New York Theatre Ballet to perform LEGENDS & VISIONARIES at Danspace Project

New York Theatre Ballet will present a new installment of its highly acclaimed Legends & Visionaries series at Danspace Project (131 E 10th St, NYC, 10003) on October 6 and 8, 2016 at 8pm, as part of Danspace Project's Community ACCESS series*. The evenings will include the World Premiere of a new piece by Antonia Franceschi set to an original musical score by Claire van Kampen.

The work is inspired by the rich history of St. Mark's Church, home to Danspace Project, New York Theatre Ballet, and The Poetry Project: "I was very moved by the recent exhibit at the Church which was of tee shirts used as grave sites for the numerous children killed by guns in the past year," said Antonia Franceschi, former New York City Ballet dancer.Also featured in the program is Jerome Robbins' Antique Epigraphs set to Debussy's "6 Épigraphes Antiques," staged by Kyra Nichols, and Song Before Spring choreographed by Zhong-Jing Fang (American Ballet Theatre, corps de ballet) and Steven Melendez (New York Theatre Ballet, principal dancer) to Philip Glass' Piano Etudes. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for Danspace members and are available at www.danspaceproject.org/calendar/new-york-theatre-ballet-legends-visionaries/.

Jack Anderson recently wrote about Song Before Spring in London's Dancing Times:"...This was not the gambol one might expect, but an emotional outburst that plunged young people into unruly and unpredictable passions..." and Carla Escoda from The Huffington Post said about Antique Epigraphs: "Jerome Robbins' masterpiece of quasi-Grecian restraint looks divine at unusually close quarters. The exquisite staging is the handiwork of Kyra Nichols, who graced the original 1984 cast."

Also in October at Danspace Project, NYTB will host The Byer Legacy Celebration to celebrate the 70th birthday of Founder and Artistic Director, Diana Byer on October 7, 2016 at 6:30pm. The evening will begin with a cocktail and gArden Party, followed by performances of Judgment of Paris by Antony Tudor and new works created especially for the event by Alexandra Damiani, former Artistic Director of Cedar Lake, David Parker & The Bang Group, Marco Pelle, Antonia Franceschi with a new solo for Romany Pajdak from London's Royal Ballet, and Gemma Bond, followed by dancing with DJ Imogene Strauss. Tickets are $150 and include hors d'oeuvres, wine, performance, dance party and birthday cake made by ChikaLicious. RSVP by October 1st contacting Laura Dunlop at 212-679-0401 or admin@nytb.org. For event information contact Christina Paolucci at cpaolucci@nytb.org.

*Community ACCESS provides subsidized off-season rental opportunities for Danspace Project community members.

ABOUT NEW YORK THEATRE BALLET

New York Theatre Ballet (NYTB), founded in 1978 by artistic director Diana Byer, has been hailed by The New York Times as "an invaluable company." NYTB is dedicated to inspiring a love of dance in diverse audiences through performances of chamber ballet masterpieces and bold new works, as well as innovative one-hour ballets for children, all at affordable prices.

By pairing the ballets of legendary creators with those of contemporary visionaries, NYTB brings a new understanding and appreciation of dance. The approach to live performance for children is groundbreaking and unique. New York Theatre Ballet offers an annual series of hour-long ballets tailored to the attention span of young audience members, while offering high production values and clever choreography sophisticated enough for discerning parents.

NYTB is committed to reaching underserved audiences by performing in small cities throughout the U.S. Its professional school provides ballet training based on the Cecchetti syllabus. Classes are offered at affordable prices. Scholarships are awarded to talented homeless and underserved children along with support for well-rounded learning.

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