Tag: Dance

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Culture Events

A Look At Bryant Park Presents’ 2017 Summer Season

Photo courtesy of Bryant Park

Photo courtesy of Bryant Park

The Bryant Park Corporation has announced the schedule for its performing arts series, Bryant Park Presents. Now celebrating its second year, the series aims to be the most accessible venue in New York City to experience a wide range of extraordinary artists in a beautiful outdoor setting.

The season begins this Friday, Apr. 21 with actors performing some of Shakespeare’s greatest villains, and ends Sep. 15 with New York City Opera singers performing music by Giuseppe Verdi. In between, Bryant Park Presents stages dozens of unusual and diverse cultural events including a thousand-person polka party (May 17), contemporary dance superstars Martha Graham Dance Company (Jun. 23) and Limon Dance Company (Jun. 30), a series with more than 100 accordionists, a boundary-breaking classical and jazz music festival (Aug. 4 and Aug. 5), and three full-length productions of Shakespeare plays.

Brand new this year, Bryant Park lends out over 100 free picnic blankets every Friday (May 12 through Sep. 15) between 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM. The goal is to make having a picnic on a summer evening and enjoying a cultural event as easy and as comfortable as possible. At each of the 17 Friday Picnics that the Hester Street Fair curates, exciting local food vendors, wine and beer is available for purchase, and Bryant Park Presents provides music, theater, and/or dance entertainment.

All shows are free to the public with no dress code, no barriers to entry, no tickets and most importantly: no lines. With a lush green grass lawn that comfortably accommodates thousands, visitors can spread out and enjoy the summer without stress and with the promise that there’s a seat for everyone.

Discussing the season, Ethan Lercher, Executive Producer of Bryant Park Presents, said: “It’s never been easier to experience the amazing quality and exciting variety of music, theater, and dance in New York City. Bryant Park Presents brings world-class artists to a beautiful park at no cost to the public. And if you haven’t been to a ballet before, see it in Bryant Park. If you’ve never seen Shakespeare, experience it in Bryant Park. It’s an inviting space and there’s something incredible happening for everyone.”

For the season’s full schedule and other information, please visit BryantPark.org.

Categories
Events Fitness Health

DAYBREAKER’s Morning Dance Party at Eataly

Morning dance party movement, DAYBREAKER teamed up with the Italian icon, Eataly for a special morning of food and fun this past Wednesday, March 22nd. Downtown was up before the sun for the early morning, juice-fueled dance party. Our tastebuds were wide awake with delicious dishes served up by Eataly including fresh frittatas, Roman style pizzas, and sweet and savory focaccia.

DAYBREAKER co-Founders Matthew Brimer and Radha Agrawal enthuse: “DAYBREAKER is about dancing before daybreak with people we love; about curating a community of camaraderie, self-expression, wellness, and mischief”.

The event was one of a kind, kicking off with sunrise yoga at 6 AM overlooking the Reflecting Pools at the National 9/11 Memorial. After yoga, breakfast was served and the dancing began. The energy in the room made it almost impossible to remember how early it was.

The revolutionary morning movement has successfully moonwalked its way through New York, London, Los Angeles and San Francisco attracting people of all ages, occupations and backgrounds with it’s new approach to fitness and fun. Amsterdam, Atlanta and Seattle are next on the list with plans to expand the network of DAYBREAKER parties globally. The next NYC event will be coming soon with the date to be announced.    

Photography by Andrew Rauner / AJRphotos

 

Categories
Fashion

Dior teases consumers with its new fragrance campaign

Camille Rowe for Dior / Photo: Dior
Camille Rowe for Dior / Photo: Dior
Camille Rowe for Dior / Photo: Dior

As learned about in Luxury Daily, French fashion house Christian Dior is continuing to be an industry leader with its new campaign. Last week, Dior released a trailer for its latest campaign, as featuring a dramatic dance performance. This creative direction puts emphasis on Dior as a provider of both art and entertainment with its promotion, rather than traditional advertising.

Said Michael Becker, managing partner at mCordis, to Luxury Daily: “Advertising can be an effective tool for building brand awareness, triggering an initial engagement or if timed right it can generate transactions, but advertising is not necessarily the best medium for telling the brands story…A brand is built first and foremost by what it does, how it delivers its value.”

Becker continued: “A brand can amplify its efforts through effective storytelling, but creating content and sharing its domain expertise with the market, as well as with intimate conversation with individuals at scale through emerging platforms like Facebook messenger and chatbot.”

The Poison Club video from Dior mirrors a major motion picture, and was initially teased with a short trailer to get fans excited. The video stars model/actress Camille Rowe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re4icu2NXO8

 

Categories
Culture Entertainment Events

River To River Festival To Launch Jun. 16 In Lower Manhattan

The River To River Festival has been providing residents of lower Manhattan a unique and intimate opportunity to interact with visual art, dance, and innovative media projects in large public spaces since 2002. This year the festival has again partnered with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in hopes of creating installations reflective of Lower Manhattan’s constantly changing atmosphere, as well as engaging and inspiring New York City residents.

