Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup presents "EVERYONE DANCE Festival" (FREE)
Company:
Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup
Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup presents EVERYONE DANCE Festival, an inclusive day of free dance activities available to everyone who would like to express themselves through movement. The event features a stellar lineup of Broadway performers associated with AHRC NYC, an organization dedicated to finding ways for people with developmental disabilities to build full lives (among them, Dale Hensley, Carol Schuberg, and Brad Bradley) who will be teaching open classes, and the award-winning choreographer Heidi Latsky, who will present an installation titled ON DISPLAY as well as a new duet work After These Messages, to name just a few.
All classes are free and open to the public but registration is required.
Everyone Dance series started as a joint project of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup and AHRC New York, providing movement classes and performance opportunities for disabled adults. The collaboration resulted in a workshop course that allowed people with intellectual disabilities not only to learn dance but also to teach it – as was the case with Ervine Haskins, a young man from Crown Heights who discovered his calling as a dance teacher when given an opportunity to instruct others. His remarkable story is the subject of this mini-documentary featured below.
The festival’s curator and producer Stefanie Nelson has been exploring the subject of mental disability in her work as a choreographer (most notably, in her 2018 show A… MY NAME IS, inspired by a family member’s struggle with the Alzheimer’s) and has been working with AHRC New York City since 2014, co-creating the Everyone Dance series which she has been leading with this organization. Nelson explains: “It is my strong belief that dance's greatest social value is as a universal language of expression for everyone, not only highly trained and skilled dancers. Over the years, I've found enormous gratification and sense of purpose in my work with people who, when they dance, go directly into the heart of movement which is joy. When the COVID pandemic disrupted our live performances of Everyone Dance, I started thinking of ways to bring this initiative back – and I am very grateful for the opportunity to extend the benefits of this program to all New Yorkers.”
This program is made possible by support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup, AHRC NYC, and Hudson River Park Trust.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
11:00 am -12:00 pm
OUR BROADWAY!
A dance class taught by Carol Schuberg, followed by a short performance by AHRC NYC dancers
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Channeling Beyoncé
An inclusive class taught by Ervine Haskins and performance of new choreography (5 min)
1:00 - 2:00 pm
On Display and After These Messages
An installation and performance by Heidi Latsky Dance.
After These Messages credits:
Performers: Meredith Fages and LawrenceGoldhuber
Music: Tianshi SuO
Choreography: Heidi Latsky in collaboration with dancers
The presentation will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A session with the performers.
2:00 - 3:00 pm
Sing and Dance Class
Taught by Brad Bradley.
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup short performance of Edge Study #1, and a dance party with prizes
Edge Study #1 credits:
Performer: Maya Orchin
Music: Jonah Kreitner
Choreography: Stefanie Nelson and Maya Orchin
4:00 - 5:00 pm
ZCO/Dance Project class
Taught by Zazel-Chavah O'Garra.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Stefanie Nelson (Curator, Producer) is the Founder and Director of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup (SND), a contemporary dance company based in NYC, DANCE ITALIA, an international summer dance program in Lucca, Italy, and Motore592, a new Contemporary Art Space in Lucca, IT. Her choreographic work is defined by an intuitive approach that distills deeply personal ideas into highly kinetic, expressive, and provocative works rooted in cross-media collaboration with artists working in music, video, and visual arts. Ongoing SND community projects include Girls Move Us, the Moving Memory Project, and Everyone Can Dance disability workshops and performances in NYC. Entering the dance field as a performer, Nelson is now an accomplished teacher having taught at many studios and educational institutions worldwide. Stefanie is also AHRC New York City’s Volunteer Mentor Coordinator. www.sndancegroup.org
Heidi Latsky (Concept and Choreography, ON DISPLAY and After These Messages) is a choreographer for stage, theater, and film. As the director of Heidi Latsky Dance since 2001, her work has been presented at many venues and festivals, including Central Park SummerStage, BAM, Dance Theater Workshop, Boston Dance Umbrella, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She has been commissioned by the Cannes International Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others. Latsky began her career as a dancer for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance; her early choreographic work was created in collaboration with Lawrence Goldhuber in the critically-acclaimed duo Goldhuber & Latsky. Her awards include residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Abrons Art Center, funding from Meet The Composer, and the Scripps/ADF Primus-Tamirus Fellowship for Choreography. heidilatskydance.org
Zazel-Chavah O’Garra (Instructor) (she/ her) is a dancer, choreographer, model, educator, social worker, and disability advocate, born and raised in New York City with Caribbean parentage. Her individual body of work includes performances on the concert stage, Off-Broadway, European Tours, and national commercials, and featured on the runway, in catalogs, and Essence Magazine covers. Zazel holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and an SW from Fordham University and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Equity, Arts and Education Committee-Board of Education, and the Disability Task Force of DANCE/NYC. Since 2013, she is Artistic Director of ZCO/DANCEPROJECT, a physically integrated dance company dedicated to the integration and inclusion of people with disabilities in dance and in society. Her work with this ensemble has been presented in theaters, public spaces, and festivals including ADA 30, WESTFEST DANCEFESTIVAL, Judson Church, Dixon Place, Symphony Space, Cooper Hewitt Museum, International Festival of Disability, Theatre for the New City, ABILITIES EXPO as well as artist residencies at Downtown Brooklyn Arts, Fertile Ground at Greenspace, and ARTS4ALLFLORIDA. Zazel is the recipient of the City Arts Corp, Dance Advancement Fund, and Flushing Town Hall/NYSCA grants. www.zcodanceproject.com
Broadway’s Dale Hensley (Instructor) has a career that has spanned almost four decades. Some of his Broadway credits include La Cage Aux Folles, Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, and Guys And Dolls. His latest act now includes working with special needs groups and bringing Broadway to them. Our Broadway @AHRCNYC was started 5 years ago by Dale. Their live theater performances bring together people supported by AHRCNYC with Broadway professional actors, musicians, wardrobe experts, dancers, and choreographers to create theater that brings joy and inspiration to audiences. With AHRC, he has created a special program that enriches the hidden talents in a group of people who are often forgotten, and in return, it has opened up his heart like a show-stopping Broadway number.
