(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Dance students from the Performing Arts School at bergenPAC will take the stage at Carnegie Hall as part of 'A Night of Inspiration.' The event features a mix of music, dance, and spoken word performances from diverse traditions. The production will be held Saturday, December 10 at 8:00pm in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and is led by acclaimed producer, composer, and music director Ray Chew, and co-produced with his wife and business partner Vivian Scott Chew, a global music marketing executive.
Ray Chew has served as music director for American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, and Showtime at the Apollo, and produces special events like the Macy’s Annual Fireworks display and Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting and a special supporting Broadway Cares – One Night Only: The Best of Broadway. He and Vivian also co-produced bergenPAC’s 2021 virtual gala.
“Vivian and Ray Chew are friends, board members at bergenpac, and advocates for arts education, bringing exceptional experiences for all audiences,” Alexander Diaz, Executive Director at bergenPAC, said. “We are honored and humbled to be part of this amazing event.”
The students train at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC with Dance Director, Roberta Mathes, ballet teacher, Yucari Kobayashi, and their stellar NYC professional faculty.
“How excited we are to have this amazing opportunity for our ensemble dancers! It’s going to be an exhilarating experience to perform live at Carnegie Hall with the phenomenal Ray Chew, his 64-piece orchestra and a choir of 150 voices,” Mathes said. “We are so grateful to be a part of this collaborative evening of song, dance & inspiration!”
The evening will feature an all-star roster of artists from around the globe, including Regina Belle, Shirley Caesar, Erica Campbell, Jekalyn Carr, Olen Cesari, Anthony Hamilton, Donald Lawrence, Cantor Azi Schwartz, and Bishop Hezekiah Walker. Dancing with the Stars veteran Val Chmerkovskiy will also perform an original dance number to show solidarity with his fellow Ukrainians suffering through the war with Russia.
Mathes will provide choreography and the students from The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC participating are: Raphaella Bamonte, Tenafly; Maia Brown, Teaneck; Soleil Carayol, Cliffside Park; Naama Faitelson, Englewood; Zahara Grady, Englewood; Gabriela Guadalupe, North Bergen; Makayla La Bode, Paramus; and Kana Lee Torres, Fort Lee.
Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area’s cultural mecca. Housed in a historic Art Deco-style theater boasting one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, bergenPAC attracts a stellar roster of world-class entertainment. The jewel in our crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC – the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that, through programs, classes, outreach, school shows, and main theater presented shows, reach more than 30,000 students and community youth annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, “hands-on” training in music, dance and theater by industry professionals. It is through the ongoing generosity of sponsors, donors, members, and patrons that the not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation bergenPAC and The Performing Arts School are able to thrive and enrich our community.
