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Shanghai City Dance, Ltd. With
Shanghai international Cultural & Communication Association
Eastern Shanghai International Cultural Film & Television Group
In association with
Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, LLC
And supported by
The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York
Present
THE DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER
THE DANCE
As a Cultural Gift to America and
The Broadway & Dance Audiences of New York
Performed by the Award-winning
BEIJING FRIENDSHIP DANCE COMPANY
In celebration of the CHINESE NEW YEAR
Story Adapted by ZHAO MING, WANG XIAOLING, LI FUXIANG, ZHANG WEIDONG
Directed and choreographed by ZHAO MING
Music Composed by SU CONG
Artistic Director: LIU BIN
Stage Art Designer: LI WENXIN
Lighting Design by ZHAO ZHONGCHENG & WENG CHUNPU
Costumes by SONG LI
Press Representatives: THE JACKSINA COMPANY, INC. and
RUBINSTEIN PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.
Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall
60th Street and Broadway
February 8th & 9th, 2008 @ 8 PM
In a profusion of swirling vibrant colors, the Beijing Friendship Dance
Company performs THE DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER, The Dance. Adapted
from what is often considered the greatest book in the canon of Chinese
literature, this dance was presented to the American audience as a cultural gift
in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
And what a gift it was! Amidst awe-inspiring sets, graceful dancers in
breathtakingly beautiful costumes told the ancient story of a son’s rebellion
against societal requirements for a noble family and his doomed love affair.
With a combination of traditional and modern dance choreographed by
Award-winning Director Zhao Ming to the score composed by Academy
Award-winning Su Cong, the tragedy unfolds. The multi-faceted THE
DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER mesmerizes from start to finish with its sheer
beauty and richly vivid presentation – a stunning beginning to a New Year and a
deeply appreciated gift.
- Laurie Lawson -
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New Tang Dynasty TV presents
shows.ntdtv.com
CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR
February 14-16, 2007 @ 8 PM
February 17, 2007 @ 2 PM & 8 PM
Special 90-minute performances February 15 & 16 @ 11 AM
Radio City Music Hall
1260 Avenue of the Americas (50th Street)
(212) 307-7171 or
www.ticketmaster.com
Amidst a profusion of swirling colors and sparkling sequins, New Tang Dynasty
TV’s CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR opens with a lavish production of
“Creation” where heavenly and earthly beings join to bring goodness to the
planet. In celebration of The Year of the Pig, over 150 dancers, vocalists and
instrumentalists take a mesmerized audience back to the golden age of culture
with candlelight vigils, big musical numbers, ballet-like folk stories, soprano
arias, victory drumming, and dances of ribbons, flowers, Mongolian herders and
Dai traditions. Against breath-taking backgrounds graceful bodies in traditional
costumes reveal the rich history of the Chinese culture through music provided
by a 50-member pit orchestra led by Rutang Chen (formerly with China’s Central
Philharmonic Society Orchestra). Spectacular is the only word that could be used
for this elaborate presentation of a multi-faceted country and its history.
CHINESE NEW YEAR SPECTACULAR serves not only to showcase the diversity of
the culture but also emphasizes the underlying universality of all mankind - a
search for truth, a striving for compassion, and yearning for goodness. This
show is truly spectacular in all senses of the word!
