Weekend Roundup: April 23 & 24, 2011

WHERE I'LL BE: DanceBrazil
WHEN: Saturday April 24th @ 2pm & 8pm, Sunday 25th @ 2 pm & 7:30 pm
WHAT: "A Journada," "Memorias," "Batuke." The "high-octane, high-flying" (The New York Times) energy of DanceBrazil takes center stage at The Joyce when the company returns for its 2011 season, with "A Jornada" (The Path), artistic director Jelon Vieira's landmark work that premiered at The Joyce in 2001. "A Jornada" follows the path of Africans to Brazil using the Afro-Brazilian traditional art form of Capoeira as the base, the link to, and an expression of the struggle and liberation of Afro-Brazilian culture.
WHERE: The Joyce
TICKETS: 212-242-0800

WHO: Venti Petrov (of the Dokoudovsky New York Conservatory of Dance)
WHEN: Saturday April 23 @ 8 pm
WHAT: "El Cid"- a Soviet-era story based on the 11th century Castilian military leader El Cid. The 2 act ballet is set to various Massenet scores, and Petrov plays the title role supported by an international cast including Gabriela Gonzalez as "Jimena."
WHERE: Mason Hall, Baruch College 17 Lexington Ave. @ 22nd St.
TICKETS: 646-312-5073

WHO: Avi Scher & Dancers
WHEN: Saturday, April 24 @ 3pm and Sunday, April 25 @ 8pm
WHAT: The company is known for presenting stars from other major companies on smaller stages at lower prices. The performance includes Sofiane Sylve (San Francisco Ballet) and Carla Körbes (Pacific Northwest Ballet) joined by local favorites Tyler Angle and Craig Salstein. "Mirrors" is set to live violin and piano and explores the self-conciousness of the dance studio, while "Dreamscapes" continues the Romantic ballet tradition.
WHERE: Ailey Citigroup, 405 W. 55th St.
TICKETS: 212-477-3030 ext. 3205

Free Performance: Capacitor @ The Great Hill
WHEN: Saturday, April 24th @ 1 pm
WHAT: "The Perfect Flower"- Lessons about the birds & the bees are implicit in the site specific piece that explores the biological utility of beauty as an attractor from the San Francisco company.
WHERE: Central Park entrance @ W 106th St.
TICKETS: 212-860-1370

In Memory of "The Ballroom Review"

In addition to the contemporary dance performances I feature on this blog, I'd also like to do a recurring post that features social dance happenings. I met Ed O'Malley, one of the creators, writers and editors of a journal called, The Ballroom Review last summer. The Ballroom Review cataloged nearly all of the classes, workshops, club nights and competitions related to a broad range of social dance in the tri-state area. If you wanted to know where to go salsa dancing on a Wednesday night in Manhattan, you turned to the Review. Despite it's useful practicality, the publication ceased printing a few years ago due to demanding overhead costs. So, I think an online hub to house this sort of information would be helpful for New York's social dance community. If you have a weekly social or special workshop, please send me the information and an image to post. The number of submissions I collect, and the events I'm able to attend and review will determine which events are published on this blog.

Email announcements to: SARAMURPHY@LIVE.COM
This week, by recommendation:

Kizomba
WHO Kizomba US
WHEN Wednesday April 13, 2011
WHERE Cafe Iguana, 240 West 54th St.
TIME 6-11:30 pm, 7-8 pm class
ADMISSION $10 (includes a 1 hour beginner's class)
DJ: Bobby Jam
Notes: This event is bi-weekly
WEBSITE www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001403837239

Brazilian Zouk
WHO Zouk NY with Special Guest Teacher, Pablo Schmoller
WHEN Thursday April 14, 2011
WHERE Sparks, 161 W 22nd St., 1st Floor
TIME 8-9:30 pm workshop, 9:30-12 am social dancing
ADMISSION workshop $30, class and club $35, club only $10
DJ: PiYO
Notes: BYO drinks & snacks, no outdoor shoes
WEBSITE www.zouknewyork.com

Seductive Thrills and Hope Unfettered:

Stephen Petronio's Underland

Choreographer Stephen Petronio has had his finger on the pulse of urban life since his company first appeared in 1984. Edgy, sexy and provocative, Petronio brings a certain New York cool, enlisting some of the city’s most charismatic movers to execute his aggressive, fast paced movement. A champion of collaboration, Petronio has worked with an impressive list of well known artists including musicians Lou Reed and Rufus Wainwright, fashion designers Rachel Roy and Tanya Sarne/Ghost and visual artist Anish Kapoor, to name a few.

Today is your last chance to catch Petronio’s Company performing Underland for their annual New York season at The Joyce Theater (performances at 2 & 7:30 pm). Underland is an evening length work that was originally created for the Sydney Dance Company in 2003. Petronio’s decision to stage the work on his company was fueled by his desire for America to see what he can do when he’s “funded and supported”--a comment he made in a recent interview in Time Out New York.

Inspired by the dark music of alternative Australian musician Nick Cave, the choreographer mixes classical technique with his signature ferocious sequential style in the New York premiere. Petronio calls Underland an “subterranean, post-apocalyptic, subconscious kind of place,” unraveling in a series of solos, duets and ensemble sequences to reveal a sophisticated world of hope and despair.

The Stephen Petronio Company in Underland with music by Nick Cave, video and lighting design by Mike Daly and Ken Tabachnick and costumes by Tara Subkoff/Imitation of Christ closes Sunday, April 10, 2011 at The Joyce Theater in New York, NY.
For tickets go to http://tickets.joyce.org/tickets/production.aspx?PID=731