On Our Toes in the
Hamptons, the annual performance and
fundraising gala featuring Evidence, A Dance
Company one of the world’s premier
professional dance companies, returns for
the sixth year. Founded by Ronald K. Brown,
Evidence, A Dance Company is rooted in
African dance fusing Contemporary, Jazz and
Ballet with the rhythms and sounds of the
African Diaspora and Caribbean cultures. The
late afternoon gala will take place at the
Watermill residence of The Honorable Bernard
Jackson & Joyce Mullins-Jackson Saturday
August 22 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.
Former CBS’ “The Early Show”
co-anchor & best-selling author Rene Syler
will be the event’s emcee. Media Sponsor is
Hamptons.com.
In just six
years, On Our Toes in The Hamptons, the
dream of Susan L. Taylor (author & Editorial
Director Emerita Essence Magazine) and
Reginald Van Lee (Sr. V.P., Booz Allen
Hamilton) in bringing Black culture to the
Hamptons, has evolved to become the only
continuous, major African American cultural
event of the Hamptons summer season. The
mission of Evidence is to promote
understanding of the African Diaspora
through dance and storytelling
Alicia Bythewood of Sag
Harbor and New York is Chairman of what has
become the premiere African American
cultural event of the season. Her committee
includes fashion designer b Michael, Harriet
Michel, Brian and Mira Mullins, Donna
Williams. Reginald Van Lee, Neil R. Lowe,
Joyce Mullins-Jackson, Reggie Canal, Leslie
Mays, Zaid Abdul-Aleem, Dwayne Ashley,
Monica F. Azare, Joanne E. Hill, Andrea
Hoffman, Sandra D. Jackson-Dumont, James
Sullivan, Jocelyn Taylor, Ancy Verdier
and Lisa B. Walker.
Now
celebrating its 24th year,
EVIDENCE, A Dance Company under the
direction of founder, choreographer and
dancer Ronald K. Brown has grown to become
the pre-eminent African American dance
company in the world. The company has
garnered critical acclaim internationally
and extraordinary praise for its creator.
“Ronald K. Brown has emerged as one the
strongest, most distinctive choreographers
around” noted John Rockwell in the New York
Times (February 9, 2006).
.
Unusually
sensitive to the human condition, Brown
creates dances that attest to life’s
struggles but continue to connect the
individual to community with promises of
redemption. New York Times dance critic Anna
Kisselgoff noted “his themes are spiritual,
even those who do not believe that there is
a promised land might agree that Mr. Brown
makes a journey in that direction look
persuasive and powerful.” She went on to add
“Brown has moved into a class by himself.”
The company
will celebrate its 25th season in
2010. Highlights include a four-week tour to
Africa sponsored by the U.S. State
Department and performances at the Vancouver
International Dance Festival.
The late
afternoon event will feature cocktails
courtesy of Moet Hennessey; hors d’oeuvres
and several Paella stations from The Seafood
Shop of Wainscott; silent & live auctions of
luxury items and one-of-a-kind packages
auction, performances by the company and
dancing with the dancers. Select auction
items will be available for advance bidding
on
www.CharityBuzz.com. The event is
coordinated by The JFM Group.
Tickets are
$250 & $500: Sponsor packages are $25,000,
$15,000, $10,000, $7,500, $5,000 and $2,500.
For tickets and sponsorships contact
Alexandra Diaz, JFM Group at
914.235.1490 ex. 16
or
alexd@thejfmgroup.com. For more
information on Evidence, A Dance Company and
the event visit
www.evidencedance.com
The Performance Program for On Our Toes in
The Hamptons will include the following:
FOR YOU
(2003)
Choreography by Ronald K. Brown; Music by
Donny Hathaway “A Song For You” ; Music
performed by Gordon Chambers; Costumes by
Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya .Performed by Ronald K.
Brown. “For You” was originally
choreographed in memory of Stephanie
Reinhart, co-director of the American Dance
Festival. A tribute to all of those we have
loved and lost too early in their journeys.
WALKING OUT THE DARK
(excerpt,
2002)
Choreography Ronald K. Brown; Music
performed by Farai Malianga; Costumes by
Carolyn Meckha Cherry. Performed by Tiffany
Quinn, Clarice Young, Arcell Cabuag, Otis
Donovan Herring.
Walking
Out the Dark
was co-commissioned by the American Dance
Festival with support form the Doris Duke
Awards for New Work and Philip Morris
Companies, Inc., the Bessie Schonberg/First
Light Commissioning program of New York’s
Dance Theatre Workshop with funds from the
Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation and the
Greenwall Foundation with additional funds
provided by Chase Manhattan Bank; the
National Endowment for the Arts; the Aaron
Davis Hall Fund for New Work, and The
University of Texas at Austin Topfer
Endowment for the Performing Arts.
Walking
Out the Dark
was made possible by the Doris Duke Fund for
Dance of the National Dance Project, a
program administered by the New England
Foundation for the Arts with funding from
the National Endowment for the Arts, the
Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation, and the Philip Morris
Companies, Inc.
About Evidence, A Dance
Company
The mission
of Evidence, Inc. is to promote
understanding of the human experience in the
African Diaspora through dance and
storytelling. The Company’s performances
provide sensory connections to history and
tradition through music, movement, and
spoken word, leading deeper into issues of
spirituality, community responsibility and
liberation. In addition to public
performances, Evidence sponsors outreach
programs, workshops, master classes and
educational activities for dance enthusiasts
of all ages.
Evidence,
A Dance Company is a Brooklyn-based
nonprofit organization founded by
Choreographer and Artistic Director Ronald
K. Brown. The company tours to some 30
communities around the world annually. It
has also traveled overseas to Cuba, Brazil,
England, France, Greece, Hungary, Mexico and
Senegal to perform, teach master classes and
conduct lecture / demonstrations for young
people. Evidence will celebrate its 25th
anniversary season in 2010. Highlights
include a special four-week tour to Africa,
sponsored by the U.S. State Department and
performances at the Vancouver International
Dance Festival, sponsored in part by the
Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Para Olympic
Winter Games, among other events.
Evidence, A
Dance Company Credits:
CHOREOGRAPHER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,
Ronald K.
Brown
ASSOCIATE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, Arcell Cabuag; THE
COMPANY: Ronald K. Brown, Arcell Cabuag,
Otis Donovan Herring, Tiffany Quinn, Clarice
Young; COSTUME DESIGNERS Carolyn Mechka
Cherry, Omotayo Wunmi Olaiya; TECHNICAL
DIRECTOR, Dalila Kee; WARDROBE DIRECTOR,
Carolyn Meckha Cherry.