Archive for the ‘DSL Dance Wire’ Category

There are myriad reasons why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is celebrating Gene Kelly’s centennial with two special evenings this Thursday and Friday in Beverly Hills. After all, reports the LA Times,he was the complete package: an innovative actor, dancer, choreographer and director.

Gene Kelly (Photo by AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

But let’s not forget another obvious fact—few dancers have looked as sexy on the silver screen. While lean, dapper Fred Astaire, who came into films almost a decade before Kelly in 1933, often danced dressed in a top hat, white tie, and tails, the athletic Kelly preferred tight, form-fitting pants and shirts. No wonder it was said that the difference between Astaire and Kelly is that Astaire was the person you went to the dance with and Kelly was the one you went home with.

According to his widow, Patricia Ward Kelly, who is hosting “A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly” Thursday evening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater and “Gene Kelly Choreography and the Camera” Friday at the Linwood Dunn, his attire was “perfectly” designed by her late husband.

“What he would have preferred to wear was a ballet leotard but you can’t come out in the fifth position and play these roles,” she said. “He would have the pants specifically cut so they revealed as much of the line of the body as possible. If you are wearing a suit coat, you don’t see the body, you don’t see the form. If you watch him in the movies, he’s always trying to pare it down to the minimum he can wear.”

Ward Kelly said that the whole point of the two-night celebration is not to give her husband, who died in 1996, a “birthday party. This isn’t about Gene Kelly dead and 100. The whole point is to get the message out about how he wished he would be remembered, as someone who was changing the look of dance on film.”

To read the full story, visit http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-la-et-classic-hollywood-20120514,0,7094141.story. For more information on the two Kelly evenings go to http://www.oscars.org.

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As far as titles go, The CW has the edge on ABC Family in terms of their upcoming ballet-themed programming. But, CinemaBlend.com says, there’s no reason ballet fans have to choose between the two.

Advertisement for Breaking Pointe (Image courtesy of The CW)

While ABC Family’s Bunheads is a scripted drama with a ballet theme, the CW’s upcoming series Breaking Pointe is an unscripted look at the art and “sport” of ballet, and uses the setting of Salt Lake City’s Ballet West to give viewers a look at the hard work and determination that goes into ballet dancing. As one dancer says in the preview: “It’s constantly striving for perfection but knowing you’re never gonna make it.”

Breaking Pointe premieres on The CW on May 31. To view a preview of the series, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/breaking-pointe.

ABC Family’s Bunheads, starring Broadway’s Sutton Foster as a former Vegas showgirl working at a small-town dance studio, premieres June 11. For previews, visit http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/bunheads/videos-details/promos/big-audition/pl_PL55199956/vd_VD55199945.

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A former English National Ballet dancer turned dance choreographer stands accused of lying to a group of his young pupils and defrauding their parents by allegedly promising the youngsters would appear at the closing ceremony for the London Olympics.

As reported by the Daily Mirror and plenty of British publications, 35-year-old former English National Ballet dancer Stephen Moonesamy has been arrested and charged with fraud after allegedly falsely convincing some 75 children from a dance company based out of his hometown of Northampton [U.K.] that they would get to take part in the closing ceremony of the forthcoming Olympics in London.

According to the Northampton Chronicle, Moonesamy choreographed three different dances for the young performers which allegedly were to be incorporated into the closing ceremony, except for the fact that the dances were never to be included in the ceremony whatsoever; Moonesamy simply made that up.

“We are appalled that these young people appear to have been misled in such a way,” a spokesman for the London Organizing Committee told the Mirror. “The matter is in the hands of the police.”

Police wasted little time in bringing Moonesamy up on charges. The 35-year-old faced four different charges of fraud in a British courtroom on Monday, with the possibility of additional charges in the future.

To see the original story, visit http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/former-english-national-dancer-charged-fraud-lying-tofor-140734168.html.

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The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company will present three free public performances as part of its creative residency at New York’s Bard College, capping the third year of its partnership with the Bard College Dance Program.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (Photo by Paul B. Goode)

While at Bard, associate artistic director Janet Wong led the company in developing a new work set to Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major (1903). Bard dance students had the opportunity to take a master class with Wong, attend open rehearsals, and participate in lunchtime conversations with company members.

On May 17 at 7pm and May 19 at 2pm, Bard dance program students will perform works created by company member Paul Matteson during his spring semester teaching residency, along with performances by company members Talli Jackson, Jenna Riegel, Antonio Brown, and I-Ling Liu. The programs will take place in the Thorne Studio of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on the Bard campus, Annandale-on-Hudson.

On May 18 at 6pm, the company will present a work-in-progress performance of the Ravel work, which features décor by Bjorn Amelan, a visual artist and the company’s creative director, in Theater Two of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts.

For details, visit http://fishercenter.bard.edu/springevents/2012/.

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American Ballet Theatre corps de ballet member Eric Tamm has been awarded a 2012 Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, which recognizes young artists of extraordinary talent.

To encourage the personal and artistic development of young artists, the one-year Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship provides funds to cover training and expenses outside of ABT’s regular season, including guest coaches/teachers, master teachers, a physical therapist/trainer, specialty teachers to explore artistic areas outside of dance, pianists, and studio space. Tamm is also interested in studying dance on film and continuing his academic studies in arts administration.

Eric Tamm (Photo courtesy ABT)

A native of San Francisco, Tamm began his ballet training began at 14 at the Irine Fokine School of Ballet in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He attended summer programs at Kaatsbaan’s Extreme Ballet and on full scholarship at American Ballet Theatre. In January 2004, Tamm was selected for the ABT Studio Company Associate Program (now the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT) and was named a Chisholm Foundation Scholar. He joined ABT’s studio company in April 2005, the main company, as an apprentice, in January 2007, and the corps de ballet in December 2007.

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The National Endowment for the Arts recently awarded a $45,000 Art Works grant to Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company of Salt Lake City, reported the Deseret News.

“We are thrilled that the NEA continues to view Ririe-Woodbury as playing a critical role in the creation of new works, community outreach, and dance education on a local, national, and international level,” Jena Woodbury, Ririe-Woodbury managing director, said in a news release.

The company will use the money for dance education events and performances in Colorado, Georgia, and Idaho. Specifically, the education project will include lecture-demonstrations, creative movement classes, teacher workshops, open rehearsals, master classes, parent/child workshops, and artist talks.

Founded in 1964 by two University of Utah dance professors, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is known throughout the nation for its dance education programs and contemporary dance performances. The company has also toured internationally, including in the British Isles, Canada, China, eastern and western Europe, Singapore, South Africa, and France.

To see the full story, visit http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765575358/Ririe-Woodbury-gets-45000-grant-from-the-NEA.html.

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The American Bolero Dance Company will present the final show of the 2012 spring season of “Tablao Flamenco,” an ongoing series of cabaret-style shows featuring live flamenco and other styles of Spanish dance and music, on May 18 at 8:30pm in Astoria, New York.

