The Chenango Arts Council Presents COCKTAIL HOUR: THE SHOW

New York City-based company Ballets with a Twist returns to Norwich for another round of Cocktail Hour: The Show, on Saturday, April 25, at 7:00pm. Presented by the Chenango Arts Council (CAC) at the Martin W. Kappel Theater, the program will raise a toast to spring with a fresh lineup of dancing drinks.

Tickets are $30. Discounts are available for seniors, youth, and CAC members. To purchase, go to chenangoarts.org, call 607-336-2787, or visit the box office (27 West Main Street, Norwich, NY 13815).

Created by artistic director and choreographer Marilyn Klaus, Cocktail Hour: The Show reinvents the glamour and excitement of classic entertainment with an original mix of charismatic choreography, intoxicating music, and exquisite costume design. This pop-infused performing arts experience combines the magnetism of Hollywood's Golden Age with a sleek twenty-first-century sensibility, capturing the timeless American spirit in a series of witty, sparkling vignettes. It's high-style fun for all ages to enjoy.

Program highlights include

• "Caipirinha" - Confetti falls on a Brazilian beach as this colorful cocktail parade unfolds.
• "Hot Toddy" - Are these cats on the level or on the lam? Mayhem reigns supreme in this red-hot rollick through the Roaring Twenties.
• "Cin Cin" - Care for a drink? Or a date...? A continental romance ensues when this suave spirit takes the floor.

Klaus, whose choreography has been seen internationally, formed Ballets with a Twist in association with Grammy-nominated composer Stephen Gaboury and costume designer Catherine Zehr. Her company - lauded by The Huffington Post for "blasting the boundaries between high art and entertainment" - has appeared in a wide range of venues throughout the country, from Cleveland's Playhouse Square and New York City's Beacon Theatre to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Tribeca Film Festival.

Gaboury's compositions have been performed by celebrated musicians nationwide. As a pianist, he has collaborated and toured the world with pop/rock icon Cyndi Lauper for more than a decade, most recently joining her alongside the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at its historic home venue. He has also accompanied such artists as Patti LaBelle, Norah Jones, and Sarah McLachlan, and has performed at internationally televised events such as the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony and the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball Drop. Gaboury's music has been heard in concert, on television, and in films (including Boyhood and American Beauty).

Zehr is the artistic force behind the company's costume design. Her creations evoke the origins and essence of each dance with dazzling colors and ornamentation. Zehr honed her skills while working at major American fashion houses, then by designing and manufacturing attire for her own label. She studied art and design at Washington University and New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology, where she and the company delivered the presentation "Designing Costumes for Ballets with a Twist" as part of The Museum at FIT's Fashion Culture series.

Craving more Twist culture? Visit balletswithatwist.com.

The Chenango Arts Council will offer a dynamic calendar of theatre performances and plays featuring world-class performers from around the globe. Shows including dance, theater, music, and nostalgia fill the 514-seat Martin W. Kappel Theater for evenings of magic. CAC's 2019-2020 season is sponsored by NBT Bank, Preferred Mutual Life, Wells Fargo, WCDO, WSKG, The Splendor Inn, Super 8 by Wyndham, and The Pennysaver/Evening Sun.

For more information, visit chenangoarts.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.