- Laurie Lawson -
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SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE
www.sokolowtheatredance.org
with
le concert impromptu
www.le-concert-impromptu.com
in
“SHIP OF FOOLS”
“la nef des fous”
Thursday - Saturday, July 6-8, 2006, @ 7:30 PM
Dance Theater Workshop
219 West 19th Street (between Seventh & Eighth Avenues)
(212) 924-0077 or www.dtw.org
Sokolow theatre/dance ensemble
Artistic Director: JIM MAY
The Company
DAVEY BELLEROSE, MELISSA BIRNBAUM, ELEANOR BUNKER, BENJAMIN CORTES,
ALAN FORBES, SAMANTHA GERACHT, LAUREN NASLUND, JOSHUA SCHULTELS,
FRANCESCA TODESCO, LUIS GABRIEL ZARAGOZA
le concert impromptu
Artistic Director: YVES CHARPENTIER
General Manager: ANNE TORRENT
The Wind Quintet
YVES CHARPENTIER (flute/G flute)
ANNE CHAMUSSY (oboe/english horn)
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MURER (clarinet/bass clarinet)
HELENE BURLE (bassoon/recorder)
PIERRE ROUGERIE (horn)
Lighting Design: PHILIPPE ANDRIEUX
Photos by ROBIN MEEMS
The coupling of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and le concert
impromptu in “Ship of Fools” may be one of the best things to
happen to Franco-American relations in a long, long time. The dance and
music give birth to an eclectic night of entertainment, enhancement, and
celebration. Eight pieces choreographed by Anna Sokolow based on the
pictures of Magritte (“Magritte, Magritte”) provide the
perfect blend of theatre and dance, rhythm and poetry, and music and
fantasy. From thesauruses gone awry (“Ago!”) to the escapism of
Luis Gabriel Zaragoza’s grace in “The Restless Sleeper” and the
theatre of “The Threatened Assassin” delightfully enhanced by the
agility and antics of Benjamin Cortes, Director Jim May’s
light-handed approach breathes life into Sokolow’s choreography and
Magritte’s images. And in full appreciation of the sound, the
musicians are brought on stage, magnificently choreographed by May in
“Starburst,” while the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and
le concert impromptu cavort in a grand finale choreographed by David
Parker that does the title of “La Nef Des Fous” proud. Tomfoolery
and talent - now there’s a winning combination!
- Laurie Lawson -
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Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble presents
www.sokolowtheatredance.org
THE SOUL OF JAZZ
A celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Rooms
Works of Anna Sokolow with Jazz Music
Choreography by ANNA SOKOLOW
Artistic Director: JIM MAY
Lighting Design: PHILIPPE ANDRIEUX
Music: KENYON HOPKINS, JELLY ROLL MORTON, WILLIAM CATANZARO
Performers
DAVEY BELLEROSE
ELEANOR BUNKER
BENJAMIN CORTES
ALAN FORBES
SAMANTHA GERACHT
LAUREN NASLUND
FRANCESCA TODESCO
LUIS GABRIEL ZARAGOZA
Danspace Project at St. Mark€™s Church in-the-Bowery
www.danspaceproject.org
10th Street & Second Avenue
(212) 674-8194
Thursday-Sunday, October 28-31 @ 8:30 PM
World-renown choreographer Anna Sokolow felt that combining the arts
to express the complexity of humanity was a natural process. In THE
SOUL OF JAZZ, A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Anna Sokolow€™s
Rooms, the dancers seem driven, obsessed and rejuvenated by
complexity.
From the awe-inspiring slow-motion cartwheels of Benjamin Cortes to
the stone-faced ragtime patter of Davey Bellerose, the emotions defy
the actions. Both are executed perfectly with only occasional glimpses
of the joy that usually incites and accompanies the activity. Nowhere
is this more evident than in Sokolow€™s masterpiece Rooms. Dancers
express what we do within the confines of our rooms, real or imagined,
against the backdrop of soulful music by Kenyon Hopkins. A few notes
take you from despair to hope while managing to remind us of the
universality of the human condition. William Catanzaro€™s diverse
music allows the dancers to loosen up as they eventually become €œcool
cats€ in Session for Six. In melodrama and exaggerated moves, the
words and music of Jelly Roll Morton depict how the waltz evolved into
ragtime in A Short Lecture and Demonstration on the Evolution of
Ragtime.
In THE SOUL OF JAZZ multi-faceted emotions, high-spirited and focused
dancers, passionate music, and impressive costumes reach far beyond
the conventional borders of dance, making this a fitting tribute to
Anna Sokolow and an evening of powerful entertainment.
- Laurie Lawson -
APOCRYPHA Presents
Jehan's GODDESSDANCE
www.goddessdance.org
An ecstatic celebration of the divine mystery of life
featuring a cast of 25 performers,
with sacred bellydancers, singers, musicians, and drummers
from around the world
with BALLET MYSTERE
featuring Vocalist ALICE RIDLEY
Theatre 3
311 West 43rd Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues), 3rd Floor
(212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com
July 11 - August 16
Monday @ 8 PM; Friday @ 7:30 and 9:30 PM; Saturday @ 3 PM and 8 PM
Jehan's GODDESSDANCE is a mesmerizing celebration of the
female body and of life itself. Bellydancing, one of the oldest
recorded dances, is featured because it transcends its Middle Eastern
origin to bring delight to Westerners. In swirls of colors and
costumes of silk and sequins, undulating bodies perform dances of
rituals, folklore, birth, death, and worship to ancient music updated
with saucy rhythms and sassy lyrics and chants. Bellydancers are
accompanied by singers, musicians, and drummers from around the
world. Throw in a few veils, swords, and snakes, and
GODDESSDANCE becomes magical, mystical, and mind-blowing!
