Archives for Season Announcement
17
Oct
2018

Carolyn Dorfman Dance Announces 2018-19 Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Don Jay Smith
908-832-1020
don@lksassociates.com 

(Union, N.J., October 2, 2018) – Carolyn Dorfman Dance, a premiere modern dance company based in New Jersey and New York City, will celebrate a remarkable 36 years of bold and powerful dancing making and performance with their 2018-19 Season. The highlights this year include a performance at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City in November, an appearance at the Dance Union Festival in Rahway in early February, and the company’s annual appearance at NJPAC in April.

In a season that features the reprise of many company favorites, Carolyn Dorfman Dance will headline at Jersey City Theater Center’s White Eagle Hall in a performance featuring excerpts of Sextet (1994), a dynamic work based on the driving and evocative music of jazz composer and percussionist Horacee Arnold, and Snap Crackle Pop, Dorfman’s 2018 groundbreaking collaboration with Renée Jaworski, the co-Artistic Director of internationally renowned Pilobolus. Sharing the bill for this November 18th matinee will be the tap dance ensemble, Hillary-Marie’s Sole Music Collective.

Dorfman’s annual appearance at NJPAC will include the company’s gala benefit on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Three popular repertory works showcasing the physical and dramatic range of the company will be featured at that performance including Love Suite Love which for more than 25 years has enchanted audiences with the love songs of Patsy Cline, Odisea (2004), an exploration of choreographer Carolyn Dorfman’s Jewish legacy commissioned by Jewish Heritage NY, and Interior Designs, created in 2013, a visually stunning tour de force where art and technology meet to create an unforgettable human experience.

“As I enter the rehearsal studio each day, I am blown away by the artistry, depth, energy and ensemble work of the company and its incredible dancers,” said Carolyn Dorfman. “They live each piece and, through them, we all enter unique and compelling worlds and find ourselves and one another and, most importantly, connect. To Dance is Life. I can’t wait to share our art, artistry and artists with our audiences throughout New Jersey and across the U.S. this season.”

The company will expand its immersive residencies, including performances and education workshops, with programming at universities, performing arts centers, community centers, and schools. In the fall, the company will be teaching and/or lecturing at the University of Michigan, Jews and Jewishness in Dance Conference (Arizona State University), Rutgers University, the University of Wisconsin, DeSales University, and at other locations to be announced. Carolyn Dorfman Dance also heads the dance division at NJPAC where they invite the public to join them for Saturday classes starting October 6th.

In January, Carolyn Dorfman and company members will be teaching at the Associated Dance Teachers of New Jersey conference. Early in the year, they will take their Legacy Project Tour to Virginia and Monmouth County, returning to Madison, Wisconsin for a week-long residency including headlining the Regional High School Dance Festival, performing and teaching at the Charter School for the Arts and Arts Quest in the Lehigh Valley, and appearing at the annual WOMEN/CREATE! Festival of Dance in NYC. CDD will continue their educational work at various school districts in New Jersey including Academy for the Performing Arts in Union County, PCTI and PS 27 in Paterson, East Brunswick, Elizabeth, Millburn and more.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance features an ensemble of 10 artists: Caroline Dietz, Lara Friedman Kats Quinton Guthier, Brandon Jones, Elise Pacicco, Katlyn Waldo, Terri Ayanna Wright and new dancers Jarred Bosch, Quincy Dow, and Kaila Moses, along with Associate Artistic Director Jacqueline Dumas Albert.

The staff includes executive director Anita Thomas who is in her 10th year with the company. She is supported by company manager Madeline Moore, communications/development manager Anna Shaffner, and financial administrator Flora Attardi.

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Carolyn Dorfman Dance Season Highlights

    • October 25: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
    • October 31: The Actor’s Fund, Career Transition for Dancers Masquerade Ball, New York, NY
    • November 18: White Eagle Hall presented by Jersey City Theater Center, Jersey City, N.J.
    • February 1-3: Dance Union Festival at Hamilton Stage, Rahway, NJ
    • February 23: SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA
    • March 18: Regional High School Dance Festival, University of Wisconsin, Madison
    • April 6: NJPAC Performance and Gala Benefit, Newark, N.J.
    • June: WOMEN/CREATE! Festival of Dance, New York, N.Y.

