By Laura Di Orio.

The holiday season is typically filled with family, friends, music, goodies, traditions and joy. This year, why not add to the list a Christmas-themed dance production? Here, Dance Informa has compiled a list of dance performances of nearly every genre that will be sure to heighten your holiday glow. Enjoy!

Emily Bufferd’s A Ho Ho Holiday Show

With the inaugural year of A Ho Ho Holiday Show, choreographer and producer Emily Bufferd wanted a chance to do some good via dance in a manner in which everyone, dancers and non-dancers alike, could enjoy.

“I think almost everyone can relate to the joy that a song like ‘Jingle Bells’ is meant to exude,” Bufferd said. So, she created this evening of ten choreographers’ work that she calls a “lighthearted, fun…holiday dance shenanigan”, which will benefit Toys for Tots. Admission will be $5, plus the donation of a toy.

“I really am hoping it will prove successful in bringing a lot of toys,” Bufferd said. “Toys for Tots is an organization that can never have too many items sent their way. I think a holiday show is a wonderfully entertaining way to get deeper into the spirit of the season.”

A Ho Ho Holiday Show will be presented at the Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance in New York City, on Saturday, December 8, with shows at 8:30 and 9:30pm. For more information, check out http://emilybufferd.com/Emily_Bufferd.html.

San Diego Musical Theatre’s White Christmas

The stage version of Irving Berlin’s timeless White Christmas opened on Broadway in 2008, but this year will mark the musical’s first appearance in San Diego. San Diego Musical Theatre, led by Erin and Gary Lewis, will offer San Diego audiences their musical adaptation of the timeless classic, which will feature 17 Berlin songs.

The story follows Bob Wallace and Phil Davis, who have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II and who follow a duo of singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge. The production includes many well-known standards and of course the holiday favorite, “White Christmas.” San Diego Musical Theatre’s version features a 22-piece orchestra on stage, extravagant costumes and lots of singing and dancing.

“Berlin’s White Christmas is an uplifting, heartwarming production,” said Executive Director Erin Lewis. “Especially at holiday time, people want to see something familiar, something to help them get into the holiday spirit and bring their family to. White Christmas will definitely fit the bill!”

The performances are at the Birch North Park Theatre and run from December 13 to 23. For tickets and more information, visit www.sdmt.org.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Perhaps one of the most well-known Christmas dance traditions is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which features over 140 performers (including the always pristine Rockettes), extraordinary sets and costumes and an original musical score.

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the holiday favorite, presented at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Shows run throughout December. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.radiocitychristmas.com/newyork.html.

Bayer Ballet Company’s A Winter Fairy Tale

Inna Bayer and her youth ballet company, Bayer Ballet Company, in Mountain View, California, will present A Winter Fairy Tale, a holiday ballet set to music by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. The story is a Russian New Year’s Eve fairy tale about a Bat Queen who kidnaps a little bunny and interrupts the forest creatures’ wintertime celebration. The ballet continues to follow the Magician and a beautiful Rose Maiden, who journey to return the bunny to its family.

Bayer launched Bayer Ballet Company in 2010 to give performance opportunities to her pre-professional students. This year, A Winter Fairy Tale can be seen at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts from December 14 through 16. For more, check out www.bayerballetacademy.com/winterShow.htm.

Smuin Ballet dancers Darren Anderson and Terez Dean ride waves on “Christmas Island” in ‘The Christmas Ballet’. Photo by Keith Sutter.

Smuin Ballet’s The Christmas Ballet

This year, California’s Smuin Ballet will bring back The Christmas Ballet, a ballet in two acts – Classical Christmas and Cool Christmas – that has an array of ballet, tap, swing and world dances, reflecting the company’s signature blend of classical and pop styles.

“Our founder, Michael Smuin, sought to branch out from the traditional and create an original holiday program that could change to reflect new work and his dancers’ strengths,” said Celia Fushille, artistic and executive director of Smuin Ballet. “We’ve continued our tradition of breaking tradition, changing the content and running order every year.”

This year’s production includes new choreography by the company’s Choreographer in Residence, Amy Seiwert, and Smuin artists Darren Anderson and Jane Rehm.

Smuin Ballet will take The Christmas Ballet on the road in California’s Bay Area throughout December, with stops in Livermore, Mountain View, Carmel and San Francisco. For more information and for tickets, visit http://smuinballet.org

Mary Anthony Dance Theatre’s Ceremony of Carols

Mary Anthony, a modern dance pioneer who celebrated her 96th birthday in November, will present her Mary Anthony Dance Theatre in a work to celebrate the holiday season. The work, Ceremony of Carols, which first premiered in 1971, is set to the music of Benjamin Britten and retells the nativity scene. Also on the program will be works by Daniel Maloney and Ellen Robbins.

