CONGRATULATIONS to young Boston dancers Leah Baptista Pires, Nasya Bainen and Brooklynn Massó for their NAACP award-winning ACT-SO dance performances!
The Massachusetts House and Senate voted to adopt and enact the Conference Committee’s FY24 Budget report including $25 million for the Mass Cultural Council and $895,000 in earmarks that will go directly to local arts and culture projects.
This year’s budget dedicates $3.71 of arts spending for every resident of the Commonwealth. Special thanks to MassCreative for their tireless advocacy towards making this a reality!
H.151 / S.113: An Act improving accessibility in the creative economy would establish the Accessibility in the Creative Economy (ACE) Fund to provide grants to organizations focused on the arts, culture, humanities, and interpretive sciences to remove barriers encountered by people with disabilities.
By dedicating more funding through the Massachusetts Office on Disability specifically for cultural organizations, we can build a creative economy where everyone can enjoy and belong within the stories, performances, installations, and representations of our communities.
Learn more about the ACE act and how to support it.
Take a seat at Tasca for two Flamenco shows on Monday, August 7, at 5:30 & 8:00 PM. Featuring José Moreno, Juanito Pascual, Brad Barrett and Neli Tirado, these performances will not disappoint. Make your reservation by calling (617) 730-8002
Join cultural historian Emily Hawk as she explores the creation, choreography, and reception of Revelations and discusses the piece’s importance in the modern dance canon. Revelations: Alvin Ailey’s Vision for American Dance is a live, virtual course hosted by Roundtable at the 92nd Street Y in New York, which includes interactive opportunities and post-course recordings available for all course participants. Since the work is so dear to Bostonian hearts we wanted to include it! Tuesday, August 8, 2-3 PM ET
Teresa Perez Ceccon will teach a Simonson Technique Master Class at Windhover Performing Arts Center. This open level class is an organic approach to movement that prepares the body to dance in a way that is anatomically intelligent and somatically aware. Register by emailing Lynn Simonson: simonsondance@gmail.com. Wednesday, August 9, 10 AM-12 PM, 257R Granite St, Rockport, MA
Jacob’s Pillow features Complexions Contemporary Ballet at the Ted Shawn Theater and Decidedly Jazz Danceworks at the Henry J. Leir Stage this week. Wednesday, August 9-Sunday, August 13.
Urban Bush Women returns to The Yard for their final visit this year performing Haint Blu, an ensemble dance-theater work steeped in memory and magic. Known as the color that Southern families paint their front porches to ward off bad spirits, Haint Blu uses performance as a center and source of healing, taking us through movement into stillness and rest. Wednesday, August 9-Saturday August 12, 7 PM, at Orange Peel Bakery.
Enjoy Boston Landmarks Orchestra‘s performance of Mozart and More. These concerts pair Mozart and Joseph Bologne, subject of the new film Chevalier, and focuses on composers who have overcome challenges in their lives. Featuring a special piece from Artist-in-Residence Fabiola Méndez and her collaboration with music and dance students from Hyde Square Task Force alongside violinist Mariana Green-Hill and guitarist Zaira Meneses. Hosted by José Massó. Thursday, August 10, 7 PM at Peoples Baptist Church, 830 Tremont Street, Boston; Friday, August 11, 7 PM, Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley Street #200, Boston; Saturday, August 12, 7 PM at the Hatch Shell.
Stan Karachev, eSKapade, is hosting a donation-based class at The Dance Complex. Join him for Freestyle Basics & Exploration, a class focusing on simple dance concepts, techniques, and approaches that students will apply in class and expand on further throughout it. This class will also explore various freestyle dance concepts while building self confidence through new movements, learning from others, and developing numerous connections. Friday, August 11, 6-8 PM.
“What does it feel like to be a member of a community? And how do we hold on to our identity and sense of representation?” are questions being explored by choreographer Nailah Randall-Bellinger and the dancers of RootsUprising as part of a new Cambridge Artist Residency Program from Cambridge Arts. “Who We Say We Are” is being developed as a choreographic, multimedia project on citizenship, identity, and belonging employing live performances, filmed performances, audio interviews, and community conversations and workshops to expose the present and lived reality of systemic racism. Join the “Into the Roots” conference and “Who We Say We Are: performance Saturday, August 12, 12-6 PM. at Cambridge’s Multicultural Arts Center.
Summer Swing Saturday, August 12, 6-9 PM.features the sounds of Dan Gabel and The Abletones, authentic big band, featuring vocalist Kimberly Hawkey. Get your dancing shoes, or relax with a tasty cocktail or some food from Andy’s Neighborhood Canteen, 9 Frederick St, Webster, MA. The band will play upstairs in the air-conditioned historic ballroom (former VFW hall) with a large dance floor, lounge seating, food and drinks.
