WHAT:
Dance NOW! Miami Program II: Contemporanea 2019 featuring (B)ORGIA: Decadence & Decay
WHEN:
Saturday, March 30 at 8:30 pm
WHERE:
Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th Street, Aventura, FL, 33180,(877) 311-7469
ADMISSION:
$35 general admission, $15 students (at the box office in-person only). Regular price tickets can be purchased in advance online at tinyurl.com/DanceNowAventura and by phone at (877) 311-7469, or in-person tickets at the Center box office.
FOR MORE INFO:
www.dancenowmiami.org (305) 975-8489 info@dancenowmiami.org
The corrupting influence of power and the lurid underbelly of society might seem like dark and heavy themes for a dance performance. But coming from South Florida’s leading contemporary company, Dance NOW! Miami, and in today’s political climate, their newest evening on Saturday, March 30, at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Arts Center, promises to be another fascinating and forward-leaning one. Program II: Contemporanea 2019, will feature the world premiere of (B)ORGIA: Decadence & Decay, inspired by the real life story of the famous Italian Renaissance-era family, choreographed by Dance Now Artistic Co-Directors Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten. The program will also include a reconstruction of Daniel Lewis’ classic There’s Nothing Here of Me But Me; and the world premiere of Baumgarten’s Fire Within, Fire Without: Dido on the Pyre; and an as yet untitled world premiere piece from Salterini.
The machinations of the Borgias in the 15th and 16th century form the basis of this new dance work, from power grabs to lavish displays of elegance and beauty, contrasted against a background of betrayal and subterfuge. Original costumes for (B)ORGIA will be conceived and created by Haydée Morales, designer for Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Celia Cruz and others. Salterini, who is originally from Italy, says, “It’s so wonderful for me to dive deep into Italian history with this piece, and dig into the complex contradictions that were part of the Borgia family.”
There’s Nothing Here of Me But Me, originally performed by Lewis’ own New York-based company in 1980, is a reflective work, made up of small sections strung together by a common theme – the aloneness or estrangement of life in the theater. It is essentially autobiographical. Daniel Lewis is also well-known as the beloved founding Dean of the Dance Department of Miami’s New World School of the Arts, and will make a cameo appearance in the performance. This piece is part of Dance NOW! Miami’s Masterpiece in Motion series, the company’s initiative to revive relevant historic works from the 20th and 21st century.
Fire Within, Fire Without: Dido on the Pyre is an expanded version of a duet Baumgarten workshopped this past summer at Interlochen Center for the Arts, in collaboration with composer Federico Bonacossa who uses the ancient instrument the Viola de Gamba for the score. It is a retelling of the Roman myth, chronicling the tale of a couple’s passionate love and a tragic suicide. Salterini’s new piece is a luscious ensemble work for six members of the company, a delicate and poetic dance built around the music of South African composer Phillip Miller.
An international exchange with Italy’s Opus Ballet is also coming up for Dance Now, from April 9 through April 16. They will, naturally, be bringing their new piece B)ORGIA along with their critically acclaimed Bridges NOT Walls to performances in both Florence and Rome. The residency will also include classes and workshops. “This will be our company’s first trip to Europe, as we expand our international footprint,” says Baumgarten. “And it’s so appropriate that it be to Italy, given Diego’s roots there.”
Tickets for the Friday, March 30 8:30 pm performance Contemporanea 2019 are $35 general admission, and $15 students (at the box office in-person only). Regular price tickets can be purchased in advance online at tinyurl.com/DanceNowAventura and by phone at (877) 311-7469, or in-person tickets at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center box office, 3385 NE 188th Street, in Aventura. The Center is fully wheelchair accessible and with adjacent free parking. For group sales of ten or more, for more information, and to request materials in accessible format, or any disability accommodation, visit www.dancenowmiami.org or contact Dance NOW! at (305) 975-8489 and info@dancenowmiami.org.
Other upcoming Dance NOW! winter and spring 2019 season events include: February 23, Dimensions Dance Theatre Of Miami Presents: Dance Por la Paz – A Benefit for UNICEF, Miami-Dade Country Auditorium; March 10, Ekaphrasis in the Monastery, The Ancient Spanish Monastery, North Miami Beach; March 17, Ekphrasis in the Garden with the South Beach Chamber Ensemble, Miami Beach Botanical Garden; March 26, An Evening of Dance @ the Betsy, Betsy Hotel, Miami Beach; April 5, Miami Shores Fine Arts Commission Presents Dance Now Miami, Miami Theatre Center; April 26, Compositum Musicae Novae presents Dance NOW!, Coral Gables Museum; May 10, Ekphrasis at the Norton, Norton Museum of Art; May 17, Program III featuring Bridges NOT Walls, Broward Center for the Performing Arts; and June 10-14,World Dance Summer Intensive, Little Haiti Cultural Complex.
Dance NOW! Miami, in residence at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, and the leading contemporary dance company in Florida, was founded in 2000 by Artistic Directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini. The two create dynamic contemporary work individually and together to critical acclaim and are renowned teachers in the international arena. Dance NOW! has collaborated with over 100 artists and organizations nationally and internationally and the company leads the South Florida dance community’s growth through its initiatives and multifaceted programming. The company has been presented in 15 states and on three continents, and has reached over 25,000 children in South Florida alone through its educational programs.
Support for Dance NOW! Miami is provided in part by the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners; the City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Citizens Interested in Arts; Miami Salon Group; Foundation for New Education Initiatives; Florida Dance Education Organization; Miami Dance Futures; New World School of the Arts; Miami ArtZine; the Betsy Hotel; the Samara Fund; KCC Productions; Akerman Law firm; Northern Trust Bank; Florida Memorial Sports Medicine Center; the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department and the Little Haiti Cultural Complex; and other donors. Dance NOW! is also funded by The Children’s Trust. The Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.