This year, performances of Ceremony of Carols will be held on December 15 and 16 at the Mary Anthony Dance Studio in New York City. For ticket reservations, call 212-674-8191 or email maryanthonydance@yahoo.com.

Moody Gardens presents A Magical Christmas

A Magical Christmas is an evening of dinner and performance that combines magic, comedy for the whole family, music and dance in celebration of the Christmas holiday. Illusionist Curt Miller leads the show, as Christmas narratives are told through his magic and also well-known holiday songs.

A Magical Christmas runs from December 14 to 16 and 20 to 27 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center in the Houston area of Texas. Tickets include not only the one-hour show and a holiday buffet dinner but also admission to the Moody Gardens Festival of Lights, the area’s largest holiday lighting event. For more information, visit www.moodychristmasshow.com.

Top photo: Smuin Ballet in “White Christmas” in The Christmas Ballet. Photo by Keith Sutter.

Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, formerly known as the Peridance Ensemble, was established in 1984 by Peridance Capezio Center’s Founder and Artistic Director Igal Perry. After hibernating for the last five years while the center transitioned into its current state-of-the-art new space, the company is stepping back onto the stage this year with new repertory and artistic collaborations.

Dance Informa was there to watch the auditions on July 31^st as 75 eager artists danced up a storm for a chance to join the new company. In total eight dancers were hired, some from the open audition and some from private auditions.

The not-for-profit repertory company is housed within Peridance Capezio Center in New York and is a resident company at the center’s in-house Salvatore Capezio Theater. As part of its quest for originality and unique identity, the company seeks out choreographic and compositional collaboration. Over the years, company repertory came to include original work by world-renowned choreographers such as Ohad Naharin, John Butler, Danny Ezralow, and Benjamin Harkarvy, in addition to the work created by Artistic Director Igal Perry. The company has presented many works with original compositions by young composers including John Mackey, Quentine Chappetta, and Avner Dorman.  Mr. Dorman’s collaborations with Mr. Perry and his company have since been presented by companies in the USA, Israel, and Italy.

Dancers auditioning for the company

The identity of Peridance Contemporary Dance Company is shaped by original choreography, versatile dancers of diverse backgrounds, classical and contemporary accompaniment, and collaborations with live musicians. Artistic Director Igal Perry has structured the Company to experiment with new forms of classical expression while continuing to uphold the fundamental building blocks of dance.

During the 2011-12 season, the Company will be presenting contemporary ballet and modern work created by a diverse group of choreographers. Igal Perry has been commissioned to create the ballet El Amor Brujo with the company and the Post Classical Ensemble Orchestra in Washington DC, for a special evening of Stravinsky/De Falla, to be premiered at the Gonda Theater in DC on December 3rd and 4th. The company will also have a season in the early spring at the Salvatore Capezio Theater at Peridance. This season will present Igal’s work and a newly commissioned work by New York based choreographer Sidra Bell.

We look forward to seeing the new face of this company evolve.

Photos by Daniel Searle

By Deborah Searle.

Born in Bursa, Turkey, dancer Korhan Basaran now calls New York home – a city that inspires him to teach and create dance.  In June Korhan and company presented two world premieres at the Ailey Citigroup Theater in a show boldly titled “I am Korhan, this is my dance”.  So who is Korhan, and what is his dance?

What is your dance background?
I was an actor. I started to dance to help my acting in my college years. I started with some modern and ballet. I was then directed into dance more seriously by many inspiring dance artists, such as Binnaz Dorkip of the Ankara State Ballet Company. I had a couple years there, then when I first arrived in New York I received a scholarship from the Cunningham Studio and had the honor of meeting Merce and working with Mr. Robert Swinston. Cunningham Technique helped me to clarify and bring all the information I’d received over the years into a more personal place. I started realizing the knowledge within me so now all the classes I teach are almost like a research laboratory for creating new movement, testing new experiments and playing with the energy.

Why do you dance?
Less is more -  all the complexity can be defined with simplicity. It is a privilege to be able to express yourself without having to choose the correct words; to express with just whatever your body says. Movement is honest, simple and less, which helps you explain more, express more and understand more. I’m so much enjoying the universal language of movement and dance, and being able to be understood by all the people of the world without worrying about the words.