It's a fantasy history lesson that you won't want to miss and you
won't easily forget. Put this one on your list, and go early. You just
might want to see it more than once.
- Laurie Lawson -
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BOOTS, BACK TALK AND BEYOND
Conceived & Choreographed by JOAN MILLER
in collaboration with guest artists and the company
Artistic Director/Choreographer: JOAN MILLER
Assistant Director: MARTIAL ROUMAIN
Guest Choreographers
SHEILA KAMINSKY MARTIAL ROUMAIN
GUS SOLOMONS, JR. MARLIES YEARBY
Dancers
KRYSTAL BREAKLEY DAVID BROWNE CHRISTIAN CLEARY
DINA DENNIS DELANO JEAN PIERRE THOMAS KREVER
TYRONE MONROE NANAKO TSUKIYAMA
Composer/Coordinator: COOPER MOORE
Poet/Narrator: NADINE MOZON
Lighting Designer: ROMA FLOWERS
Musician: COOPER MOORE
Costume Designer: JESSICA JAHN
The Duke on 42nd Street
229 West 42nd Street (between Broadway & Eighth Avenue)
(212) 239-6200
May 17th @ 8 PM & May 18th @ 3 PM
Communication is the name of the game in JOAN MILLER'S
"Boots, Back Talk and Beyond." In the tradition of South African
slave laborers, forbidden to speak and forced to use their bodies,
boots and chains, as well as develop a special language in order to
communicate, her dancers burst forth on the stage in a profusion and
sometimes confusion of movements, sounds, thoughts, and antics.
Diverse works include silent screams, unbridled joy, sounds of
technology, African chants/beats, Jimi Hendrix music, and
Constitutional decrees. She and her dancers celebrate and bemoan
national, international, and personal triumphs and traumas. And
some dances are downright genius - "Slap Dance," "Dangling
Participles," and "Dear Family," which I believe includes a poem
entitled "Say When" ("If we must wage war, let it be a war on
poverty, disease..."). All in all there are 14 dances, and it would have
been helpful to identify the pieces so that the audience can keep track
of and follow up on their favorites. And one more suggestion - since
9/11, hopefully we have all become more aware of our universality.
So inspiring were some of these performances that less emphasis on
race and more on humankind would have made "Boots, Back Talk
and Beyond" even more spectacular. We would look forward to
such a satisfying quest; not to worry, JOAN MILLER and her
dancers have enough talent to take on both heaven and earth.
- Laurie Lawson -
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ANDREW JANNETTI & DANCERS
20th Anniversary: A Retrospective
Choreography by ANDREW JANNETTI
Guest Choreographer: CHRISTALYN WRIGHT
Original Music by MARTY BELLER, RONNIE CUSMANO, MELINDA LEVOKOVE
Lighting Design: JUDITH DAITSMAN, PAT DIGNAN, BARRY STEEL
Costumes by JENNIFER BRIGHTBILL, SUZANNE GALLO, ELLEN MALHKE
Stage Manager, Sound Engineer: BETH CHERVENAK
Stage Hands: KENNETH FREEMAN & JEANINE GALVIN
THE COMPANY
JULIE BETTS, BETH DISHAROON, ANDREW JANNETTI, RACHEL LANE
ADAM MacLEAN, JENNY MENDEZ, LAUREN NASHLUND, JULIA POND
Guest Performer: ANDREAS WIRZ
Special Guest Performers, Past and Future Company Members
JOANNE CAREY, SUSAN CLINE LUCEY, RACHEL ALEXANDRA COHEN, JEAN MORGAN COMPTON
LORETTA DiBIANCA FOIS, HANNAH ENSLER-RIVEL, HALLIE GLICKMAN-HOCH, STEPHANIE KUNG
JESSICA LEWIS, KATE J.F. LIEBERMAN, ANA POE-KEST, RENEE SKUBA, NADIA TYKULSKER
KRIOTA WILLBERG
The Duke on 42nd Street
229 West 42nd Street (between Broadway & Eighth Avenue)
(212) 239-6200
April 30th - May 4th
Andrew Jannetti's "Much Ado," a intergenerational work
celebrating the past, present, and future company members, sets the
pace for his 20th Anniversary: A Retrospective. Dancers burst
forth in a profusion of ages, sizes, colors, energy and movements to
the tune of a playful trumpet. A respect for dance, as well as dancers,
is apparent in each dance. African chants enhance the gracefulness
and frivolity of "Nightshades," while silliness dominates the
audience-pleaser, "Puddle Bumps." Jannetti and Andrew Wirz
perform agonized dances of need and desire in "Isolation," and
Bach's "Cello Suite In E Flat Major" is brought to profound life in
"Water Cello Dreams." ANDREW JANNETTI & DANCERS 20th Anniversary:
A Retrospective is an impressive and diversified homage to a master
of dance and his talented company.
