Jersey City, NJ—Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and the Board of Chosen Freeholders are proud to announce an evening of dynamic live music headlined by two sizzling acts, to be presented Wednesday, July 18^th from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Rotunda of the historic Brennan Court House (583 Newark Avenue, Jersey City).

The evening will open with a performance by the Brazilian singer/songwriter Monika Oliveira. Born in Belem do Para and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Oliveira has been performing in the New York area for more than twenty years. She combines her love of Brazilâ€s musical heritage with a mastery of Jazz to create what critics describe as a “sultry variation on both … that is at once moving and rhythmic, pure and passionate.” Joined by the Brazilians Trio, she will take the stage at 7 pm.

At 8 p.m., Flamenco Flavor will wow audience members with their fresh take on traditional Spanish rhythms with a fiery urban twist, presenting sensual Latin choreography danced brilliantly and paired with the ardent voice and soulful guitar play of David M. Castellano.

“We are thrilled to open the Courthouse Rotunda arts venue to new voices,” said County Executive DeGise. “Jazz, salsa, flamenco—are just part of the rich cultural palette right here in Hudson County and the metro area we hope to draw from as we produce more new live music for the communityâ€s enjoyment.”

Placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1970 and saved from demolition, the 108 year-old William J. Brennan Courthouse is just that—a working civil courthouse and seat of County Government during the day. But by night, its stunning four-story marble rotunda has become home to a range of musical acts and visual arts exhibits presented by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs that are promoted by “Visit Hudson,” the Officeâ€s tourism development arm.

This concert is the first of what is expected to become a new series entitled “Live At Brennanâ€s.” The series will kick off on a regular basis in September with the July 18^th event acting as a preview of what is to come in the year ahead: exciting, live performance designed to showcase the rich professional music scene Hudson County is today very much a part of here in the New York/North Jersey metropolitan area.

Just last month the Brennan Court House Rotunda was the venue for performances that were part of the week-long Riverview Jazz Festival.

Doors for this event will open at 6:30. Tickets are $20. The price includes parking in the Courthouse lot and light refreshments between acts.

The post Hudson County Hosts Powerhouse Latina Music and Dance Acts in Concert Wednesday, July 18th at 7 pm. Tickets Available Now! first appeared on River View Observer.

8 Choreographers Explore ‘Resistance†at White Eagle Hall

By Sally Deering

 Instead of performing on a stage away from the audience, the new dance show, OUT OF BOUNDS, curated by dancer-choreographer Meagan Woods of Jersey City, will have dancers moving on stage and in the audience.

The curtain goes up on OUT OF BOUNDS on Sat, June 2, at 8 pm and will feature eight choreographies by eight New Jersey dancer-choreographers, including Woods. The show goes on at White Eagle Hall, an extension of the Jersey City Theater Center, where Artistic Director Olga Levina invited Woods to curate a dance show that would engage the audience.

“Out of Bounds has some of the most incredible dancers and choreographers that have come together to celebrate dance and the Jersey City community,” Levina says. “Meagan has always embraced the community and in turn the community embraces her.”

OUT OF BOUNDS features Robert Mark Burke, Lauren Connolly, Katelyn Halpern, Joe Monteleone, Morgan Refakis, Nick Sciscione and Heather Warfel. Each dance was created or selected specifically for Resistance, JCTCâ€s current thematic series. JCTC selects topics global in scope yet relevant to the community then explores this theme through a variety of art genres, including visual arts, readings, theatre and dance.

“To design the evening, I reached out to choreographers who I really admire,” Woods says. “Each of their styles is bold, rich and engaging, I chose an evening that will be varied. Weâ€re using the space in a unique way. The dancers will be performing on two levels: the main floor space and the elevated stage space. It will be a great way to experience the show.”

Although the performances will be immersive, Woods says, the show is not interactive.

“The production will be clean, polished and choreographed,” Woods says. “There wonâ€t be a lot of direct interaction. Itâ€s a nice touch.”

Woods holds a BFA from Rutgers University, and in 2010, she co-founded New Jerseyâ€s largest annual modern dance festival, Your Move, and was given the Dance NJ Jete Award for her work.

The show will be followed by a reception at White Eagle Hall where audiences can meet the Out of Bounds performers.

 â€œThis dance concert offers boundless performances, defying categories with raw, expansive movement inventions,” Woods says. “Out of Bounds offers a nod to the evening’s content and structure: dancers, and audience members, engage without confines in a concert that explores nearness, escapism, rebellion, and impending change.”