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The inventive art instillations will be performed and displayed in unconventional locations such as public parks, Governors Island, and historic landmarks like Fulton Center, South Street Seaport, and the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. This is not the traditional type of art one would see on the wall of a home. The interactive displays are intended to be provocative and surprising. The goal of the festival is to make the the busy residents of New York City look up from their fast-paced commute, pause for a moment and think about the installation. 

The recently completed Oculus at the World Trade Center will also be home to numerous art displays throughout the 11-day festival, and will create a powerful backdrop for artist’s work. All pop-up performances at the Oculus will be announced shortly prior to the event via various forms of social media.

White_Elyssa-Goodman

The festival is free for all viewers and will take place June 16-26. Some live performances with limited capacity require individuals RSVP on the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council website.

A few highlights to make sure you check out during the festival are Saya Woolfolk’s ChimaTEK: ChimaCloud Control Center at Fulton Center and A Body In Places by Eiko at Nolan Park on Governors Island.

You can view the complete schedule of the festival here.

 

Categories
Entertainment

This Fall, Get In The Groove For Dance

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If you are a huge dance fan, or are looking to inject a little culture into your fall/ winter itinerary, Downtown has a list of outstanding and eclectic performances all around the city.

New York Theatre Ballet September 19th- September 20th: Schimmel Center at Pace University

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

Batsheva,  September 29th -Oct 4th: Joyce Theater

Innovative, exhilarating; Batsheva, a company from Israel, embodies high energy and mind riveting movement. Batsheva’s young ensemble will perform Decadance which will also have excerpts of Zachacha, George and Zalman, Max, Seder, Mabul, Sadeh 21, Zina, Kyr, Three, and Naharin’s Virus.

Jose Limon International Dance Festival, October 13-25: Joyce Theater

The soul of embracing the “human” of dance, The Limon company will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in its upcoming international tour. This tour will include some of its most famous works such as Missa Brevis, Orfeo, and The Moors Pavane.

Garth Fagan, November 3rd-8th: Joyce Theater

Precision, tied along with explosive energy and abstract movement; Garth Fagan is certainly climbing the experimental ladder. At the Joyce Theater this fall, Garth Fagan will be showcasing some of his new pieces, along with his classics which include Passion Distanced, and Mudan.

Kyle Abraham,  November 10th-15th: The Joyce Theater

Kyle Abraham combines the styles of classical, hip hop, and modern into something called, “post gumbo.”  Best known for creating movement that is enticing and sensual while complementing it with live music, this performance will include The Gettin’ which is a high energy performance accompanied by Grammy award winning jazz artist, Robert Glasper.

Ali Moini, September 29th-30th: New York Live Arts

 Self- reflective, Lives explores the multifaceted complications of oneself. It explores this issue through three different points of view while also incorporating video, design and props. Moini is from Iran and has studied music, theatre and contemporary dance.

Twyla Tharp, November 11th-17th: David H. Koch Theater

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Twyla Tharp, best known for her theatrical aspect and lively movement, is having a tour.  Her tour will include bold works like: Fanfare, Preludes and Fugues. She has also choreographed for Hollywood films, television and Broadway one of her most famous shows includes, “Movin’ Out.”

Fall for Dance, September 30th-October 11th: New York City Center

Don’t miss the 12th annual fall for dance festival at New York City Center! The best names are coming to dance at this event. Companies from all over the world including Spain, Israel, India, Brazil, Argentina and France along with companies like Paul Taylor and Alvin Ailey. A complete schedule of the festival can be found here.

-by Samantha Rice

Categories
Culture Entertainment

Escher, Bacon, And Rothko Come Downtown

Photo Courtesy of Heidi Gutman

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Modern dance company, ZviDance, led by Artistic Director Zvi Gotheiner, and Executive Director, Nikki Chalas is set to introduce its limited four night “Escher/Bacon/Rothkois” dance performance from Wednesday June 24 to Saturday June 27 at the New York Live Arts.

The three part show offers a modern choreography by Gotheiner, inspired by the work of each individual icon; M.C. Escher, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko. ZviDance, along with New York Live Arts’ Theater Access Program, the New York State Legislature, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Governor Andrew Cuomo contributed to the creation of “Escher/Bacon/Rothko.”

The entire cast includes: Chelsea Ainsworth, Todd Allen, Alex Beigelson, Kuan Hui Chew, Alison Clancy, Derek Ege, Samantha Harvey, David Nosworthy, Ying Ying Shiau, and Robert M. Valdez Jr.

Tickets are available for pre-sale to ZviDance patrons and may be purchased by emailing tickets@zvidance.com or by visiting their website. Single tickets for the event will be sold at New York Live Arts Ticket Services, ranging from $20-$35. Opening night ticket purchases will also be available for $150.

See times and dates of the performances below:

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 7:30pm
Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 7:30pm
Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:30pm
Saturday, June 27, 2015 at 2pm and 7:30pm

By: Krissy Lewis