Dancers Responding to AIDS Announces First Performers for Fire Island Dance Festival

This summer's Fire Island Dance Festival will feature the premieres of three works and the return of several companies that have become festival favorites as the highly anticipated charitable and cultural event arrives July 14-16, to Fire Island Pines. Produced by and benefiting Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Fire Island Dance Festival (#fidance) will bring acclaimed dance from around the world to a picturesque waterfront stage on the Great South Bay. Among the mix of emerging and established dance companies to be featured are:

? Caleb Teicher & Company, performing "Meet Ella," an energetic and spirited swing piece featuring two male dancers and set to classic live recordings of Ella Fitzgerald.

? EVIDENCE, A Dance Company, premiering a piece that fuses African dance with contemporary choreography and storytelling.

? Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, sharing an elegant and evocative excerpt of "Dia-Mono-Logues," which explores the ways people subconsciously project their prejudices and preconceived notions onto others.

? Pontus Lidberg Dance, premiers a work about heartbreak in an intimate relationship told through contemporary ballet.

Also, Broadway choreographer Lorin Latarro (Waitress) will present a piece that reflects on love and the challenges gay men and women have faced across different time periods. And choreographer Manuel Vignoulle returns to the festival with the premiere of "Tatakai," which merges traditional Japanese fighting principles with exquisite ballet and features six men from American Ballet Theatre, including soloist Alexandre Hammoudi. Additional performers will be announced later.

Last year's event raised a record-breaking $560,133, with more than $4.8 million raised since the festival began in 1995. Through their generous support, Fire Island Dance Festival attendees have helped ensure that those in need throughout the New York area and in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico receive lifesaving medications, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance.

Monica Bill Barnes & Company will kick-off Fire Island Dance Festival at the Friday night Leadership Event at Whyte Hall, reserved exclusively for Leadership Supporters. Leadership Supporters also enjoy tickets to the highly coveted sunset performance on Saturday or the best seats in the house at the 5 pm performances on Saturday or Sunday, along with prominent recognition in the harbor and throughout the Pines.

The incomparable weekend of dance continues with three Fire Island Dance Festival performances: the opening performance on Saturday, July 15, at 5 pm (cocktails starting at 4 pm); the sunset performance on Saturday, July 15, at 7 pm (cocktails following); and the closing performance on Sunday, July 16 at 5 pm (cocktails following). Leadership tickets start at $350. Individual tickets for the 5 pm performances are $150. A hassle-free daytrip package features round-trip luxury transportation from New York City, a champagne luncheon and tickets to the 5 pm performance on Sunday, July 16. A Sunday VIP option, which includes the champagne luncheon and tickets to the Sunday show, is also available. The daytrip package is $275; the Sunday VIP option is $225.

Tickets for Fire Island Dance Festival are on sale at dradance.org or by phone at 212.840.0770, ext. 229 and on weekends in the Fire Island Pines harbor. Fire Island Dance Festival is generously sponsored by The New York Times, United Airlines, DIRECTV, Sayville Ferry and Tony's Barge, Inc.

Dancers Responding to AIDS 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 the essential programs of The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative and The Dancers' Resource, as well as more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide.

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