If you go
Saturday June 2, 8 pm

OUT OF BOUNDS

White Eagle Hall
335-337 Newark Ave, JC
(201) 795-5386
For tix, go to: www.JCTCenter.org

Tix:$15 – $20

The post LET’S DANCE!   Meagan Woods Curates “Out of Bounds” Dance Show, Sat, June 2nd first appeared on River View Observer.

Jersey City, N.J., November 9, 2017 – New Jersey City University (NJCU) will present an evening with Judith Jamison â€“ the iconic dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director Emeritus of the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater – on Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m., at the NJCU School of Business, Skyline Room, Harborside 2, 200 Hudson Street in Jersey City.

As a dancer, Ms. Jamison became one of modern dance’s great performers and she was appointed Artistic Director of the company in 1989 at the request of Alvin Ailey, himself. During her tenure, she shaped the company into the foremost modern dance troupe in the country, and built a permanent home and school for them in Manhattan. Ms. Jamison has received many awards for her accomplishments as an artist and director, and she is being inducted into the 2017 Crain’s Hall of Fame this month, which honors leaders from business, philanthropy and the arts who have left a major impact on New York.

Sharon Ambis, Chair of the NJCU Arts Advisory Board and the Director of Marketing at Jersey City Medical Center/RWJ Barnabas Health, will moderate a Q&A after Ms. Jamison’s keynote speech.

This event is FREE with RSVP and open to the public. The program is part of NJCUâ€s 2017-18 Presidential Speaker series. RSVP now at http://bit.ly/2yIuUnD for An Evening with Judith Jamison. For more information visit www.njcu.edu/arts.

About JUDITH JAMISON

Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965 and quickly became an international star. Over the next 15 years, Mr. Ailey created some of his most enduring roles for her, most notably the tour-de-force solo Cry. During the 1970s and 80s, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies all over the world, starred in the hit Broadway musical Sophisticated Ladies, and formed her own company, The Jamison Project.

She returned to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1989 when Mr. Ailey asked her to succeed him as Artistic Director. In the 21 years that followed, she brought the Company to unprecedented heights – including two historic engagements in South Africa and a 50-city global tour to celebrate the Companyâ€s 50th anniversary.

Ms. Jamison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them a prime time Emmy Award, an American Choreography Award, the Kennedy Center Honor, a National Medal of Arts, a “Bessie” Award, the Phoenix Award, and the Handel Medallion. She was also listed in “TIME 100: The Worldâ€s Most Influential People” and honored by First Lady Michelle Obama at the first White House Dance Series event. Last year, she became the 50th inductee into the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of Dance.

As a highly regarded choreographer, Ms. Jamison has created many celebrated works, including Divining (1984), Forgotten Time (1989), Hymn (1993), HERE . . .NOW. (commissioned for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad), Love Stories (with additional choreography by Robert Battle and Rennie Harris, 2004), and Among Us (Private Spaces: Public Places) (2009).

Ms. Jamisonâ€s autobiography, Dancing Spirit, was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and published in 1993. In 2004, under Ms. Jamisonâ€s artistic directorship, her idea of a permanent home for the Ailey Company in New York City was realized and named after beloved chairman Joan Weill. Ms. Jamison continues to dedicate herself to asserting the prominence of the arts in our culture, and she remains committed to promoting the significance of the Ailey legacy—using dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present and fearlessly reaching into the future.

ABOUT New Jersey City University (NJCU)

 The mission at New Jersey City University (NJCU) is to provide a diverse population with an excellent education. The University is committed to the improvement of the educational, intellectual, cultural, socioeconomic, and physical environment of the surrounding urban region and beyond.  Established in 1927 as a training school for teachers, today NJCU is among the most comprehensive universities in the state.  Located in Jersey City, NJ, and minutes from New York City, NJCU’s fully accredited College of Arts and Sciences, Education, Professional Studies, and School of Business offer 43 undergraduate degree programs and 27 masterâ€s programs and 2 doctoral programs, including emerging and interdisciplinary fields.

NJCU students engage in rigorous applied-learning experiences that include opportunities to study abroad, and cooperative education internships.  NJCU operates two additional campus sites—NJCU School of Business at Harborside Plaza 2 in Jersey Cityâ€s financial district and NJCU at Brookdale in Wall Township in Monmouth County.