Why do you choreograph?
There’s not really an explanation to that.  I have an issue with the world, life, existence and with where the world is at. I believe that the only way to turn the world into a better place is through art. I simply know that my choreography will make the world a better place amongst all the other artists’ works.  The people who I have the chance to share my work with become better beings and I become a better being because I receive their response. What is shared between us in a performance is so alive, so real and so honest.

Tell us about your world premiere – I am Korhan, this is my dance.
The performance had 3 themes – On Love, On Land and On Life. On Love featured six love driven solos to Jean Marie Leclair for each dancer. I performed a solo to Johann Sebastian Bach. For On Land I chose some traditional Turkish music that has almost ritualistic importance. I made one sextet for the dancers and a solo to an elegy.

Then the second part of the evening was On Life, a composition created on a Philip Glass violin concerto. This piece was inspired by the life in New York. I wanted to look at something so simple and connected to life such as running – as in NY you just keep on running every day, all day. This was a theme of the piece and how it connects into more complex and designed movements. You keep running – you fall down, stand up, go on and fall again, yet you keep on going.

The beautiful dancers were Alexander Dones, Nikki Hock, Lindsay Richter, Jenna Otter, Kei Tsuruharatani and Chad Van Ramshorst. We had a very nice installation-set piece designed by Sila Karakaya for the On Life, NY piece, our lighting designer was Joyce Liao and our stage manager was Gwyndolyn Kay.

How long was the creative process?
I started working on some phrases, sentences and material at the end of April and we attended some performances together. I was working with the whole cast from the 25th of May. So we had a short period of time to create the whole evening long work. I’m so glad that we’ve managed to develop a nice language of movement in such a short time.

How did the audience receive the work?
I think they weren’t really sure how to react or what to expect, as this was my first official show in a big theater like Ailey for the New York audience. But as they started to know who we were as human beings and then dancers, I felt like they started to be more open and welcoming, especially in the second half. By the end of the second act, danced to the Philip Glass violin concerto, I felt energy flow from the audience towards us. We were accepted. The dancers and I have received amazing feedback, e-mails and messages from the audience and from some big names in the New York dance scene.

What are your future plans for the work?
That’s a very long road that one has to walk. Every minute you are subject to change, evolve, and feed yourself with what you experience in life.  I still have a lot to do to find out my inner voice. I’m taking brave steps and trying not to lose my courage and my honesty. I’ve just got to go on making more works, share with people and allow the dance to find its way through my body, mind and soul.

Are you working on any other dance related projects?
All through the Summer I’ll be teaching at Steps, DNA and Peridance across New York. I will be choreographing for the Intensive Course at the Peridance Summer Program. I’m also starting a laboratory work on a weekly basis (on Saturdays), where I invite artists from other disciplines to join with my dancers, and dancers interested, to keep the connection, research and exploration developing. It is a two hour open jam installation of music, movement, theater, visual arts and other contributions. I am very excited about it.

www.korhanbasaran.com

Photo:  Ali Sarikaya

Peridance Center, in partnership with Capezio/Ballet Makers Inc. is proud to announce it’s new location in the historic Beaux Arts-style building at 126 East 13th Street, near 4th Avenue at the beautiful Union Square area, New York City.  The Centre, officially known as Peridance Capezio Center has opened its doors.

This beautiful 3-story dance facility marks a new era for Peridance with an exciting new profile.

The Center houses six large, climate controlled, State-of-the-Art studios with professional sound systems and sprung floors, an in house Studio Theater, café 126 and a Capezio dance clothing boutique. All studios are completely column free, a unique characteristic in the New York urban landscape.

Peridance’s faculty is expanding and Australia’s own Jack Chambers of SYTYCD is now an esteemed instructor at the facility! Over 30 new, exciting and distinguished teachers are joining the world renowned roster of instructors, offering over 250 open weekly classes for all levels in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Theater, Jazz, Hip-Hop, House, Tap, Salsa, Flamenco, African, Pilates, Stretch, GYROKENESIS®, Taichi and much more.

Peridance Capezio Center proudly offers all major, traditional Modern disciplines including Graham, Limon, Horton and Taylor-Based.

The new in house Studio Theater, will provide a venue for established and up-and-coming artists to perform, and will serve as a home for the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company.

 “We were fortunate to be able to stay in the neighborhood,” says Artistic Director Igal Perry. “…though our dancers and students come from around the globe, it’s vital for us to maintain our roots at Union Square and stay close to the local and vibrant dance community.”

The building was originally constructed as the Van Tassall & Kearney Horse Auction Mart at the turn of the 20th century, and was the studio of painter, printmaker and sculptor Frank Stella from 1978 to 2005.

For more information visit www.peridance.com or www.capeziodance.com