Kingsborough Performing Arts Center Announces Their Upcoming Events

Kingsborough Performing Arts Center's season of world-class Dance, Music, Theatre, and Family Shows continues with American Ballet Theatre's ABT II, KLea Blackhurst's Everything The Traffic Will Allow: The Songs & Sass of Ethel Merman, and The Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre.

"We are honored to welcome the glorious dancers of ABT II, the great charm and immense talent of KLea Blackhurst, and the joyful whimsy of Fred Garbo onto the KPAC stage - all in the space of two weeks!" stated Anna Becker, Kingsborough Performing Arts Center's Executive Director. "These world-class presentations perfectly exemplify our mission of bringing master performing artists in a wide range of artistic disciplines to southern Brooklyn."

On Saturday, November 6th, KPAC will present American Ballet Theatre's ABT II, representing the next generation of world-class ballet with twelve dancers hand selected from around the world by American Ballet Theatre. The company will perform highlights from their glorious repertoire, including works by George Balanchine and Aszure Barton.
On Sunday, November 14th, The Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre floats onto the KPAC stage, with pneumatic wizard Fred Garbo and Brazilian ballerina Daielma Santos. This

exquisite duo has performed around the world, transcending barriers of age and language in a seamless program that includes physical comedy, dance, juggling, and most importantly, their own creative inventions that INFLATE!
The month of extraordinary performances will conclude on Saturday, November 20th with Everything The Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman, Starring KLea Blackhurst & The Pocket Change Trio. This acclaimed show is Klea's loving tribute to the songs made famous by the legendary stage personality Ethel Merman. The concert highlights what is arguably the greatest body of show music ever written for a single performer featuring such songs as "I Got Rhythm" from Girl Crazy, "You're the Top/Blow Gabriel, Blow" from Anything Goes, and "There's No Business Like Show Business" from Annie Get Your Gun. This is not a recreation of Ms. Merman, but a paean to the great Broadway legend and serves as a potent and happy reminder of Ethel Merman's sheer, undeniable importance to both the history of twentieth century entertainment and to the unbridled jubilation of show business at its best.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

American Ballet Theatre's ABT II

Saturday, November 6th at 8 p.m. Tickets: $30

The Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre

Sunday, November 14th at 2 p.m. Tickets: $12

Everything The Traffic Will Allow: The Songs & Sass of Ethel Merman

Saturday, November 20th at 8 p.m. Tickets: $25

Tickets are now on sale, and available as follows:

In Person: Kingsborough Performing Arts Center, Kingsborough Community College, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY.

Box Office Hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
By Phone: (718) 368-5596

Online: www.kcckpac.org
There is ample, free parking on the campus.

Upcoming Performances: Zalmen Mlotek's 100 Years of Yiddish Musical Theatre with special guest Daniella Rabbani and The New Yiddish Chorale (December 12th), Brighton Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker (December 18th).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

American Ballet Theatre's ABT II is a small classical company of twelve young dancers of outstanding potential. In its fifteenth season, ABT II prepares these dancers to enter American Ballet Theatre and provides opportunities for the emergence of new and established choreographers and composers. Through national performances, lecture-demonstrations and academic residencies, ABT II brings the excitement of close contact with a professional company into communities around the country.
The dancers (ages 16-20) are handpicked from around the world by the artistic staff of American Ballet Theatre. ABT II dancers will train in the program before joining American Ballet Theatre's main Company or other leading national and international professional companies. Under the leadership of ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and ABT II Director Wes Chapman, the company participates in an extensive schedule of daily classes, rehearsals and performances. To supplement daily ballet technique class, the dancers study character, modern, pilates, and yoga. ABT II dancers enhance their experience through national and international performances, cultural exchanges, large-scale residencies, and by working closely with reputable choreographers.

The Fred Garbo Inflatable Theatre has won the praise and affection of audiences around the globe. In addition to appearances on international television and on David Letterman's Late Show, performance highlights include the Kennedy Center, two sold-out runs at the New Victory Theater on Broadway, Playhouse Square in Cleveland, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Hong Kong International Arts Carnival. Fred Garbo has been a professional performer since 1974 (when someone gave him real money for doing card tricks). He has been the man inside Sesame Street's Barkley the Dog; and on Broadway was the chief juggler in the hit musical Barnum. He performed in the high-flying, torch twirling, Obie Award-winning Foolsfire, (with partners Michael Moschen and Bob Berky) which toured Europe, Hong Kong and Australia after a successful off-Broadway run. He even tumbled at Lincoln Center with the New York Opera's Turandot, and worked with MOMIX Dance Company in Brazil. For the last 19 years he has been inventing inflatables with artist/builder George York. He trained and performed with the Master of Illusion, Tony Montanaro and snowboards every chance he gets! In recognition of excellence in the art of juggling through professional performance the International Jugglers' Association presented Fred Garbo with the 'Award of Excellence' this summer.

KLea Blackhurst is best known for her acclaimed tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything the Traffic Will Allow. Among many accolades, this production earned her the inaugural Special Achievement Award from "Time Out New York" magazine. The recording of Everything the Traffic Will Allow was named one of the top ten show albums of 2002 by Talkin' Broadway.com. Klea next turned her passion for musical-theatre history toward the Broadway career of composer Vernon Duke and debuted Autumn in New York: Vernon Duke's Broadway at New York's Café Carlyle which subsequently played a sold-out engagement at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. In the Fall of 2007 Klea teamed with Billy Stritch to create Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael which they debuted at Manhattan's Metropolitan Room. This performance received a Backstage Bistro Award. The recording of Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael will be released in June 2008. Klea's many concert appearances include the recent London Palladium presentation of "Jerry Herman's Broadway." She made her Carnegie Hall debut starring with Michael Feinstein in an evening devoted to the work of composer, Jule Styne. In 2002, Klea made her London debut (stage, radio and television) at Royal Albert Hall. As part of the BBC Proms, she sang the role of Ado Annie in a special concert version of Oklahoma! celebrating composer Richard Rodgers centenary. She returned to London the following spring to debut Everything the Traffic Will Allow at the Greenwich Theatre.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Kingsborough Community College Founded in 1963, Kingsborough Community College, a college of the City University of New York (CUNY), has provided half a million students with liberal arts, applied science, and career education. Our 70-acre waterfront campus is on Manhattan Beach, at the extreme southern end of Brooklyn. The college's mission is to respond to the educational, cultural, and economic needs of our students and our community.
Kingsborough Performing Arts Center brings artistically and culturally diverse, multi-disciplinary performances from masters of the form to the varied communities within and surrounding the college. We strive to create an environment where the arts are an accessible and integral part of life, and the Arts Center is a community gathering place for interaction and inspiration. We offer performances in theatre, dance, literature, and music, as well as family shows. Our schooltime shows welcome classes from local public and private schools, a majority of which serves economically-disadvantaged or special needs populations.

The 2010-2011 season reflects KPAC'S commitment to present world-class artists in music, dance, theatre, literature, and family shows in exclusive Brooklyn engagements. The coming season of classic and classical performing arts will offer performances by companies who set the standard in their field, such as Soledad Barrio's Noche Flamenca from Spain, St. Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre from Russia, London's Tall Stories, and the upper west side's Symphony Space. Prices are a fraction of what audiences would pay elsewhere and several sneak previews of upcoming premieres will be offered free of charge.

 

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