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The Alex Theatre
Celebrate Dance
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Glendale, CA

Celebrate Dance to be presented March 8, 2014 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California

by Jamie Nichols
January 9, 2014
The Alex Theatre
216 North Brand Boulevard

Glendale, CA 91203
818-243-7700

Featured Dance Company:

Celebrate Dance
Celebrate Dance (office)

Los Angeles, CA
www.celebratedance.org

Executive Producer Jamie Nichols
Presents
CELEBRATE DANCE 2014
Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:00PM
Alex Theatre
216 North Brand Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91203
Tickets: $18-$38
Discounts: Students, Seniors, Children $12 seated with adult
Group rate for 15 or more

Executive Producer Jamie Nichols is delighted to present CELEBRATE DANCE 2014 with a fresh line-up of 8 dance companies on Saturday, March 8, 2014 8:00pm at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. Entering the 9th year of critically acclaimed shows CELEBRATE DANCE 2014 offers a seamless production that promises to inspire, enlighten and entertain.

The audience will enjoy a brilliant spectrum of dance that has been hand picked by Executive Producer Jamie Nichols including: Gaga inspired contemporary dance from LA's Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY, urban tap with live music from BPM beatsperminute, contemporary jazz from the multifaceted Commonality Dance Company, inventive modern dance from San Francisco's LEVYdance, edgy viewpoints of contemporary dance with LollieWorks, dynamic modern jazz from Marrow Dance, iconic modern dance from San Diego with Mizerany Dance, and the delicious contemporary jazz of SoleVita Dance Company. The companies are directed by 8 exceptional choreographers: Danielle Agami, Glyn Gray, Adam Parsons, Benjamin Levy, Lindsey Lollie, Jason Gorman, Michael Mizerany and Joelle Martinec.

This is the ninth concert of the popular annual event and it promises to be another outstanding night of dance for Los Angeles. For three consecutive years CELEBRATE DANCE was awarded the Lester Horton Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement. Celebrate Dance continues to be a sell-out show with enthusiastic audiences of all ages.

Show time runs approximately 2 hours and is suitable for all ages. This is the dance event of the year. ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Featuring:
Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY
BPM beatsperminute
Commonality Dance Company
LEVYdance (San Francisco)
LollieWorks
Marrow Dance
Mizerany Dance (San Diego)
SoleVita Dance Company

WHERE:
Alex Theatre 216 North Brand Blvd., Glendale, California 91023
WHEN: Saturday, March 8, 2014, 8:00pm
TICKETS: $18-$38 (all children seated with an adult, $12) Discounts: students, seniors and DRC Members. Group rates for 15 or more @ 25% off are available by calling the Box Office
HOW: Alex Theatre Box office 818-243-2539 or http://www.alextheatre.org

Celebrate Dance 2014 Biographies

Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY Artistic Director Danielle Agami
was born in Israel in 1984. She danced in the Batsheva Dance Company from 2002-2010 where she also served as artistic director of Batsheva Dancers Create, and the company's rehearsal director. In 2009 she received the Yair Shapira Prize for Excellence in Dance and in 2011 was made Senior Manager of Gaga U.S.A. In the past two years, Agami has created original work at various universities in the U.S. and was commissioned to create a new work for the BatSheva Ensemble. Danielle continues to travel as an ambassador of Gaga and Ohad Naharin. As the Artistic Director of Ate9 she will create a new work for L.A. Dance Project premiering in October and another for Northwest Dance Project premiering in the fall. Ate9 dANCEcOMPANY was formed June 2012 in Seattle, Washington and moved to Los Angeles, California in January 2013. The company premiered its first, evening length work, Sally meets Stu, in Seattle and has since performed in Vancouver, B.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon. Bringing the fragility of live images into everyday spaces is an important facet of Agami's artistic vision as expressed in Sheila, a recent site-specific work. In 2013 Ate9 was an artist in residence at The Mimoda Studios//LA and Loyola Marymount University. These residencies facilitated the creation of TacTics, Ate9's dancEducation program, which aims to bring students closer to dance. After celebrating its first year, Ate9 is enthusiastic about its future in Los Angeles as a new contemporary voice. www.ate9dancecompany.com

