Shirley Maclaine

 

                        by Linda Amiel Burns

 

“Leave the stage before it leaves you” said ballerina Tamara Karsavina.  At some point in their careers, dancers realize that due to age, an injury or other forces, they must leave the stage and find a new direction.  Career Transition for Dancers, celebrating its 30^th Anniversary, is the sole arts-service organization in the US that’s dedicated to helping dancers into their post-performing years. 

 

On Monday evening, September 28, 2015, a gala Benefit show was held for this fine organization at City Center called,

“30^th Anniversary Pearl Jubilee – a Star-Studded Retrospective.”

4 patrons were honored with the Rolex Dance Awards for outstanding contributions to the world of dance: Andrew Fass, Irene & Fred Shen, and Misty Wideliz who accepted their awards on stage.  It was also announced by Bebe Neuwirth and Brian Stokes Mitchell that CTD would become part of The Actors Fund. This wonderful evening was produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo and hosted by the former prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory.

 

The show opened with a dazzling number called “American Dance Collage”, a brief history of different types of dance written by Ann Marie DeAngelo and Kathleen Fitzgerald. First the American Repertory Ballet performed a hoedown with choreography by Douglas Martin, and then transitioned into a modern ballet and added dancers from the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theatre.  Next came tap with Jason Samuels Smith and then “Jazz” by the Jazz Roots Dance Company, and ended with “Hip Hop Interlude” by The National Dance Institute founded by Jacques d’Amboise, choreographed by Mary Kennedy.

 

                                                   Photos by Richard Termine

 

A special treat was the American Ballet Theatre’s Misty Copeland dancing to the unique choreography of Marcelo Gomes and accompanied by violinist Charles Yang to Paganini’s Caprice in A minor. It was evident why Misty is a star ballerina as the dance showed her great body strength and ease of movement – it was amazing to watch.

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The New York City Ballet was represented with “Ballin’ The Jack” and danced by the remarkable Robert Fairchild, the Tony Award winning star of American in Paris with choreography by Gene Kelly. 

 

 

The treats kept coming as The New York Song & Dance Company led by Noah Racey and troupe first danced acapella with only body slaps and taps to accompany them. Then Nielah Bradley entered singing Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and joined the group in a terrific tap number with choreography by Mr. Racey.  The total effect was absolutely stunning and the audience couldn’t stop applauding this extraordinary dance.

 

Have never seen anything like Parsons Dance “Caught” which was choreographed with lighting concept by David Parsons, Lighting Design by Howell Binkley as Dancer Elena D’Amario danced to Robert Fripp’s “Let The Power Fall.”  Strobe lights were used to create an effect of the Elena flying off the ground as she was “caught” leaping into the air.

 

 

A great audience pleaser was the wonderful Bebe Newirth recreating her roll in Chicago singing “All That Jazz” with a dozen “older” dancers and demonstrating that they still could “strut their stuff.” One of the highlights of the evening was Ballet Tech’s Kids Dance performing KYDZNY, with exciting choreography by Eliot Feld and music performed by Raya Brass Band.

 

 

Two thrilling Spanish dancers, Christopher Gerges and Alena Sentyabreva, represented the Arthur Murray Dance Center.

 

 

Michael Douglas his glamorous wife Catherine Zeta-Jones presented the Benefit’s main honoree Shirley Maclaine with the Rolex Dance Award.

 

 

The legendary Ms. Maclaine came on stage looking every inch a star with that special twinkle and sense of humor that helped her career endure for over 6 decades. She said that “dancers are the athletes of God” and that it takes tremendous discipline and often lonliness to be in this profession.  Jokingly she said that she wasn’t as good as most of the dancers in the show, but she made it because she “photographed well.”

 

 

Kudos to this wonderful organization that has helped dancers transition for the past 30 years and to the hundreds of people involved in making the Pearl Jubilee a truly memorable event.

 

For more info visit: https://www.careertransition.org/