Looking Back at Vessels
African Roots Music Theatre World Music World Premieres
Inspiration struck Vessels co-creator Rebecca Mwase when she heard a talk about how millions of enslaved people arrived on these shores with their sanity intact. She immediately thought that song and dance must have played a crucial role. Mwase partnered with Ron Ragin, a singer and composer who focuses on interdisciplinary performance art and music of the African Diaspora, and the two embarked on a four-year journey studying traditional song and dance to create this important work.
Dance eXchange – Free weekly dance classes for youth
Our friends at BalletX are inspiring children to stay active and get dancing! Based on the methodology of the National Dance Institute (NDI) and fueled by the artistry of BalletX, youth in grades K-5 can hop on Zoom to learn some of the basic vocabulary of dance while fostering self-confidence, focus and determination. These FREE classes happen at 3 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays through May and even better, there’s no commitment! Just register once and a Zoom link will be emailed two hours before each class so your kiddo can join whenever they can. Check it out >>
5 Questions with Thomas Kraines & Kinan Abou-afach
Cellist Thomas Kraines and cellist/oudist Kinan Abou-afach are joining forces on our stage on March 4. Kraines has graced our stage numerous times with the Daedalus Quartet, Penn’s quartet-in-residence. Abou-afach, whose musical output champions Arabic and Syrian traditions, was supposed to perform for us alongside the Daedalus Quartet back in April 2020 but that show was cancelled due to the pandemic. We are so excited these excellent musicians will share our stage soon, but first, let’s learn more about this duo in a special 5 Questions double feature.
Laughter, Love and a Lobby
Nearly 50 years ago, the first chapter of a love story was written in our Zellerbach Theatre when our Board member Rick Feintuch, W’74, PAR’05, PAR’08 and his wife Merry Feintuch, W’74, PAR’05, PAR’08 went on their first date, leading to a long-lasting love and friendship. We are happy to share that with a recent gift from the couple, the new Feintuch Family Lobby at the Annenberg Center will officially be dedicated this spring as part of our 50th anniversary celebration.
Digital dance abounds in February
Penn Live Arts Recommends Dance Virtual Stage
Mark Morris Dance Group
Dance On! Video Vault archives
Available now
The Mark Morris Dance Group has reprised its Dance On! series from the summer which features archival collections of Morris’ rarely performed works. This month, two former company members have selected clips and excerpts from Rock of Ages (2004), I Don’t Want to Love (1996), Rhymes With Silver (1997) and V (2001).
Checking in with some family favorites
Circus Family Theatre World Music
5 Questions with Michael Novak
We continue our series aiming to discover more about Annenberg Center artists and others whom we find interesting in only five questions. Today, we hear from Michael Novak, Artistic Director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Novak danced with the company from 2010-2019 and became the second Artistic Director upon the death of Paul Taylor in 2018, working to continue Taylor’s vision and nurture the future of modern dance. Read on to learn more and join us for this beloved company’s performance on February 18, including an interactive, post-show Q&A with Novak himself!
1. What is your earliest memory of dancing?
My earliest memory of dancing was "choreographing" (a term I use loosely) a dance with a friend to a song in their basement to some great tunes from the 80s. We were probably seven or eight years old. I don’t think we had any clue what we were doing, but I remember we had a lot of fun.
Paul Taylor: A Video Retrospective
Esplanade (1975): Footage from 2020
5 Questions with Samara Joy & Pasquale Grasso
Penn Live Arts Debuts Jazz Virtual Stage
She just won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. His guitar technique has garnered high praise from jazz great Pat Metheny. Together, with astonishing talent that belies their youth, Samara Joy and Pasquale Grasso will make their Annenberg Center debut on February 4. In this special double edition of our 5 Questions series, let’s learn more about Samara and Pasquale.Samara Joy:
1. Name a few artists you love that everyone should check out.
Everyone should check out Sarah Vaughan, Phineas Newborn, and Ben Webster, just to name a few.