Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and Upstate Films to Co-Present LIFT This Month

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park and Upstate Films co-present LIFT on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 7 pm, at Starr Cinema in Rhinebeck NY. Tickets are $11 adults, $9 seniors, $7 under 16, and can be purchased through Upstate Films, at https://www.upstatefilms.org/lift-with-dir-david-petersen-and-star-steven-melendez-in-person.

This documentary follows a small New York City ballet company who holds auditions in underserved communities. The director of the company, Steven Melendez, who also started his career as a dancer at the age of 7 in a homeless shelter, mentors the young dancers through the rigor, art, and discipline of dance. The experience inspires them to pursue careers beyond what they originally thought possible. By allowing us to view homelessness through the lens of ballet, Lift focuses on the uplifting change that is possible for a person as well as a community. Conversation with Steven Melendez, Artistic Director of New York Theatre Ballet, and Adam Weinert, Kaatsbaan Artistic Associate, follows the screening. Runtime: 87 minutes.

About Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

The mission of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities' space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement - just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as we aim to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects our society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability.

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