The season finale will feature flamenco dancer and choreographer Juan Siddi, who has performed all over Europe, including at the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla and for His Majesty Juan Carlos of Spain; in the Middle East; and throughout the United States, where he has been an invited artist in the companies of Maria Benitez and La Tania. In 2007, he founded his own company, Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he was honored with the 2011 Mayor’s Award for Artistic Excellence.

Flamenco dancer Juan Siddi (Photo by Dimas Motta)

Siddi will share the stage with New York City guitarists, singers, and percussionists, along with dancers Gabriela Granados, Sara Erde, and the Ballet Español de Gabriela Granados.

The performance will be held at The Chian Federation, 44-01 Broadway at 44th Street, Astoria, New York. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $17 for children 12 years and younger, and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/244578 or 800.838.3006.

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A one-night-only event on May 8 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem featuring performances by artists of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, students of The Ailey School, and young AileyCampers, raised a record $1 million.

The Ailey School students (Photo by Christopher Duggan)

Artistic director Robert Battle welcomed honorary chair Toni Braxton and 900 guests to the benefit, which honored board member Leslie Maheras and her husband Thomas Maheras.

Event proceeds will benefit student scholarships to The Ailey School and the Ailey organization’s Arts In Education & Community Programs, including AileyCamp Washington Heights.

Upcoming Ailey performances include The Ailey School Spring Concert on May 22 and 23 at The Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York City; and AAADT tour stops in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 15 to 20; Baltimore, Maryland on May 22 to 23; and Charleston, South Carolina on May 25 to 27.  For details, visit www.alvinailey.org.

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Geo Hubela, hip-hop master teacher and choreographer of America’s Best Dance Crew finalists ICONic Boyz, will head up the first-ever Be ICONic Summer Camp, to be held August 13 to 17 at the ICON Dance Complex in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Hubela’s ICONic dancers have performed on Paula Abdul’s Live to Dance, 103.5 KTU’s Beatstock, Disney’s Shake it Up, Nickelodeon’s Mega Music Fest, and the Sean John Fashion Show, and have competed at world class competitions such as Hip Hop International.

Geo Hubela (Photo courtesy Elizabeth Barry & Associates)

Camp members must be at least 7 years old and can choose either beginner or advanced classes. Dancers will learn dance styles and skills including popping, waving, tutting, break-dance basics, and more from Geo and Beth Hubela, off-Broadway and MTV dancer Christina Pioli, and Jeff Cowans, who has performing experience in videos, commercials, and at the Super Bowl.

The camp will run from 9am to 4pm daily and will culminate in a performance and reception at ICON on August 17. Registration is $425 per person, and is open to dancers worldwide. (Limit: 100 participants.)

Visit www.beiconicsummercamp.eventbrite.com for registration details. For more information, visit www.icondancecomplex.com or www.hiphopgeo.com .

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Unsigned copies of Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance DVD are now on sale for $14.95 by using the promo code DANCE.

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance DVD (Image courtesy Hybrid Cinema)

The documentary tells the story of The Joffrey Ballet, a groundbreaking cultural treasure known as the first truly American dance company. Narrated by Tony and Emmy Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules, the film documents how The Joffrey Ballet revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet technique, combining art with social statement, and setting ballets to pop and rock music scores.

The film has been nominated in the Outstanding Documentary category by the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards, which honor dancers and choreographers on stage and in film. The 30th anniversary award ceremony will be held June 4 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University.

To purchase the DVD or learn more, visit http://dvd.joffreymovie.com/. To see a listing of upcoming locations, dates, and times for theater showings for the documentary, visit http://www.joffreymovie.com/screenings/.

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The Dancing Wheels Company will present world premieres from choreographers Michael Uthoff, Mark Tomasic, Heidi Latsky, and Terrence Greene, as well as a performance by the Junior Company, as part of its event, Dare to be Different!

The Dancing Wheels Company and School, under the artistic direction of Mary Verdi-Fletcher, is an organization of artists with and without disabilities that educates, entertains, and advocates worldwide through innovative dance.

The event will be held May 19 at the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square and include a VIP full-service dinner at 5:30pm, performance at 7:30pm, and after-party at 9pm. Performance-only tickets are $30 ($20 seniors and groups of 10 or more) and are available at 216.241.6000 or www.playhousesquare.org. VIP tickets are $125 and are available at 216.432.0306 or at www.dancingwheels.org.

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Fremont resident and longtime Newark [CA] dance instructor Betty Gentry died May 6, family members confirmed this week to the Newark Patch.She was 87.

Betty Gentry (Photo courtesy Newark Patch)

Gentry, born and raised in San Francisco, ran her own studio for 15 years. Afterward, she moved to Fremont, and in December 1963, started teaching dance in Newark. Forty-eight years later, in June 2011, the Newark City Council commended her upon her retirement.

“You’ve just created such a legacy here in Newark. You’ve touched so many lives,” said former mayor David Smith during the council meeting. Gentry told the audience that night that she was thankful for being a part of the Newark community.

“I’ve always been very, very happy. And [my] classes were good because of you,” Gentry said. “Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives. It was not a job. It was a joy.”

A celebration of her life will be held May 12 at 1pm at the Chapel of the Roses, 1940 Peralta Boulevard, Fremont. To read the full article, visit http://newark.patch.com/articles/dance-instructor-betty-gentry-dead-at-87.

Peter Boal, Pacific Northwest Ballet artistic director, released a statement this week following the death of Where the Wild Things Are author/illustrator Maurice Sendak, who, in 1983, designed fanciful, wildly colorful sets and costumes for PNB’s Nutcracker.

“We at Pacific Northwest Ballet are saddened by the news of Maurice Sendak’s passing. Each of us has a deep connection to Maurice through treasured tales that were read to us as children. In turn, I loved revisiting favorite stories with my children as they will with their children. His books are part of us and part of a family tradition.

“At the ballet we have another Sendak tradition equally dear to us: each winter when we step into the wondrous storybook world of [choreographer] Kent Stowell and Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker. Mischievous mice, an exotic peacock, the Pasha’s seraglio, and even a curious monster from Where the Wild Things Are create a blissful return to childhood.

“Many at PNB remember working side by side with Maurice while he discovered the world of ballet and we discovered the alchemy of magic and wonder. We will proudly dedicate this year’s Nutcracker to Maurice Sendak, an artist who taught us to dream in color.”

According to the Seattle Times, Sendak died early Tuesday in Danbury, Connecticut at age 83 four days after suffering a stroke.

To see the full obituary, visit http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2018163076_apusobitmauricesendak.html.

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Zoe Scofield of the Seattle-based contemporary dance company zoe|juniper will teach a three-day workshop at the Mark Morris Dance Center, 3 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, on May 21, 23, and 25 from noon to 3pm.