The post NJCU Presents ‘An Evening with Judith Jamison’ Of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on November 15 first appeared on River View Observer.

The Kennedy Dancers are pleases to announce their 40^th Anniversary Season. Since 1977 the Kennedy Dancers- a nonprofit dance company has served the New Jersey community with dance classes, professional performances, Free programs for Senior citizens and adults with disabilities, scholarships for teens to train as professional dancers.

In celebration of the Kennedy Dancers 40^th Anniversary we are presenting a fundraising gala- The Jersey City Follies, on Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the historic Landmark Loewâ€s Jersey Theater on Journal Square, Jersey City, New Jersey.

The Jersey City Follies is an evening of fun & music and celebrating vaudeville and burlesque style entertainment with (and you wonâ€t believe whoâ€ll be joining us in the performance) Hudson County Executive Tom De Gise, Hudson County Freeholder William Oâ€Dea, PSE&G Public Affairs Manager of the greater New York Area Richard Dwyer, Assemblywoman Angela McKnight of the 31^st District, Senator Sandra Cunningham of the 31^st District, Hudson County Register Diane Coleman, Jersey City Councilwoman at large Joyce Watterman, former Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy, New Jersey Assemblyman Nicholas Chiavorlatti of the 31^st District,  Anthem Education Group Asst. Director of Admissions Natasha Scalia, Journalist Ron Leir, former Jersey City Councilman Phil Kenny, Executive Director of the Jersey City Bethune Performing Arts Center Alvin Petit, Former Jersey City Corporation Counsel Sean M. Connelly, Jersey City Development Agency Administrator Barbara Amato, Jersey City Director of Cultural Affairs Elizabeth Cain, Tommy “Two Scoops” Parisi, Director of Jersey City Community Development Block Grant Carmen Gandulla, Actress and Jersey City Board of Education Teacher Susan Murphy, Lead Singer of Soul Generation 2 Cliff Perkins, Director of Spirit of Life Ensemble and the Community Awareness Series of Jersey City Daoud Williams, and

 Special guest performer Leona Beldini- former Jersey City Deputy Mayor making her return appearance as “Hope Diamond, the Gem of the Exotics.”

The performers will present music, dance, theater acts- among the many acts are: Mayor Hagueâ€s Barbershop Quartet. (This is true- Hague had a musical quartet on the payroll), featuring County Executive Tom DeGise, Former Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy, Hudson County Freeholder William Oâ€Dea.

Leona Beldini returns to the stage as the World Famous Burlesque of the 1950â€s “Hope Diamond Gem of the Exotics.”

All funds from the “Gala” will go to support Kennedy Dancerâ€s many outreach and cultural programs and includes matching funds for New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant.

Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 7:00 PM at the Landmark Loewâ€s Theater at 54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ. Advance tickets are $65.00. Tickets at the door the night of the show is $75.00. The performances will be videotaped for Verizon and aired in June 2017 reaching all of New Jersey and other Verizon systems in 22 states.

The post Kennedy Dancers 40th Anniversary Jersey City Follies first appeared on River View Observer.

Our interview with Samuel Pott

 By Sally Deering

The Jersey City dance company Nimbus Dance Works†repertory of dances blends contemporary with classical and newbies with professionals; and Artistic Director Samuel Pott likes it that way.

Nimbus Dance Works celebrates its 10^th season in Jersey City this year with new works by guest choreographers, a performance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and a brand new dance studio on Third Street. The school has expanded tremendously since the move from the Barrow Mansion and class registration is in full bloom for the spring session which begins Feb. 2^nd.

Pott founded the company with the mission to “focus work on the intersection between high-level dance and innovative ways of involving communities and audiences” and he has stayed true to that mission. Nimbus has a lush repertory of dances and its resident company performs regularly in New Jersey, New York and regionally. Nimbus dancers are top-tier drawn from companies like Ballet Hispanico, Ailey II, and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where Nimbus company member and Pottâ€s wife PeiJu Chien-Pott is a principal dancer. Nimbus†annual performance of JERSEY CITY NUTRACKER casts student dancers from local schools in pivotal roles, and in addition to Pottâ€s choreographies, Nimbus commissions international choreographers like Pedro Ruiz (Cuba/USA), Huang Yi (Taiwan), Korhan Basaran (Turkey), and Xiao-Xiong Zhang (Australia/Taiwan) to create dances for the company.

