recently, The Rover presented Plump Reverie, (May 28-30), a surrealistic journey through the dreams and nightmares of the main character, Abby Powell, a beautifully curvaceous opera singer lounging on stage. The talented guerrilla cinematographers, Peru Ana Ana Peru, augmented the show with a custom-made film art. The reverie will progressed with highly stylized characters, dance, performance art, and live music.  Resident company, Tribe of Human, along with Sidra Bell Dance New York were the headlining dance companies performing in this piece.  Other talented performers include Julie Fotheringham, Jarryd Lowder, Matthew Chiu, & Ehizoje Aseke.  Dance movement undulated from modern, ballet, voguing, African, and Hindi and was joined together with live opera, electric guitar, ongoing performance art from nightlife personality Ajoshua and model Mari Malek and coordinating works of art hanging on the walls by Eryn Lefkowitz and Aehee Kang Asano. This wide range of creative expression was wonderfully combined into one large-scale piece of installation performance art. 

The art directors of the Rover state,

"We boldly and confidently assert that the city is thirsty as a result of an artistic drought and thus we break the proverbial dam and happily allow the creative waters to rush forth." 

The Rover is here for us NYC dancers to perform, to create, to collaborate…  Come check out the space and explore your expression.

###

For more information on The Rover, please visit our website: www.theroversoho.com. To schedule an interview with Rani Welch and Bradley Scott, please email press@theroversoho.com.

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AVI SCHER & DANCERS

presents the World Premieres of
Two Pieces

Utopia Variations and Inner Voice

and Four New York Premieres

featuring Marcelo Gomes, Sara Mearns and Veronika Part

April 3-5, 2010

at The Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater

AVI SCHER & DANCERS presents its debut New York Season with a program including two World Premiere productions and four New York Premieres from April 3-5, 2010 at The Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 W. 55th Street, NYC (at Ninth Avenue).  Performances: Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm, Monday at 8pm.  Tickets are $22 (students $12) and are available at www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444.

The program features six works with appearances by star dancers Marcelo Gomes, Sara Mearns and Veronika Part.  Singer Genevieve Labean performs live with musicians Wes Hutchinson and Chris LoPresto for the final piece of the evening.

The program begins with the New York Premiere of Mystery in the Wind, danced by Marcelo Gomes, Sara Mearns, Veronika Part, Abi Stafford and Elizabeth Walker.  The piece gives an eerie feeling, as three women create a small community, then a mysterious couple appears among them, unsettling the peace that the trio had developed.  The New York Premiere of Little Stories uses the pop-poetics of Jason Mraz’s songs to tell three stories of modern-day relationships.   The work is danced by Robert Colby Damon, Kelsey Converty, Jennifer Goodman, Savannah Lowery, Shane Ohmer, and Christian Tworzyanski.  No Matter What, a New York Premiere, delves into ideas of community and unity by depicting groups of people in various dilemmas and moods – good and bad, scary and peaceful – showing that their commitments to each other can take them through anything.  The dancers for the piece are Kelsey Coventry, Robert Colby Damon, Jennifer Goodman, J’aMalik, Victoria North, Nancy Richer, and Arron Scott with music by Aphex Twin.  The New York Premiere of Touch, with music by Alles Wie Gross and Alarm Will Sound, danced by Ralph Ippolito, Savannah Lowery, Veronika Part, Arron Scott, and Eric Tamm, explores our digital age and the lack of human connection imposed by it.  The World Premiere of Utopia Variations, danced by Marcelo Gomes and Sara Mearns, offers the unique opportunity to see these two star dancers from American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet dancing together.  The piece depicts people dancing at worlds end, as this slowly creeps into their insulated world.  Inner Voice, a World Premiere with live music performed by Genevieve Labean, will be danced by Elysia Dawn, Ja’Malik, Victoria North, Shane Ohmer, Nancy Richer, Arron Scott, Abi Stafford, Eric Tamm, Christian Tworzyanski, and Elizabeth Walker.  Through the music and presence of Ms. Labean, the dancers play with the idea of a guardian among us, with Ms. Labean, recently a dancer with NYCB, appearing as a dancer and singer.  The program is appropriate for children ages seven and above.

AVI SCHER & DANCERS was formed in August of 2008 by emerging choreographer Avichai Scher.  The company’s mission is to build a young audience for neo classical and contemporary ballet by presenting top quality dancers and new works in small, affordable venues.  The company has been seen at Jacob’s Pillow, American Dance Guild, Previews, Choreography Under the Stars in Palm Desert, CA, and in 2010, the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Symphony Space and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Photo by Jade Young

www.iDANZ.com

iDANZ Supports Doctors Without Borders
in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts.

MSF/Doctors Without Borders has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency response to the Haiti/earthquake disaster.

Can you please help them provide medicine, surgeons, nurses,
and supplies to victims in this crisis?
Click Here to Send a Direct Donation to Doctors Without Borders

The iDANZ Commitment
For every new person
who signs-up to be a member of the
iDANZ Social Network, iDANZ will donate $1 to
Doctors Without Borders January 18 – April 1.
Go to www.iDANZ.com To help save lives by 
Becoming a Member of iDANZ Today!

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 Some Very Good Years

an evening of dance by Jessica Danser/dansfolk

Friday, March 19, 8 pm
Sunday, March 21, 5 pm

Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance-BAAD!
841 Baretto St., Bronx NY
6 train to Hunts Point or 2 train to Simpson St.

General Admission $15

Featuring the premiere of “mixtape for some pretty good years”
a celebration of coming of age in the ’90s created through workshops with the youth of Odyssey House, a girls-only treatment center for young women

As well as the best of JD/df 2005-2010 including 2009’s “Opposite of War”

Dancers: Jenny Boissiere, Ashlee Buckley, Jessica Danser, Kristin Dexnis, Nora Hickman, Abraham Jarrell

For more info or reservations please contact

718-842-5223

www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org

Jessica Danser/dansfolk
dance for the people
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iDANZ Supports Doctors Without Borders
in their Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts.

MSF/Doctors Without Borders has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency response to the Haiti/earthquake disaster.

Can you please help them provide medicine, surgeons, nurses,
and supplies to victims in this crisis?
Click Here to Send a Direct Donation to Doctors Without Borders

The iDANZ Commitment
For every new person
who signs-up to be a member of the
iDANZ Social Network, iDANZ will donate $1 to
Doctors Without Borders January 18 – March 1.
Go to www.iDANZ.com To help save lives by 
Becoming a Member of iDANZ Today!

Have You Seen the iDANZ Social Network?

Click Here To Become a Member
of iDANZ.com Today!

The More Members We Have, The More We Can
Make a Difference.
It’s Free!
iDANZ – The Social Network Where Dancers Live!

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