The workshop includes daily company class focusing on a somatic approach to the company’s technique, which is informed by ballet, Gaga, and improvisation. Dancers will also learn movement from zoe|juniper’s A Crack in Everything, as well as assist with the development of a new work, No One to Witness. Dancers will have the opportunity to play with new ideas and contribute input as dancers and artists.

Cost is $65 for all three days, or $25 a day. To register, visit

http://reservations.mmdg.org/Info.aspx?EventID=33&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=school&utm_source=monthly+blast.

zoe|juniper (Photo by Gordan Wilson)

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Two studios—New Jersey’s Arts in Motion and Astoria Dance Centre of New York—have pledged their support for The Andréa Rizzo Foundation by organizing dance events in May to help bring dance therapy to children with cancer and special needs at public schools and pediatric hospitals across the country.

The Performance Company of Arts in Motion Academy, 25 Morristown Road, Matawan, New Jersey, will sponsor a “Dance Across America” benefit performance May 18 from 6 to 10pm at St. Demetrius Community Center in Carteret. The event is under the direction of Kimberly Tan, Amy Boyle, and Lynn Audet and will include a performance by the academy’s hip-hop company, UFP Dance LLC.

The event will also include dinner for guests, dancing to a DJ, and raffle prizes. Tickets are $22 for adults or $15 for students (children 3 and under free) and are available from Lynn Audet at 908.812.4188 or yankeesgirl2103@aol.com.

Astoria Dance Centre will be hold a “Dréa’s Dream Dance-a-Thon” on May 19 (6 to 9pm for ages 9 to 12; 7:30 to 10:30pm for ages 13 and older) and May 20 (5 to 8pm for ages 5 to 8 and adults).  Participants and event volunteers can pick up registration packets at the studio’s front desk. Astoria Dance Centre is located at 42-16 28th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, New York. Visit www.astoriadancecentre.com for details.

The Andréa Rizzo Foundation was established in memory of Andréa Rizzo, a childhood cancer survivor killed at the age of 24 by a drunk driver. For more information, call 401.952.2423, e-mail DreasDream@aol.com, or visit www.DreasDream.org.

Undertoe Dance Project of Astoria, New York, has planned the first Astoria Dance Festival for June 24 from 2 to 6pm at the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, Astoria.

The festival will include performances by student and professional dancers and companies, as well as movement lessons open to the public. The event is free.

Astoria-based dance makers are urged participate and should contact Undertoe at events@undertoedance.com or 646.863.6040 by May 15.  Choreographers must live in Astoria or Long Island City to present work. Choreographers working with amateur/student groups can present up to 12 minutes of work, with those working with professional dancers presenting up to 20 minutes of work. Spaces will be filled on a first come, first served basis. The performance schedule will be announced by Memorial Day.

For more information, contact, or visit http://undertoedance.com/2012/04/astoria-dance-festvial-june-24-2012/.

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Coppélia,a tale of love, laughter, and happily ever after, will be presented by Pacific Northwest Ballet in eight performances June 1 to 10 at the Seattle Center’s Marion Oliver McCaw Hall.

Kaori Nakamura and Peter Boal in Coppélia (Photo by Angela Sterling)

Originally created in 1870, choreographer George Balanchine and legendary ballerina Alexandra Danilova drew on source material and memory when they created New York City Ballet’s version in 1974—which PNB premiered in 2010 and has recreated for this spring’s production.

The story, inseparable from Léo Delibes’ melodic score, is a lighthearted comedy about vivacious young Swanilda, her impetuous suitor Franz, and the eccentric toymaker Dr. Coppelius. Though Franz loves Swanilda, he is swept away by Coppélia, a life-sized doll that he believes is real. When Swanilda steals into Dr. Coppelius’ workshop and discovers the truth about Coppélia, she dresses up as her rival and amuses herself by tricking both toymaker and her lover.

All ends well in the final act’s splendid wedding festivities, revised by Balanchine and enhanced by the addition of 24 “baby” ballerinas who frame ensemble and solo variations.

For details and ticket information, visit www.pnb.org. To view the trailer and behind-the-scenes webcasts on the show’s production, visit http://www.pnb.org/Season/11-12/Coppelia/?utm_source=Pacific+Northwest+Ballet&utm_campaign=3aeac4961a-Coppelia_5_7_2012&utm_medium=email#Media.

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Dancer Amanda Krische of Brooklyn, New York, and choreographer Taylor Rodman of Coppell, Texas, have been selected as two of 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon artistically talented graduating high school seniors.

Krische is a student at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, and Rodman attends Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

The scholars were nominated by YoungArts, a program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA). The award is presented on behalf of the President of the United States, and selection is based upon academic, civic, and artistic achievement. Each year, 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars are recognized, including up to 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

The scholars will travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with government officials, educators, authors, musicians, and other accomplished individuals and perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 18.

To be selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, candidates must participate in and receive a nomination from YoungArts. Each year, YoungArts receives up to 5,000 applications for its national program. This year’s U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts represent 11 states and nine artistic disciplines including cinematic arts, dance, jazz, music, photography, theater, voice, visual arts, and writing.

For more information about YoungArts, visit www.youngarts.org.

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Blind or vision-impaired patrons can request free tickets and transportation from Union Station Metro Stop to AXIS Dance Company’s upcoming audio-described performances on May 19 at 8pm and May 20 at 7pm at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington D.C.

The mixed program will include Full of Words, a new commission from UK choreographer Marc Brew, Light Shelter by David Dorfman, and The Narrowing by Sebastian Grubb.

AXIS creates, performs, and teaches “physically-integrated dance”—a contemporary dance form that evolves from the collaboration between dancers with and without disabilities. The company has performed in more than 60 cities nationwide, as well as in Europe and Siberia, and has collaborated with Bill T. Jones, Stephen Petronio, Joe Goode, Joanna Haigood, Victoria Marks, Ann Carlson, Margaret Jenkins, Sonya Delwaide, Alex Ketley, David Dorfman, Shinichi Iova-Koga, Meredith Monk, Fred Frith, and Joan Jeanrenaud.

Tickets are $25 adults or $15 students and seniors and are available at www.atlasarts.org.

For free audio-description transport and tickets, contact Joel Snyder, ACB Audio Description Project, at 202.467.5083, 301.920.0218, jsnyder@acb.org, or jsnyder@audiodescribe.com by May 17 at 5pm.

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Students in both the open and professional divisions of the Ballet San Jose School will showcase their talent, technique, and artistry during spring performances set for May 27 at the California Theatre, 345 South First Street, in downtown San Jose.

Ballet San Jose School student Nika Cohen (Photo by Chris Hardy)

The Open Division Showcase at 2pm will feature students from Open 1A, Open 1B, Open 1C, Open 2A, Open 2B, and Open 2C. The Professional Division Showcase at 4pm will feature students from Pro 1A, Pro 1B, and Pro 2, with students from Pro 3, 4, and 5 performing Bachnias Brasileiras, a new neoclassical ballet choreographed by school ballet master Mads Eriksen.