Nimbus Dance Works offers Hudson resident, both kids and adults, a high level of artistic excellence and guided by Pottâ€s vision, the company continues to provide inner-city kids opportunities to learn and perform dance to spark their individual creativity and inspire a life-long appreciation and involvement in the arts.

RVO: Samuel Pott, how would you describe Nimbus Dance Works†style?

SP: Weâ€re a contemporary dance company. The dancers are all highly trained in ballet and modern dance which are the backbone of technique for the work we do. Itâ€s also very theatrical depending on the piece. We try to do work with great music, from jazz to classical to contemporary. Our company is made up of seven dancers and three apprentices.

RVO: Howâ€s the school doing at the new location?

SP: The move from Barrow Mansion to our new studio on Third Street was a big move for us, and enabled us to build up the school quite a lot. We now have classes for kids, adults and a pre-professional program. We focus on ballet and modern dance. That gives students a strong base and real preparation if they want to pursue dance professionally or in college dance programs. Theyâ€ll have the foundation that will really benefit them. In addition, we have dance programs after-school and during school in 11 schools. Educationally weâ€ve been able to keep expanding and giving children the opportunities to see performances and take classes. We have a lot of kids that perform in (the annual holiday show) JERSEY CITY NUTCRACKER.

 RVO: Why do you think itâ€s important to teach dance to inner-city kids?

SP: When I was dancing with ballet and modern dance companies it was an amazing experience in an artistic sense, but one thing I saw over and over was that audiences were largely made up of senior citizens. Audiences were diminishing and it was becoming increasingly hard for these companies to draw young audiences. So what I wanted to do with Nmbus was find a way to connect with people who didnâ€t feel like the world of concert dance was open to them or representing them. And thatâ€s young inner-city kids. Those underserved audiences have the most potential to have their lives changed through dance. Those who have discretionary income to see ballet, theyâ€re going to have plenty of options available to them no matter what. Whereas the audiences we try to reach and the community we try to reach, they donâ€t have a lot of other options available to them. I thought that was a compelling reason to focus our attention on how to bring dance into their lives. Teaching children dance to not just to teach them about the art form, but what it means to take something seriously, invest in themselves.

 RVO: Are you trying to get a permanent performance space?

SP: Jersey City is growing so fast, its cultural organizations are being left behind. We still lack performance spaces and funding for the cultural organizations that are here in Jersey City. Itâ€s lacking compared to other areas in the country. We have luxury high-rises, but youâ€d have a hard time pointing to one cultural group in Jersey City thatâ€s established financially. I donâ€t think thereâ€s one organization in Jersey City that has a budget over $300,000. It would be great to see Jersey City promote its own arts groups, support them financially and help spread the word.

RVO: What are the companyâ€s plans for its 10^th season?

SP: Weâ€re trying to propel the companyâ€s profile to another level. Weâ€re doing a show at BAM in May. Italian choreographer Luca Veggetti is creating a new piece for us. Weâ€ll be going up to Vermont in March and western Massachusetts for out-of-town engagements. Weâ€ll be performing at Drew University at the end of April. In the spring, we will present two important historic modern dances, LYNCHTOWN from 1936 by Charles Weidman, one of the early pioneers of modern dance. Itâ€s a political piece based on when he witnessed a lynching in his home town in Nebraska. Weâ€re also doing a company premiere by Pearl Primus. She did a piece in 1942 called STRANGE FRUIT, a solo dance about a woman expressing her grief and anger about a racial killing. These two pieces are important historically and get people talking about issues. I think itâ€s important to keep the audience entertained and feel theyâ€re glad they came out and bought a ticket. Ever since the start of the company, I have focused on how we move beyond pure entertainment and make an impact on the audience and community.

For more info:

Nimbus Dance Works

209 3rd Street

Jersey City

(201) 377-0718

www.nimbusdanceworks.org

The post   Samuel Pott, Artistic Director of Nimbus Dance Works , Jersey City gives Dancers a Place to Soar first appeared on River View Observer.

During the holidays, take a walk down Wayne Street in Jersey City (right off Grove) and you might hear strains of Tchaikovskyâ€s “The Nutcracker” blasting from a boom box inside the Barrow Mansion, a community center where theater and dance companies hang their hats – and shoes. In one of the larger rehearsal rooms, professional dancers and students from local schools are spinning, leaping and paying close attention to Nimbus Dance Works†Artistic Director Samuel Pott as he choreographs their movements for the companyâ€s upcoming production of “Jersey City Nutcracker.”

