October is packed with dance that honor our diversity. May Indigenous Peoples’ Day offer a moment to reflect on the roots of our country and state. This week also reflects the end of Hispanic Heritage Month and continuation of Italian-American Heritage Month.
If you are not yet a BDA Member, or have let your membership lapse, please consider joining at a level that fits your budget and your part in the community.
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Best wishes,
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Carmen S. Rizzo, Operations and Membership Associate
Congratulations to Jean Appolon Expressions on their new space!
The team at Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) is embarking on an exciting journey as they work on a new permanent home in Nubian Square. They’ve secured a lease at 2147 Washington Street in Roxbury, marking a historic moment in JAE’s journey, with funding from the City of Boston, Barr Foundation, and Shlomo Fund. JAE’s new home will include studio space and administrative offices; it also will be a cultural and community hub — a place where hope and joy can thrive through dance. JAE anticipates completion and build out of the space by Fall 2024 and programming to begin in early 2025.
All are welcome to the Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrations at the Albemarle Field, Newton, MA. This free, family-friendly, Indigenous-led, volunteer-run event includes music, cultural dances & presentations, opportunities to meet local Indigenous vendors & non-profits, and eat delicious food. Monday, October 9, 11 AM-5 PM.
This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum celebrates and honors intersectionality and interconnectedness through art-making, storytelling, performance and conversation with local Indigenous artists from across the city we now know as Boston. The Gardner Museum is honored to collaborate with Mar Parrilla (Taíno Afroborikua) to amplify the voices of local Indigenous artists and activists. Join the art-making in the Studio, stories in the Living Room, and a powerful performance and discussion with Indigenous artists and activists in Calderwood Hall. Danza Orgánica will perform at 3 PM and participate in a talkback discussion. Monday, October 9, 11 AM-4 PM. Free and open to the public.
Meet the Donors: Capacity Building is an initiative by Philanthropy MA. If you have ever wondered what range of activities might fall into Capacity Building and how you might best make a case for a Capacity Building grant, this program is for you! Join a variety of grantmakers who fund capacity building activities within an array of topic areas and learn what they see as activities that fall into this category. Tuesday, October 10, 10 AM-12 PM, on zoom. Registration is $35 for non-members, free for members of Philanthropy MA.
Join NEFA for the New England States Touring (NEST) 3 webinar on Thursday, October 12, 2-3 PM on Zoom to learn more about the changes to the New England States Touring (NEST) Grant in advance of the Idea Swap. Deadline to apply for NEST 3 support is March 1, 2024.
Boston Dance Theater presents a work-in-progress showing of the “Carol Kaye Project“. Their newest program that celebrates the seminal bassist. BDT chose choreographers Karole Armitage, Rena Butler, and Rosie Herrera to honor Kaye’s extensive musical repertoire. Founder/Co-Artistic Director Jessie Jeanne Stinnett also presents choreography to music commissioned by her brother Grant Stinnett. Thursday, October 12, 6 PM at the ArtLab at Harvard, 140 N Harvard St, Boston. Free and open to the public.
From the Ground Up, Berklee’s Fall Dance Concert, features contemporary and commercial dance students to perform a vibrant lineup of stylistically diverse world premieres by renowned guest artists Jennifer Archibald, Jarek Cemerek, and Thang Dao (B.F.A. ’01), and dance faculty members Anthony Burrell, Alissa Cardone, Jun Kuribayashi, and Ruka White. Tommy Neblett is artistic director. Thursday, October 12-Saturday, October 14, 7:30 PM & Saturday, October 14-Sunday, October 15, 2:00 PM at the Boston Conservatory Theater, 31 Hemenway Street, Floor 2, Boston. Tickets up to $35.
serpentwithfeet is a Brooklyn-born, experimental musician whose music “explores passion and love between gay Black folks.” He joins MacArthur fellowship recipient Wu Tsang and choreographer Raja Feather Kelly to present “Heart of Brick” at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. The theatrical dance and musical performance tells the story of two men finding themselves and falling in love in a gay dance hall. The work captures the multi-generational spirit of the Black queer community. Thursday, October 12 & Friday, October 13 at 8 PM. Tickets range from $26-$32.
Maggie Cee performs “Ladies at a Gay Girls’ Bar, 1938-1969 during Ptown’s Women’s Week. Friday, October 13 & Saturday, October 14, 5:30 PM at The Red Room, 258 Commercial St, Provincetown. Tickets range from $25-35.
Acclaimed solo performance artist Sara Juli‘s newest piece, Naughty Bits is a dance-play set inside her memories that examines sexual trauma while finding levity within the tragic. A panel discussion with representatives from New Hope Midcoast will follow the Friday evening performance. New Hope Midcoast and SASSMM (Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine) are providing resource and educational support for this event. Friday, October 13, & Saturday, October 14, 7 PM at the Strand Theatre in Rockland, ME. Tickets are pay what you can up to $25. Content warning: This work contains material related to sexual trauma and assault.
Dvidha is an enriching performance showcasing the duality of two distinct styles of Indian Classical Dance, Bharatanatyam and Kathak. Swathi Jaisankar represents Bharatanatyam, which originates from South India, and Ariaki Dandawate presents Kathak, which originates from North India. Together, the two artists will use an interactive format to highlight the beauty in the similarities and differences between their respective styles. The harmonious confluence of dance, the artistic synergy between the dancers, and the richness of movement will make the DVIDHA a spellbinding experience for all audiences. Friday, October 13, 7:30-9:30 PM at the Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, Cambridge. Tickets are $35.