 

About Carolyn Dorfman Dance

Carolyn Dorfman Dance connects life and dance in bold, athletic and dramatic works by Carolyn Dorfman and nationally renowned choreographers. The company’s 10 multi-ethnic and stunning dancers present high-energy and technically demanding dance that unleashes the powerful storytelling and imagery of its visionary creator. This distinctive combination takes audiences on intellectual and emotional journeys that ultimately illuminate and celebrate the human experience. The highly acclaimed ensemble is known for emotional resonance and artistic excellence in both performance and its interaction with audiences, students and community. Carolyn Dorfman Dance appears at major theaters, dance festivals, universities, schools, museums and galleries regionally, nationally and internationally.

Note: For photos, interviews and more information, please contact Anna Shaffner at ashaffner@carollyndorfman.dance or Don Jay Smith at Don@LKSassociates.com.

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9
Oct
2017

Carolyn Dorfman Dance Celebrates 35 Years of Dance Making with a Season of Collaboration

Carolyn Dorfman Dance Creates a First-time Choreographic Collaboration with Pilobolus, Tours to Aventura Arts & Cultural Center in Miami, and Launches Dance Union Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Rosanna Plasencia | Amber Henrie
In The Lights PR
Rosanna@inthelights.net
Amber@inthelights.net
(347) 201-0485

Photos and video available on request

Union, NJ, October 6, 2017 — Carolyn Dorfman Dance, whose bold and dramatic works connect life and movement, invites audiences to be “part of the movement” during its 35th Anniversary 2017—2018 Season. Fall highlights include being presented by Jersey City Theater Company in excerpts of KEYSTONE, WAVES and The Klezmer Sketch with special guest artist Grigory Gurevich, along with performances of Dance/Stories, Sextet and Unfolding at the Bickford Theatre in the Morris Museum. Spring highlights include reprise performances of SEXTET, WAVES and Traces at Florida’s Aventura Arts & Cultural Center on February 8th, the inaugural year of the Carolyn Dorfman curated Dance Union Festival March 16—18 with Hamilton Stages, and a world-premiere collaboration between Carolyn Dorfman Dance and Pilobolus in April at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

Dorfman’s yearly performance and gala benefit on April 14th, 2018 will premiere the collaboration of choreography with Dorfman and Renee Jaworski, Co-Artistic Director of Pilobolus, which is co-commissioned by NJPAC. This celebratory milestone will mark the first time both companies will participate in a choreographic collaboration. Premiering in the spring, and performed by Carolyn Dorfman Dance’s ensemble, the new work will later be added to the Pilobolus repertory. The evening will also showcase Dorfman’s repertory pieces, a re-creation of, Lifeline and Cercle D’Amour and will bring the company and its audience together for a celebration of the company’s 35th–anniversary festivities.

“In 35 years, the company and the body of work has kept true to making connections,” explains Carolyn. “Bridging ideas and experiences through dance, sharing perspective, and contributing to the creation of a well-informed community, have been the pillars of this company’s legacy,” she continues. “To co-choreograph with another dance maker this season, that also personifies connection, marks a significant personal milestone for me as an artist and director.”

In its 35th year Dorfman continues to deepen their Arts Education workshops and performances through its continued partnerships with NJPAC Arts Education, East Brunswick school district, Union County Academy of the Performing Arts, McKinley school (New Brunswick), Link Community Charter School,

Rutgers University, and new relationships with PS 27 (Paterson), All Saints Day School (Hoboken), and Monmouth University.

The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has supported the company for at least 31 years and considers Carolyn Dorfman Dance “the gold standard for dance in the state,” stated by Sharnita Johnson, Arts Program Director for Dodge. “We honor the company’s focus on performance excellence and community outreach and congratulate Carolyn Dorfman and dancers on reaching yet another milestone. The company truly exemplifies our motto—imagine a better New Jersey.”

