“It will be a dance festival unlike any other.” Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre proudly presents the “First Annual Cambridge/Boston Dance for World Community Festival”, free and open to the public, on Saturday, June 6, 2009, 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm in Harvard Square, Cambridge, in and around the Old Cambridge Baptist Church (traffic closed to Harvard St. from Ware to Quincy Streets). The dance-based Festival marks the kick-off of Dance for World Community, an exciting new initiative that showcases dance as a powerful force in bringing people together to work and celebrate for a better world.
“As far as we know, the First Annual Dance for World Community Festival is the first event of its kind anywhere,” says Artistic Director Jose Mateo. “Not only will the Festival feature free dance performances and introductory classes in diverse dance forms, it will also connect the dance community and its audiences with the social advocacy agencies that work on everyone’s behalf to improve society and the environment. Dance for World Community is a truly inclusive event and everyone should feel welcome to take part in what will be a great opportunity for wonderful dance experiences and community engagement.”
In collaboration with the City of Cambridge, other arts, civic and social advocacy groups, and with support from the local business community, the Festival will present varied performances by 30 New England dance companies and youth troupes; a full day of introductory classes for adults and children in ethnic, classical and contemporary dance forms; and “Dancing in the Street,” a come-one, come-all block party with live music and entertainment into the night.
Over 30 of Greater Boston’s social advocacy groups will participate in the Festival with informational booths and representatives available to engage the public in their critical work. The Festival uses the power of dance to connect people to the important work being accomplished by social service agencies, environmental organizations, social justice activists and more.
Approximately 10,000 people are expected at the Festival to experience the powerful works by the area’s most accomplished dance companies including Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, Anna Myer and Dancers, Ken Pierce Baroque Dance, and Prometheus Dance, and inspiring youth troupes such as Ritmo en Accion and Triveni Dance Ensemble. Participating social service agencies include The Homelessness Empowerment Project, The Berkana Institute, and The National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce.
Festival partners include the City of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Boston Dance Alliance, the Cambridge Arts Council, the Harvard Square Business Association, and the Interaction Institute for Social Change. Festival sponsors to-date include Wooden Kiwi Productions, Stone Communications, and Grafton Street Restaurant.
Now in its 23rd season, Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre is one of New England’s leading dance organizations. Under the direction of Founder/Artistic Director Jose Mateo – named as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” — it is the area’s premiere producer of new ballets with an extensive repertory of highly acclaimed original works. Since July 2000, the 25-member company has been performing in the beautiful Sanctuary Theatre of the Old Cambridge Baptist Church, a National Historic Landmark, in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre also tours its productions to venues such as The Duxbury Performing Arts Center and the Spingold Theater at Brandeis University in Waltham.
For more information, call (617) 354-7467 or visit us at www.BalletTheatre.org.