You’re invited to explore creative movement and dance processes at The Click’s “birthday party.” Expect games (some made up and some you know!), cake (with allergen- and gluten-free options), and a sneak preview of The Click‘s newest work, Edge of Aquarius. The Dance & Cake workshop will be facilitated by choreographer Alexandria Nunweiler, with support from Edge of Aquarius cast members Angelina Benitez, Katrina Conte, and Kristin Wagner. Open to all ages and abilities (ages 5+ recommended). No dance experience necessary. Saturday, October 14, 1-2 PM at Malden City Hall Plaza, 215 Pleasant Street (or the Malden Senior Center Gym, 7 Washington Street if it rains). This event is free and donations are appreciated.
Join Demi Remick for master classes this Saturday, October 14-Sunday, October 15, at Deborah Mason Performing Arts Center, 624 Somerville Ave, Somerville, MA. Registration ranges from $25-$55.
Dance Prism Ballet opens its 41st season with a pre-Halloween pairing of Hansel and Gretel and The Firebird, two magical tales of fiendish spirits vanquished by kindness and beauty. The family-friendly performance is followed by a complimentary reception to meet the principal characters. Saturday, October 14, 2:30 PM at the Collins Center, Andover, MA. Sunday, October 15, 2:20 PM at the Performing Arts Center, Littleton, MA. Tickets range from $28-$35.
The Morrígan, conceived and directed by dance artist Erin McNulty, is a contemporary dance performance inspired by its namesake, a key but mysterious goddess entity in Irish mythology. She appears as maiden, crone, mother, raven, eel, wolf and disembodied voice. She is both nature, and woman – always encountered, never owned. Saturday, October, 14, 3 & 4 PM at the Path of Life Sculpture Garden in Windsor, VT. Rain date: Sunday, October 15, same times. Tickets range from $5-$32.
Join North Shore Swing Dance for its annual Halloween Masquerade Ball, featuring two bands. North of Boston Swing Dance Society will perform the Thriller line dance. Saturday, October 14, 4:30-11:00 PM at the Newburyport City Hall, 60 Pleasant Street, Newburyport, MA. Tickets are $30.
Twist & Shout, an evening of Dance, Music & Spoken Word to benefit OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center. Featuring Nia Dance Troupe, Girlz of Imani & Imani Jr. and new works by Muadi B. Dibinga and Shaumba-Yandje Dibinga. Saturday, October 14, 6:30 PM VIP Reception, 8:00 PM performance at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston. Tickets range from $50-100. For information email shamari@originationinc.org
Kate O’Day and Alejandro Castellano present Medium Rare, a performance about mediocrity. It’s 20% performance, 80% hanging out. Food and drink provided. Saturday, October 14, 7 PM at the Artisans Asylum, 96 Holton St., in lower Allston. Location is outdoors underneath a covered pavilion. Free and open to the public. Email odaykate@gmail.com with access requests and questions.
The Dick Button Artistic Figure Skating Festival Evening Showcase promises a mesmerizing evening of grace, innovation, and artistry. Step into a world where figure skating transforms into captivating art form. Experience the beauty of artistic skating as it takes center stage with enchanting performances by five renowned artistic skating companies: American Ice Theater, Ice Theater of New York, Ice Dance International, Joy Skate, and The Next Ice Age. Special performances by four-time U.S. Champion and two-time Olympian Jeremy Abbott & The Lexettes . Saturday October 14, 7 PM at The Skating Club of Boston, Norwood, MA. Tickets are $15-$25.
Rhythm Delivered blends tap dance, body percussion and drumming, in combination with invented instruments, drums, barrels, buckets, technology, clowning and audience interaction. The award-winning and critically acclaimed family-friendly show is packed with humor and plot twists, features world rhythms, and audience interactive segments that get the audience moving and grooving with the dancers. Saturday, October 14, 8 PM & Sunday, October 15, 7 PM (with virtual option) at the Dance Complex. Tickets range from $15-50.
Vivid Oblivion presents new works by choreographers zavé martohardjono & Hadar Ahuvia. Asmr4apocalypse offers a collective composting: a disintegration, a process of dismantling institutions that may seem impossible to break down. Movement, visualization, brown noise, geological time scales will be our tools for transformation. After the works, audiences are invited to stay for a brief conversation and feedback session. Saturday, October 14, 8-10 PM at Vivid Oblivion, 288 Norfolk Street 2A, Cambridge.
Reflect inward and process outward. “Feel. Show. Tell.” is an expressive dance workshop that includes meditation, guided discussion, physical exploration. Also, an informal showing of an excerpt of My Guide to Feeling It All, Angelina Benitez’s new work for The Click. All bodies, all ages, and all levels of movement experience are welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This workshop is pay what you can: no one will be turned away. For more details, email Kristin Wagner at kristincooperwagner@gmail.com. Sunday, October 15, 2:30-4:30 PM at MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St. Suite 64 (Accessible entrance through Brown’s Mall – take the door to the right of the main entrance, or via 186 Main Street…elevator to 5th floor).
DEL Mini-Workshop: Movement Sentence Choir introduces participants to the DEL model, which offers a comprehensive and inclusive framework to teach dance to diverse populations. Participants will engage in collaborative dancemaking to create a “movement sentence choir” inspired by the community-based movement choirs created by Rudolf Laban in the 1900s. Sunday, October 15, 3-6 PM at the Totman Gym, UMass Amherst. Registration is $49.
Jo-Mé Dance Theatre is seeking in the Greater Boston area with strong ballet, modern and partnering technique to join the company for its 2023-2024 pick-up season. This is a paid opportunity. Auditions take place on Saturday, October 14, 4:30-8:30 PM, at 85 Seaverns Ave, Jamaica Plain. To RSVP email info@jo-medance.com with your full name, headshot and resume, with “Audition” as the subject.