Greg Louganis to Host YOU SPIN ME 'ROUND: AN 80'S DANCE PARTY for The American Pops
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 31, 2017
The event takes place on Friday, April 7 at 8:00 PM at The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium (730 21st Street NW, Washington, DC).
Slap on your best shades and travel back in time to the era of neon, teased hair, and shoulder pads as the American Pops interpret the popular music of the 1980's. This "rad" original program combines DJ mixing, live orchestra, dancers, and hot vocalists to bring back favorite music of the 1980's in a whole new way. 80's inspired attire is encouraged. Our talented performers lead the party and will get you into the groove like it's 1989.
Tickets to the show are on sale now at www.TheAmericanPops.org. The performance will take place at The George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC; 3 blocks from Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro. Tickets: $25-$65. Special discounts available for military and students. Call the box office at (202) 994-6800 for group rates of 10 people or more
You Spin Me 'Round: An 80's Dance Party will feature Patrice Covington (Broadway's The Color Purple), Warren Freeman (My Fair Lady - 50th Anniversary Tour), Justin Keyes (Broadway's How To Succeed...), Bayla Whitten (Girlstar at the Signature Theater, APO's Don't Rain on My Parade: 75 Years of Barbra Streisand) and DJ Shea Van Horn. The show isdirected and choreograped by Kelly Crandall d'Amboise, and features dancers Sophia Adoum, Jordan DeBona, Maddie Dunn, Jocelyn Isaac, Lucy Spring, Rachel Stover, Tony Thomas II and Willow Williams.
The orchestra will continue their free monthly lunchtime concert series "Third Thursdays" - hosted by and featuring Luke Frazier -on Thursday, April 20 at 12:15 PM. These events highlight members of the acclaimed ensemble at Live! at 10th and G (First Congregational UCC, 945 G Street NW, WDC 20001), while also supporting the DC Youth Orchestra Program, where Frazier is an Artist-in-Residence.
In addition to the regular concerts of the season, Frazier and the American Pops Orchestra recently performed at the Hispanic Heritage Awards in September 2016, which was nationally broadcast on PBS. Also this season, they appeared at the Beacon Prize, given by Human Rights First to honor commitment to the American ideals of freedom and human dignity, in December 2016; and the DC Standing Ovation Awards, celebrating excellence in the DC Public Schools, in February 2017.
THE AMERICAN POPS ORCHESTRA founded by Luke Frazier presents innovative orchestral programming, featuring groundbreaking concepts to develop and inspire a new audience for the 21st century. This professional orchestra boasts outstanding musicians from New York and Washington DC. The American Pops presented six original orchestral programs in its opening 2015-2016 season, featuring leading Broadway singers, dancers, and actors.
The orchestra's October 2015 performance of "Stairway to Paradise: A Gershwin Spectacular" - featuring two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole - was hailed by DC Metro Theater Arts for "inspired arrangements of beloved Gershwin songs that reinvigorate the material and highlight the skill of his musicians." Another season highlight was "A Broadway Christmas" featuring Elaine Paige, the first Lady of the British Musical Stage. Other high-profile performances in the last year include a special event at The Kennedy Center hosted by Tommy Tune, the Hispanic Heritage Awards with Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Arturo Sandoval, the DC Standing Ovation Awards, theatreWashington's Helen Hayes Awards, and The Giving Pledge at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History. The APO made its New York debut in December 2015 at the all-star Edith Piaf Centennial Celebration at The Town Hall and was praised for its "sumptuous lilt" by The New York Times. Visit www.TheAmericanPops.org for more.
Luke Frazier has quickly established himself as a dynamic force across the music community. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch put it best, calling Frazier "so talented, and sensitive to every nuance." Committed to re-envisioning pops programming, he has proven himself among musical heavyweights as both an accomplished conductor and a sensitive pianist. Frazier has worked with artists Renée Fleming, Kevin Spacey, Denyce Graves, Darren Criss, Lea Salonga, Laura Osnes, Eric Owens, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Christine Ebersole, and Michael Feinstein, among others.
He has the distinction of conducting in all three of the largest venues at the Kennedy Center. In addition to the APO, Mr. Frazier founded the National Broadway Chorus in Washington DC, which has toured through Indianapolis and Chicago, and was featured at the Great American Songbook Foundation Gala, where Mr. Frazier serves on the Board. Mr. Frazier also enjoys an active schedule as a guest conductor. He has recently appeared with the West Virginia Symphony, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
In demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and speaker, Luke recently addressed the National Symphony Orchestra's "Summer Music Institute" students. He appeared as the Keynote Speaker for the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) Award for Excellence in the Arts at the Kennedy Center and also addressed the VSA, an international organization for the arts and disability. Luke returned to his alma mater, Ohio University, for a third year of master classes with Broadway talent as part of "Broadway at Ohio" in September 2016. He will also present an original program honoring the 100th anniversary of Ella Fitzgerald's birth with the DC Youth Orchestra in Spring 2017. @LSFConductor | www.LukeFrazierMusic.com.