The anniversary season will feature an ensemble of 11 artists—returning dancers – Caroline Dietz, Justin Dominic, Lara Friedman, Jenny Gillan-Powell, Quinton Guthier, Brandon Jones, Elise Pacicco, Marie Lloyd Paspe, and Katlyn Waldo and new dancers – Eric Parra and Terri Wright.

Dorfman 35th Season Calendar Highlights

• October 22 – Performance presented by Jersey City Theater Company with special guest artist Grigory Gurevich
Performing excerpts of Keystone, WAVES and The Klezmer Sketch

• November 16th – Bickford Theatre Morris Museum
Performing Dance/Stories, Sextet, Unfolding

• January 11th–LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) Backstage Pass Performances
Performing Dance/Stories

• February 8th – Aventura Arts & Cultural Center Performance
Performing Sextet, WAVES and Traces

• February 25th –Monmouth University Performance
Performing The Legacy Project: A Dance of Hope, The Klezmer Sketch, Cat’s Cradle, American Dream, special performance in recognition of Jacob Landau in the Art Gallery in the Pollak Theater

• March 16th–18th – Dance Union Festival
Performing excerpts of WAVES and Sextet

• April 14th – 35th Anniversary Performance and Gala Benefit at NJPAC
Performing world premiere of choreographic collaboration with Pilobolus, with Lifeline and Cercle d’Amour

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About Carolyn Dorfman Dance

Carolyn Dorfman Dance connects life and dance in bold, athletic and dramatic works by Carolyn Dorfman and nationally renowned choreographers. The company’s eleven multi-ethnic and stunning dancers present high-energy and technically demanding dance that unleashes the powerful storytelling and imagery of its visionary creator. This distinctive combination takes audiences on intellectual and emotional journeys that ultimately illuminate and celebrate the human experience. The highly acclaimed ensemble is known for emotional resonance and artistic excellence in both performance and its interactions with audiences, students and community. For 35 years, Carolyn Dorfman Dance has appeared at major theaters, dance festivals, universities, schools, museums and galleries regionally, nationally and internationally.

 

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7
Oct
2015

CAROLYN DORFMAN DANCE ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 SEASON – HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE TEDX TALK AND WORLD PREMIERE OF TRACES

Carolyn Dorfman Dance Creates New Work; Expands their Arts Education Footprint and Community Workshops; Awarded Citation of Excellence from the New Jersey State Council of Arts (NJSCA)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contacts:
Kimberly Giannelli | Amber Henrie
In The Lights PR
Kimberly@inthelights.net
Amber@inthelights.net
Photos and video available on request

NEW YORK, October 6, 2015 — Carolyn Dorfman Dance, whose bold and dramatic works connect life and movement, announces its impactful and dynamic 2015-2016 Season. Carolyn Dorfman Dance is kicking off the fall with a TedX Talk in Morristown, NJ on October 20, where Artistic Director Carolyn Dorfman and dancers will share the craft of dance making as Dorfman reveals her inspiration and artistic philosophy. On October 29, Dorfman will participate in the Dancemakers on Diversity panel, along with other diverse artistic directors whose companies are part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC) dance series. On November 1, audiences are invited to join the company for a matinee performance at the Bickford Theatre. Come spring the company performs the powerful duet Keystone in DanceNOW! Miami’s concert celebrating Jose Limón on March 18—DanceNOW! Miami will perform Dorfman’s dramatic Odisea. Additionally, the company celebrates its annual Gala performance on April 8 at NJPAC with the world premiere of Dorfman’s newest work Traces. The New York premiere of Traces will be held at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) on April 16, Long Island City.

