"What is Dance?" Nazareth College Arts Center's Dance Festival returns May 3-4, 2014

Re-imagined event features aerial artists, dancers with wheelchairs or developmental disabilities, and more; plus ever-popular Dancing on the Grass and master classes!

ROCHESTER, NY (04/12/2014)(readMedia)-- After a one-year hiatus, the Nazareth College Arts Center Dance Festival returns on May 3-4, 2014. Now scheduled during the academic year to better serve Nazareth students and support the Department of Theatre Arts' growing dance program, Dance Festival retains some of its most successful elements, including discussions with choreographers and dancers, master classes, and the popular "Dancing on the Grass."

The Arts Center is pleased to present Kaleidescopika (The Art of Unfolding) featuring Cordis Quartet with LehrerDance as the Festival's headliner on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at 8 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. LehrerDance last appeared at the Arts Center during the 2012 Dance Festival. Members of the company will lead a pre-performance lecture at 7 p.m. in the Peace Theater (room A14), located in the lower level of the Arts Center.

This year's Dance Festival will also feature two Rochester troupes dedicated to improving the lives of its participants through dance:

Borinquen Dance Theatre will perform on Saturday, May 3, 2014, at 2 p.m. (rain date: Sunday, May 4, 2 p.m.) on the lawn in front of the Golisano Academic Center at Nazareth College for the "Dancing on the Grass" event. This event is free and open to the public.

Heart of Dance, will perform on Sunday, May 4, 2014, at 7 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. All ticket sales from this performance will benefit Heart of Dance. Members of the company will offer a master class on Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. in the Masters Family Community Theater (room A13), located in the lower level of the Arts Center. Space is limited and pre-registration is required through the Box Office; 585-389-2170. Company members will also lead a pre-performance lecture at 6 p.m. in the Peace Theater (room A14), located in the lower level of the Arts Center.

Visit http://artscenter.naz.edu/newsroom/media-resources for photos.

About Kaleidescopika (The Art of Unfolding)

LehrerDance returns to Rochester with the critically acclaimed Cordis Quartet and The Muse to present the dazzling sensory extravaganza, Kaleidescopika (The Art of Unfolding). The electrifying new program combines the most thrilling elements in contemporary performing arts-athletic yet theatrical contemporary dance; cirque-type acrobatics and aerial artistry; an emotional, hypnotic, textural musical score; and a vivid, multimedia backdrop-to create a breathtaking performance with a whimsical, fairy tale aura.

Kaleidescopika features Cordis Quartet's exhilarating music, performed live onstage amongst the dancers and aerialists. This innovative ensemble redefines contemporary chamber music by using a combination of traditional ethnic and custom-made instruments – including its one-of-a-kind electric mbira and cylinder-driven music box ¬– to create a signature sound that Billboard Magazine describes as "sparkling moments that defy classification."

Buffalo-based LehrerDance delivers an athletically inspired performance that is influenced by both modern and jazz dance. Dance Magazine described the critically acclaimed company as: "LehrerDance took the house not so much by storm as by quantum physics. Jon Lehrer's strikingly original choreography transformed the stage into an energy field of super-charged particles."

Brooklyn-based aerial artists and circus instructors, The Muse, overlay the multi-media backdrop with Euro-whimsical and sensual cirque, which adds the finishing touches to this spectacle.

About Heart of Dance

Nazareth College Arts Center is delighted to welcome long-time community partner, Heart of Dance, for a unique performance that explores the question, "What is Dance?" The theme for the company's performance is "possibilities," in honor of Heritage Christian Services's – where many of its dancers work and live – 30th anniversary.

Inspired by one woman with multiple physical challenges who signed the word "dance," Heart of Dance grew into an integrated company of dancers with differing abilities ¬– including trained dancers, individuals with wheelchairs or developmental disabilities, and guest performers from throughout the Rochester area. Over the past seven years, Heart of Dance has moved audiences throughout Rochester and in Ireland. Nazareth College is excited to open its Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute in 2015, and thrilled to shine a spotlight on this company that does so much to promote wellness.

"Heart of Dance moved us to joy, to tears and joy again. I felt like I was part of the performance and it made for an incredible evening. We were together celebrating dance. I was inspired and energized." – audience member

About Borinquen Dance Theatre

Founded in 1981, Borinquen Dance Theatre helps at-risk area youth build the desire to succeed through the discipline of dance. Borinquen provides its dancers with cultural opportunities that broaden their educational, artistic, and personal horizons, and positions them for success by fostering a dedicated work ethic and sense of discipline as they master difficult dance movements. Students express confidence and pride in their accomplishments through the performance of Puerto Rican folkloric and Latin contemporary dance, while also learning the skills necessary to succeed in school and make good decisions about health, wellness, and relationships.

Borinquen Dance has delighted audiences at festivals and on stages throughout the United States and Canada, including such venues as the International Hispanic World's Fair.

Tickets

The "Dancing on the Grass" performance by Borinquen Dance Theatre is free and open to the public.

Reserved seats to Kaleidescopika (The Art of Unfolding) are $15, $25, and $40.

General admission tickets to Heart of Dance are $10 (all ticket sales benefit Heart of Dance).

For tickets, call – or visit – the Box Office: 585-389-2170; or order tickets online: artscenter.naz.edu.

To register for the Heart of Dance master class, call – or visit – the Box Office: 585-389-2170.

The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York, 14618. Regular box office hours are Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm and 11am until curtain time on performance days.

Sponsor Information

M&T Bank, Wendy's Restaurants of Rochester, and the New York State Council on the Arts sponsor the Nazareth College Arts Center's 2013-2014 subscription series. Kaleidescopika (The Art of Unfolding) is sponsored by Kathleen and Jim Leo and Glenna and Norman Spindelman.

About the Nazareth College Arts Center

For more than 40 years, the Nazareth College Arts Center has served as a venue and educational resource for students, educators, visual and performing artists, and audiences to create, study, and experience all areas of the arts. These cultural programs support the College's curriculum in music, art, and theatre arts, and provide area residents with opportunities to experience exceptional dance, children's theatre, and international entertainment.

The Nazareth College Arts Center

is a nonprofit institution.

attracts more than 80,000 adults and children annually.

  • is the premier presenter of world-class dance, children's theatre, and international entertainment in Rochester.
  • is the performance home of Rochester City Ballet and world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance, as well as the home of Rochester Children's Theatre and Bach Children's Chorus.
  • is the only area performing Arts Center located on a College campus.
  • houses the Nazareth College departments of art, music, and theatre arts, which present exceptional theatre productions, musicals, operas, recitals, and art exhibitions each year (events are open to the public).
  • serves as a venue for auditions, art classes, music lessons, recitals, fundraisers, lectures, community theater productions, camps, workshops, and graduations.
  • provides access to arts and arts-in-education experiences for area youth.

For more information, visit artscenter.naz.edu.

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