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LAKE WORTH & MIAMI, FL: Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler Returns To Live Performances

Company:
Daniel Lewis Dance

DANIEL LEWIS DANCE SAMPLER RETURNS TO 

LIVE PERFORMANCES FOR 2021 

Best of Florida Dance Companies Kick Off Season 

October 29 at Lake Worth's Duncan Theatre 
October 30 & 31 at Miami's New World School of the Arts

 

WHAT:  "11th Annual Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler" featuring eight Florida companies and choreographers 

WHEN: Friday, October 29 at 8:00 pm at Duncan; Saturday, October 30 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, October 31 at 4:00 pm at New World 

WHERE:  Duncan Theatre 4200 S Congress Ave, Lake Worth, FL 33461 & New World School of the Arts, 25 NE 2nd Street, 8th floor, Miami, FL, 33132 

ADMISSION: $25 general admission, $15 students. Tickets can be purchased in advance online for both venues at www.dancenowmiami.org/events/dlds, or in-person at the performances. 

FOR MORE INFO: www.dancenowmiami.org  (305) 975-8489 or info@dancenowmiami.org

 

After last year's virtual-only performances, the annual Daniel Lewis Dance Samplerreturns to live, in-person events for its 11th year. Celebrating the tenacity and creativity of Florida's dancers and choreographers, it will showcase a curated group of eight works, featuring some of the best the state has to offer. Named for the Founding Dean of the Dance Department of New World School of the Arts (NWSA), the program of short works and excerpts launches the season of dance as Florida returns, carefully, to in-person performances and theaters reopen. This year, for the first time, the Sampler will be presented in two counties, with Friday, October 29 at Lake Worth's Duncan Theatre, and Saturday and Sunday October 30 and 31 at Miami's NWSA Dance Theater.

“How wonderful for all of us to being get back in front of live audiences again" says Hannah Baumgarten, Co-Artistic Director of Dance NOW!, one of the producers and performing companies this year. "This wonderful line-up is a testament to the fact that artists survive, and thrive, in tough times." The Miami Dance Sampler is produced by Miami Dance Futures, an organization founded by Lewis, which facilitates and supports dance artists and organizations. The Sampler is produced in collaboration with Dance NOW! Miami, New World School of the Arts, Duncan Theatre Palm Beach State College, and the Florida Dance Education Organization.

The full list of companies and choreographers for the Sampler are: Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, Ballet Flamenco la Rosa, Ballet Vero Beach, Maya Billig, Dance NOW! Miami, Karen Peterson and Dancers, New World Dance Ensemble, and Sandra Portal Andreu. 

Both venues will be following federal, state and local public health regulations and guidance about COVID-19. For Duncan, face coverings are strongly encouraged, and for New World, masks are required. Audience members are asked not to attend if they are ill or experiencing any possible symptoms. 

Performances of the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler are Friday, October 29 at 8:00 pm at Lake Worth's Duncan Theatre; and Saturday, October 30 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, October 31 at 4:00 pm at Miami's New World Theater.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online for both venues at www.dancenowmiami.org/events/dlds or in-person at the performances. The Duncan Theatre is fully accessible and is located in Lake Worth at 4200 S Congress Ave, with free on-site parking. The New World School of the Arts Dance Theater is fully accessible and is located in downtown Miami at 25 NE 2nd Street, on the 8th floor, with nearby on street and garage parking. For more information, visit www.dancenowmiami.org or contact Dance NOW! at (305) 975-8489 or info@dancenowmiami.org. 

Support for the Sampler is provided in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs; the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25, Florida Statutes); the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners; Miami Dance Futures; Dance NOW! Miami; New World School of the Arts; the Florida Dance Education Organization; and the Duncan Theater Palm Beach State College.

