Community Works Announces 08-09 Theater Connections Calendar

Community Works, a trailblazer in arts education, announces its 2008-2009 Theater Connections calendar of events. Its eighteenth year of arts programming will present a spectacular line-up of over 130 events featuring multi-cultural dance companies, musical artists, poets and performers at 13 sites citywide. All performances are low cost, and average seven dollars per person. Performing sites include: Symphony Space; Merkin Concert Hall; Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University; Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts in Brooklyn; Hostos Center for Arts & Culture in the Bronx; East Harlems Julia de Burgos Cultural Center; National Black Theatre; and the soon to be opened Dwyer Cultural Center in Harlem.

The season will kick off on October 8th at Columbia Universitys Lerner Hall with Ailey II performing highlights from their repertoire, including selection from the moving classic Revelations for more than 1300 youth. Highlights of the fall season include Thunderbird American Indian Dancers; the exciting salsa band Conjunto Imagen; Camp Logan, a riveting play about racial discrimination faced by black soldiers during World War I; and Ballet Fiesta Mexicana presenting the history of the Mexican culture through traditional dance, song and costumes.

The 2008/2009 Theater Connections season will feature the debut of its new storytelling series Come To The Well: Folkloric Tales of the African Diaspora. Audiences will also be treated to internationally renowned dance companies including Urban Bush Women 2; Something Positive; and Forces of Nature. The spoken word series, Get the Word Out will be presented for its sixth year with Nuyorican Nation: Poetry Summit, featuring Lemon, La Bruja and Flaco Navaja. Historical dramas such as Jeff Stetsons The Meeting; Aint I A Woman: Sojourner Truth; and Dar He: the Lynching of Emmett Till will be presented. All of Community Works programs align with the goals of the Arts Division of the New York City Department of Education.

For the 2008/2009 season of film programming, Community Works will showcase eight films including: The Great Debaters; August Rush featuring a special performance by Impact Repertory Theatre; and debut of the harlem is MUSIC film, produced by Community Works and New Heritage Theatre Group and directed by 2008 OSCAR Award nominee Jamal Joseph.

Founded in 1990 by Barbara Horowitz, Community Works is a leading arts education organization with the mission to build bridges between diverse cultures and neighborhoods, use the arts as a tool for social and personal change, and share community stories that connect us all. The organization currently serves over 350,000 people throughout New York City each year through acclaimed performances, workshops and exhibitions. Its Theater Connections program is the largest provider of performing arts programs to the entire NYC school system, and brings the broadest array of affordable, multicultural events to students.

For a full calendar of events and information on Theater Connections, contact Community Works at 212-459-1854.

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