Congratulations to Mesma Belsaré who has been named a Dance/USA Artist Fellow! While now living in New York, Mesma was a longtime area resident and continues to co-direct Samvād Boston, a community space for Indian classical dancers and musicians.
The Dance/USA Artist Fellow program focuses on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ individuals and people with disabilities. Mesma is one of 30 national dance and movement-based artists with sustained practices in art for social change who will receive an unrestricted grant of $30,000.
Congratulations to our friends at Jacob’s Pillow who have received an unprecedented $10 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to build a new, reimagined Doris Duke Theatre. The loss of the original building to fire in November 2020 was tragic, but its replacement is a once in a generation opportunity to provide artists access to state-of-the-art technology to create 21st century works. The new theater/studio is projected to cost $30 million, and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Netherlands-based architecture firm Mecanoo is serving as the lead architect for the new building project, in partnership with New York-based architecture firm Marvel as the U.S.-based architect of record and landscape designer. Theater, acoustic, and experience consultants Charcoalblue are supporting the project. Jeffrey Gibson, Choctaw/Cherokee, is serving as a consultant on the building’s relationship to the site and Indigenous design values, a key element of the building’s design.
Island Moving Company performs its 21st annual A Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff. Follow our young protagonist through the fabulous rooms of Rosecliff Mansion as she celebrates the holiday season with her family, battles with the Mouse King, dances with the Snow Queen, and travels with her beloved Nutcracker to the magical Land of Sweets! Performances run November 23, 25-27, and 29 through December 2 at the Rosecliff Mansion, 548 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI.
‘Twas the Night Before… is an exhilarating spin on the beloved Christmas tale, and marks Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Christmas production in New England. Isabella is whisked away to an upside-down, inside-out world where she meets colorful characters from the classic poem performing thrilling acrobatics. November 25 – December 11 at the BOCH Center.
Thang Thang hosts the 2022 THANGsgiving: Mashed-Potato Gravy-Reservoir Edition. Join for a free day filled with dance, music, and performance art. Friday, November 25, 10 AM- 5 PM at Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave., Somerville.
Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker mesmerizes audiences of all ages with its beloved characters, swoon-worthy sets, and unparalleled choreography. Slip away into the warm drawing room of the Silberhaus family and watch as Clara’s surroundings transform before your eyes. Performances run from November 25–December 31.
Dance Prism’s production celebrates its 40th season this year with a classic Nutcracker that includes falling snow, a growing Christmas tree, and a cast of 120 professional dancers and ballet students. At Bristol Community College in Fall River Sunday, November 27 at 1 PM & 5 PM.
The Folk Arts Center is pleased to support the monthly Westford Barn Dances series at the Parish Center for the Arts (PCA). FAC and Oh CONTRAire are joining forces to plan the 22nd season of Saturday night Barn Dances – an opportunity for people of all ages, dance levels, and abilities, to participate in evenings of (f)rollicking fun. Saturday, November 26, 7:00 – 9:30 PM, at the Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln St., Westford, MA.
Dark Room Ballet presents free workshops on audio description for dance as an art form of its own. Hosted by Movement Research in New York, Dark Room Ballet is designed specifically for the educational needs of blind and visually impaired adults. This workshop is offered online via Zoom. Suitable for all people, from those with no prior knowledge of audio description all the way to working professional audio describers. Each workshop can be experienced as a standalone class, or students may choose to register for the series Saturdays through December 17.
Boston Ballet is searching for additional women and men to be supernumeraries in spring productions of Don Quixote and Sleeping Beauty. Anyone age 18 and older who is available for the performances is eligible. For more information email: bostonballetsupers@gmail.com.
Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA seeks an Associate Director of Human Resources to work closely with the management team and staff on recruitment, training, and retention grounded in the organization’s values as well as its longstanding commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). Responsible for turning Jacob’s Pillow’s people-first culture into visible and impactful policies, this role manages all actions relating to every phase of human resources activity including on-boarding and orientation, training, workplace satisfaction, and professional development.
Mark DeGarmo Dance is seeking submissions for their next “Global Dance Circle for Social Change” video (part 7)! Professional and recreational dancers are all invited to submit a 10-second clip with no fee. This years theme is Celebration! MDD will be publishing this year’s Global Dance Circle for the winter solstice on December 21st! See submission details on website. Deadline is November 30.
Boston Dance Theatre‘s Winter Immersion Project (WIP) is designed as a rigorous training experience for motivated dancers, ages 18 and older, within a professional contemporary dance company environment. During WIP you will study, rehearse, create, and perform with co-artistic director Jessie Jeanne Stinnett and members of the company. All students will take daily class taught by current company members. Application deadline is Monday, December 19.
Audition for Urbanity’s Summer Intensive! Each summer, intermediate-advanced dancers ages 11-24 are selected for a unique contemporary dance intensive to work with nationally-acclaimed guest artists and Urbanity’s most popular faculty. Students receive 7 hours of daily instruction in ballet, contemporary technique, jazz, improv, hip hop, and repertory.
The 2023 program runs July 31 – August 18 at the Boston Center for the Arts. In-Studio auditions will be held at Urbanity Central Sunday, February 12, Saturday, March 4 at 3:00-4:30 PM,, and Sunday, April 2 at 12:00-1:30 PM. Video submission accepted by April 15.
Close dancing? What a scandal! In 1913, President-elect Woodrow Wilson cancelled his inaugural ball because he feared people would dance the Turkey Trot, bringing shame to his new administration!
Many of us will be gathering with dear ones this coming weekend as we take a breath from this still-challenging year, and note all the things we have to be grateful for. All of us at Boston Dance Alliance are grateful to be part of this caring community and for your resilience and support.
Enjoy!
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Debra Cash, Executive Director