BPM beatsperminute intertwines tap, vocal performance, bass, guitar and drums, layering live rhythms in an expanded interpretation of the art of tap. With an original score of percussive jazz, funk, rock and rap, the performance features a unique full body style of smooth, sophisticated tap. Performing in and around the audience, BPM beatsperminute challenges the conventions of audience interaction. BPM beatsperminute which has seen a national Australian tour and 3 sold out seasons at the Sydney Opera House recently premiered in Los Angeles as part of The Nvitational Festival. Artistic Director Glyn Gray has been involved in the arts for over 30 years. He has performed on London's West End and in numerous musicals such as Songbook, Slice of Saturday Night, The Boyfriend, The Man of Steel and SHOUT! The Musical. Glyn's television and film credits include: Star Factory, Good Morning Australia, Kerry-Anne Show, Sunrise, Baz Luhrmann's movie Moulin Rouge, and numerous ads for Coca Cola, Duluxe Paint, McDonalds and Converse. He has taught throughout New Zealand, Australia, United States and Europe in various performing arts centers and institutions. Glyn is co-creator of the AJDA tap syllabus and teaches at the Debbie Reynolds Studio. Over the past 3 years as co-director and founder, he has dedicated his talents to DancePlug.com as media designer, videographer, and developer. Glyn is also co-owner/co-director of StirStudios - Your One Stop Shop in Audio, Video, Graphic and Web needs.
www.beatsperminute.com.au

Commonality Dance Company Artistic Director Adam Parsons is well known for his multifaceted choreography and his unique approach to music makes him a sought after choreographer. He has worked in stage, film, TV, and industrials for clients such as Fila, NBC, Redken, Power Rangers, Prince, R&B artist Monica, Pepsi, Shell Oil. He performed the ballet "Rodeo" at the White House for President Bill Clinton. His versatility has led him to work for "So You Think You Can Dance" Australia, to create duets for the Seoul National Ballet and the Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. He choreographed the film Love on a Sunday Afternoon, as well as choreographing the halftime show for the WNBA Sparks at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Commonality has been engaging and enthralling its loyal audience with jazz, lyrical, contemporary, world dance and musical theater. The company has performed: in Los Angeles, Seoul, Mexico City, Stuttgart, Rimini, Naples, San Marino and Zurich. The Los Angeles Times has said "refreshingly original" and noted both Parsons' ability to "deftly sustain a style" and his "use of humor to freshen" commercial formats. Adam was also one of Dance Spirit Magazines "One to Watch". Dance Magazine said, "Parson's brand of training churns out unstoppable dancers". He is currently a resident teacher for Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, The Dance Department in Italy and the Space in Melbourne Australia. He teaches all over the world encouraging and getting the best out of his dancers. www.adamparson.com

Artistic Director Benjamin Levy founded LEVYdance in 2002. Since then it has developed into a recognized performing arts organization with a distinct artistic aesthetic. Based in San Francisco, LEVYdance has presented original works at prestigious venues across the nation including the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, Zellerbach Playhouse, ODC Theater, The Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Conwell Theater, Dance Place, Joyce SoHo. International engagements include VDU University in Kaunas, Lithuania, and the Tanzmesse Festival in DЯsseldorf, Germany. Beyond performing in traditional venues, LEVYdance creates innovative installation works that seek to redefine the relationship between performer and audience. In 2008 and 2013, LEVYdance presented its Home Season in a San Francisco urban industrial alley on custom staging that surrounded the audience. In 2010, LEVYdance presented Everyone Intimate Alone Visibly, a new media and dance collaboration. In this work, performers and audience members moved together in an active space where their motion triggered lighting, projected animations and video. In 2011, LEVYdance presented ROMP, an immersive experience that seated dancers and audience members together at banquet tables providing a familiar setting for everyday interactions and transformations. The San Francisco Chronicle named ROMP one of the Bay Area's Top 10 Dance Moments of 2011. In 2013, The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee awarded LEVYdance Outstanding Achievement in Performance for Low Down. Among LEVYdance's distinguished collaborators are The Kronos Quartet, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, and composers Keeril Makan, Mason Bates, and Jeremy Zuckerman. He has also worked with French Couture designer Colleen Quen, and industrial designer Rick Lee. www.levydance.org

