BalaSole Dance Co. to present ‘MEZCLA’

BalaSole Dance Company Guest ArtistRoberto Villanueva, founder and artistic director of BalaSole Dance Company, will soon present its 19th NYC Season Concert. MEZCLA is a new program of solos in a broad range of dance styles, music choices and artistic voices. This concert will be presented on August 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. at Ailey Citigroup Theater and will include a solo performance by guest artist Nicole Corea, member of the world-renowned Lar Lubovitch Dance Company.

 

Past BalaSole participants include artists from other prominent companies such as the Limón Dance Company, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Martha Graham Dance Company, Parsons Dance, Lucinda Childs Dance, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, Philadanco, The Isadora Duncan Dance Company and Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.

 

At this month’s concert, BalaSole will feature the following soloists in addition to Nicole Corea: Kayla Affrunti, Laura Assante, Donterreo Culp, Noelle Dave, Aurora Hastings, Misaki Hayama, Mikael Jaworshi, Benji Martin Jr., Ashley Rossi and Lauren Settembrino. 

 

Villanueva explains, “I created BalaSole because I believed it was time for a multi-ethnic organization that would open its doors to dance artists of all genres, styles, artistic expressions, shapes, sizes, ages and background.”

 

BalaSole, described as a “hybrid creature – part dance company and part showcase,” is perhaps the only dance company of its kind in the U.S. with a mission to address the gaps in the field of concert dance. The company’s artists are provided artistic freedom and mentored to find and hone their own voices. Diversity and individuality are the keywords of the organization, which has mentored and given performance opportunities to over 160 dancers/choreographers since 2010.  The company has presented seasons at Baryshnikov Arts Center’s Jerome Robbins Theater, Ailey Citigroup Theater, New York Live Arts, BAM and Tribeca Performing Arts Center. BalaSole is the resident company of Mount Saint Vincent College in Riverdale, NY.

 

For more information, or to book tickets to MEZCLA, visit www.balasoledance.org

 

Photo: Nicole Corea. Photo by Steven Rose in 2012, at the Lois Greenfield Workshop.