Fête, a celebration of ballet featuring variations from the classical repertoire coached by Le Mai Linh, along with original choreography by Dalia Rawson and performed by students from Levels 5 and 6 the professional division, will be presented at both performances.

Tickets range from $25 to $45 and are available at the box office, 40 North First Street, San Jose, or at 408.288.2800. For information, visit www.BalletSJ.org.

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Dance Place, the well-regarded but rickety Washington D.C. venue that’s been presenting dance shows since 1986, will close its theater in 2013 to undergo a $4 million, five-month renovation project, reports the Washington Post.

It’s a significant expansion that should benefit Washington’s dance community in the long run but leaves many local companies without a place to perform next year.

The building, a former garage on a quiet stretch of Eighth Street near Catholic University, will increase from 7,000 to almost 10,000 square feet, gaining restrooms, office space, and a 20-by-20-foot studio, ideal for children’s classes and performer warm-ups. In the theater area, metal folding chairs will disappear in favor of 160 theater seats, much-needed breathing space will be created backstage and in the wings, and the one chilly, cramped dressing room will be replaced with two heated dressing rooms.

The total fundraising goal for the project is $5 million, including $1 million for programming and operating costs. Dance Place has raised $1.3 million thus far, including a major commitment from the Cafritz Foundation.

Last month, emails began going out to some local dance companies, notifying them they will not be able to perform at Dance Place during the 2013-14 season. Dance Place presents programs at least 45 weekends a year—nearly 100 nights. Most of the touring acts are smaller, up-and-coming troupes, yet most of the larger companies in the area, including Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co. and Dance Exchange, have at least one run at the theater each season.

Plans call for closing Dance Place in August 2013 and reopening in February 2014. To read the full story, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/dance-place-to-undergo-renovation-in-2013/2012/05/02/gIQApiINxT_story.html.

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Thirty colleges and universities from around the country will perform in the American College Dance Festival Association’s National College Dance Festival on May 25 to 27 at the Terrace Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C.

Western Michigan University dancers Katie Mattar and Jesse Hoisington (Photo by John Lacko)

The festival, supported by the Center’s Education Division, features outstanding college and university dance presented in three programs. The works were chosen for their artistic excellence from each of ACDFA’s 11 regional conferences around the country.

Program A (May 25, 2 and 7:30pm) includes performances by Carleton College (MN), Colorado College, California State University-Fullerton, Hofstra University (NY), James Madison University (VA), Minnesota State University, Temple University (PA), University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Utah.

Program B (May 26, 2 and 7:30pm) features Hamline University (MN), Kennesaw State University (GA), Loyola Marymount University (CA), Marlboro College (VT), Meredith College (NC), Stanford University (CA), University of Florida, University of Montana, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and Long Island University, Brooklyn (NY).

Program C (May 27, 2 and 7:30pm) will showcase Boston Conservatory (MA), California State University-Long Beach, Florida State University, Kenyon College (OH), Slippery Rock University (PA), Texas Woman’s University, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Texas Pan American, University of Vermont, and Western Michigan University.

Tickets, including group sales, are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, at 202.467.4600, or at www.kennedy-center.org.

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Dances and non-dancers alike are invited to join members of the José Limón Dance Company on Saturdays for free classes in New York City’s Bryant Park.

Free class with Limón (Photo courtesy Audrey Ross Publicity)

Classes begin May 19 and run through September, every Saturday, from 10 to 11am. The lessons will include live musical accompaniment, and are for movers of all ages. Formal technique is not stressed; instead, the classes emphasize an exhilarating freeform style of movement that requires only comfortable clothes and a love of dance.

Bryant Park is located at 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas. Admission is free. For more information, call 212.777.3353.

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Never Stand Still, a documentary filmed at Jacob’s Pillow that immerses audiences in the lives of extraordinary artists and the power of dance, has added four more locations to its theatrical run.

Opening May 18 at Quad Cinema in New York City, the film will also visit the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago June 29 to July 5, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston July 5 to 11, and the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, beginning August 10.

Never Stand Still features performances by world-renowned dancers interwoven with intimate interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and rare archival footage, showcasing dance luminaries such as Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Suzanne Farrell, Mark Morris, Judith Jamison, and Bill Irwin.

Filmed at the iconic Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival founded in the 1930s by visionary dance pioneer Ted Shawn on a farm in Massachusetts’ the Berkshires, today the Pillow is an idyllic mecca for artists and audiences from around the world, a place where dance in all its forms–from ballet to jazz to contemporary– is studied, created, performed, and celebrated.

To see a film trailer, visit http://firstrunfeatures.com/trailers_neverstandstill.html. More information on dates/times of the individual cinemas is available at www.quadcinema.com, www.siskelfilmcenter.org, www.mfa.org, and http://hop.dartmouth.edu.

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The Kirov Academy of Ballet (KAB) will present George Balanchine’s Valse-Fantaisieas part of spring performances set for May 24 to 26 at the Washington, D.C. ballet academy.

Kirov Academy student (Photo courtesy Kirov Academy)

John Clifford, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet, and Mimi Paul, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, staged and rehearsed the work with the Kirov students. Valse-Fantaisie premiered on November 23, 1967, with Paul and Clifford in the original cast.

Giselle, Act II and other works, including the world premiere of Rossiniana by Eli Lazar, will also be presented.

KAB is the only dedicated ballet academy in the U.S. to offer ballet training plus a full academic curriculum with onsite faculty and a resident life program under one roof. Alumni of KAB are currently dancing as principals or soloists at American Ballet Theater, Royal Ballet in London, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Universal Ballet, and many other companies throughout the world.

Performances will be held at 2:30 and 7pm at KAB, 4301 Harewood Road, Northeast, Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.kirovacademydc.org.

On Vanishing, a new site-specific choreographic work by Jonah Bokaer, will be presented at the Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Boulevard, Houston, May 17 to 18 at 5:30pm.

Presented in collaboration with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, On Vanishing was originally created for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in response to the exhibition Lee Ufan: Marking Infinity and will be recreated for the Texas Center in response to Relatum — signal,a commissioned sculpture by Lee Ufan.

On Vanishing (Photo by Michael Hart)

On Vanishing unfolds as an uninterrupted 40-minute work and presents an accumulation of changes in the bodies of five performers of diverse backgrounds. Through movement and gesture, dimensions of space grow and expand over time, while other dimensions shrink. In his first-ever choreographic dialogue with sculpture, Bokaer poses the question, “How does the body erase itself, to prefer matter against presence?” Loren Kiyoshi Dempster contributes music with a rare live performance of John Cage’s One⁸ (1991) for solo cello.

Bokaer, recruited for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at age 18, is an internationally acclaimed choreographer and media artist who takes a rare, multi-disciplinary approach to choreography, addressing the human body in relation to contemporary technologies.

Admission is $10 Texas Center members, $20 non-members, and $15 for seniors and students with ID. For more information, visit http://asiasociety.org/texas/events/vanishing-site-specific-performance-work-jonah-bokaer.