With a strong commitment to dance education, Carolyn Dorfman Dance teaches students of all levels, connecting movement and life in a curriculum that helps people learn new skills, explore their potential, and understand the world and each other better. A recent recipient of a Citation of Excellence Award from the NJSCA for the Arts Education Special Initiative Grant, the company will expand their residency programming to the McKinley School in New Brunswick and the Link Charter School in Newark. For the second year, Dorfman and the company continue as the lead dance company in residence for arts education at NJPAC, working year round with their Young Artists Institute. Additional residencies that are continuing are with New Jersey’s Rutgers University, the East Brunswick and New Brunswick Public School Districts. A new weeklong residency, including a school and public performance, is happening at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut in November.

“The motivation to keep creating lies in the versatile collection of dancers and collaborating artists who I have the privilege of working with each season,” comments Artistic Director Carolyn Dorfman. “With an increase in educational grant support, this season is able to offer creation, performance, and the opportunity to watch young artists flourish through our community teaching program. We look forward to further bridging our community work with the multi-level impact of our repertory on audiences around the globe.”

Dorfman presents the world premiere of Traces during the company’s annual Gala evening at NJPAC on April 8. With ten dancers and four musicians, Dorfman reunites her stellar team of artistic collaborators—commissioned electronic and acoustic score by Svjetlana Bukvich, video design by Kate Freer, technology development by Dave Tennent, costume design by Anna-Alisa Belous, and new team members—set design by Ben Hobbs, and lighting design by Marika Kent. Traces will occur both on stage and in the audience space. Drawing on her multi-ethnic company members, as well as audience members from different venues for source material, Traces juxtaposes abstract images with narrative elements that shift from the individual to the collective, the personal to the global, and the inner to external natural worlds. Images, music, and text will be interwoven with the choreography to transport audiences through time, location and purpose

Other repertory to be performed during the season includes: Dorfman’s popular Echad (One), about the power of one community and featuring an iconic 120 lbs., 8- foot diameter, aluminum wheel; Under My Skin, a duet that chronicles the growth of a relationship; excerpts from Dorfman’s signature work Mayne Mentshn; latest work WAVES, a sensation-based exploration of music and dance; and a moving duet Keystone.

The company is happy to be joining the roster of Sheffield Global Arts Management, New York City. And proud to welcome two new board members Asha Ganesh, CPA at Withum, Smith and Brown and Fran Sullivan, Editor of TAPinto.net.

CAROLYN DORFMAN DANCE 2015-2016 SEASON CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
October 20 – TedX Talk in Morristown, NJ, 1:00 p.m.
Performing My Father’s Solo and Under My Skin (excerpt)
October 29 – NJPAC Dancemakers on Diversity Panel, Chase Room, Newark, NJ, 7:00 p.m.
November 1 – Bickford Theatre performance, Morristown, NJ, 2:00 p.m.
Performing WAVES, Klezmer Sketch and Under My Skin
November 20 – The Taft School Performance, Bingham Auditorium, Watertown, CT, 7:00 p.m.
Performing Under My Skin, Klezmer Sketch and Doug Elkins’ Narcoleptic Lovers
December 9 – Performance at Academy for Performing Arts at Union County Vo. Tech, Scotch Plains, NJ, 7:00 p.m.
Performing excerpt of Waves and Echad
March 18 – DanceNOW! Miami performance, Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 8:00 p.m.
Dance NOW! Miami artists to perform Dorfman’s Odisea; Dorman lead dancers Jacqueline Dumas Albert and Louie Marin will perform Keystone
April 8 – NJPAC Performance and Gala Benefit, Chase Room reception, Newark, NJ, 6:30 p.m.; Victoria Theater performance, 8:00 p.m.
Premiere of Traces – also performing Echad and Keystone
April 16 – LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) performance, Long Island City, NY, 8:00 p.m.
Performing Traces, WAVES and Keystone

SEASON REPERTORY DETAILS

Traces (2016)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Composer: Svjetlana Bukvich
Lighting: Marika Kent
Video/Projection Design: Kate Freer (IMA)
Costumes: Anna-Alisa Belous
Set Design: Ben Hobbs

Traces explores the forces that create and change us across time, distance and circumstance, and features an electro-acoustic score encompassing a vast range of musical vocabulary. Images, music, and text interweave with choreography to transport audiences through time, location and purpose. The work is driven by a strong sense of immediacy and connection.

