Cinderella Goes Back to the Ball, Glass Slippers and All, at Morristown

by Bruce Chadwick - published 2022-05-13

Everybody knows the story of Cinderella. She was the lovable daughter of a cranky, mean, rude, unfair, disgraceful, hateful... did I leave anything out? – stepmother in olden times.

This Saturday at the Hunterdon Art Museum, visitors are invited to a unique experience that brings together the visual and performing arts. Roxey Ballet Company has teamed up with artist Malcolm Mobutu Smith – whose exhibition Evermore Nevermore closes this weekend – and have created an exclusive 45-minute showcase that will be presented outdoors on the Toshiko Takaezu Terrace, overlooking the museum’s iconic view of the Raritan River. (This event is free, but please register to attend.)

(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Carolyn Dorfman Dance returns to SOPAC ((South Orange Performing Arts Center) for a spectacular evening of dance on Saturday, April 23 at 8:00pm. Tickets for the always popular, bold and athletic company are $25.00 and $35.00. Comprised of 11 dancers, the company is known nationally and internationally for emotional resonance, artistic excellence and thrilling entertainment. The evening, which features two new works and one audience favorite, is also the company’s Gala Benefit Performance in support of the organization’s artistic and educational programming. 

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The newly renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show for three performances from April 19-21. This show is a powerful and stirring reinvention of the beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its thrilling Irish and international dance and its Grammy® Award-winning score. Composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerizing soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage, and costume designs.  

(OCEAN, NJ) -- Axelrod Contemporary Ballet Theater (AXCBT) returns to the Axelrod PAC stage the weekend of April 8-10 with suites from “West Side Story,” “An American in Paris,” “The Sound of Music” and more in a new show called “Something’s Coming.” Under the direction of AXCBT director Gabriel Chajnik, “Something’s Coming” will capture iconic moments from 10 favorite movie musicals. The cast includes over a dozen dancers from the AXCBT company as well as special guest dancers from the Sarasota Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, The Ailey School and others. 

by Bruce Chadwick - published 2022-03-22

If you want to visit a cute little forest house made of gingerbread, cake and candy, admire the charm of the woods, like kids, despise witches and enjoy dance, the New Jersey Ballet’s Hansel and Gretel, to be staged this Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, in Morristown, is the ballet for you.

(WAYNE, NJ) -- Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, returns to William Paterson University's Shea Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8:00pm. This performance is part of the University's WP Presents! series. Now celebrating its 46th anniversary season, the Chicago-based International Ensemble Español has been hailed for its grand theatricality, precision-tooled technique, and flamenco-based fire” (Hedy Weiss of Chicago Tonight).  

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- The fully renovated State Theatre New Jersey presents Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 8:00pm. A special pre-performance by local dance troupe, Grupo de Danza Folklórica La Sagrada Familia, will be held in the State Theatre’s Studio for Ballet Folklórico ticket buyers at 7:10pm. Tickets range from $15-$55. 

New Jersey Stage published its 25,000th story in December 2021. As the site approached the milestone, we posed the question on social media as how we should celebrate.  One response was to highlight our favorite stories from over the years.  We liked this idea, but could not narrow things down to just 25 favorites so we will present a favorite each day from different genres. Today we're featuring a story on dance. It is a recap of Dracula performed by The Atlantic City Ballet at Lakewood’s Strand Theater in 2018.

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernández, Mexico’s most revered traditional dance company, presents an afternoon of the music, dance and Mexican folklore at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on Sunday, February 27 at 3:00pm. Tickets range from $29-$69.