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Dance Under the Influence Returns To MAD's Theater

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Following last year's sold-out inaugural season, Dance Under the Influence returns with a schedule packed with groundbreaking newcomers and icons of contemporary dance. Revealing the interplay between dance and other artistic disciplines, Dance Under the Influence provides a platform for innovators in tap, flamenco, postmodern dance, Indian classical dance, and a variety of cross-disciplinary dance forms. Each night in the Theater at MAD several choreographers present works full of excitement, humor, and beauty. After the performances, the dancers engage with the audience in a post-performance question-and-answer session. Together these elements not only showcase some of the best of today's contemporary dance, but also explore the artistic process behind each choreographer's creative endeavor.

Among the performers returning to the series for an encore are the renowned tap dancer and choreographer Jason Samuels Smith and flamenco artist Nelida Terido. Notable newcomers are Kathak master Prashant Shah and modern African fusion dancer Khaleah London, along with the celebrated Stephen Petronio and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater II Company.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Dance Under the Influence is guest-curated by Valerie Gladstone.

Music by Jonathan Batiste for the March 30th and 31st performances commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation.

All programs will be held in MAD's Theater at 7:30 pm.
All tickets $20 General, $12 MAD Members and Students with Valid ID.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

March 2 and 3, 2012—NIGHTS OF RHYTHM
Juan de Juan, Jason Samuels Smith, Prashant Shah, Nelida Tirado, with guest musicians

Juan de Juan, one of the world's leading flamenco dancers, started his career in the company of the great Antonio Canales. He formed his own troupe in 2004, bringing it to the Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Hong Kong and Athens festivals, as well as to New York's City Center.

The choreographer/dancer Jason Samuels Smith has appeared on "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing with The Stars," and starred in the Tony Award-winning Broadway show "Bring in Da'Noise, Bring in Da'Funk." With his own tap company A.C.G.I (Anybody Can Get It), he tours the world with "India Jazz Suites" and "Charlie's Angels: A Tribute to Charlie Parker."

Prashant Shah spent over 25 years training with Padma Bhushan, a world-renowned Kathak (Indian Classical Dance) exponent and founder of the Kadamb Centre for Dance and Music in Ahmedabad, India. Dubbed the "Fred Astaire of Kathak" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Shah has toured Asia, Europe, and the United States as a solo artist as well as a leading dancer of the Kadamb company.

The flamenco artist Nelida Tirado has performed at theaters and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia and with major companies such as Noche Flamenca and Compania Maria Pages. She had top billing in the Broadway hit show "Riverdance." Also an accomplished Latin dancer, she worked with Tito Puente and performed with him for President Bush at the Ford Theater in Washington, D.C.

March 30 and 31, 2012
Jonah Bokaer, Holley Farmer, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company II and Jared Grimes and Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards in a new work with original music by pianist and composer Jonathan Batiste

Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards has been in almost every major tap movie or show that has appeared since the '80's. Her career includes roles in "Black and Blue" and the Tony Award-winning "Bring In Da'Noise, Bring In Da'Funk," as well as the film, "TAP" with Gregory Hines.

Jared Grimes has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Gregory Hines, Jerry Lewis, Fayard Nicholas and for President Obama and Senator Ted Kennedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His theater credits include "The Scottsboro Boys," "Sammy," and "Broadway Underground," which he directed.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company II. New artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Robert Battle has had his works performed by the Ailey company as well as by his own troupe, Battleworks. He was honored as one of the Masters of African American Choreography by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2005.

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