Alvin Ailey Dancers Join DANCE ON THE LAWN Festival

Dance on the Lawn, Montclair, NJ's premiere outdoor dance festival, will "return to the lawn" with live performances on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 3-5pm at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 73 South Fullerton Avenue. The 2021 DOTL Festival will also be live streamed on DOTL's virtual channels, Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook. The DOTL 2020 festival took place virtually last year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrating its eighth year, Dance on the Lawn is a premiere showcase and mentoring launchpad for NJ and NY's finest choreographic talent. DOTL offers Montclair residents and neighboring communities a sneak peek at emerging and established artists from New Jersey and the New York area.

The FREE, 2021 DOTL performances this year will include Dance on the Lawn Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer Amber Sloan, New York Company 277 Dance Project, and New Jersey company Nai-Ni Chen Dance. JUST ADDED! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancers Chalvar Monteiro and Jacquelin Harris will perform excerpts from Merce Cunningham's Landrover. Chalvar, who began his formal dance training at Montclair's Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts, will be returning home for the first time since joining Ailey. Jacquelin, in 2016, was named one of "25 to Watch" by Dance Magazine. "Landrover" is presented with permission of The Merce Cunningham Trust. *Full lineup below.

Founded by Montclair resident Charmaine Warren in 2014, Dance on the Lawn hopes to increase New Jersey's exposure to dance by bringing professional and emerging companies, plus students of dance from around the state, together to perform in a community setting. In addition to offering presentation opportunities, Dance on the Lawn created an "Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer" and mentor program to help support young, emerging artists.

Dance on the Lawn acknowledges the support of dance company 10 Hairy Legs, which donated their net assets to DOTL following the company's dissolution. The 10HL funding specifically supports the annual DOTL NJ Emerging Commissioned Choreographer award. "This financial support underscores the intention of our NJ dance community to keep the attention on dance in NJ. It gives us at DOTL even more power to introduce and support young NJ dance makers on their path, and we are honored to be chosen by 10HL as recipients of these funds," said Ms. Warren.

*The 2021 Dance on the Lawn LINEUP:

NEW JERSEY SCHOOLS
Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts
DanceWorks Studios
Movement Arts Project/Dance for Joy

Maurice Chestnut + Movement Therapy

NEW JERSEY COMPANIES
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Inimois Dance

DOTL’S EMERGING COMMISSIONED NEW JERSEY CHOREOGRAPHER
Amber Sloan

NEW YORK COMPANIES
277 Dance Project - Nicole Philippidis

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - Chalvar Monteiro and Jacquelin Harris in excerpts from Merce Cunningham’s “Landrover.”

*Program subject to change.

MORE ABOUT DANCE ON THE LAWN:

Charmaine Warren, DOTL founder, is a recipient of a 2017 Bessie Award for "Outstanding Performance," as part of The Skeleton Architecture Collective. She is also winner of the Dance NJ’s JETÉ AWARD, in honor of founding the Dance on the Lawn Festival. Dance NJ is the service organization committed to advocating the excellence of dance and dance education in the state. Ms. Warren, together with Laura Marchese, DOTL Managing Director, are the guiding force behind "Dance on the Lawn: Montclair's Dance Festival.” Ms. Marchese is a recipient of a NJ Governor's Arts in Education Distinguished Teaching Artist Award. In 2018, Ms. Marchese received national recognition as a Master Teaching Artist in Dance by Young Audiences Arts for Learning.  

The New Jersey State Arts Council has given four awards to Dance on the Lawn artists: Nancy Turano, Artistic Director, NJ Dance Theatre Ensemble, DOTL artist since 2014-2018; Kyle Marshall, DOTL 2016 "Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer" recipient; Lauren Connolly, DOTL 2017 "Emerging Commissioned New Jersey Choreographer" recipient; and Hillary-Marie, Choreographer/Director FutureSTEP Tap Company, DOTL 2017 participating artist.

 

 

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