BALAM Dance Theatre: 2019 Calendar of Events

Calendar in Chronological Order

Thursday, January 10. 1:15-2:00 p.m. FREE

Period Works by and about Women presented by GEMS Midtown Concerts

The Chapel St. Bartholomews Church, 50th St and Park Avenue, NYC

Lisa Terry-viola da gamba,

Maureen Murchie-Baroque violin,

Adam Cockerham-theorbo,

Inma Heredia-actor, and

Carlos Fittante-Baroque choreographer/dancer

Friday and Saturday, January 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. Sunday, January 20 at 3 p.m. Tickets: $35-$68

Bach & Beyond presented by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Belding Theater at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT 06106

Lisa Rautenberg conductor and associate concertmaster, Leonid Sigal conductor and concertmaster

Enjoy an eclectic program of period and popular music featuring the Baroque choreography La Follia with Robin Gilbert and Carlos Fittante, guest Baroque dancers

Wednesday, February 6, 7:05-8:05 p.m. Baroque Dance Masterclass

EYEONTHEARTS, graduate students dance history course, Hunter College, taught by Celia Ipiotis

Sunday, February 17, 3 p.m. St Luke's in the Field Music Concert

Directed by Leah Nelson, Carlos Fittante plays castanets

Thursday, February 21, 4-6 p.m. Balinese Dance Performance and Masterclass

World Dance, NYU's Gallatin School of Independent Study taught by Kathy Posin

Wednesday, February 27, 10:00-1:00 p.m. Baroque and Spanish Escuela Bolera Masterclass

Dance History course at Hunter College taught by Lori Brungard

Saturday and Sunday, March 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Sarabande. Presented at All Saints Church, Princeton, NJ and Trinity Episcopal Church, Solebury, PA, respectively, by La Fiocco. BALAM's Robin Gilbert and Carlos Fittante, guest Baroque dancers

Monday-Wednesday, April 22-24. Guest Teaching and a Lecture-Performance Oswego State University of New York.

BALAM conducts masterclasses in Somatics, Maskwork, Spanish Escuela Bolera, Baroque and Balinese dance, culminating with a lecture on Balinese culture and a performance of Terunajaya.

Sunday, April 28 at 2 p.m. Dances of Love, East and West. FREE

Fort Lee Public Library, Fort Lee, NJ. 320 Main Street, Fort Lee, NJ 07024. (201)-592-3615

BEMF Chamber Opera Series: VERSAILLES: Portrait of a Royal Domain

Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 8 p.m. New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall Boston, MA. Friday, June 21, 2019, at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22, 2019, at 3 p.m. Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA.

Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 4pm, Venetian Theater, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

Carlos Fittante, Baroque choreographer and dancer

Shakespeare Downtown presents Hamlet. Thursdays-Sundays, June 13-16 and 20-23 at 6:30 p.m. FREE at the Castle Clinton National Monument located in The Battery in Lower Manhattan, NYC, featuring a pantomime choreographed by BALAM for The Dumb Show within the play.

Friday-Saturday, September 6-7 at 7:30. Temujin: The Silk Road. $20

A Luna Negra Production

WOW Cafe Theatre, 59-61 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Ave.), doorbell 6, 4th Floor. New York, NY 10003. 917-725-1482

Monday-Wednesday, October 7-9. BALAM offers a Baliense dance residency at the University of Vermont featuring lecture, masterclass, and performance in Balinese dance offered to the courses World Dance and Sex, Gender, and Social Dance.

Sunday, November 3. 3-4 p.m. $20, $15 (students and seniors)

Fiesta: A Celebration of Dance and Music

Marblehead School of Ballet

115 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA 01945

Featuring: Inma Heredia, Robin Gilbert, Ryan Closs, and Carlos Fittante

• Toccata Arpegiata (1604) by Johann Kaspberger with Ryan Closs on theorbo,

• Eden’s Mandala, a fusion masked duet of Balinese, Baroque, and ballet dance,

• Que Viva España, a popular traditional Spanish song sung in English and Spanish, and

