The Dance Cartel Presents 'OntheFloor' at the Ace Hotel New York, Tuesdays Through 12/18

The Dance Cartel and The Breslin join forces to present OntheFloor, which performs at Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel New York. Fusing a rigorous artistic approach with the vibrant social nature of dance, OntheFloor features innovative choreography supported by live musicians, video art, DJ, full bar, and snacks. Performances are every Tuesday at 9pm through December 18 at Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel New York, 20 W. 29th Street. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/248944.

With OntheFloor, The Dance Cartel hopes to cultivate a broad, atypical new dance audience and diverse social platform that ends up being only what the audience wants it to be: a participatory dance performance; a throwback to a Warhol era nightclub; unique performance art; perhaps all of the above? Or maybe it’s just New York’s best dance dance party?

Driven by pumping bass, glitter, and dance theory in equal parts (almost), the 90-minute, energy-busting experience is unlike anything else in New York today. You make it real. The Dance Cartel won't make you dance, but they'll invite you to misbehave. Their legs will go high. Props like pineapples, drumsticks, Gatorade, and bunny ears. Come on! The target audience is anyone and everyone: art nerds, dance snobs, homeless people, music connoisseurs, 18-year-olds, grandmas, Jay-Z, NYU students, hipsters, and everyone else. After the show, the dancers will party with you—and they’re the type of people you actually want to party with!

Choreographer Ani Taj (BjorkBall 2011; Dance Dance Revolution – Asst. Choreo; Transition with Reggie Watts) draws on rhythmic influences from her recent research trip to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil to create a dynamic, immersive new dance landscape. Points of departure include body rhythms like breathing or a heartbeat; rhythms in speech and gesture; and the crucial place of rhythm in music itself—from the baterias of Carnaval to the 808 in your favorite house and hip hop beats.

Co-directed by Sam Pinkleton (The Lyons on Broadway; The Daughters at Joe’s Pub/CAP21; Witness Relocation), with video premiere by director Harrison Boyce (Gucci; Nowness magazine; Watch the Throne Tour; Theophilus London), and live performances by singer-songwriter Rose Blanshei and global Brazilian music project BatalaNYC, OntheFloor is not just a one-time party but the inception of an ongoing multimedia event that will give artists across genres the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and share cutting-edge work with New York.

OntheFloor marks the beginning of The Dance Cartel’s residency at Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel. In 2011, the company enjoyed a bustling first year of performances, videos, and knocking out other dancers at diverse spaces such as Kent285, Magic Futurebox, Triskelion Arts, The Tank, Windmill Studios, and Studio AIR.

Live music by Rose Blanshei and BatalaNYC; DJ Max Pearl; costumes by Soule Golden; sound by John Albano; lighting by Vadim Ledvin; video by Harrison Boyce and Stephen Arnoczy.

The Dance Cartel is Alexandra Albrecht, Aziza Barnes, Emily Bass, nicHi douglas, Audrey Hailes, Josh Palmer, Justin Perez, Ryan Ross, and Ani Taj.

April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, owners of New York’s first gastropub, The Spotted Pig, opened The Breslin Bar & Dining Room at the Ace Hotel in October 2009. The Breslin has earned a star in the Michelin guidebook for the past three years for April's hearty, meat-centric menu, which places a strong emphasis on artisanal products and seasonality and embraces “nose-to-tail” cuisine methodologies with handmade terrines, sausages, and charcuterie.

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