Dear BDA Community,
At Sunday’s Saint Patrick’s Parade, there was lots of high-energy Irish Dance on display. And while the Irish have deep roots in Boston, there are now also large groups of residents from China, the Dominican Republic, India, Brazil, and Haiti, for example–all of whom have brought their unique & diverse dance traditions to the Greater Boston area.
In fact, the second largest category in Boston Dance Alliance’s member directory are dancers & dance companies who practice & perform internationally-rooted dance forms. For us at Boston Dance Alliance, this is what makes Boston such a great place to see and learn new dances from around the world.
If you are a dancer or dance company whose creative practice corresponds to a dance from another country, we’d love to welcome you to the BDA community and invite you to become a member, get listed on our class finder, post a workshop or audition, and submit an event.
Boston Dance Alliance is here to help create more opportunities for people to experience & appreciate new cultures from around the world through dance!
Thank you,
Aaron Myers, Interim Executive Director
The annual South Asian Showdown is back for it’s 15th anniversary!
The concept of Showdown is to put the best Fusion, and Bollywood/Hindi-Film teams up against one another and let the judges have the unenviable task of selecting the best team of the night. This will be an unbelievable show to watch and an unparalleled experience for all the teams to be involved in!
This year’s competition will be taking place on Saturday, April 6, at the newly renovated Strand Theatre in Boston, MA. Be sure to buy your tickets now for the best seats!
Stay tuned for more information about the showdown next week!
BDA Member Events This Week
FREE! – Rachel Linsky will be screening two dance films inspired by the work and story of Mieczyslaw Weinberg. The first, “Z”L”, that she choreographed through the JArts and CJP Community Creative Fellowship, and the second, “Forgotten Flame”, choreographed by ZACHOR’s 2023 Teen Intensive cohort. Presented by The Dance Complex, this screening will also include a brief yiddish dance workshop. Thursday, March 21, 6:30-7:30 PM at the MIT Welcome Center, 292 Main Street, Cambridge.
FREE! – Boston University Dance Program is pleased to host LaTasha Barnes as artist-in-residence on March 18-22, 2024. Her visit will culminate with a free informal performance showcasing not only her work –from Lindy Hop Championships, the Jazz Continuum performance at the Kennedy Center, to choreography from the Ladies of Hip Hop Festival –, but also work she created on BU students. Thursday, March 21, 9-10 PM, at the BU Dance Theater, 915 Commonwealth Ave. (entrance on Buick St.).
FREE! – Join Holly Stone for a Gender Expansive Ballroom workshop. This intro level American Foxtrot lesson with a gender–expansive approach will be followed by an open social dance featuring a variety of dance styles. Friday, March 22, 6-8 PM at CultureHouse, 64 Union Square, Somerville.
FREE! – Boston Dancemakers residents present informal showings. BABYBABYBABY is a dance about dances about love. Directed and choreographed by Laila J. Franklin, this evening-length work taps into feelings of budding romance, when falling in love is silly and fast and sexy and devastating and you are brilliant and stupid and spellbound. Conceived as a meta-commentary on popular Contemporary dance aesthetics, obfuscated by post-modern and improvisatory movement practice, the piece sparks reflection about the human impulse for connection and versions of intimacy through the lens of love. Limited seats available! Saturday, March 23, 7-8 PM at the BCA’s Martin Hall, 527 Tremont St., Boston.
Alive Dance Collective presents Reprint featuring Kristin Wagner and Leah Misano. With all new choreography, new music, and new guest artists, this show promises to offer something for everyone. Performances are open to all ages. Saturday, March 23, 2 PM & 7 PM in-person at The Foundry, 101 Rodgers St., Cambridge, or virtually. Tickets: $20-$25.
The Dance Complex presents, Aikya – The Union by Souls of India, an Indian neo-classical dance troupe. The show portrays the harmony of different types of Indian art forms. Saturday, March 23, 8:00- 9:45 PM, at The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. Tickets are sold out.
FREE! – The Asian American Ballet Project, in partnership with NAAAP Boston’s Community Building Committee, presents Outlines, a preview of one of their ballets followed by a Q&A with the artists. Light refreshments (soft drinks) will be served. Tuesday, March 26, 6:30-7:30 PM, at the CultureHouse HQ, 16 Union Square, Somerville.
FREE! – KAIROS Dance Theater presents a new, collaborative, dance theatre performance piece with KAIROS dancers and Don’t You Dare!, Chiara D’Anna’s acclaimed one-woman show. The evening’s performances will be presented in lecture/demonstration format, offering information on the elements and history of Commedia dell’arte and Chiara’s creative process, with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and engage in conversation with the performers. Limited seating available. Friday, March 22, 7:00-8:30 PM, 527 Tremont St, Boston.
FREE! – Join an evening of reflection and conversation around disability art, design, and justice, presented by the Office for the Arts (OFA) Dance Program and (snobs._), students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), in partnership with the Harvard Art Museums. Reflections: Harmonious Disarray evening in the will feature the students’ artworks, as well as a community conversation with associate professor Sara Hendren, from Northeastern University, and John Peterson, curator of the Loeb Fellowship at the GSD. Both will respond to the works on view. Friday, March 22, 7:00-8:30 PM at the Calderwood Courtyard, Harvard Art Museums, (32 Quincy Street entrance), Cambridge.
Pantos Project Dance Ensemble presents an informal studio showing of 7 premiere works by members of our adult collective, the ensemble. Saturday, March 23, 6 PM & 8 PM, at the Pantos Project Dance Studio, 14 Warren St., Unit 3, Waltham. Tickets: $21
Message In A Bottle is a spectacular new dance-theatre show from five-time Olivier Award nominee, Kate Prince, inspired by and set to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting. With a mix of exhilarating dance styles, high-energy footwork, and breath-taking athleticism, Message In A Bottle tells a unifying and uplifting story of humanity and hope. Tuesday, March 26-Saturday, March 30, Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston. Tickets: $49-$164.
