Centenary Stage’s Dance Fest highlights New Jersey dance companies
HACKETTSTOWN — Through the support of the New Jersey based Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Centenary Stage Company (CSC) will be hosting the annual Dance Fest running March 30 through April 11. This year’s Dance Fest will feature the talents of Lustig Dance Theatre, The Art of Motion Dance Theatre and moe-tion dance theater all on the Sitnik Stage in the Lackland Center.
Lustig Dance Theatre
Lustig Dance Theatre is bringing two family friendly dance pieces on Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. Lustig offers performances of high artistic quality imbued with virtuosity, energy, dynamics, and humanity that establish a meaningful connection with audiences. Artistic Director Graham Lustig has found his niche in the dance world by weaving storytelling and ballet into dynamic dance theatre pieces.
This performance will feature two of Lustig’s popular repertory shows, “Jangala” and “Torch.”
“Jangala” mixes classical Indian dance and ballet in an urban jungle to re-tell the familiar stories found in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”.
“Torch” is an exploration of modern torch songs by contemporary song writers reflecting the urban experience of young individuals seeking, finding, and sometimes losing loving relationships. The songs are performed live by a vocalist and guitarist.
The Art of Motion Dance Theatre
The Art of Motion Dance Theatre (AOM) performs on Saturday, April 5 at 8 p.m. AOM is a repertory company performing original works by Artistic Directors, Olivia Galgano and Lynn Needle and Guest Artists. Dancers study regularly at AOM and join the company by invitation. AOM has toured theaters throughout the country.
A special project using dancers from Centenary College and local high schools will also be featured in a segment about Breast Cancer Awareness entitled “BRCA1/Genome,” named after the gene mutation that has been found to lead to some forms of breast cancer. The music for “BCA1/Genome” was written by Dr. Linda Marcel, Professor of Music at Bergen County Community College and Instructor for Tor Vergata through the University of Rome.
Ruth Grauert, a 1935 graduate of Centenary College and a recent Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters recipient, will be the lighting designer for this project. Breast cancer survivors in the audience will also be acknowledged on the April 5 performance.
moe-tion dance theater
moe-tion dance theater returns to close out CSC’s Dance Fest on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. moe-tion is a contemporary modern dance company based in New Jersey. Under the artistic direction of Maureen Glennon, the company is dedicated to experimenting and creating new forms of expression. It seeks to promote an inclusive vision of the arts through the language of modern dance, painting, sculpture, photography, literature and live music creating productions that expose the community to multiple art forms in one event.
To further this mission, Glennon will also be hosting a Day of Dance including free workshops focusing on modern dance, improvisation, and musical theatre dance from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 11. Day of Dance participants may purchase tickets for that evening’s performance for $10.
All Dance Fest tickets are $20 for adults, $17.50 for seniors/students, and $10 for children under 12. A Flex Pass to attend all three performances is available for $37.50. Dance Fest is sponsored in part by the North Jersey School of Dance Arts.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.centenarystageco.org, at the CSC Box Office in The Lackland Center at 715 Grand Ave in Hackettstown, or by calling 908-979-0900. The box office is open Monday through Friday 1 to 5 p.m.