Ailey II, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Marcelo Gomes and More Set for 2014 Fire Island Dance Festival, 7/18-20

The much-anticipated 20th anniversary of Fire Island Dance Festival takes the stage July 18-20, 2014, as some of the top dancers and dance companies in the country offer a diverse array of artistry and genres. The festival, performed outdoors on the beautiful Great South Bay, is produced by and benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Since its humble beginnings in 1995, the festival has grown to become the cultural and charitable event of the summer in Fire Island Pines, raising more than $3.3 million.

The 20th anniversary Fire Island Dance Festival will include performances by:

· Ailey II, presenting the beloved "Wade in the Water" from Revelations, an exciting return after the piece was performed at Fire Island Dance Festival in 2003

· BalletCollective, displaying the collaborative vision of artists from different genres in an intriguing new work choreographed by Troy Schumacher, a member of the corps de ballet for New York City Ballet

· Kristine Bendul, Waldemar Quiñones-Villanueva & Ryan Worsing, performing "In the Garden," an elegant pas de trois originally choreographed and performed for Broadway Bares VII by Arte Phillips

· Complexions Contemporary Ballet, known for its aesthetically dynamic multicultural style, premiering a piece choreographed by Marcelo Gomes

· Marcelo Gomes, renowned principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre, performing the romantic balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet

· Nick Kenkel, a gifted Broadway veteran-turned-choreographer and director, premiering an energetic, Afropop-infused group number

· Sara Mearns, principal dancer for New York City Ballet, starring with eight male dancers in a new work created by Emmy Award-winning choreographer Josh Bergasse

· N? Lei Hulu I Ka W?kiu, a San Francisco-based company sharing the cultural richness of Hawaii through hula dance, featuring a male trio with innovative hula choreographer Patrick Makuak?ne

Additional performers and this year's host will be announced later this spring.

Leadership Supporters enjoy an enhanced festival experience, including the Leadership Event with cocktails on Friday, tickets to the highly coveted sunset performance on Saturday or priority seating at either 5 pm performance, and prominent recognition in the harbor and throughout the Pines. At this year's Leadership Event sponsored by Movmnt Magazine, Mark Stuart Dance Theatre will perform excerpts from its dance musical Standard Time. A celebration of love's power to defy social barriers, Standard Time features hit standards from the 1930s, 1960s and 2000s performed by 14 dancers, 4 vocalists and a 6-piece band.

The celebration continues throughout the weekend with three Fire Island Dance Festival performances: the opening performance on Saturday, July 19 at 5 pm (open bar starting at 4 pm); sunset performance on Saturday, July 19 at 7 pm (open bar following); and closing performance on Sunday, July 20 at 5 pm (open bar following).

Tickets for Fire Island Dance Festival are on sale now at dradance.org or by phone at 212.840.0770, ext. 268. Beginning May 24, tickets also will be available in person on weekends in the Fire Island Pines Harbor. Leadership tickets start at $325. Individual tickets for the 5 pm performances are $125.

Dancers Responding to AIDS, founded in 1991 by former Paul Taylor Dance Company members Denise Roberts Hurlin and Hernando Cortez, relies on the extraordinary compassion and efforts of the performing arts community to fund a safety net of social services for those in need. As a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, DRA supports more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide as well as the essential programs of The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative and The Dancers' Resource.

For more information, visit Dancers Responding to AIDS at dradance.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/DRAdance, on Twitter at twitter.com/DRAdance, on YouTube at youtube.com/DRAdance and on Instagram at instagram.com/DRAdance.