• Codex Martinez Compañon Trujillo, Peru (1785) / Peruvian Colonial Dances

Saturday, November 9, 10-12:30. FREE

Baroque Dance Masterclass

Princeton University

Friday, November 22, 7:30 p.m., FREE

Early Music Princeton with Carlos Fittante and Caitlin Klinger, guest Baroque dancers

Corelli Sonata 10 in F Major: Preludio, Alemanda, Sarabanda, Gavotta, Giga

Taplin Auditorium, Fine Hall. Princeton University

Dec 2019, Karenki Celebration by Invitation, FREE

Rudolf Steiner Bookstore & Anthroposophy Center, 138 West 15th St, NYC

Toshinori Hamada's Karenki Celebration with guest artists Jazz Floutist Lew Tabackin, Noh actor Takashi Kawase, and Baroque dance by Carlos Fittante in Yume Komachi with Sumie Keneko on koto.

Friday-Sunday, December 13-15. 7:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. $15-$45
The Christmas Show
St. George Theatre
35 Hyatt Street
Staten Island, NY 10301
Box Office: 718.442.2900
Email: info@sgtr.org

About BALAM

BALAM has performed throughout the United States and internationally at renowned venues such as: Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, American Museum of Natural History, and the Bali International Arts Festival. Its work has received acclaim from audiences, critics, scholars, and dignitaries alike, including critical praise mentioned in the New York Times, Village Voice, and endorsements from the Indonesian Consulate of New York, and the Governor of Bali.

The company's long standing interest in dance research, along with its extensive collection of Balinese masks, and cutural costumes and props, make it a resource for educators, artists, and scholars.

The Deeper Meaning of the "Ramayana"

By Shelley Lynne Cummins, www.jaisriyogis.com/

Shelley Lynne Cummins is a yoga and Oneness Blessing trainer, as well as a dancer.

The first two limbs in the eight fold path of yoga are the Yamas, Awareness of the obstacles in life, and Niyamas, cultivating practices to remove the obstacles. As these limbs are activated in harmony, a balance or zero point arrives allowing causality to permeate. The classic tale of the Ramayana is a perfect depiction of this inner balance Of polarities producing unity.

As a dancer and yogini, I have had the great opportunity to study and dance the Ramayana for many years. Every time I enter into this great epic, new realizations are found. It is likened to the dance of day, going to sleep and awaking again in the morning for a new play. Amidst the routines of life subtle realizations appear as the mystery of unity Dances around in the unseen worlds.

A yogini's reflection of this great great tale.

The Ramayana is the story of the divine marriage within. It is everyone's story with all the players aspects of their self. The story begins with a happy and harmonious marriage of Sita and Rama. Sita symbolizes the balanced female and Rama the balanced male within each individual.

One day Sita is enticed by a golden deer into the cave of the evil demon, Rawana.

The capture of Sita is a metaphor of the ego consciousness trying to gain control over the potential of all. The golden deer represents the possible deception and false allure of the illusion of this physical plane.

Upon hearing the news of Sita's capture, Rama gives his golden ring to Hanuman the Monkey King. He orders Hanuman to deliver the ring to Sita so she will know help is on the way.

Here Rama embodies his higher masculine qualities of protection of the unseen and the absolute creation which lives in his word.

The ring symbolizes the circle of light around the body, known as the merkabah or golden carriage of light.

Hanuman the Monkey King represents our monkey mind constantly chattering. As our mind unites with the purpose of reinstalling causality, it becomes a servant of the heart. In service Hanuman flies across the ocean to deliver the ring to Sita. He is able to tap into the One Heart Mind And use his merkabah to transport himself where needed.

Hanuman delivers the ring to Sita and upon his return tells Rama of her whereabouts. Rama goes to fight the evil demon, Rawana, for the release of Sita.

Rama is fighting the ultimate battle of light and dark in order to regain the feminine intuitive, All knowing, nurturing life force. The light always wins as it illuminates the dark corners and shadows. Rama reunites with Sita and together they live happily ever after in the diversity and play of unity.

And to think we know the whole story, the entire ring in the circle of life.We boldly go on experiencing each section of the ring.

As Joseph Campbell says: We are each a heroine or hero on a great journey.We begin enlightened creating a life of experiences in order to realize and reunite with our all encompassing light.