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Three new instructional ballroom DVDs by Teresa Mason will be available from Kultur International Films beginning May 29.

Titles include Teresa Mason’s The Magic of Ballroom Dancing showcasing the fox trot, waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, and quickstep; Teresa Mason’s The Magic of Latin Dancing featuring the merengue, rumba, cha cha, salsa, and samba; and Teresa Mason’s The Magic of Romance Dancing including the waltz, fox trot, wedding dances (including dances for the bride and groom, and father of the bride), bolero, Argentine tango, party dance, and swing.

All three DVDs include beginner, intermediate, and advanced instruction plus bonus dance practice songs and are available from Kultur for $19.99 each. For more information, visit www.kultur.com.

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Soon-to-be graduates of New York City’s LaGuardia High School, dubbed the Fame school after the ’80s movie that showcased performing arts students pursuing their dreams, will perform in the 2012 Graduating Dance Class Concert on Friday, June 1 at 7:30pm; and Saturday, June 2 at 2pm and 7:30pm.

LaGuardia High Concert (Photo courtesy Audrey Ross Publicity)

The 52 members of the graduating dance class will appear in a program of dances ranging from classical ballet to modern dance by alumni choreographers William Isaac, Loni Landon, and Troy Powell (director of Ailey II); faculty members Elisa King and Joey Smith; and guest choreographer Zvi Gotheiner.

LaGuardia Dance Department faculty includes modern/Graham technique taught by Elisa King, Oliver Tobin, and Greg Sinacori; modern/Horton technique by Sinacori; ballet by Catherine Brikke, Cassandra Phifer, and Joey Smith; and theater dance (jazz and tap) by Mary Brienza; with additional instruction from artist-in-residence Meredith Monk.

The show will be held at LaGuardia High School, 100 Amsterdam Avenue (at 65th Street). Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. For reservations, call 212.496.0700 ext. 2837 or visit www.laguardiahs.org. For additional information, visit www.DanceAtLaGuardiaHS.org.

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The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and the Ahn Trio will share the stage as equal partners in the New Jersey premiere of Temptation of the Muses, which draws from poetry, drama, music, and dance to create an artful fusion of East and West.

The show is set for May 11 at 8pm at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, New Jersey.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company (Photo courtesy Audrey Ross Publicity)

Taiwanese native Nai-Ni Chen, now headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey, has created dances for her ensemble set to music composed for the Ahn Trio by Kenji Bunch, Pat Metheny, Ronn Yedidia, and David Balakrishnan. The Korean trio consists of twin sisters Maria (cello) and Lucia (piano), joined by their younger sister Angella (violin).

Tickets are $27 to $57 and can be purchased at 973.539.8008 or at www.mayoarts.org. For more information, visit www.nainichen.org.

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The Youth Dance Ensemble, Joy of Motion Dance Center’s elite program for developing young dancers, will perform at The Greenberg Theatre at American University, Washington, D.C., on May 12 at 7:30pm.

Performers include the JOMDC’s 9th through 12th grade dance ensemble and preparatory levels for 1st through 8th grades. Dancers will present choreographic works by Youth Dance Ensemble core faculty members Tiffany Haughn (artistic director of DancEthos), Julia Smith, Kathleen Weitz, Helanius J. Wilkins (founder and artistic director of Edgeworks Dance Theater), and Youth Dance Ensemble Program director Helen Hayes (winner of the 2009 MetroDC Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Education).

Additional choreography has been provided by several of the young dancers themselves, plus guest artists Jennifer Lee, Felipe Oyarzun (guest choreographer from Chile, apprentice with Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Company), Christine Stone Martin (Daniel Burkholder/The Playground), and Vincent Thomas (Towson University).

This year’s concert features the youngest group of ensemble members ever, said Hayes. “To watch young dancers work on material that is so sophisticated, mature, and challenging on both a physical and emotional level is truly compelling.” Tickets start at $15. For information, visit www.joyofmotion.org.

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Two high school thespians will win the opportunity to strut their musical theater stuff in New York City when the 1st Annual Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards are held May 5 at The Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.

A Red Carpet and invitation-only VIP reception begins at 6pm, with the public show and performances at 7:30pm.

Patterned after Broadway’s Tony Awards, show business veterans and community celebrities will come together to spotlight the achievements of high school students from 30 school musical theater programs.

Throughout the year, three judges visit each school and judge productions in 15 categories such as direction, choreography, scenic design, and performance. On Saturday, top nominated schools will perform a number from their show, nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress will be showcased, and the winners will be announced. Seven $3,000 cash scholarships will be presented to outstanding participating students.

Winners of the Best Performance by an Actor and Actress will receive an all-expense paid trip for five days to New York City to represent their school in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards (the Jimmy Nederlander Award, also known as “The Jimmys”) for the chance to win prizes and scholarships.

Tickets run from $20 to $50 and are available at http://www.dallassummermusicals.org/HSMAwards.shtm and at www.ticketmaster.com.

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The low-tech musical Oncebased on the love story of a Czech flower seller and an Irish street musician and vacuum cleaner repairman in Dublin got a leading 11 Tony Award nominations Tuesday, reported the Associated Press.

Aaron J. Albano and Jess LeProtto in Newsies. (Photo courtesy Broadway.com)

Two other musicals—The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess and Nice Work If You Can Get It— each got 10 nominations as the Tony committee spread the wealth. Peter and the Starcatcher, about the origins of Peter Pan, earned nine nominations, and the revival of Follies and the new Disney musical Newsies got eight nods each.

The Tony Awards will be broadcast on CBS from New York City’s Beacon Theatre on June 10. Neil Patrick Harris, the star of TV’s How I Met Your Mother, will be the host.

The list of nominees includes:

• Best Musical: Leap of Faith, Newsies, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Once
• Best Choreography: Rob Ashford (Evita), Christopher Gattelli (Newsies), Steve Hoggett (Once), Kathleen Marshall (Nice Work If You Can Get It)
• Best Book of a Musical: Lysistrata Jones (Douglas Carter Beane), Newsies (Harvey Fierstein), Nice Work If You Can Get It (Joe DiPietro), Once (Edna Walsh)
• Best Original Score: Bonnie & Clyde (music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black), Newsies (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman), One Man, Two Guvnors (music and lyrics by Grant Olding), Peter and the Starcatcher (music by Wayne Barker, lyrics by Rick Elice)
• Best Revival of a Musical: Evita, Follies, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Jesus Christ Superstar
• Best Performance by Actor in Leading Role in a Musical: Danny Burstein (Follies), Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), Steve Kazee (Once), Norm Lewis (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), Ron Raines (Follies)
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Jan Maxwell (Follies), Audra McDonald (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), Cristin Milloti (Once), Kelli O’Hara (Nice Work If You Can Get It), Laura Osnes (Bonnie & Clyde)
• Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Phillip Boykin (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), Michael Cerveris (Evita), David Alan Grier (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), Michael McGrath (Nice Work If You Can Get It), Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar)
• Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Elizabeth A. Davis (Once), Jayne Houdyshell (Follies), Judy Kaye (Nice Work If You Can Get It), Jessie Mueller (On A Clear Day You Can See Forever), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Ghost The Musical)
• Best Direction of a Musical: Jeff Calhoun (Newsies), Kathleen Marshall (Nice Work If You Can Get It), Diane Paulus (The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess), John Tiffany (Once)

To see the full list, visit http://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/nominees/index.html.

