Miro Dance Theatre Seeks Contestants for Annual Fundraiser
Cinco De Miro Gives Contestants a Moment in the Spotlight

Miro Dance Theatre is looking for people who have always wanted to dance, but have not had the chance to dance professionally. This spring, Miro will offer anyone who has wanted to dance a chance to dance with a professional dancer and have a moment in the spotlight at their third annual fundraiser, Cinco De Miro: Not So Strictly Ballroom on May 8^th at the Latvian Society.  Those interested in entering the contest can email Miro Dance Theatre at info@mirodancetheatre.org or call 215-962-4773.

For this event, contestants will be paired with one of Miro Dance Theatre’s professional dancers. Each pair will have assistance from ballroom dance coach Scott Lazarov.  Anyone who enters is required to raise $1000 in pledges. The dance teams will have time to rehearse and will present their performance at Cinco De Miro, where they will be judged by a panel of judges and one team will walk away with the trophy.  The judges’ panel will include Lazarov and Lois Welk, the Executive Director of Dance USA Philadelphia.

Miro Dance Theater is hard at work setting up some surprise entries and interesting pairings. In early April, the company will announce all of the pairings for the annual fundraiser. Kathy Romano, from WMMR’s The Preston and Steve Show will be performing an exhibition performance with Lazarov. Tess Tickle, (the alter-ego of Miro Dancer Paul Struck) best known as the First Lady of Henri David’s Annual Halloween ball, will also be one of the professional dancers.  Tess is seeking the perfect partner.

About Miro Dance Theatre
Miro Dance Theatre creates and performs original work that explores the collaborative intersections of contemporary dance, video, and visual art.

In 2004 dancer and choreographer Amanda Miller and video and visual artist Tobin Rothlein founded Miro Dance Theatre in order to realize their unique creative vision, and explore the intersections of contemporary dance, video, and visual art. Miller, with ten years experience as a dancer at the Pennsylvania Ballet and choreographic studies in Europe under Siobhan Davies, is at the helm of Miro’s choreographic exploration. Rothlein, whose work as video artist and visual designer for Rennie Harris Puremovement and others has garnered accolades nationally and internationally, oversees the company’s work in combining dance, multi-media and visual arts. Miro produces the work of Miller and Rothlein alongside special collaborations with invited friends and guests.

Miro shares its vision with the general and artistic communities through outreach in the form of residency activities, open studios, workshops, master classes, and access to visiting artists. Miro believes in the importance of establishing creative and mutually beneficial partnerships with other organizations, individuals and artists in the communities where we live, work, and perform.

Philadelphia Live Arts Festival

Second Thursdays Series

Artists from the Live Arts Festival artist residency program or a guest artist from the region talk about their work process and share their musings, imaginings and ideas that are the inspiration for what will eventually evolve into a new work.

They’ll be casual, intimate gatherings, so anything goes. The artists may perform segments of new work, tell stories about their un-traditional research, or just discuss what they’re currently imagining for their upcoming piece. Your feedback and questions throughout are warmly welcomed and encouraged!

Why you should come:

• Free admission
• Free beer
• You’ll hang with the artists, meet new people, see cool stuff, and be part of amazing conversations (or just listen in if you’d rather!).

When you should come:

• The second Thursday of each month, October – June 7pm

Upcoming featured artists:

• January 14, 2010

• Whit MacLaughlin / New Paradise Laboratories (FATEBOOK, 2009)Dare to take a peek inside the brain of Whit MacLaughlin, the Artistic Director of New Paradise Laboratories and mastermind behind 2009’s FATEBOOK.  Whit will give insight into his latest projects: FREEDOM CLUB (in collaboration with The Riot Group); MORT (the third part ofNPL’s American Party trilogy preceded by BATCH and PROM); and his newest idea, F@#CK COMPUTERS. For more advance details on the new works, visit http://www.princeton.edu/arts/news/archive/freedom-club/.Miro Dance Theatre
• Amanda Miller and Tobin Rothlein of Miro Dance Theatre will be showing a slideshow of their recent trip to India where they performed their newest work, How am I Not Myself?In the work, two classically trained dancers, one in Ballet and the other Bharatnatyam, examine the questions that come with dance, identity, and moving beyond the classical form. At the age of four Amanda Miller and Viji Rao began their classical training on opposite sides of the world. Now, thirty years later, following professional classical careers, they are both engaged in their own unique forms of contemporary dance. In How am I Not Myself? they join with video artist Tobin Rothlein to look at their transition from classical to contemporary with an exciting dialogue of movement and multimedia and a celebration of the contemporary and the unclassifiable.
• Makoto Hirano & Ben Camp
• Ben Camp and Makoto Hirano will be showing a few scenes that may or may not make it into their upcoming work, PunchKapow. PunchKapow is an original devised piece in development by Ben, Alex Torra, Makoto, Charlotte Ford, Mikaal Sulaimon, and Brett Cassidy.  The piece is inspired by representations of violence and how much fun they can be – comic books, action movies, video games, and anime.  People love violence, and we want to dive into the joy of fighting as much as the darkness. This piece is the first for an organization called Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, and will priemere in November.JANUARY PRE-SERIES BONUS EVENT:For this month’s Second Thursdays Series, you’ll enter the Festival studio through AREA 919’s gallery space. Between 6pm and 7pm, visit AREA 919 for a glass of wine and their Antique Collection of 18th and 19th Century works in stone, marble, iron, and wood from Europe, India, China, and America.  For more information: www.area919.com.

