Yuka Kawazu’s Danse En L’Air brings Kokoro – The Hearts, an evening of original dances and celebration of Danse En L’Air’s 12th anniversary, to the KnJ Theater in Peridance Center (126 E 13th St, New York, New York 10003) on Saturday, November 8, at 8pm. The program offers a mix of solos, duets and ensemble theatrical ballet, contemporary, ballroom, Latin, aerial dance, and Argentine tango. The evening of dance is enhanced by digital projections of artworks by Andrea Shapiro and Melissa Kraft, and also features live music from talented Japanese singer Hiroko Yonekura.
About the program, Kawazu says, “Our hearts feel all kinds of emotions. We need to protect them, but at the same time, we can enjoy the moments of beauty. Our fantastic artists Andrea Shapiro and Melissa Kraft’s artwork will inspire an evening of dance as we collectively show our hearts full of love and joy. This year’s performance is dedicated to Agnes Lewucha and Kevin Carpenter; although they are no longer with us, they will always remain in our hearts, and in that, honor we celebrate them.”
Highlights of the varied program include: Kawazu’s “I Want You” danced by former New York City Ballet dancer Eliza Blutt and Adam Soniak; Kawazu’s “Alfonsina by the Sea” danced by former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer Lisa Johnson-Willingham to the singing of Hiroko Yonekura; Argentine tango champion Anton Domansky and his partner Carolina Jaurena; West Coast swing champions Dimitri Hector and Dillon Luther; aerial choreography by Kyla Ranney; Albanian dancers Adelia Lami and Krisi Dalipi (Dancing with the Stars, X Factor Albania); ballroom from Nadine Hildebrand and Sherman Hope; and a foxtrot by Zachary Bordonaro choreographed for Kawazu.
Dancers also include Lauren Carmen, Selene Parke, Hyun Ji Jeon, Georgia Wood, Aikiu Chomphuworn, Meghan Schardt-Gensberg, Hanna Oldsman, Lauren Carmen, Victory Davis, Teryn Trent and Robert Arvidsson.
General admission tickets are available here.
Danse En L’Air is a vibrant, dynamic ballet company based in New York City. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Yuka Kawazu, the ensemble’s choreographic vision blends the tradition and purity of classical ballet technique with the expressiveness and immediacy of theater dance, presenting work that is refreshing, inviting, and compelling to all audiences. Kawazu’s dances are inspired by her international perspective, the diversity of life in New York City, and the many fellow artists she has met throughout her life. Each piece evinces its own distinctive flavor, and is brought to life by the unique personalities of the dancers, who come from all over the world and have performed with numerous renowned companies.
Yuka Kawazu (Artistic Director, Producer) hails from Kanagawa, Japan. Her choreography has been shown by various presenters — including the Ailey Extension, Ballet Arts in New York City Center, Broadway Dance Center, Irene Mou’s Friday Night Fever, New Dance Group, New Jersey Dance Theater Project, PMT Dance, and Dance Molinari — at venues such as the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Duplex and Triad Theaters, Symphony Space, the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, Peridance and Ballet Arts in New York City Center Studios. Currently, she teaches ballet at New York City’s Peridance Center, Broadway Dance Center, the Ailey Extension, Danznik and Ballet Arts. She is also a guest professor at Showa Music University in Japan. Her students have gone on to join Broadway productions and international dance companies. As a performer, she appeared with ballet companies throughout the United States in principal and soloist roles, later becoming ballet mistress for Staten Island Ballet. For more on Kawazu and Danse En L’Air, visit Facebook.com and Instagram: @danseenlairnyc.
Andrea Shapiro (Artist) has been a Broadway and Off-Broadway Producer, and is a winner of three OBIE awards. She has been a painter and member of the Art Students League for 16 years. Now producing for Yuka Kawazu’s Danse En L’Air.
Melissa Kraft (Artist) has exhibited her work throughout the USA, and in Canada, Poland, Ukraine and Greece. Her work is in the collections of the NYC Dept. of Ed., The Legal Aid Society in NY, The EarlyWorks Children’s Museum, Galeria Labirynt, and the Copelouzos Family Art Museum. She was Natl. Assoc, of Women Artists Artist of the Month, and her work has won awards from Mills Pond Gallery, Prisma Art Prize, Valley Arts Gallery, Columbia University Medical Center Fine Arts, Ciao Gallery, and Artists Wanted. She was selected to participate in residencies in Poland, Ukraine and Canada, and is one of 22 international artists selected for a traveling exhibition dedicated to the relationships that contemporary artists form with nature. Melissa completed her MA in Art and Art Education at Columbia University/Teachers College, where she was awarded the Painting Studio Assistantship, and was the recipient of the President’s Award for Community and Diversity. For more on Kraft, visit www.melissakraft.com, or follow her on Instagram: @melissakraftart or Facebook.
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