On Saturday, March 21, 2015 at 8 p.m., the Ulster Ballet Company will proudly present The 32nd Annual Festival of Dance, to be held at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, N.Y. Since 1984, the festival has showcased both aspiring and professional dancers and choreographers, with a diverse range of styles and techniques. Each year, its stunning, original programs captivate dance enthusiasts of all ages. There are very few dance productions in the Hudson Valley where one can experience phenomenal, first-rate dancing of so many different genres, all in one night!
The Festival of Dance is an electrifying, explosive, and dynamic coming together of dance companies and dance styles from around the metropolitan area and around the region, who will be presenting works in keeping with an international theme. Highlighted will be performances by returning favorites: Silver Screen Ballroom, formerly Ballroom Dancing for Tough Guys; Syncopated City Dancers Company; The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company; Solas An Lae American Irish Dance Company; Energy Dance Company, and our own Ulster Ballet Company. Also performing in this grand tour of dance will be newcomers: ZEST COLLECTIVE Contemporary Performance Art, the Dance Conservatory Performance Project, and Vanessa Van Wormer Dance, with Chamber Ballet Brockport.
From the metropolitan area comes Silver Screen Ballroom, partner dancing at its best, in the style of movie greats, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The audience will be inspired by original Argentinian and Viennese pieces: the tango-esque Duo De Amor, and the light and elegant, Sous Le Ciel de Paris. The American Lindy hop, saucy blues, and earthy folk jazz, combined with Fosse-like precision of Syncopated City Dancers Company’s, Copper Colored Gal, Redemption Funk, and Yeah Man will delight the audience. From the Albany region comes, The Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company presenting provocative contemporary modern dance, in an American piece, Filaments, which can be anything from tightly-wound and electric, to threads that are loose and blown by the breeze.
From the Mid-Hudson Valley, Solas An Lae American Irish Dance Company, offers a a lyrical, yet traditional vibrant Irish tap dance, The Irish Suite. Energy Dance Company brings to the stage, Justice, a high energy piece that represents the theme of unification. And the Ulster Ballet, not only will be hosting the event, but will be presenting original dances by resident choreographers, Holly Gross and Sara Miot. Set to traditional Norwegian folk music comes Midnight Sun, Gross’ five-part dramatic piece. And Miot will be premiering Light of the Moon, an original work set to music by French composer, Claude Debussy.
New to Festival this year is ZEST COLLECTIVE Contemporary Performance Art, an ensemble of performance artists from New York City, who uses the dancers’ bodies to tell stories of contemporary society. Heavily influenced by Spanish literature and African-American culture comes Standards and Paradise of the Blacks.
In addition, Ulster Ballet is excited to host former soloists who are performing with new companies at this year’s Festival. Justin Valentine, will be dancing with Nikita Boris, in a French courtship piece, La Fille Mal Gardee, with the Dance Conservatory Performance Project, under the direction of Valentina Kozlova,. And Maleda Funk, will be dancing with Vanessa Van Wormer Dance with Chamber Ballet Brockport, in Impulse, a piece that explores the rich cultural heritage of Baroque Italy.
In an effort to reach out to the community, the Ulster Ballet Company is offering a discounted ticket price of $15 to employees of HealthQuest; Health Alliance; Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center; Marist, Bard and Vassar Colleges; City of Kingston and County of Ulster employees; members of the YMCA, and Kingston and New York City Police and Firefighters. Present an employee/student ID, or membership card to the UPAC box office when purchasing tickets.
Tickets for Ulster Ballet Company’s Festival of Dance are $22 for adults; and $18 for senior citizens, and UPAC/Bardavon members. For groups of ten or more, and children 12 and under, tickets are $15. To purchase tickets, call the UPAC box office at 845-339-6088; visit Ticketmaster at ticketmaster.com, or call 800-745-3000. For further information, visit www.ulsterballet.org or call 845-246-4316.
Featured Company: Syncopated City Dancers Company
This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
