PIFA Intersects World, Pop, Jazz, Dance, Theater at the Kimmel Center

World, pop, jazz, dance and theater collide on stage at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, April 7 to May 1, as part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). Inspired by the Kimmel Center, PIFA celebrates the artistic energy of Paris, circa 1910-1920, when the City of Lights was a haven for artists creatively pursuing innovative, unique art forms. Stravinsky, Picasso, Chagall, and Matisse are just a few of the artists who inspired and influenced the next generation of innovators.

During PIFA the Kimmel Center presents newly commissioned work by home bred Philly talent who continually redefine their art work with groundbreaking new works. World premieres include hip hop master Rennie Harris Puremovement's Heaven, ?uestlove's collaborative performance of original new work with French singer-songwriter Keren Ann, as well as the debut of glamorous "Afropean" French-Cameroonian sister duo, Les Nubians.

Below is a list of world, pop, jazz, dance and theater PIFA offerings at the Kimmel Center, April 7 to May 1:

A Passing Wind
Thursday, April 7, 2011 through Sunday, April 17, 2011
Innovation Studio
World Premiere Musical
Written and Directed by Seth Rozin
Ticket Price: $29 ($15 for students with advance purchase)

A Passing Wind is the new enchanting chamber musical chronicling the (mostly) true story of Joseph Pujol - a.k.a. Le Petomane (or "The Fartiste"). From provincial baker to populist entertainer at Paris' renowned Moulin Rouge, Pujol grosses-out thousands, including luminaries Sarah Bernhardt, Erik Satie, and Claude Monet, until World War I leaves unprecedented devastation in its wake and Pujol's act no longer tickles France's funny bone.

Cast List:
Damon Kirsche as JOSEPH PUJOL (a.k.a. Le Petomane)
Leah Walton as ELIZABETH PUJOL
Ian Bedford as HENRI OLLER
Tim Moyer as Sigmund Freud
Laura Catlaw as ANGELE THIBODEAU
Peter Schmitz as CLAUDE MONET
Maureen Torsney-Weir as Sarah Bernhardt
Jered McLenigan as Erik Satie

All actors are members of Actors Equity.

Martial Solal
Saturday, April 8 at 8pm
Perelman Theater
Ticket Price: $32 - $38

Grammy® nominated Parisian jazz pianist Martial Solal makes his Kimmel Center debut, rounding out the Jazz Up Close series with a spectacular program. Solal's distinctive style blends classical technique with the intricate melodies and themes found in popular jazz standards. The performance opens with a re-creation of Thelonious Monk's legendary 1959 New York Town Hall concert featuring fresh, innovative interpretations by up-and-coming, young American jazz artists from Berklee School of Music's Global Jazz Institute and Temple University's Boyer School of Music and Dance. The evening closes with a breathtaking-and rare-solo performance by Solal. Experience a true jazz master and be transported back to the height of 1950s jazz!

Presented in collaboration with La Maison Française at the Embassy of France.

Pre-Show Lecture with Robin D.G. Kelley
Author of Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
6:30pm in Comcast Circle

Come early for a free pre-show lecture about Thelonious Monk given by author Robin Kelley and hosted by Vic Schermer, Contributing Editor for All About Jazz.

Rennie Harris Puremovement
Friday, April 15 through Sunday, April 17
Perelman Theater
Heaven (world premiere)
Ticket Price: $34 - $46

Rennie Harris Puremovement, the world-renowned dance company founded by hip-hop ambassador and Philadelphia native Rennie Harris, presents the most intricate work of his choreographic career. Harris has created a new work inspired by Stravinsky's masterpiece Rite of Spring, rethinking how shared cultural vocabularies in dance and music cross generations and cultural divides. Complete with 15 dancers, Japanese motifs, and multimedia anime that includes an innovatively designed lighting installation and live music, Heaven reflects on the emergence and popularization of hip-hop dance.

'Mr. Harris deconstructed hip-hop, addressing both the beauty and the stereotypes of the form. While deftly capable of entertaining the masses, Mr. Harris is also sly. In his skillful hands you see the roots of hip-hop and not just its commercial veneer.' -The New York Times

?uestlove of The Roots
Featuring Keren Ann and Special Guests
Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 8pm
Philly-Paris Lockdown
Verizon Hall
Ticket Price: $35 - $65

Join Philadelphia-native ?uestlove, drummer of internationally acclaimed The Roots, international singer-songwriter Keren Ann, and various special guests for an explosive concert celebrating Paris through groundbreaking partnership. Inspired by everything from the white-domed Basillica of Sacre Coeur to the seedy neon-lit streets of Pigalle, ?uestlove's project Philly-Paris Lockdown is a paean to the Paris of the early 1900s, infusing modern instrumentation and hip-hop with the work of iconic period composers like Satie, Debussy, Ravel, and Stravinsky. Don't miss ?uestlove's new spin on old-school Paris!

FREE PIFA Underground Post-Show Party
Catch ?uestlove spinning a special festival DJ set in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater. Philadelphia DJ favorites Rich Medina and DJ AfroDJiak will also spin. Hosted by Forte and Philly 360.

Les Nubians
Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 8:30pm
Perelman Theater
Ticket price: $25

Grammy® Nominated international recording artists Les Nubians have intrigued audiences for almost a decade with their inventive and glamorous Afropean style. This distinctive sound embodies the timeless vibrations of Miriam Makeba, Ella Fitzgerald, Doudou N'diaye Rose, Fela Kuti, Edith Piaf, The Fugees, and Soul II Soul. Recognized for their colorful auras, Les Nubians' vogue is a fusion of Funkin' Fashion and Modern Amazon. Adoring fans pay tribute to the French/Cameroonian sister duo for their continuous flow of jazzy nuances, hard hitting drum 'n' bass lines, harmonious melodies, conscious proclamations and humanitarian endeavors. Don't miss their Kimmel Center debut just two days after their latest release, Nu Revolution!

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
with Wynton Marsalis
Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 3pm
Verizon Hall
Ticket Price: $36 - $80

Led by incomparable trumpeter-composer Wynton Marsalis, the inimitable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra closes PIFA with a French-influenced program. Whether performing historic compositions or commissioned works, the 'finest big band in the world today' (Daily Telegraph, United Kingdom) delivers a dynamic, attention-grabbing show every time. The 15 jazz soloists and ensemble players, under Marsalis' esteemed direction, are serious musicians whose playing is as fun as it is stylistically remarkable.

'...The audience was weak from applauding and shouting and jumping up and down with the joy of the great music it had heard. We had been run over by a 16-ton musical steamroller, wrung out with utter exhilaration and neatly hung up to dry by all that genuine jazz.' -El Universal/The Herald

Tickets to individual performances and events can be purchased on the PIFA website, in person at the Kimmel Center Box Office, or by phone at 215-546-PIFA. Tickets are priced by individual presenting organizations, ranging from FREE to the public to $125. For the most up to date information, visit www.pifa.org.

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