Met Opera Dancers Launch New Monthly Art Bath Salon Series

The producers of Art Bath today announced a new monthly performance series presenting some of New York City's most iconic performing artists. The monthly immersive performance salons will take place February 26, March 26, and April 23 at 8:00 p.m. at Manhattan's Blue Building, a restored factory space on East 46th Street. Each evening features performances by three to five artists and/or groups, each of whom appear in a different room of the extensive venue. A multidisciplinary and multi-sensory experience, Art Bath includes a cocktail hour and displays by visual artists and photographers. (A detailed schedule of events is below.)

The line-ups include such celebrated artists as countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (New York Philharmonic artist-in-residence), bona-fine NYC icon/cabaret singer/drag artist Joey Arias, baritone Will Liverman (Met Opera), dancer/choreographer Claire Davison (American Ballet Theater), Mx Rogers (an internationally renowned tap dance artist appearing under a pseudonym), singer/songwriter Storm Marrero (Ringmaster at Big Apple Circus), members of the Met Orchestra, and others. For those who often appear on grand stages and with large companies, Art Bath is an opportunity for individual contemporary artists to present creative works that deviate from their regular performance regimens. For example, Mx Rogers will experiment with fusing jazz piano and song with dance, and Claire Davison, a veteran of American Ballet Theater and a professional clown, will present a melange of movement, clowning, and film.

With an emphasis on building artistic community and fostering creative risk-taking, producers Liz Yilmaz, Mara Driscoll, and César Abreu, believe Art Bath serves as an antidote to the pandemic's months of social and creative isolation, as well as the commercialism of many present-day performing arts institutions. Yilmaz, Driscoll, and Abreu met while performing as professional dancers with the Metropolitan Opera, where they discovered that many of their colleagues in the NYC performing arts field were thirsty for a safe and fun platform to discover, collaborate, and submerge into a world of artistic exploration. Driscoll comments on the producing team's vision behind the project: "A lot has happened during the past two years. As artistic producers, we find ourselves wanting to reconnect and galvanize conversation and experimentation. Even before the pandemic locked us out of theaters and rehearsal studios, the scale and approach of many art institutions hindered our ability to connect with our audiences, take creative risks, and build community around art. Art Bath is our answer to this moment, and we are excited to dive in!"

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