To kick-off its 45th season, Desert Dance Theatre presents “Cool Desert Night: An Evening of Music & Dance” featuring special guest jazz pianist, Charles Lewis. The evening will include: music and dance collaborations as well as some oldies but goodies. We will bring back “blasts from the past” interdisciplinary music and dance repertory of Crossroads Performance Group and Step’s Junk Funk. There will also be a raffle and silent auction to help us to continue “Dancing into the Future.”
Special Guest Artist, Charles Lewis:
Jazz pianist, Charles Lewis has lived and performed in Arizona since the early 1950s. Born in Philadelphia in 1933, local jazz legend Lewis began playing piano at age seven, and was greatly influenced by musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nat King Cole. He started his Arizona career playing at the South 7th Avenue Elks Club in Phoenix, which is now a historic African American landmark. He eventually formed his own band, The Charles Lewis Quintet. He is an Arizona treasure in the artistic and music community and was an Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame inductee.
About Desert Dance Theatre:
Desert Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance theatre company that was founded in 1979. The company has performed and/or toured Arizona, Mexico, Texas, California, Nevada, Vermont, New York, and New Mexico. Their most recent residency and performances were in Havana, Cuba. Its Artist-in-Residence and Arts-in-Education programs include a variety of quality programs offered to schools and communities that are inspiring, entertaining and educational, including: master classes, lecture demonstrations and performances.
Desert Dance Theatre has an eclectic variety of dances in the current repertory, which range from classical, comical, abstract and theatrical. The company specializes in theme-related programs that focus on cultural diversity, social issues and about the lives of prominent people who have fought for freedom in America through its music/dance/drama productions such as “Free At Last” (Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), “Sister Moses: The Story of Harriet Tubman,” “Judgments” (a commentary on racial and social issues), and “The Raina Project” (a commentary on teen violence). The company has also collaborated with String Sounds (string quartet), touring and performing over thousands of children’s programs in elementary schools since 1985.
Through its Guest Choreographer Series, the company also performs commissioned works by choreographers of national and international acclaim. The new works continue to enhance the diversity of the current repertory. DDT has performed commissioned dance works by choreographers: Roni Koresh, H.T. Chen, Dian Dong, Cliff Keuter, Neta Pulvermacher, Bill Evans, Phyllis Haskell, Joan Woodbury, Laurie Eisenhower, Frances Ethel Smith Cohen, Anandha Ray and many local choreographers.
Website: www.DesertDanceTheatre.org Facebook: facebook.com/DesertDanceTheatreAZ Twitter: twitter.com/DesertDanceAZ
Instagram: instagram.com/DesertDanceTheatreAZDesert Dance
Ticket Info:
https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/31665148/desert-dance-theatre-presentscool-desert-night-tempe-tempe-center-for-the-arts-
TCA Box Office: 480-480-350-2822
Website: tempecenterforthearts.com
VIP Preferred Seating, Ticket Discounts and Group Rates available. Contact to inquire: Lisa at 602-740-9616 (Text or Leave Voice Message)