- Laurie Lawson -
SCOTT RINK'S
DANCE RINK
in two one-act plays
"Seductions of the Desert" (World Premier)
adapted from "Nogales," a short story by Tim O'Brien
Direction/Choreography by SCOTT RINK
Audio Collage by SCOTT MARSHALL
Set Design by DAVID NEWELL
Lighting by JASON LYONS
Dancers
STEVE ANDERSON ERICA EIGENBERG CHARLES MARTIN LENNA PARR
SCOTT RINK KEVIN SCARPIN SERAIDA VASQUEZ
Narrator: ELIZA FOSS
"On His Deathbed, Holding Your Hand" (2001)
based on the play by David Foster Wallace
Direction/Choreography by SCOTT RINK
Audio Collage by SCOTT MARSHALL
Installation by MIKE CARSON
Costumes by TOMOKO NAKA
Lighting by JASON LYONS
Dancers
STEVE ANDERSON LENNA PARR SCOTT RINK ALICE STOCK
Narrator: VICTOR TRURO
ATA (American Theater of Actors)
314 West 54th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues)
(212) 620-7474
November 12-16 at 8 PM
Scott Rink presents two captivating dance plays in DANCE RINK.
In the World Premier of "Seductions of the Desert" a lonely woman
(Lenna Parr) feverishly performs a love dance, driven by
desperation, spurred on by fantasy, and invaded by reality. The
subject of her illusion is a bus driver (Rink) with devious plans and
deadly results. Narrated by Eliza Foss and punctuated by Doris Day
songs, "Seductions" is a dance on the dark side of love. "On His
Deathbed, Holding Your Hand" is a brutally honest confession of
a dying father (Steve Anderson) concerning his feelings for his son
(Rink). A fetus performing a crouched dance on a stool, shadow
dancing, and a symbiotic coupling of Rink and Parr as mother and
son highlight this piece. Victor Truro narrates. Somber subjects
with just the right amount of music, dance, and narration make
DANCE RINK an interesting evening of entertainment.
- Laurie Lawson -
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The MANHATTAN PRAIRIE DOGS, celebrating their 5th year of performances at the Atlantic
Stampede Rodeo in Washington DC have come home with the gold. Each year the Rodeo
sponsors the ATLANTIC COAST OPEN, a team dance competition and 1998 found the
MANHATTAN PRAIRIE DOGS on top with first place honors.
The PRAIRIE DOGS are not new to the DC Rodeo having placed third in the very first
ATLANTIC COAST OPEN in 1995. PRAIRIE DOG sightings are usually reported in
neighboring states, but they have been spotted performing as far away as Harrisburg, PA and
Boston, MA. In the metropolitan area the PRAIRIE DOGS pop up most often on Saturday
nights at New York City's premiere gay & lesbian dance club The Big Apple Ranch. New in
1998, the PRAIRIE PUPPIES, a smaller, streamlined group had their premiere at The Big
Apple Ranch and received at standing ovation at the Rodeo. The award winning MANHATTAN
PRAIRIE DOGS are directed and choreographed by Jon Lee, with outrageous and stunning
costumes designed and constructed by Michael Shaw.
The MANHATTAN PRAIRIE DOGS, a country/western dance team can be booked for parties,
benefits and dances. Line dance and two-step instruction is also available. For up coming
performances please check www.bigappleranch.com.
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