Artistic Director of LollieWorks, Lindsey Lollie is a contemporary dancer and choreographer currently living in Los Angeles. She was born and raised in Altadena, California and attended California Institute of the Arts where she received her BFA in dance. She collaborated in numerous works while at CalArts and studied with teachers, guest artists, and students, all of whom have influenced her work. Lindsey's primary inspiration for her work is imagery, sound, change in direction, and progression. She tries to blur the line between what is considered dance and what is pedestrian by using habitual language of the human body against rhythm and form. Lindsey has been creating and presenting work at venues such as ARC (A Room to Create), Diavolo Dance Space, Redcat Theater and The Miles Memorial Playhouse. This past spring she set a new work with the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company, entitled "En Route", in collaboration with musician Peter Gonzales. She has also choreographed a solo which was later adapted with film maker Victoria Sendra for a short film entitled, "The Next Step Is". The film has screened at the Dance Camera West Film Festival and Dance on Camera Festival at the Lincoln Center. As a free lance dancer Ms. Lollie has performed for choreographers Lydia Zimmer, Hassan Christopher, Liz Hoefner, Natalie Metzger, Anne Moore Mersiha Mesihovic, Jordan Saenz, Stephanie Zaletel, and Adam Wile. Lindsey is always looking for new ways to generate movement and collaborate with other artists. Her work is project based and she enjoys dancing with an array of different people around Los Angeles. www.lollieworks.org

Marrow Dance is a Southern California based dance company that engages the viewer by dissecting the human condition through the use of intricate gestural movement and dynamic musicality. Artistic directors Jason Gorman and Nicole Hogg aim to inspire both artist and audience through passionate movement that focuses on honesty and raw emotion with a strong backbone of technique and training. Performance credits include: The Industry Voice Awards, Carnival Choreographer's Ball, Dana Foglia Dance Apprenticeship Performance, The Male Perspective and Defore Dance Center presents Pulse. On March 26th, 2013 Marrow debuted its first full length show entitled "Ghosts" at the Martha B. Knoebel Dance Theatre in Long Beach, CA. Nicole Hogg Co-Artistic Director of Marrow Dance attended Dance Academy USA in the Bay Area and The Dance Company of San Francisco, under the direction of Chris Jacobsen and Sonya Tayeh. Recently she performed for Matthew Tseng in the Debbie Reynolds showcase and with Sonya Tayeh in the "Monsters of Hip Hop" showcase. Nicole completed her BA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. Ms. Hogg teaches dance and movement at the Orange County High School of the Performing Arts, The Music Room, Studio Fusion and at Pure Barre in Newport Beach. Jason Gorman Co-Artistic Director of Marrow Dance started dancing at the age of 11 with the Celtic Gold Academy of Irish Dance in California. He competed until age 15 winning numerous regional and national titles. While attending high school in Long Beach, CA, Jason's passion for movement expanded to ballet and jazz in a program that allowed him to grow technically as a dancer as well as a choreographer. At age 16 he left to join the cast of Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance in Las Vegas where he performed the title role for 4 years before joining a touring cast where he performed for another 6 years touring internationally. He also performed and trained with Nate Hodges RhetOracle Dance Company. He is currently on faculty at studios throughout Orange County and Los Angeles. www.facebook.com/marrowdance