Artistic Director and Choreographer Samuel Pott rehearses dancers in a scene from “Jersey City Nutcracker”

The curtain goes up Fri, Dec. 21st at the Frank R. Conwell Middle School on Bright Street in Jersey City and runs through Sun, Dec. 23rd — for tickets, go to www.nimbusdanceworks.org. After attending a recent rehearsal, it pleases me to report that this is going to be one fabulous show.

Nimbus Dance Works†version of Tchaikovskyâ€s classic features the composerâ€s beautiful score with a twist on its tale. In the original E.T.A Hoffman story, the boy and girl, Christopher and Maria, fall asleep and the toys that are placed under the tree spring to life. In the Nimbus version, Christopher and Maria embark on a journey through the urban landscape instead where dancers play Sugar Plum Fairies, an Arabian Princess, The Rat King and so much more as Tchaikovskyâ€s score helps bring the story to life.

Now in its third year, and one of Nimbus Dance Works signature pieces, “Jersey City Nutcracker” has become a family tradition among locals. This yearâ€s production features a cast of more than 100 that includes professional dancers who are members of Nimbus Dance Works and students from St. Dominicâ€s Academy, Henry Snyder High School, Jersey City Dance Academy, Next Step Broadway and Middle School No 4, where the show will be performed.

There are so many students in the show that Pott cast four female students and three male students to play Christopher and Maria on different nights. On the 22nd, Tamir Rios of Jersey City will be Christopher and Gina Pilamunga of West New York will play Maria.

Tamir Rios and Gina Pilamunga rehearse a lift in “Jersey City Nutcracker”

“Iâ€ve been dancing since I was 4, “Gina says during a break in rehearsals. “Iâ€m on my dance team at Memorial High School and my dance teacher suggested I audition.”

An 8th grader at Middle School No. 4, Christopher was discovered by Nimbus when he was seen dancing hip-hop – a bit of a stretch from ballet, but something Christopher is learning to enjoy.

“This is new for me,” Christopher says. “I like it.”

Both students say theyâ€re getting a lot out of the experience, especially learning that to be professional requires more than just dancing well.

“Professional also means facial expressions,” Gina says. “You need to put yourself into the character.”

Sounds intense, but thatâ€s just what Pott teaches the students during rehearsals. While going over the steps in a scene where Maria has to appear terrified of evil rats circling her, Pott emphasizes the difference between giving a cute child performance and making an impact.

“Kids performances look cute; professional performances move the audience,” Pott tells them.

Tchaikovskyâ€s Nutcracker with a Twist

“Jersey City Nutcrackerâ€s” collaborative team features Pott as choreographer/director; Alysia Souder as librettist/playwright; Irene Borngraeber, scenic designer; and Jennifer Bentley costume designer. This year, the show is being presented at a larger venue and with new sets and costumes.

“Itâ€s a nice event for families with kids,” Managing Director Ivet Bandirma says. “Goldman Sachs is our title sponsor. Itâ€s a lot of fun, a lot of work and a great experience for the students who get to work with professional dancers.”

Indeed, 120 students from local schools – and schools in Newark – make up the cast of “Jersey City Nutcracker” with kids as young as 5 playing Cookies and their older dance classmates, 6-9, playing Angels. Many of the kids are enrolled in The School of Nimbus Dance Works, which just opened in September 2012.

Nikki Albert of Green Township in Sussex County recently earned a BFA in Dance from the Mason-Gross School of the Arts at Rutgerâ€s University. She is an apprentice with Nimbus Dance Works and after auditioning, Albert landed the role of The Rat King where she dances and performs some complex steps all the while brandishing a sword. Albert is also the storyâ€s narrator.

Nikki Albert will dance The Rat King in Nimbus Dance Works†“Jersey City Nutcracker”

“I love ‘The Nutcracker†and the opportunity to work with the company and with the kids,” Albert says. “Itâ€s a lot of fun and Iâ€m learning a lot.”

Gotta Dance in Jersey City

During rehearsal, Pott watches the dancers execute his choreography. Focused, friendly, yet straightforward with the student dancers, Pott points out when the students are off the beat or when their movements need to be finessed. What made Pott decide to start a dance company? It wasnâ€t a planned decision, he says, just something that grew organically when Pott and other dancers expressed a collective desire to perform.