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Texas Ballet Theater School is inviting intermediate/advanced students to attend a master class led by Texas Ballet Theater artistic director Ben Stevenson on May 5 from 11am to 1pm.

Stevenson, former artistic director of Houston Ballet, has choreographed original versions of productions such as Peer Gynt, Don Quixote, Dracula, and The Snow Maiden, and his students have gone on to perform with such companies as The Royal Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, Les Grandes Ballets Canadien, The National Ballet of China, Birmingham Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and others.

Cost is $30. The class will be held at Texas Ballet Theater, 1600 Green Oaks Road, Fort Worth, Texas. To register, call 817.763.0207 ext. 112 or email josie@texasballet.org. For more information, visit www.texasballettheater.org.

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The Friends of the National Museum of Dance is now accepting applications from new volunteers seeking to assist the Saratoga Springs, New York museum by working in the gift shop, administrative offices, as group tour guides, or performing publicity and outreach tasks.

No experience is necessary to join the Friends of the National Museum of Dance. The Friends will hold a training session on May 5 at 10:30am for both new and current volunteers interested in leading tour groups through the museum.

New volunteers can also register by visiting the museum’s offices or by completing the volunteer form available at www.dancemuseum.org. Volunteers will receive a free pass to explore NMD’s current exhibits.

For more information about volunteering, contact Susan Edwards at 518.584.2225 ext. 3009 or sue@dancemuseum.org. The National Museum of Dance is located at 99 South Broadway and will be open this year through November 18, Tuesdays through Sundays, from 10am to 4:30pm.

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Tickets for the Jacob’s Pillow 80th Anniversary Festival, an international celebration of dance, music, the visual arts, and culture beginning June 16 with the Season Opening Gala and continuing through August 26, are now on sale.

Jacob’s Pillow celebrates 80th season (Image courtesy Jacob’s Pillow)

Founded in the early 1930s by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn as a retreat for his company of Men Dancers, Jacob’s Pillow is a National Medal of Arts honoree and America’s longest-running international dance festival.

The 80th Anniversary Season includes world and U.S. premieres, live music, company debuts, legendary dance companies, emerging choreographers, and more than 300 ticketed and free events, talks, performances, classes, exhibits, and tours hosted at the Pillow’s 163-acre National Historic Landmark site in Becket, Massachusetts.

A weeklong homage to Ted Shawn and his Men Dancers will feature a 20-member cast of some of the greatest male dancers and choreographers of today including Lar Lubovitch, Jason Samuels Smith, Arthur Mitchell, Trent Kowalik, Cartier Williams, and Jock Soto, among many others.

Some of the companies performing at the Pillow this season include The Hong Kong Ballet, Morphoses, Vertigo Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, Trey McIntyre Project, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Mimulus, CIRCA, LeeSaar The Company, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Jessica Lang Dance.

Tickets can be purchased at www.jacobspillow.org or 413.243.0745. To view a video preview of the 80th season, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iGLGFraPNw&feature=related.

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The Juilliard Senior Dance Production, the culmination of a year-long creative and educational process focused on launching seniors into the professional world, will feature six works by dance division seniors in free performances May 3 to 6 in The Juilliard School’s Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater, 155 West 65th Street, New York City.

Choreographers include Spencer Dickhaus, Melissa Fernandez, Nathan Makolandra, Ryan Redmond, Rachelle Scott, and Zack Winokur. Students in the school’s third and fourth year classes will perform the works. Juilliard dancers work in close collaboration with lighting design teams from the third year Stagecraft class, professional costume and set designers, and composers, as they create their original dance works.

Shows are set for May 3 to 6 at 8pm, plus May 5 and 6 at 2pm. No tickets are required. For more information on the Juilliard dance program, visit http://www.juilliard.edu/.

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It is with great sadness that Tulsa Ballet announced the death of its co-founder, Edna Moscelyne Larkin Jasinski, one of Oklahoma’s five Native American ballerinas and a teacher who instilled in her students a love of the art form and a passion for excellence. She died April 25 at age 87.

A press release from the Tulsa Ballet said Larkin and her late husband, Roman Jasinski, were the breath and soul of the early Tulsa Civic Ballet, and their former students throughout the world are testaments to their talent, technique, and artistic training.

Larkin, who danced under the stage name “Moussia Larkina” or “Moscelyne Larkin,” was admired throughout her professional career for her on-stage magnetism and her exceptional leaps and turns. She excelled in roles that required charm, speed, and virtuosity.

Born January 14, 1925 in Miami, Oklahoma to a Russian-born mother, Eva Matlagova, and a Shawnee Peoria/Welsh father, Ruben (Babe) Larkin, Larkin remained proud of her dual cultural heritage and her Oklahoma roots throughout her life. At age 13 she moved to New York City to train, impressing legendary choreographer Michael Fokine, and at 15, winning a spot in the corps de ballet of Colonel de Basil’s Original Ballet Russe.

After a stellar career dancing at Radio City Music Hall and with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, she retired to Oklahoma, where in 1956, Larkin and her husband founded Tulsa Ballet Arts (today Tulsa Ballet). Larkin was named Outstanding Indian of the Year by the Council of American Indians in 1976, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1978, and in 1997, she and her fellow Oklahoma Indian ballerinas –Maria Tallchief, Marjorie Tallchief, Rosella Hightower, and Yvonne Chouteau—were given the rare designation “Oklahoma Treasures.”

To read the full obituary, visit http://www.tulsaballet.org/news.asp?id=10&pid=185&task=display&pcatid=.

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Presidio Dance Theatre will celebrate the spring season with 2012 Dancing Across Cultures™, featuring a cast of multi-generational international artists and young dancers performing classical and folk dances from all corners of the globe, on June 1 at 7pm at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco, California.

Presidio Dance Theatre (Photo by Paul K. Benjamin, PKB Visions)

Under the guidance of artistic director Sherene Melania, the performance features Presidio Dance Theatre’s Young Artists who have now toured in Russia at the White Nights Festival (2008) and TRT’s Turkish International Festival (2010), and will participate in Europe’s largest children’s festival—the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary—this June.

Presidio Dance Theatre (PDT) is a program of Presidio Performing Arts Foundation, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that has been serving the San Francisco area since 1997. An acclaimed multi-generational performance company, PDT is ballet-based, specializing in international dance from many regions around the world.

Tickets for the 2012 Dancing Across Cultures range from $40 to $120 and can be purchased at www.presidiodance.org.