Artistic Director of Mizerany Dance, Michael Mizerany studied dance at Southern Illinois University from 1981-1986 and joined the Modern America Dance Company (MAD/CO) for three seasons. Mr. Mizerany moved to Los Angeles to dance with Loretta Livingston & Dancers, and in 1996 joined The Bella Lewitzky Dance Company for its final season of touring. In 1998, he relocated to San Diego to dance for Malashock Dance and served as its Associate Artistic Director until 2013. Mr. Mizerany has choreographed extensively, including two critically acclaimed works for Diversionary Theater, Far From Eden and Let Me Into Your Skin. His work is in the repertory of Malashock Dance, Michigan Dance Collective and MAD/CO. Mr. Mizerany has choreographed for the musical theater productions of: Altar Boyz (Diversionary Cabaret), Chicago: A Speakeasy Cabaret, Grey Gardens and A Midsummer Night's Fever (Ion Theatre), Carnival! and Suds (The Coronado Playhouse). He also is the producer of the Diversionary Theatre's annual dance series Hot Guys Dancing! He conceived, directed and choreographed the smash hit Miss Kitty's Wild West Revue for Diversionary Cabaret. Michael has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including two Lester Horton Dance Awards for his solos Tin Soldier and Bump in the Road, the LA Stage Scene Scenie Award for Outstanding Choreography for Altar Boyz, and the Bravo San Diego Award for Outstanding Choreographer of 2012. Most recently, Michael was nominated for a Craig Noel Theater Award for Outstanding Choreography for Altar Boyz. This performance for Celebrate Dance 2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of his iconic modern dance masterpiece, Tin Soldier.

Since it's inception in 2011, SoleVita Dance Company, has forged a bold path in the Los Angeles dance scene. In 2013 SoleVita participated in, Celebrate Dance, The L.A. Philharmonic 10th Anniversary Gala, Ignite Dance Workshops, Pasadena Dance Festival, Nancy Evans Dance Theatre, and performed their annual repertoire show MoveMeant at the Madrid Theatre. SoleVita dancers and Joelle Martinec's choreography are featured in music videos for Adjoa Skinner's The Sun and Recession Song, Ashley Chambliss's music video for My Universe and Brad Stanley and the Foxflies' music video for Tik Tok Nation. Joelle and SoleVita have released three independent short dance based films produced by Ginger Sole Productions. Dancer, founder, and Artistic Director, Joelle Martinec, can be seen in the feature films, The Big Lebowski, A Time For Dancing and in the award winning music video It's Ohh So Quiet. Recently Joelle was featured as The Business Woman on the GLEE episode titled Feud. Lewis Segal of the Los Angeles Times called Ms. Martinec's solo performance for Liz Imperio's Instincts Live Media Dance Company "feisty". SoleVita Dance Company is thrilled to be taking the Celebrate Dance Stage for a second year. www.solevitadance.com

Eileen Cooley, Lighting Designer and Production Manager, received her Master's Degree in Choreography from UCLA and uses that as the foundation for her work as a lighting designer specializing in dance. She currently creates designs for such companies as Regina Klenjoski Dance Company, Danza Floricanto/USA, Rangoli Foundation, Francisco Martinez Dance Theatre, Pennington Dance Group, Everybody Dance!, Shakti Foundation, Westside Ballet, and the National Children's Chorus. She has been honored with ten Lester Horton Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting for Dance and the Gary Bates Award for Service to the Los Angeles Dance Community. This will be Ms. Cooley's 9th year as Lighting Designer/Production Manager for Celebrate Dance.

Executive Producer Jamie Nichols has been critically acclaimed for the emotional intensity and eloquence of her dancing and choreography as Artistic Director of the contemporary dance company, Fast Feet (1980-2003). "A memorable performance for its depth of feeling" "remarkable gestural detail" "galvanizing" from The Los Angeles Times, and "She's not quite Google, but producer Jamie Nichols certainly is a one-woman search engine for anyone who wants to know about the L.A. dance scene…"Ann Haskins - LA Weekly, aptly describes Jamie Nichols. Ms. Nichols is the recipient of 6 Lester Horton Dance Awards for Outstanding Achievement, The Lester Horton Furthering the Visibility of Dance Award and the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles Meritorious Award for Outstanding & Extensive Years of Service. As Executive Producer of Celebrate Dance since 2006 she has presented over 40 dance companies at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California to critical acclaim by press and audience alike. She has served on multiple boards, committees, panels for grants awardees, and mentored dance companies. She has also been an adjudicator for the Palm Desert International Choreography Festival, worked as a publicist for dance companies, and has produced a variety of dance events in Los Angeles. Ms. Nichols currently teaches theatre movement and dance for actors at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, and contemporary dance at Live Arts Los Angeles, and is in demand as a master teacher. www.celebratedance.org
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