“At the start it was me and fellow dancers from the American Repertory Ballet and we wanted to do our own projects,” Pott says. “Mostly weâ€ve been operating out of Grace Church. Theyâ€ve always been extremely gracious and generous. We owe a lot to them.”

Nimbus Dance Works plans to present a spring season in Jersey City and at the Alvin Ailey Theater in New York City. Even though it has grown from a grassroots group of dancers to a 501 (c) 3 non-profit dance company, Pott says the mission continues to be about designing and creating projects to get people involved and impact the community.

Dancers in the company rehearse a scene from “Jersey City Nutcracker”

“Many dance companies are about the art of dance,” Pott says. “We try to bring the highest level of dance into the community. Everything we do is based on the question how can we make an impact, change peopleâ€s lives?”

If you go:

Fri, Dec. 21, 7 pm; Sat, Dec. 22, 1 and 5 pm; and,

Sun, Dec. 23, 1 and 5 pm

“Jersey City Nutcracker”

Frank R. Conwell Middle School NO. 4

107 Bright Street

Jersey City

(201) 377-0718

www.nimbusdanceworks.org

Tickets:

Orchestra Seats: $25

General Admission: $18

Seniors, and Students under 17: $10

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post COVER STORY:Sugar Plum Fairies, Jersey Style-Nimbus Dance Works’ “Jersey City Nutcracker” to Enchant Audiences Once Again first appeared on River View Observer.

By Sally Deering

 It may seem like an adventurous task – presenting 5,000 years of Chinese culture in one show – and thatâ€s exactly what Shen Yun 2012 sets out to do on Wednesday Jan. 11^th –to – Sun, Jan. 15^th, at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center. Prepare to be dazzled!

 Told through dance, music and song and performed in more than 100 cities around the world, Shen Yun is a collection of short performance pieces that interpret the legends of Chinese cultureâ€s creation and history over 5,000 years.

One of the writers and Master of Ceremonies is Leeshai Lemish, who has been with the Shen Yun Performing Arts troupe, based in Orange County, New York, since its inception in 2006. Lemish has emceed more than 400 Shen Yun performances in English and Chinese, has traveled with the show all over the world and calls Jersey City home.

 “We have 90 performers and that includes a dance company – 40 to 50 dancers – a full orchestra, vocalists, technical crew and we have three companies that size that tour at the same time in the states and all over the world, ” Lemish says.

 Shen Yun features traditional Chinese culture and each year itâ€s a brand new show of dancers in beautiful costumes; singers and an orchestra that blends the sounds of East and West with thunderous drums and classical Chinese instruments. Shen Yun is a visual spectacle of music and dance performed in front of spectacularly vivid and colorful backdrops.

 “One of the themes in the show is the ancient belief that Chinese culture was divinely inspired and passed down from the heavens,” Lemish says. “You see it through the ethnic and folk dances – loyalty and courage, compassion and tolerance – and all the themes that run through folk tales. This culture has five thousand years of history and since the Cultural Revolution a lot of this has been destroyed.”

Although Shen Yun performs all over the world – this year Shen Yun performs at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco and Le Palais Des Congres in Paris, France – China has banned it.

“The company is not allowed to perform in China,” Lemish says. “The Regime, there 60 years, is trying to destroy Chinese culture. In the Cultural Revolution they were targeting traditional culture and thousands of years have been wiped out.”

Shen Yun preserves Chinese heritage through the traditional dance, music, costumes and storytelling. The folk tales and legends; the idea of self-refinement where people in their daily lives try to align themselves in a higher purpose and connect the human realm with the heavenly realm, this is the spiritual side to the performance Lemish says. And those stories are told through Classical Chinese dance and music with traditional Chinese instruments and costumes like imperial dragon robes, warriors†armor and attire worn by the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur groups.

An excerpt posted from the companyâ€s website, www.shenyunperformingarts.org explains the history of the stories told in Shen Yun: “Shen Yunâ€s mini-drama pieces draw upon stories and legends that span Chinaâ€s history from the Yellow Emperor and through the Tan and Song dynasties and all the way to the modern day. A unique feature of Chinese civilization is that its history has been documented and passed down uninterrupted for 5,000 years, sometimes in vivid detail. This provides Shen Yun with vast source material, making it possible to revive this ancient culture on a present-stage.