WAVES (2015)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Composer: Jessie Reagen Mann, Pete List, Daphna Mor
Lighting: Marika Kent
Costumes: Anna-Alisa Belous
Length: 25 minutes

WAVES is a sensation-based exploration of music and dance featuring live music composed by cellist Jessie Reagen Mann, beat boxer and multi-instrumentalist Pete List, and recorder player Daphna Mor. Dorfman uses this eclectic and unusual grouping of artists to create new waves of sonic and movement possibilities.

Keystone (2012)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Music: Rufus Wainwright, Louis Armstrong, and Jamie Randolph
Original Lighting: Simon Cleveland
Costumes: Anna-Alisa Belous
Length: 10 minutes

Keystone is a duet that explores the endurance of relationships and the concept of staying power in a world that continues to embrace fast digital communication that is not aligned with the human pulse or true intimacy.

Narcoleptic Lovers (2012)

Choreography: Doug Elkins, restaged by Fritha Pengelly
Music: Gavin Bryars, Mio Morales, Mozart, Urban Species, and Sinead O’Connor
Costumes: Anna-Alisa Belous

Narcoleptic Lovers is guest choreographer Doug Elkins’ electric and oft hilarious, full company work. Using his signature eclectic movement vocabulary, the work draws on modern, hip-hop, ballet and martial arts with an equally broad range of music – Mozart, hip-hop by Urban Species and spoken word and music by Sinead O’Connor and Lenny Bruce.

Odisea (2004)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Music: Greg Wall and Cecelia Margules
Original Lighting: Sean Perry
Costumes: Katherine Winter
Length: 12 Minutes

With Odisea, choreographer Carolyn Dorfman continued her explorations of the Jewish legacy. Commissioned by Jewish Heritage New York and premiering at the South Street Seaport in NYC (September 12, 2004) the work chronicles the physical, emotional and spiritual journey of twenty-three Jews leaving persecution in Recife, Brazil in 1654 and their journey and ultimate landing on American soil in New Amsterdam (New York City). With music by Greg Wall and Cecelia Margules, the music blends elements of Jewish liturgy and musical legacy.

Echad (One) (2002)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Music composition/arrangement/adaptation: Greg Wall
Original Lighting and Set Design by John Evans
Costumes: Russell Aubrey
Length: 32 Minutes

Dorfman’s popular work featuring an iconic 120 lb, 8-foot diameter, aluminum wheel. Echad, the Hebrew word for “one” refers to the power of one community; the uniqueness or oneness of each individual and the delicate balance between the two, that is the essence of our humanity.

Mayne Mentshn (2001)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Music Composed, Arranged & Adapted: Greg Wall
Original Lighting and Set Design: John Evans
Costumes: Russell Aubrey
Masks: Grigory Gurevich

Dorfman’s signature work explores the lives of her parents, whom are both Holocaust survivors. Excerpts from Act 1: The Klezmer Sketch and Act 2: American Dream will be performed throughout the season.

Under My Skin (1999)
Choreography: Carolyn Dorfman
Music and Lyrics: Jennifer Giering
Original Lighting: Paul Hudson
Costumes: Russell Aubrey
Length: 19 minutes

An evocative and sensuous duet that explores the way people invest in their relationships with bits of themselves and how positive and negative experiences always lead to growth.

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About Carolyn Dorfman Dance
Carolyn Dorfman Dance connects life and dance in bold, athletic and dramatic works by Carolyn Dorfman and nationally renowned choreographers. The company’s ten multi-ethnic and stunning dancers present high-energy and technically demanding dance that unleashes the powerful storytelling and imagery of its visionary creator. This distinctive combination takes audiences on intellectual and emotional journeys that ultimately illuminate and celebrate the human experience. The highly acclaimed ensemble is known for emotional resonance and artistic excellence in both performance and its interactions with audiences, students and community. For over 30 years, Carolyn Dorfman Dance has appeared at major theaters, dance festivals, universities, schools, museums and galleries regionally, nationally and internationally.

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