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Hugo Fiorato, a former child prodigy who became the conductor of the New York City Ballet and one of its most enduring influences, died April 23 in Boston, reported The New York Times. He was 98.

Fiorato, who was with NYCB for 56 years, was a figure of continuity surpassed only by George Balanchine, who founded it in 1948 with Fiorato’s mentor, the conductor Leon Barzin.

Fiorato held almost every job the company had to offer, starting as its first concertmaster in 1948 and including associate conductor, tour conductor, summertime conductor at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and principal conductor during the last 15 years of his career, from age 75 to age 90. During off-seasons and leaves of absence he was also chief conductor and musical director of the Boston Ballet, the Houston Ballet, and the National Ballet in Washington. He retired from NYCB in 2004.

He was always aware of the supporting and almost invisible role the conductor played in ballet. In ballet the music matters, he said, but the dancers matter more.

“With a symphony orchestra, you can do what you damn please; if you feel like going a little bit faster or slower, you do,” he said in a 2001 interview. “With a ballet company, if you don’t give the dancers the tempos that they need, they’re dead, because there’s such a thing as gravity.”

“The trick is to give the dancers and musicians the right tempo”—taking into account the different timing required by a taller dancer like Jacques d’Amboise as opposed to a shorter one like Edward Villella, he added parenthetically—“and make it sound as though that’s the way the composer dreamed of it; to give it that excitement.”

His family said that even at 90 he retired reluctantly.

To read the full obituary, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/arts/dance/hugo-fiorato-conductor-at-city-ballet-dies-at-98.html?_r=1.

Ballet Yuma dancers will be the sole representatives from Arizona at Regional Dance America’s National Festival, to be held May 1 to 5 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Ballet Yuma, under the artistic direction of Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair, maintains honor company status with RDA and has been invited to perform Vicissitude, choreographed by Joseph Jefferies, on the final night of the National Festival.

A former Ballet Yuma dancer, Jefferies has danced with Ballet Memphis and other companies.   Vicissitude is set to Bach’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D Major and features costumes designed and made by Ballet Yuma alumnus Grant Spencer. Performing Vicissitude will be Alyssa Myers, Kyndra Ricker, Dominic Gizzi, Andrea Hennig, Jacey Sims, and Margeaux Miller.

While at the National Festival, Ballet Yuma’s dancers will view performances, attend classes and workshops, and join in a flash mob involving dancers from all over the United States. More info on Ballet Yuma can be found at www.balletyuma.org.

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A range of dance styles and techniques from hip-hop to tai chi chuan will be offered during The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago’s Summer Dance Intensive, set for May 29 to July 21.

Caroline Fermin with Gallim Dance (Photo by Yi-Chun Wu)

Registration deadline is May 11. The intensive will be held at The Dance Center, 1306 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago. Offerings include:

• Funkamentals workshop (June 4 to 14): taught by artist/educator d. Sabela grimes; introduction to groove-oriented hip-hop dance technique, vocabulary, cultural accents, movement principles, muscle control, and body alignment.
• Galim Dance repertory workshop (June 25 to July 6): taught by Gallim Dance company dancer Caroline Fermin; instruction in choreography by Gallim founder/choreographer Andrea Miller provides a look inside the artistic evolution involved in the rehearsal process.
• Eight-week courses: modern, ballet, yoga, Pilates, tai chi chuan, dancemaking, and more; beginning to advanced levels; taught by Dance Center faculty members and special guest artists; available for college credit or for non-credit community enrollment.

For more information or to register, call 312.369.9353, email danceinfo@colum.edu, or visit www.colum.edu/summerdanceintensive.

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The Center for Modern Dance Education (CMDE) will hold its 50th Anniversary Gala Concert on June 16 at the Fair Lawn Community Theater, 10-10 20th Street, Fair Lawn, New Jersey.

Guest artists will include Oregon Ballet Theatre soloist Javier Ubell. Limón Dance Company member Mary Ford will perform Lady Macbeth, a solo choreographed in the 1950s by the NYC-based artist Mary Anthony, a longtime friend and teacher of CMDE founder Shirley Ubell. Martha Graham Dance Company dancer Sam Pott and CMDE alumna Josie Mosely will perform solo pieces. CMDE advanced students will also perform.

Reserved seats are $50 and must be purchased in advance. Open seating is $30 in advance and $40 after June 13. Tickets for children, seniors, and people with disabilities are $25 reserved, $15 open seating in advance, and $20 after June 13. Visit www.cmde.org to purchase tickets.

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San Francisco Ballet, the oldest professional ballet company in America, will present the U.S. premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s full-length Cinderella during next year’s 80th repertory season.

SF Ballet’s 2013 repertory season will include Cinderella in May; the Northern California premiere in February of Nijinsky by Hamburg Ballet artistic director and chief choreographer John Neumeier and performed by the renowned Hamburg Ballet; and the SF Ballet premiere of Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc in January.

Also on tap are world premieres by Wayne McGregor, SF Ballet choreographer in residence Yuri Possokhov, and Alexei Ratmansky, as well as works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, Edwaard Liang, Mark Morris, Rudolf Nureyev, Ashley Page, Jerome Robbins, and San Francisco Ballet artistic director and principal choreographer Helgi Tomasson.

The opening night gala on January 24, 2013, will follow 31 Nutcracker performances this December. The 2013 repertory season will consist of eight programs performed in alternating repertory from January 29 to May 12.

Three-, five-, and eight-program subscription packages range in price from $67 to $775 (box seat prices available upon request) and go on sale to the public June 4 (2012 season subscribers can renew now). For information, call ticket services at 415.865.2000 or visit www.sfballet.org. Individual tickets starting at $20 will be available at www.sfballet.org beginning November 14, or by calling 415.865.2000 beginning January 2, 2013.

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The Royal Academy of Dance, a worldwide dance teacher training and examining body for classical ballet, will be recognized with this year’s United Dance Merchants of America’s “Dedicated to Dance Award” at all four of the organization’s Dance Resource & Costume Shows.

This annual honor is awarded to organizations and/or people that have shown untiring, remarkable dedication to the dance education industry and have fulfilled the needs of dance studios and dance teachers through extraordinary means. Royal Academy of Dance will be honored in all four UDMA cities this year, with award ceremonies at 6:30pm on the Saturday of each event.

Dance teachers at a UDMA Show (Photo courtesy UDMA)

The UDMA Dance Resource & Costume Show, designed for dance teachers and studio owners, provides information on the latest dance costume and product lines from vendors, including competitions, conventions, video and teaching tools, tours, flooring, fundraisers, magazines, and more; seminars and dance master classes; a Dedicated to Dance Teachers’ Lounge that offers visitors the chance to sit and relax; and giveaways such as a new Apple iPad.

Registrations are now being accepted for this year’s shows, set for September 29 to 30, Long Beach, California; October 6 to 7, Atlanta, Georgia; October 13 to 14, Chicago, Illinois; and October 20 to 21, Secaucus, New Jersey. Admission is free; select seminars and classes are $30. To register, visit http://www.udma.org/#/resources/register/.