In less than ten minutes, Shen Yun dances recount ancient myths, bygone heroes, or celestial paradises. Whether set in the past or in contemporary China, every dance embodies traditional Chinese values. Ideals of loyalty, filial piety and veneration for the divine are cherished and celebrated. Heroes are extolled for their compassion and tolerance as much as (for) their courage or determination when facing adversity.”

“China is a big part of all consciousness, ”  Lemish says.  “Few people in the west know much about it.  We may know about the human rights issues, but go all the way back to the traditions. If you understand the history and background, you have a much stronger context to understand. ” 

 Lemish, who was born in Ohio and grew up in Israel – co-hosted the kids†TV show “Learning Chinese is Fun,” produced in Taiwan, and has published articles on China in English and Chinese. He holds a Bachelorâ€s Degree in Asian Studies from Pomona College in Claremont, California and a Masterâ€s Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lemish says his passion for Chinese culture goes back to his college days playing baseball.

 “I was a pitcher and I was getting into the mental side of the game, ” Lemish says.  “All top atheletes in any sport say itâ€s 90 percent mental. I tried guided imagery and meditation, yoga, Zen and Tai Chi, I became interested in Chinese philosophy, religion and culture. ”

In 2011, Shen Yun performed for Royals in London and to packed houses in Asia, and received standing ovations at Lincoln Center in New York. Visit the website and youâ€ll read reviews by stars like Cate Blanchett: “…it was exquisitely beautiful,”  and fashion designer Donna Karen who said, “Shen Yun is like taking a journey to China.”

Shen Yun performs at Lincoln Center Jan 11^th through the 15^th and then the show travels on to Washington D.C., San Francisco and Paris, France. It may not be welcome in China, yet, but Shen Yun  has a loyal following here in the states and around the world, offering us westerners a glimpse into a culture whose calendar dates back 3,000 years from ours. That, in itself, is interesting — add music, dance, costumes and sets – and thatâ€s Shen Yun.

Wed. Jan, 11th – Sun. 15, 2012

Shen Yun 2012

Lincoln Center The David H. Koch Theater

20 Lincoln Center New York, NY 10023

For more info : 1-888-974-3698

www.shenyunperformingarts.org

 

The post RARE CHINA-Shen Yun 2012 presents 5,000 years of Chinese Culture at Lincoln Center – 5 Nights Only! first appeared on River View Observer.

by Sally Deering 

 In the 1920s, when Shirley Temple tapped into America’s hearts with her bouncing ringlets, ruffled crinolines and shiny black tap shoes, mothers from Canarsie to Kenosha trundled their daughters off to their local dance school dreaming of their baby girl’s name in lights. Nowadays, child stars go by first names like Britney, but the local dance school still thrives as the only training ground for kids who dream of a dancing career.

 One local dance pioneer who has kept the stage lights burning in her neighborhood dance studio for the past 34 years is Diane Dragone, Artistic Director of The Kennedy Dancers, a professional dance company and dance school that stands in the wings of New York City.  Through her school and with her years as a teacher and choreographer, Dragone has trained and enriched the lives of thousands of inner-city kids – some who became professional dancers — and she has brought modern and classical dance performances to the multi-cultural and economically-diverse Hudson community.

 On Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, dance-lovers will have the opportunity to see Dragone’s dynamic troupe perform when The Kennedy Dancers take the stage at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in their beautiful theater space on Summit Avenue in Jersey City. This Spring Dance Concert will feature contemporary choreographer Sean Curran’s “Force of Circumstance,” and three Dragone choreographies:  “Caven Point” – about a Jersey City encampment during WWII; “La Dolce Vita,” Dragone’s valentine to her Italian heritage with songs by Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin and Louis Prima; and the World Premiere of “My Obsession with Cats,” – a choreography that’s close to Dragone’s animal-activist heart.

 A successful business-and-Renaissance woman, Dragone runs a dance company and school, choreographs , raises a family, performs community outreach and rescues stray animals – all in a day’s work. And at the heart of it all, she is a dancer teaching others the “language of dance” so that they may feel the thrill she has known twirling across the stage, leaping into the air and springing into a dance partner’s arms. 

 “Dancing is ageless, I believe that,” Dragone says, sitting at her desk while a teen ballet class is in progress in her studio on Central Avenue.  “Everybody can dance; you have to break through those inhibitions.  Dancing can be a healing process. It’s excellent for your body, mind and soul.”

