BALAM Dance Theatre to Debut Dances of Love: East and West

BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) premieres its new Out & About series program, Dances of Love: East and West, in Fort Lee, New Jersey. This entertaining, family friendly program will be presented at the Fort Lee Public Library, located at 320 Main Street, on Sunday, April 28 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The library is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on the street and in the lot behind the library building on Hoym Street. For directions and further information, contact the Fort Lee Public Library at 201-592-3615.

"These magical works, with their sumptuous costuming, reflective of their courtly and culturally celebratory heritages, will enchant audiences of all ages. They will experience a vibrant array of culturally diverse dance gems presented by the romantic eloquence of BALAM Dance Theatre's performers," said Carlos Fittante, Artistic Director, BALAM Dance Theatre.

Global Performance

BALAM, a New York City-based company, offers a new vision of contemporary dance by combining diverse cultural dance styles from around the world and time periods with Balinese theatre. This latest cross-cultural program features these artists from Indonesia, Japan and the United States: Nani Devi, Toshinori Hamada, Yumiko Niimi, Carlos Fittante, Robin Gilbert and guest cellist Lisa Terry, Artistic Director of Parthenia, A Consort of Viols. Performers will dance in beautiful vibrantly colored traditional and fusion costumes.

The program spotlights a range of dance forms and movements from around the world. These include Oleg Tambulilingan (Love Dance of the Bumblebees), a scintillating Balinese courtship dance, and Hagoromo (Angel Dance), a Japanese Noh Theatre masked solo dance. The Gran Chacona, a whimsical duet, transports the audience to 19th century Andalusia in Spain utilizing the Chacona, a wildly popular music and dance from the 18th century, with original choreography using the Spanish Escuela Bolera technique and castanets. A live music segment offers excerpts from Sebastian Bach’s acclaimed Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major.

BALAM Dance Theatre debuts the newly commissioned salsa duet, Fantasia de Amor, choreographed by master salsero (salsa dance expert) Carlos Konig. This piece is performed with music by Venezuelan salsa singer Eric Franchesky. The audience will also be invited to learn and try some movements.

Out & About Series

The company educates the community about dances and cultures throughout the world. Through its Out & About Series, free and affordable performances, workshops and creative events at the grassroots level are made available for families, children, students and community residents.

For further information, call 646-361-9183 or visit BALAM Dance Theatre online, follow the company on Facebook, and check for updates on Twitter.