This week’s offering include a retrospective celebration of Latino dance, an audio play from the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and a museum pop-up performance by two acclaimed Broadway composers.
Coming up first, on Wednesday, April 7, at 6:30 pm, Ballet Hispánico’s B Unidos Watch Party series continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the 50 Year Legacy Experience. Conceived, created, and narrated by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, and edited by Natalia Mesa, with color and commentary by founding member Alicia Roque, choreographer Michelle Manzanales, and former principal dancer and choreographer Pedro Ruiz, the hour-long journey takes viewers through the company’s past, present and future, featuring vibrant archival performances from each of the last five decades.
The pieces, which showcase Latinx repertories and immerse the audience in the depth and breadth of Latinx culture and dance, include excerpts from Cada Noche . . . Tango by Graciela Daniele, Danse Creole by Geoffrey Holder, Con Brazos Abiertos by Michelle Manzanales, Solo by Susan Marshall, Batucada Fantástica by Vicente Nebrada, Good Night Paradise by Ramón Oller, Guajira by Pedro Ruiz, Palladium Nights by Willie Rosario, and Asuka by Eduardo Vilaro. The video can be viewed on the Ballet Hispánico website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.
Next up in this season’s unprecedented collaboration between the Williamstown Theatre Festival and the audio giant Audible concludes with the 3:00 am release of Row on Thursday, April 8. The world-premiere musical by Daniel Goldstein (book) and Dawn Landes (music and lyrics), inspired by Tori Murden McClur’s personal memoir A Pearl in the Storm, tells the true uplifting story of the first woman, and the first American, to row solo across the Atlantic.
In it, the real-life character reflects on her childhood, defending her younger brother against discrimination and bullying, and her first failed attempt at the crossing. Through it all, she reveals the fear, ambition, and fortitude that resulted in success, despite all odds, on her second try in 1999, with nothing but her body, a hand-built boat, and her resilient spirit. Directed by Tyne Rafaeli, the audio cast features Grace McLean as Tori, with Kerstin Anderson, John Ellison Conlee, Nehal Joshi, Tamika Lawrence, John McGinty, Kathryn O’Rourke, Lance Roberts, Sean Stack, and Sally Wilfert in supporting roles. The full-length audio presentation has a running time of approximately two hours; to listen, go online.
This spring, the performing arts series Works & Process has been in the forefront of ushering in the return of live performances, under the guidance of the New York State Department of Health, since venues closed due to the pandemic a year ago. Numbering among those first indoor performances in NYC, from March 19-April 19, is an ongoing succession of Daytime Pop Up events that take place in the rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum.
The latest in the series are mini-concerts by acclaimed Broadway composers Dave Malloy (The Great Comet) and Joe Iconis (Be More Chill), playing respectively on Wednesday, April 8, and Thursday, April 9, at 1:15 pm, and included with the cost of museum admission. Timed tickets (priced at $25 for adults, $18 for students and seniors 65+, and free for members and children under 12) are required and available online. In accordance with COVID-19 protocol, face masks are mandatory inside the museum for all visitors over the age of two.