Choreographer Sarah Michelson was awarded the Bucksbaum Award, given by the Whitney Museum of American Art every two years to one of the artists in the museum’s Biennial, at a ceremony held April 25.

Michelson is a New York-based, British-born choreographer. Her Biennial piece, Devotion Study #1—The American Dancer, commissioned by the Whitney for the 2012 Biennial, employed a text written for the occasion at Michelson’s request by another Biennial artist, theater director/playwright Richard Maxwell, founder of New York City Players.

In addition to creating the concept and choreography, Michelson constructed a sound design, together with James Lo, and also created the visual design, which included design of the lighting (with Zack Tinkelman), the costumes (with James Kidd), and the floor. The dance was performed by six dancers, one of whom wore a horse’s head, upon an enormous white-painted surface depicting blueprints of the floor plans for the Whitney’s building, designed by Marcel Breuer.

In addition to receiving a $100,000 grant, each Bucksbaum laureate is invited to present an exhibition at the Whitney, sometime within the succeeding two years. The 2012 Whitney Biennial remains on view at the Whitney in its entirety through May 27, with portions of the show continuing into June. Visit www.whitney.org for information.

New England intermediate to advanced dancers ages 10 and up are invited to attend a mini-dance convention on July 8 led by New York City choreographers CJ Tyson of Wicked, Teddy Tedholm from So You Think You Can Dance, and Joanna Numata, who has worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, and P. Diddy.

The day-long Rhode Island Mini Dance Convention is part of a regular series offered by Just Dance! Studio, 426 Metacom Avenue, Warren, Rhode Island. Tyson is slated to instruct musical theatre, while Tedholm will teach contemporary and Numata will handle hip-hop. Cost is $35 a class or $100 for the full day. Space is limited. Call Sherry Winn at 401.486.4478 or visit www.justdanceri.com for information.

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Stars of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, young dancers from The Ailey School and, for the first time ever, students from AileyCamp will come together for a special one-night performance May 8th at 7pm at Harlem’s world-famous Apollo Theater.

Poster image for Ailey gala (Courtesy AAADT)

The Spring Gala Benefit performance will be held at the Apollo, 253 West 125th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, New York City. A gala party with festive dress and décor, plus dancing to DJ Ruckus, will conclude the 10th annual celebration.

Honorary chair is six-time Grammy winner Toni Braxton. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater will perform highlights from Home by hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris; artistic director Robert Battle’s Takademe; and Escapades by Alvin Ailey. Students ages 6 to 23 will also showcase their talents in performance excerpts before they join Ailey dancers in the finale, Revelations.

Gala proceeds will support The Ailey School’s Scholarship Program and Ailey Arts in Education & Community Programs. Benefit tickets starting at $350 may be purchased by calling 212.405.9031.

Got news? Email Karen@rheegold.com and include your name, email and phone. We like accompanying photos too with photographer’s credit and photo description. 

Peridance Contemporary Dance Company will present “Afternoon in Spain,” a special matinee performance of Igal Perry’s El Amor Brujo, May 6 at 2:30pm at the Salvatore Capezio Theater, 126 East 13th Street, New York City.

The piece is performed to a score by Manuel De Falla, to be performed live by the PostClassical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordonez and joined by flamenco singer Marija Temo. A discussion of flamenco and Spanish culture by flamenco scholar Brook Zern and novelist Antonio Munoz-Molina will follow the performance.

“Afternoon in Spain” is part of the New York season of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, which also includes performances May 5 and 12 at 8:30pm and May 6 and 13 at 7:30pm. The evening programs will consist of El Amor Brujo and three world premieres by Perry (music by Henryk Gorecki) and guest choreographers Sidra Bell and Kristin Sudeikis.

Tickets for the matinee performance are $25 and $15. For reservations, call 212.505.0886 or visit www.peridance.com.

World of Clogging will hold clogging and dance workshops, along with CCA qualifying competitions, over Memorial Day weekend, May 25 to 27, at Crowne Plaza Cincinnati North, Cincinnati, Ohio.

The weekend of workshops and seminars features national instructors Jeff Driggs of West Virginia, Joel Harrison of New England, Naomi Pyle of Indiana, and Barry Welch of California, plus Kelly and Kenneth Fithen, Jamie Vincent, Joe Barron, Reina Beaven, Trevor DeWitt, Sam Gill, Stephen Harbin, Fonda Hill, Morgan Hudson, Matt Koziuk, Danny Lee, Paul Melville, and Annie Wing.

Other activities include fun dances Friday and Saturday nights, exhibitions on Saturday night following the Clogger Reunion, clogging line dances to top pop and country songs by some of clogging’s top choreographers, special classes for competition level dancers in team choreography, duos and more; plus hip-hop, pop ‘n’ lock, and dance studio master classes.

For info, email worldofclogging@aol.com, call Hanna at 716.725.8415, or visit www.worldofclogging.com.

Got news? Email Karen@rheegold.com and include your name, email and phone. We like accompanying photos too with photographer’s credit and photo description. 

Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project will kick off its first season in September at the Music Center with seven dancers, none of whom is from L.A., reported the Los Angeles Times.

Wheeldon’s Alice in Wonderland (Photo courtesy Los Angeles Times)

The choreographer said he desired to hire local dancers but was looking for dancers of a certain quality and caliber and “most people that great usually have jobs,” during a press conference this week at Walt Disney Concert Hall for the announcement of the 2012-13 season of dance at the Music Center. He added that L.A. Dance Project is close to finding a permanent space in the city and that “the goal is to have a home.”

L.A. Dance Project will perform September 22 to 23 at Disney Hall. Programs include a world-premiere piece by Millepied featuring music by Nico Muhly, William Forsythe’s Quintett (featuring Millepied in one of his last performances), and Merce Cunningham’s Winterbranch.

The Disney Hall dance season will also include:

• The U.S. debut of Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (October 19 to 21), a contemporary full-length ballet with live orchestra, by the National Ballet of Canada.
• The Joffrey Ballet (February 1 to 3) with a reconstruction of the original 1913 Ballets Russes production of Le Sacre du Printemps, along with Wheeldon’s After the Rain and William Forsythe’s in the middle, somewhat elevated.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (April 17 to 21) with three distinct programs, including Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16.
• Traces, an acrobatic street-circus (April 26-28).
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Alonzo King LINES Ballet (June 21 to 23) with the premiere of a new work by King.
• American Ballet Theatre (July 11 to 14), two bills with live orchestra: the full-length Le Corsaire featuring Misty Copeland, and a mixed-repertory program (to be announced).

For full schedule, visit http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2012/04/music-centers-2012-2013-dance-programming-announcement.html.

Got news? Email Karen@rheegold.com and include your name, email and phone. We like accompanying photos too with photographer’s credit and photo description.