• Where it all happens: The Festival Studio , 919 N 5th St Philadelphia, PA 19123, Free onsite parking + abundant neighborhood street parking

Group Motion in City Dances / Parkway at the Rodin Museum

Group Motion will next be performing on Saturday, December 12th (with a reception following the performance) and Sunday, December 13th; performances start at 8pm at the CEC Meetinghouse Theater at 3500 Lancaster Ave in West Philadelphia / University City.

For more information please visit www.groupmotion.org or ask me! (Rachel@philaculturati.com, subject line: “Group Motion”)

Receive 30% off tickets to La Sylphide and Barber Violin Concerto.

June 5-6 at 8 p.m.
June 6 at 12 p.m.
June 7 & 13 at 2 p.m.
June 11-12 at 8 p.m.

La Sylphide

Returning to Philadelphia for the first time in 21 years, the oldest ballet in existence is set in the Scottish Highlands. August Bournonville’s ethereal tale of love still enthralls audiences today with the captiviating romance and demanding choreography that made this work ahead of its time. 

Barber Violin Concerto

Company Premiere
Peter Martins explores the contrast between classical ballet and modern dance in this innovative work to Samuel Barber’s deeply expressive, romantic score.

Please use discount code LS30 when ordering.  For tickets click here.

The Pennsylvania Ballet is offering a limited number of Orchestra seats to each performance (May 6 – 10 at the Merriam Theater) at the steal of a deal price of just $25 (regularly priced at $95.50). These tickets are online, by phone, or at the Merriam Theater box office by using the code TANGO25.

The PA Ballet also has a special package deal for Mother’s Day, which includes brunch and the ballet. Package prices begin at $82.30 and include a 3-course brunch (tax

and gratuity incl.) at the Palm at 12 p.m. on Mother’s Day, followed by a 2 p.m. performance of Tango with Style at the Merriam Theater. Reservations must be made by Friday, May 8 by contacting Arajua Backman 215.587.6921 or abackman@paballet.org.

Tango with Style offers three contemporary works, each with a compelling stylistic foundation that highlights the extraordinary artistic depth and innovative repertoire of this nationally-recognized ballet company.

Koresh Dance Co @ Suzanne Roberts Theatre at Broad and Lombard, April 30th to May 3rd. $5 off tickets of $20-$30. To receive this offer is to use the discount code KCD at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre box office www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org / 215-985-0420.

Koresh Dance Company is Philadelphia’s third largest dance company and will be performing at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre from April 30th to May 3rd. Programming for Koresh Dance Company’s 2009 Spring Season includes a new work by Roni Koresh, and Paul Selwyn Norton, a rising figure on the Dutch dance scene.   
Two works:

ev•o•lu•tion by Roni Koresh:  Language and art have remained essential to human nature throughout the ages. The need for human expression is as universal as the need for replenishing ourselves through procreation.  Expression is fundamental to the reasons for our existence and to understand that expression in its purest form is to understand ourselves. Roni explores this subject and more through his intricate choreography set to music by Franz Peter Shubert, Pete Nemlok, Fariborz Lachini, Greg Smith, John Vosbikian – and more. 

Pieces of 9 by Paul Selwyn Norton:  “Pieces of 9″ is representational on my recent focus on “music for dance”. I believe that it is important that composers have just as equal a standing on stage as the choreographer. Their music should not only serve the choreographer’s vision’ but should be also resonate with the same respect and vitality as the dance. These pieces are my thanks to the great work of John Cage, Jose Luis Greco and Elmer Schönberger.