Moraine Valley Community College Presents COCKTAIL HOUR: THE SHOW

Moraine Valley Community College brings Cocktail Hour: The Show, by New York City-based company Ballets with a Twist, to the Dorothy Menker Theater (9000 W. College Parkway) on Saturday, April 6, at 7:30pm, as part of the Fine and Performing Arts Center's 25th anniversary season. Throughout the evening, beer, wine and a special selection of cocktails and mocktails will be available in the lobby.

Tickets are $30. To purchase, go to morainevalley.edu/fpac call 708-974-5500, or visit the box office. Discounts are available for MVCC students and staff, seniors, children and groups of 20 or more.

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

• "Hot Toddy" (PREMIERE) - Are these cats on the level or on the lam? Mayhem reigns supreme in this red-hot rollick through the Roaring Twenties.
• "Gimlet" - This emerald beauty reminisces on a romance gone wrong to the tune of a classic jazz ballad.
• "Martini" - A dangerous, percussive score sets the stage for this blonde bombshell super-spy, who stealthily dodges sharpshooters with a cool head and serious style.

The Company
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; has 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'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 Venue

The Fine and Performing Arts Center offers an array of music, dance, theater, and art for all ages. Home to the Dorothy Menker Theater, the John and Angeline Oremus Theater, and the Robert F. DeCaprio Art Gallery, the center opened its doors in 1994. The mission of the Fine and Performing Arts Center, through its public presentations of dance, music, theater and the visual arts, is to enrich the members of the college community by providing opportunities for people of all ages to experience and grow through the arts.

For more information, visit morainevalley.edu/fpac.

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