 FELINES AND THE REPERTOIRE

The Kennedy Dancers performances on May 7 and 8 in the theater at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind will feature the professional company and the Inner-City Youth teen company composed of students who have trained with Dragone since they were toddlers in tights and taps. One of the highlights of the program will be Dragone’s “My Obsession with Cats,” a choreography about the felines Dragone adores and rescues with the help of her husband, teacher and professional videographer Tom Horan and their children Gigi, 17, and Danny, 15.

 “Cats are beautiful, their movement is beautiful and their personalities are all distinct. They’re a great source of inspiration for dance because they move in many ways,” Dragone says while her two studio cats Sylvester and Silvio are busy cat-napping near her desk. “There have always been cats in my life from the time I was little.”

 Dragone has choreographed hundreds of dances and currently, The Kennedy Dancers perform about 30 dances from the repertoire in venues throughout the tri-state area. Committed to bringing dance to all members of the community, Dragone offers ballroom and exercise classes to seniors; ballet and tap to toddlers and adolescents; ballet, tap and hip-hop to teens and ‘tweens and Zumba and Yoga to adults. A certified dance teacher by the New Jersey Department of Education, Dragone has taught special education dance at Hudson County Schools of Technology and brought dance to children and adults with physical and learning disabilities at St. Joseph’s School for the Blind in Jersey City.

“They loved the dance classes,” Dragone says of the children with disabilities. “It was very emotional for our teachers because some of these children are encapsulated in their own world or they never really experienced creative movement before and you could see they loved dancing. If you can’t see very well and you’re afraid to move, this was a really freeing experience.”

 That program lost its funding. So did the program teaching dance to incarcerated teenagers at the Hudson County Juvenile Detention Center in Secaucus, which was funded by the New Jersey Council on the Arts.  Dragone hopes someone will come up with the funding to reinstate both programs. The students looked forward to it, she says.

 “I think dance gave them something beautiful and challenging,” Dragone says.

 A LOAN TO BUILD A DREAM ON

Creating beautiful and challenging dances was the most important thing to Dragone back when she first opened her studio in 1976 with money she saved and a loan from her parents Anne and Daniel. It was a tiny, bohemian studio on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City that her dad helped her paint and where she used her training as a dancer and her certification as a teacher to teach ballet, tap and jazz to kids and teens. 

 “The dance students are the mainstay of a company,” Dragone says. “You’re developing young minds and bodies and your goal is to give them an aesthetic, enjoyment and a sense of physical accomplishment. The beauty of dance inspires children and adults to keep coming back to the dance studio.”

 And if the students can’t come to the studio, then Dragone goes into their living rooms with the cable-TV show she hosts and produces with her husband, Tom.  “Dance Vista,” features interviews and choreographies by contemporary dance artists and, after 13-years on the air, the show is now seen on cable stations throughout New Jersey and New York.

 THE STUDENTS’ SUCCESS

Many of The Kennedy Dancers’ students go on to professional dance careers and Dragone is thrilled by their successes. One former student is performing in the musical “Buddy” in London’s West End; another is currently in a show at the La Mama theater in New York.  One dancer joined the Miami Ballet, one is with the Martha Graham dance company and another is featured in the Julie Taymor film, “Across the Universe” – and those are just recent accomplishments.

 “I’m thrilled for them and proud of them,” Dragone says. “I love it.”

 Determined to bring The Kennedy Dancers to new heights, Dragone’s choreography “God Bless America,” was recently named a finalist in the NJN Hispanic Dance competition to be held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in May. And last year, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts gave Dragone and The Kennedy Dancers an Award for Excellence for their outstanding work and Dragone’s compelling choreography.

 THE DANCER IN HER SOUL

So, how does a choreographer make dances? What comes first, the movement or the music?

 “I see people walking down the street, kids dance around, the windshield wipers move;” Dragone says, “I sit in the car listening to the radio and someone walks by to the rhythm of the music – all things can inspire your dances.”

 And that goes for cats, too.                                                                                         

 The Kennedy Dancers present their Spring Dance Performances on Fri, May 7 and Sat, May 8 at St. Joseph‘s School for the Blind 761 Summit Ave, Jersey City.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door; $18 for students and seniors with ID.

Call 201-659-2190 for tickets and class information or visit www.kennedydancers.org.

 

 

 

 

 

The post COVER STORY-Leading The Kennedy Dancers first appeared on River View Observer.