High Style to Hit Westchester in Ballets with a Twist's COCKTAIL HOUR: THE SHOW

New York City's Ballets with a Twist shakes up the fall performance season with an engagement of Cocktail Hour: The Show at the Academic Arts Theater at Westchester Community College (75 Grasslands Road) on Saturday, November 19, at 8pm.

Tickets are $24 general admission; $22 for seniors, WCC faculty/staff and non-WCC students; $18 for children under 13; and free for WCC credit students (with ID). To purchase, visit www.sunywcc.edu/SmartArts or call 914-606-6262.

Created by artistic director and choreographer Marilyn Klaus, Cocktail Hour 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:

· "Martini" - A dangerous, percussive score sets the stage for this blonde bombshell super-spy, who dodges sharpshooters and stays cool in hot situations.

· "Manhattan" - After a big-city evening, a socialite steps out with her dearest companion. As they stroll past each lamppost on Park Avenue, a jazz trumpet echoes the mood of the changing skyline.

· "Brandy Alexander" - Atteeennntion! In the wake of a bold marching band reveille, The Great One arrives with loyal troops in tow, ready to conquer the dance floor.

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, from Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare and New York City's Beacon Theatre to Lincoln Center and the Tribeca Film Festival.

Gaboury's compositions have been performed by celebrated musicians nationwide. He has collaborated and toured the world with pop/rock icon Cyndi Lauper for more than a decade, and has also shared the stage with legends such as Patti LaBelle, Suzanne Vega and Ute Lemper. 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 recently 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. For directions to the Academic Arts Theater, ticketing details and more information on Smart Arts at Westchester Community College, visit www.sunywcc.edu/SmartArts.

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