 

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PARTICIPATING DANCE COMPANIES & CHOREOGRAPHERS 

 

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida  

Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, founded in 1997 under the direction of Ballet Master and choreographer Vladimir Issaev, has become a force in the dance community in South Florida. The style of the company is based on the Vaganova technique of Russia extending its repertoire to neo-classical and contemporary pieces.  The repertoire includes works by such Classical Ballet Masters as Petipa, Fokine, Lavrosky and and works by Artistic Director Vladimir Issaev and by contemporary guest choreographers such as Edgar Anido, Yanis Pikieris, Josee Garant, Alberto Mendez, Miao Zong and late choreographer Vicente Nebrada. The company performs a yearly full season in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Since its inception the company has performed internationally in Poznan, Poland; Lima, Peru; Odense and Copenhagen, Denmark; Luxembourg; Relinghen, Germany; Jakarta and Surabaya, Indonesia; Havana, Cuba; Guadalajara and Queretaro, Mexico.A rts Ballet Theatre of Florid has been part of the Daniel Lewis Miami Dance Sampler since 2013. www.artsballettheatre.org

 

Ballet Flamenco  Rosa 

Ballet Flamenco La Rosa is a professional dance company and school, based in Miami, and made up of dancers and musicians from the U.S., Latin America and Spain. Under the Direction of founder Ilisa Rosal they present Flamenco in a theatrical setting, inspiring, educating and enlightening their audiences. Their Pure Flamenco works embody the exquisite vocals, electrifying footwork and the grace and passion that has made Flamenco so loved by audiences throughout the world. They also create groundbreaking Flamenco Fusion works with Jazz, Tap, Blues, American Country Music, Middle Eastern, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Haitian, African, Sephardic, Indian and Celtic Music and Dance, showing different cultures' art forms taken to new heights. Full length dramatic Flamenco ballets based on great works of world literature and drama, have also become part of their signature style. Works inspired by such writers as Euripides, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Strindberg, Flaubert, Chekhov, Bernard Shaw, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller bring international acclaim and the highest level of innovative theatre to the community. They have performed to sell-out crowds and received numerous awards and rave reviews in both the artistic mainstream and in the "Tablaos" (Flamenco Clubs) of South Florida since 1985. www.balletflamencolarosa.com

 

Ballet Vero Beach 

Founded in 2013, the mission of Ballet Vero Beach is to promote the art of dance as a universal language. They seek to accomplish this goal with performances by the professional company, the presentation of reputable national and international dance artists, and through educational and engagement programs. The company's vision is to make professional dance attractive to all and to be an integral part of the community. Ballet Vero Beach’s work is guided by commitments to artistic quality, audience engagement, and cultural relevance. They envision a future where arts organizations work alongside social service nonprofits to solve complex social and economic issues. The company produces a full season of performances each year as well as a full array of educational and engagement programs. Recent achievements include broadcasts of an outdoor pandemic pivot filming of Nutcracker on the Indian River on South Florida PBS. Current initiatives encompass a revamping of a free student matinee series with an arts integration/arts literacy spin to combat the early literacy crisis in Indian River County and beyond. balletverobeach.org

 

Maya Billig

Maya Billig is a Miami-based choreographer, director, and dancer. Rooted in improvisation and research, dance is her primary medium. Her work has been supported by the Knight Foundation, Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Light Project, Locust Projects, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, and Deering Estate. She is a recipient of the Dance Miami Choreographer’s Award and Knight New Work 2020 in support of her latest piece titled “Gate Closes at 3:05.” She is also currently a Jacob’s Pillow Ann & Weston Hicks 2021 Choreographic Fellow. Her dance films have been selected by Crosscuts (Sweden), Prisma Independent Film Awards (Rome), American Dance Festival, and Screendance Miami. Besides receiving her BFA and being classically trained in dance from New World School of the Arts, Maya has trained intensively in contemporary dance, physical theater, and improvisational techniques throughout Europe, Israel, and Australia. A traveler at heart, she has traversed 30 countries and plans to spend her life exploring how to develop sustainable relationships to our planet and each other. She is interested in having her work be an intersection, an inspiration for dialogue, and a refuge. mayanadinedance.com

 

