Rasta Thomas’ ROCK THE BALLET Plays The Joyce Theater 12/15-1/3

Rasta Thomas, ballet heartthrob, Gold Medal winner and Broadway star of Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel's Movin' Out brings his dynamic new company Bad Boys of Dance to present Rock the Ballet at The Joyce Theater for an extended three-week season from December 15 - January 3. Tickets, starting at $10, can be purchased through JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at www.joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street in Chelsea.

In a theatrical fusion of ballet, Broadway, tap, contemporary and hip hop, Rasta Thomas and his Bad Boys explode onto the stage bringing audiences to their feet. Through multiple exhilarating scenes, this exciting show includes classic romance with a twist that only Rasta Thomas could create, as well as virtuoso feats, enhanced by video-projected scenery designed by award-winning William Cusick of Broadway's Coast of Utopia.

Rasta Thomas began ballet lessons as punishment by his father, and he was quickly recognized for his effortless ability to jump and turn. As a teenager, he made dance competition history winning the Special Jury Prize at the 1994 Paris International Dance Competition, the Gold Medal in the Junior Men's Division of the 1996 Varna International Ballet Competition and the Gold Medal in 1998 at the Jackson, MS USA International Ballet Competition when he was only sixteen and entered as a Junior. After winning the Jackson Gold, he danced throughout the world with well-known companies including the Kirov in Russia, American Ballet Theater in New York and K-Ballet in Japan. He then completed an eighteen month stint as the lead in Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel's Broadway show Movin' Out on Broadway and on tour.

Rasta and his wife Andrienne Canterna-Thomas met in ballet class when they were nine and ten-years old, and together won the Gold at the Jackson International Ballet Competition in Jackson MS in 1998. They were sixteen and fifteen respectively. Adrienne was the youngest Junior ever to take the top prize. She performs with the show and serves as Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of the Bad Boys.

Bad Boys company members currently includes Robbie Nicholson, a veteran Broadway performer who danced for two years in Susan Stroman's The Music Man amd Kameron Bink who appeared on the hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance?" as a Top Ten Finalist.

Rock the Ballet was created by Rasta Thomas LLC, Rasta Thomas, Artistic Director and Marsha Borin, President. The show debuted in Hamburg Germany in 2008 presented by Mel Howard, AIS Productions and the St Pauli Theatre, Thomas Collien, Director and has toured extensively throughout Europe.

Rasta Thomas's Rock the Ballet can be seen at The Joyce Theater for three weeks from December 15 - January 3. Performances are as follows:
December 15-20: Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Sat 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7:30pm
December 22-27: Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7:30pm
December 29-Jan 3: Tue 7:30pm; Wed 2pm & 7:30pm; Thu 5pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm & 7:30pm

Dance Chat, a free post-performance talkback with the artists (formerly known as Humanities), will take place on Wednesday, December 16, and is open to all audience members attending that evening's performance.

In its continuous effort to make dance more accessible to a wider audience, The Joyce offers a range of ticket prices starting at $10 (for the front row) and ranging up to $59 (top price for Joyce Members is $44). Please note: Ticket prices are subject to change. Tickets and subscriptions can be purchased by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at www.Joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information about the company, visit www.rastathomas.com.

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