Swing City is back! Join the fun for Dave B and the Rhythm Hot Shots on Saturday, August 12 at the West Cambridge Youth Center, 680 Huron Ave, Cambridge. 90-minute introductory charleston bootcamp at 6:30 PM by FreeDanceStudio, intro swing lesson at 8 PM and dance at 9 PM. The fresh popcorn is free, and drinks are for sale.
Nicole Doucette, co-founder of Alive Dance Tours, and Mini Martone Burri, are holding their second dance convention and their first dance competition. The convention will feature jazz, contemporary, and hip hop classes for dancers of all ages. The competition is open to solos, duos/trios, and groups of all sizes and also features an Improv division. Their mission is to reach as many local dancers as they can and provide them with quality instruction from industry professionals who have local roots. Saturday, August 12.
Stan Karachev, eSKapade of All Things Dance Boston (see above) is bringing together local dance groups / crews for “The Bridge” to cultivate appreciation for and connections between dancers across all styles, cultures, and backgrounds In addition to cyphers, performances, and local vendors, “The Bridge” will feature 3-4 exhibition battles between groups specializing in contrasting styles (e.g., Krump vs. Vogue, Dancehall vs. Popping, etc.). The format creates a fun challenge for participating groups in that they’ll have to dance and adapt to musical genres associated with the other group’s style. Saturday, August 12, 9 PM at Sonia Nightclub (10 Brookline St, Cambridge, MA).
Get your tickets to Summer Fun Showcase! Arko Dance Studio‘s pro instructors and students will display their latest choreography and skills to summer jams you know and love. Sunday, August 13, doors open at 4:00 PM and the show starts at 4:30 PM at Arko Dance Studio, 619 High Street, Dedham, MA.
Monday, August 7 is the last day to apply to perform at Jose Mateo’s Dance for World Community! The Festival traditionally brings together dance artists, activists, and enthusiasts to celebrate and raise awareness about the local and global issues that matter most to the entire community. The festival happens September 23, 2023.
Dance therapist Heather Hill of Australia and Donna Newman-Bluestein will be co-leading a 15-hour experiential, interactive, virtual training from September 4 to October 2 on five Mondays, from 6-9 PM EST. This is the first time that they are collaborating and offering their workshop, Bringing Dance to Older Adults and People with Dementia, virtually. Register before August 14 for early bird discount.
The Performing Arts Department of Emerson College is seeking an adjunct faculty member to teach a Global Perspectives in Dance course (DA203) during the Fall 2023 semester, September 5-December 18, 2023. In this course, students learn about specific dance cultures around the world to understand the varied aesthetic forms dance can take, the many functions dance can serve, the ways in which dance embodies culture, and the forces that affect the evolution of dances over time. Students investigate the different ways in which cultures and societies around the world are shaped through their own agency, the colonial project, and transnational and globalized forms of exchange. Students learn self-reflection and non-extractive modes of engagement with cultures both familiar and unfamiliar.
The 52nd Annual Dance on Camera Festival (February 9 – 12, 2024), co-presented by Dance on Camera and Film at Lincoln Center, opens its call for submissions for dance films of all genres and lengths beginning on July 31, 2023. Dance on Camera Festival welcomes submissions from filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines within the dance film genre, including narrative, documentary, animation and experimental. Dance on Camera encourages national and international submissions of films, which uniquely interpret the relationship between dance and film. Early Bird Submissions end August 18, Regular Submissions deadline is September 8, Late Submissions deadline is September 29.
The Performing Arts Connection is seeking a Tuesday Musical Theater teacher, a Saturday preschool dance teacher, and a Front Desk Host (M-F) in Sudbury, MA for the upcoming season. They offer competitive pay and a happy and a supportive work culture. Email jobs@performingartsconnection.com if interested.
Call for Dancers and Audition Workshop for Site-Specific Dance Project: a radical welcome. Choreographer Liana C. Percoco is collaborating with the Boston Public Quartet to create a multi-sensory arts experience at the Schoolmaster Hill Ruins in Boston’s Franklin Park on September 9, 2-5 PM. They are looking for professional dancers with strong modern-based and collaborative performance skills that feel comfortable dancing outside on uneven terrain and engaging with audience members for participation in the event. Rehearsals will happen between August 23-September 8 based on dancer availability. Future opportunities for this work may also include filming and editing the performance into a dance for the camera, and adapting into a stage based performance at the Strand with BPQ in the Winter. Please email Liana at lianacpercoco@gmail.com with any questions. Audition will be held on Monday, August 21, 2-4 PM at Akasha Studio – 4155 Washington St. Roslindale (Boston)
Stephan Koplowitz’s Occupy was choreographed for the Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco, with a mixed-ability cast of nineteen performers, including members of the AXIS Dance Company. How does our occupation and navigation of space translate into our sense of who we are?
Best wishes,
__________
Debra Cash, Executive Director