(LAMBERTVILLE, NJ) -- Roxey Ballet kicked off National Dance Week (April 20-28) with a moving Celebrating Diversity performance that weaved monologues with dance, music and projected images. It was performed for special needs students in Hamilton Township and the response was enthusiastic as the students cheered and clapped and some even took the stage to dance with the performers. The administration was also moved by the performance and the student reaction.
“This program was created in 1996 but has become more relevant today than ever before. The explored themes of MLK and the Holocaust as well as the themes of bullying and exclusion has become a necessity to address in our current school environment. We are really delighted to bring this project into Hunterdon County and we are looking forward to sharing it with other districts as well as businesses and communities,” said Mark Roxey. The weekend was spent inviting administrators and educators to preview the program, so they have a better sense of what Roxey Education Assemblies are offering.
Roxey is continuing the celebration this week by opening its doors and welcoming the community every way possible from Bring A Friend to class any day this week at its affiliated ballet school, Mill School Ballet to their Brown Bag and Ballet where groups, individuals, seniors and local businesses are invited to spend the afternoon with Roxey. They can take a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that goes into Roxey ballet’s works, talk with the dancers and preview the main stage show in rehearsals.
Celebrating Diversity is also headed to Branchburg Middle in NJ to perform and speak to the students and staff there about inclusion and celebrating our differences and then we are bringing the show home to Lambertville’s Shad Fest. We will be opening the studios doors to all the participants of Shad Fest by offering free previews of the Diversity show from 1:45-2:45pm and Mowgli, The Jungle Book, our Main Stage performance from 3:00-6:00pm. All are welcome!
Coming Soon- Roxey Ballet Presents "Mowgli," The Jungle Book Balley on May 5-6. Performances are at The College of New Jersey's Kendall Hall. Roxey Ballet presents three family-friendly performances of “Mowgli” at The College of New Jersey's Kendall Hall on May 5 and 6. This full-length ballet based on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, tells the story of a young boy raised by a wolf pack in India. These performances, featuring original choreography by Mark Roxey, run Saturday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. (Sensory-Friendly) and 4:00 p.m. and again on Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. “Mowgli” is a part of Roxey Ballet's annual Children's Classic Stories series.
Roxey Ballet's interpretation of The Jungle Book closely follows the narrative set out by Kipling with all the story's most memorable characters; Mowgli (the boy), Kaa (the python), Baloo (the bear), Bagherra (the black panther), and many other jungle characters are introduced through the action.
"Reading Kipling's book again and again as a child, and now with my own kids, I always knew it would provide a treasure-trove of material to set to movement and music, with lavish sets and colorful animal costumes," explained Mark Roxey, founder and director of Roxey Ballet.
"Mowgli" features Roxey Ballet's company dancers alongside dance students and pre-professional dancers from the community. "The Children's Classic Stories are an incredible opportunity each year for dance students in the community, some as young as 5 years-old, to audition for a ballet and then to experience all the rigors and rewards of professional dance," said Melissa Roxey, co-founder of Roxey Ballet and director of the Mill Ballet School in Lambertville. The auditions were held in January.
Roxey Ballet offers a Sensory-Friendly performance of “Mowgli” for audience members with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other sensitivity issues or special needs on Saturday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m. This performance features lower sound and lighting levels, the elimination of potentially startling special effects, relaxed house rules so audience members may move throughout the theater as needed, the availability of fidget objects and earplugs as well as activity areas in the lobby. Certified staff, ushers and volunteers from a wide variety of autism service agencies, schools and organizations are on hand for this performance. Tickets for the Sensory-Friendly matinee are $20.00.
Kendall Hall is located on the campus of The College of New Jersey at 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, New Jersey.
General admission seating may be purchased online at www.RoxeyBallet.org or by phone at (609) 397-7616. Tickets range from $20.00 to $50.00.
Roxey Ballet is a world class, all-inclusive contemporary ballet company that uses dance to build community and cultural bridges. The company maintains a full schedule of local, national and international touring. Based in Lambertville, New Jersey, Roxey Ballet was incorporated in 1995 as a New Jersey non-profit organization whose mission is to deliver artistic and cultural excellence through professional dance performances, residencies, educational programs, workshops and master classes. The company takes pride in its multicultural and all-inclusive organization, fostering a creative environment of growth for all. Roxey Ballet is fully accessible to those with disabilities.
Roxey Ballet's programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Merck Foundation, Hunterdon County Cultural & Heritage Commission, and individuals and businesses.