Greg Louganis is simply the greatest diver in history. You would be hard pressed to find a person who watched either the 1984 or 1988 Olympics who was not enthralled by the poetry that was Greg Louganis coming off the board. The beauty and power of his diving captured the world. 2016 marked the 40th Anniversary of Greg's first Olympic win. Greg won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, in platform diving, at the tender age of 16. Eight years later he became the first male diver to get double gold in springboard and platform in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and again in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He has earned a total of 5 Olympic medals, 5 World Championship titles and 47 national titles - more than any person in U.S. history. His records remain unbroken. In 1988 Greg Louganis also tested positive for HIV. Coming out as a gay athlete in a time when it simply was not done, his 1995 autobiography, Breaking the Surface, spent five weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and his PGA and Emmy nominated documentary Back on Board is receiving rave reviews nationwide and can now be seen on HBO. On April 4, 2016 General Mills announced that Greg would receive a Wheaties Box for his achievements on and off the diving board, and that development was so significant it warranted a New York Times exclusive. In July of 2016, he had the honor of being included in ESPN's prestigious, annual Body Issue. He was an official commentator for Brazilian broadcaster GLOBO for the Rio Summer Games, supported the "Side By Side" LGBTQ Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia and in December received the Changemaker Award, alongside New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, for the 25th Anniversary of ASCNYC. He made history on January 2, 2017 by being the first openly gay Grand Marshal of the iconic Rose Parade. Greg is developing a sports apparel line with exciting partners, with more details later in 2017, and similarly, there are several major television and film projects in development with details forthcoming. The story of Greg's life is a story that has inspired millions, and he regularly speaks to the most significant organizations and companies in the world to share that story, most recently banking giant HSBC, and leading energy holding company Exelon. Today, as an author, actor, activist, humanitarian, clothing and jewelry designer, he continues his tradition of excellence in every field he touches.
Patrice Covington has been seen all over the globe with all-star Broadway casts and with her original music. Most recently she played the role of Squeak in the Tony and Grammy Award-winning The Color Purple revival and co-starred with superstars Jennifer Hudson, Heather Headley and Danielle Brooks. Patrice has also shined in Berry Gordy's Motown The Musical as Martha Reeves. She was a part of the Grammy Award-nominated cast of the National Tour of Ain't Misbahvin' and has also been seen as Effie in the Broadway National Tours of Dreamgirls and The Book of Mormon. Her dynamic presence has been seen on stages in the Bahamas, Japan, France, Turkey, and Germany and in Switzerland's renowned SEAT Music Session. Patrice released a self-titled EP in 2011 and her single "Life Feels Good Right Now" and music video was featured on several cable networks worldwide. www.PatriceCovington.com | @Sangtrice
Warren Freeman has played leading roles on stage in every major city across the United States and Canada, including an extensive career in New York City as a singer, cabaret music director, and voice over artist. National Tours include Cats and The Sound of Music, and while on the Cameron Mackintosh 50th anniversary tour of My Fair Lady, he played the role of Freddy for a week at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. He appears in the Beatles movie musical Across the Universe and starred in a series of commercials for Fanta soda and Altoids mints. Warren is currently the associate conductor of the National Broadway Chorus, and teaches Pop and Rock singing technique at Catholic University.
Justin Keyes has appeared on Broadway and on tour in How To Succeed..., The Apple Tree, Mary Poppins, and The 25th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee. His regional theater credits include Resident Ensemble Players, The Guthrie, Two River Theatre Company, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Theatre Center, Kansas City Starlight, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, MUNY and the Pittsburgh CLO. On television, he has appeared on "Power," "I Love You, But I Lied" and "Gossip Girl." He was educated at the University of Michigan.
Bayla Whitten won BroadwayWorld's "Best Actress In A Musical" for her role in Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. Her favorite credits include: (London's West End) Les Miserables, No One in the World, The Lord of the Rings, promo; (Regional) Girlstar at the Signature Theater, Elmer Gantry, Beaches, Camelot, My Fair Lady, Two Gentlemen of Verona (a rock opera), Chess, Saturday Night, Merrily We Roll Along, Christmas Carol 1941, The Boy Detective Fails; New York: Lady, Hurricane, In The Ebb. Bayla trained at The Royal Academy of Music and London School of Musical Theatre. She released her first album Something Wonderful, the music of Carole King, which she recorded at the JCCNV last year. Bayla can also be seen around town singing with the band Bittersweet. www.baylawhitten.com
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