Carol Schuberg (Instructor) is an accomplished choreographer and dancer. Before joining the Our Broadway Dance Staff at AHRCNYC, she most recently directed and choreographed Pippin for Stephens College, Cabaret for Concordia College, and Godspell for Okoboji Summer Theatre. She was the Visiting Guest Artist in Dance for Stephens College. Carol choreographed Last Dance for The York Theatre and Two Gentlemen of Verona for The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. She performed on Broadway in Meet Me In St. Louis, Off-Broadway in Chess, in the national tours of Cats, Tap Dance Kid, Barnum, Gigi, Promises, Promises, and regionally in A Chorus Line (as Sheila), Bye, Bye Birdie (as Rosie), Oliver! (as Mrs. Sowerberry), George M (as Madame Grimaldi) and Gypsy (as Electra). She was the associate choreographer for Tony Stevens on Sweet Charity (Istanbul Grand Opera), for Michael Smuin on the movie The Fantastiks, for Ted Pappas on Guys and Dolls, Company, My Fair Lady (Pittsburgh Public Theater), and Kismet (Canadian Opera).
Brad Bradley (Instructor) Brad’s Broadway credits include the original casts of Spamalot, People in the Picture, Annie Get Your Gun, Thou Shalt Not, Steel Pier, as well as Billy Elliot. At age 12, Brad was a backup dancer for Michael Jackson in the Pepsi commercial. Brad started as a volunteer at AHRC and is now a proud member of the AHRC staff. He has seven Broadway shows to his credit, multiple TV appearances, and an independent film Younger (2021), but he finds extreme joy in dancing with this special group. During the pandemic, Brad received his Public School theatre teaching certification. It was events like this that inspired him to do so. Brad has a podcast, Broadway’s Backbone, which is dedicated to the people of the ensemble: the dancers, singers, and actors that are the foundation of every Broadway show. www.bradbradleyofficial.com
Ervine Haskins (Instructor) has always been passionate about dance and music which formed an integral part of his upbringing. He has translated his personal interest into an educational tool and a job as he is a dancer who receives support from AHRC NYC and who now also teaches his colleagues at AHRC NYC. In 2019, Ervine channeled his talent and enthusiasm for dance into a paid teaching position through Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup via a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Aimee R. Householder (Producer) is a two-time Emmy Award-winning executive producer, showrunner, and content creator, who is a force to be reckoned with in the world of entertainment. With over 25 years in production, she has single-handedly contributed to some of the biggest shows including The Chew, the Emmy Award-winning talk and lifestyle series for ABC. Her experience spans a multitude of formats including daytime talk, primetime reality, and independent film. Aimee’s specialty is turning bright ideas into innovative programming, and she has delivered them time and time again. She has produced and developed thousands of hours of content for wide-ranging audiences for major networks such as NBC, CBS, ABC, Food Network, Discovery +, E!, and more. Her company, Rohouse Media, Inc., is currently in the process of optioning several projects for the big screen as well as producing several scripted and unscripted television shows. Aimee lives in Jersey City with her husband and is a proud board member of Stefanie Nelson Dancegroup.
AHRC New York City is a 70-year-old, family-governed organization, among the very best champions for people who are neurodiverse in New York City and beyond. AHRC supports more than 15,000 people annually under its guiding principle of Equalism and upholds the highest standards in supporting people to lead full and equitable lives as part of a social justice movement grounded in our common humanity. Since 2015, the organization features a special program called On Broadway, created by a group of performers from the AHRC NYC Redfield Center under the leadership of Dale Hensley, specializing in performing songs from Broadway shows, alongside Broadway performers. The program enlists dancers, singers, costume makers, sound and lighting designers, and now Tony Award-winning stars in staging its performances. www.ahrcnyc.org/
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