Dance NOW! Miami 

Dance NOW! Miami was founded in 2000 by Artistic Directors Hannah Baumgarten and Diego Salterini. The company presents several major projects annually, including original work from the Artistic Directors, created individually and collaboratively, honors the rich legacy of dance through the reconstruction of historic works of ballet and modern dance from the 20th and 21st Century, presents branded, immersive, site-specific performances that takes place in museums, galleries and architectural sites, and has collaborated with over 100 artists and organizations nationally and internationally. The company leads the South Florida dance community with initiatives such as the Daniel Lewis Dance Sampler. The company has been presented in fifteen states and on three continents, from Brazil to Mexico, Honduras to Italy. With a strong commitment to education, Dance NOW! has reached over 28,000 children in South Florida alone through its in-school residencies, the World Dance Summer Intensive, and performances throughout the community and from its home at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. www.dancenowmiami.org

 

Karen Peterson and Dancers 

Karen Peterson and Dancers (KPD) was founded in 1990 by Karen Peterson Corash. Her unique vision of inclusion has led to many collaborations between dancers with diverse abilities. The company is dedicated to the ongoing development, education, creation and presentation of physically integrated dance through community teachings, national and international touring and stellar performances. KPD have presented an annual season of new work at multiple venues throughout South Florida, have performed throughout the state and nationally, from New York to Washington, D.C., and in nine countries abroad, including Brazil, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Serbia and Portugal. In honor of her work, Ms. Peterson has received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the New World School of the Arts, a Bank of America "Cultural Award" from the American Red Cross, and a "Queen of the Arts” Award from the Miami Herald. and the company was named “Best Dance Company” in Miami by the New Times in 2019. KPD has produced three international festivals of physically integrated dance, Forward Motion, in 2018, 2019, 2021 with the support of a Knight Arts Challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.KarenPetersonDancers.org

 

The New World Dance Ensemble 

The New World Dance Ensemble is a company of advanced dancers and professional alumni of New World School of the Arts which performs repertory works by professional choreographers at venues in greater Miami and elsewhere, including the New World Dance Theater, the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, the Duncan Theater, Pinecrest Gardens, the University of Florida’s Constans Theater, and New York City’s Ailey Citigroup Theater. Choreographers whose work they have performed include Robert Battle, Ohad Naharin,  Martha Graham,  Paul Taylor, Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa,  Jose Limon,  Kyle Abraham, Jennifer Archibald, Eduardo Vilaro, Rennie Harris, Peter London, Lara Murphy, Gerard Ebitz and others. New World School of the Arts is a Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts which provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative and academic development through a curriculum that reflects the rich multicultural state of Florida. With programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art, Dance, Music and Theater, NWSA offers the high school diploma as well as four-year BFA and BM college degrees. Through its rigorous curriculum and conservatory-style teaching NWSA empowers its students to become leaders in the arts. New World School of the Arts was created by the Florida Legislature as an educational partnership of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College and the University of Florida. www.nwsa.mdc.edu/nwsa-college-dance

 

Sandra Portal Andreu 

Sandra Portal-Andreu, a multidisciplinary artist and choreographer, is a Miami native of Cuban/Colombian descent. She received her AA in Dance from the New World School of the Arts, BFA in Dance from the Florida State University, a MS in Movement Sciences from Barry University, and trained with renown Director/Actor Thomas Richards at the Grotowski Workcentre in Pontedera, Italy. Her work is deeply rooted in community, social practice, and identity, exploring themes of tradition, culture, society, and politics through various mediums, genres, and spaces. Portal-Andreu's choreographic work has been supported by the Miami-Dade County Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Miami Light Project, Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company, CityTheatre Miami, The Box Gallery/WPB, Miami-Dade Public Library System, PWC GrassStains 2018, Dance on Camera NYC, and PBS' Filmmaker Project. Sandra is a 2020 Live Arts Miami LALA Resident Artist, and 2021 Dance Miami Choreographers grant recipient. Her performance experience includes Arts Ballet Theatre of South Florida, Josee Garant Dance, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet’s Lounge 2200, and Juggerknot Theater Company. A mother of two boys, educator, and arts cultivator, she has taught at the New World School of the Arts since 2003 and is a Senior Advisor for ProjectArt Miami. www.sandraportal.com 

 

Sandra Portal Andreu from MIA,  Valerie Barreiro, photographer Liliana Mora