BALAM Dance Theatre Presents BROADWAY MEETS BAROQUE IN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS Tonight

BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM), a New York City based ensemble dance company that has performed throughout the world, presents the new program, Broadway Meets Baroque in Washington Heights, tonight, October 18, 3:00 p.m., at Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz, located at 715 West 179th Street, in New York City. The performance is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and appreciated.

This performance, inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote de la Mancha, celebrates Hispanic Heritage and National Arts & Humanities Months and is the culmination of BALAM's imaginative workshop A Don Quixote for the Washington Heights Choir School. The customized workshop series was launched in September free-of-charge for the children of the Washington Heights community attending Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz' nondenominational after school program. The school is under the direction of Loraine Enlow.

The children will perform a Spanish inspired minuet alongside BALAM's artists. They will enact a fencing academy and the masked fantasy characters of birds and wolves encountered on Don Quixote's journey.

Featured in the performance are BALAM's principal ballerina Robin Gilbert and artistic director Carlos Fittante in Folia: A Spanish Baroque Fantasy and Barbara Romero dancing a 19th century Spanish Escuela Bolera solo. Guest artists performing in the new program are Broadway actor and singer Mauricio Villalobos, as the bilingual English- and Spanish-language Don Quixote figure, and composer and musician Elias Guzman playing an assortment of classic favorites, ranging from the 17th century to Broadway tunes, on the guitar and keyboard.

The workshop series, A Don Quixote for Washington Heights Choir School, and the performance are made possible in part with public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

About BALAM Dance Theatre

Founded as a contemporary dance company in 1979 by choreographer and movement researcher Islene Pinder, BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) joins diverse dances and historical periods from around the world with the dazzling opulence and magical aura of Balinese theatre. A New York City-based chamber company, BALAM creates an entertainment experience that appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The company's innovative artistry and movement fusion of athletic and detailed skills are enhanced by eclectic music, striking masks, vibrant costumes and fantasy stories.

Programs include customized choreographies, lectures, demonstrations, master classes and workshops that educate the community at the grassroots level. BALAM has been featured at numerous festivals and venues, including First Night New York, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and Downtown Dance Festival and appeared throughout the United States and internationally. Praise has been received from the New York Times and Village Voice, the Governor and people of Bali and the Indonesian Consulate of New York, as well as others.

For further information, call 646-361-9183 or visit BALAM Dance Theatre on its blog,www.balamdancetheatre.blogspot.com; follow the company on Facebook, www.facebook.com/balamdancetheatreand Pinterest; and check for updates on Twitter @BALAMDance.

Photo Credit: Eric Bandiero

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