Mission Statement

Balinese American Dance Theatre, also known as BALAM Dance Theatre, or BALAM was founded in 1979 by choreographer and dance educator Islene Pinder to bring the detailed skills of Balinese dance to New York City.



Photo of Islene Pinder by Julie Lemberger

Presently, BALAM's mission is to

• create original work inspired by diverse cultural dances and historical periods,

• entertain and educate the community through its activities,

• enrich the aesthetics of contemporary dance through the inclusion of movement skills and aesthetics rooted in traditional and historical styles, 

• serve as a cultural resource for educators, artists, and community organizations,

• serve communities of diverse socio-economic backgrounds at the grass-roots level by offering affordable and free, well-researched, customized, professional quality performances, lessons, and lectures,

• foster cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, qualities essential for building a more just and civilized society.

BALAM’s repertoire highlights Contemporary, Balinese, Ballet, Baroque, Spanish Escuela Bolera, Salsa, Japanese Noh, and Martial Arts techniques. Transporting and inspiring, the company’s unique blend of innovative choreography, opulent costumes, striking masks, eclectic music, and fantasy characters enacting mythic tales in a contemporary context, has broad audience appeal and is suitable for people of all ages and backgrounds.

MONTHLY DANCE ADVENTURE








BALAM presents its Monthly Dance Adventure at the Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB), 115 Pleasant Street, Marblehead, MA 01945. Enjoy a stylistically eclectic masterclass, open to all people ages 12 and up, offered in both a hybrid in-person and virtual format. No previous dance experience required. Pre-registration at MSB is required. $21.

Oleg Tambulilingan (Oleg.), Love Dance of the Bumblebees

Thurs., Sept. 5, 19, Oct. 3, Nov. 7, 14  6:15-7:15 p.m.

Learn the charming female role of the traditional Balinese dance, Oleg Tambulilingan (Oleg.), Love Dance of the Bumblebees, choreographed in the 1950s by star Balinese dancer, I. Ketut Marya ("Mario"). 


Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger

Offered in a 5-lesson workshop, Sept.-Nov., participants completing the lessons will perform an excerpt of the Oleg in an informal MSB studio showing presented on Sat., Nov. 16. BALAM will provide Balinese sarongs.


2024 & 2023 Calendars

Next Event

Passacaille: A Baroque Dance Extravaganza


BALAM Dance Theatre guest performs with La Fiocco in Pasacaille: A Baroque Extravaganza.

Saturday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
Christ Congregation
50 Walnut Lane 
Princeton, NJ.

Sunday, October 27, 3:00 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
 6587 Upper York Rd
Solebury, PA

Tickets: $30 general audience, $10 students with ID.

SEATING IS LIMITED!!! Early reservations are strongly recommended. 
Buy your tickets now by credit card using this link below, or send a check to,

La Fiocco, 
PO Box 134
Carversville, PA 18913.

BALAM's Repertoire (* premieres)

* The Old Bachelor (Baroque Dance Suite,) and 
* Harlequin Goes Bird Watching  with Yumiko Niimi and Carlos Fittante
Folia: A Spanish Baroque Fantasia with Robin Gilbert and Carlos Fittante

Musicians

Jeremy Rhizor, Kristina Giles, and Vita Wallace, baroque violins
Margrét Hjaltested, baroque viola
Donna Fournier, baroque cello
Jorge Torres theorbo & baroque guitar
Owen Davitt, recorder, harpsichord, tambourine
Lewis R. Baratz, artistic director, recorder, harpsichord

Impressions of The Alhambra

BALAM Dance Theatre guest performs with the Mosaic Dance Theater Company in
Impressions of The Alhambra

Sunday, November 24, 7:30 p.m.
Manhattan Movement and Arts Center
248 W 60th St, New York, NY 10023 • (212) 787-1178
Tickets Info. forthcoming

Impressions of The Alhambra brings to life the beautiful prose of Washington Irving’s 1829 visit to the enigmatic Alhambra Palace in southern Spain. In this imaginative production, experience another time through an artful blend of projected images of historical paintings animated by Period, Spanish, and Middle Eastern Dance styles. 

This project is made possible by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.


2024 - Past Events

Impressions of The Alhambra

Preview (Free)
Sat, Sept. 14 | 4:00 PM
Freeman Gardens
644 Hawthorne Ave.
Glen Ridge, NJ 07028
Free tickets required.


Full Program (Free)
Sat, Sept. 28 | 5:00 PM
Sun, Sept. 29 | 3:00 PM
Free tickets required.
First Congregational Church
40 S. Fullerton Avenue
Montclair, New Jersey 07042


Dance for World Community

Saturday, June 8, 
Dance for World Community Festival | 1:50-2:00 p.m. FREE. 
Stage 2 on Massachusetts Ave. near Putnam Ave.

BALAM Dance Theatre and the Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB) perform together in the 14th annual Dance for World Community Festival, presented in Cambridge, MA by the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre.
 
We will perform the Spanish dances Las Niñas del Pasodoble, choreographed for the MSB’s students, and El Vito, a Spanish Escuela Bolera dance solo performed with castanets with choreography staged by New York’s Mariano Parra (1933-2024).





Fiesta Odalan 45!

Celebrating 45 years of presenting contemporary cultural dance.
 


Dance Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger. NYC Skyline from Openverse.com

Free Public Showing. Donations encouraged.
Sunday, May 19, 3-4:30 p.m.
Studio H
Gibney: Agnes Varis Arts Center (280 Broadway),
entrance on 53A Chambers St.
New York, NY 1007

Limited Seating. Confirmed reservations required.
email: info@balamdancetheatre,org, or call: 646-361-9183

PROGRAM
2. La Zarzamora, a Spanish song 
3. El Barreño, a Central American folk-dance duet 
4.  Huicho, an 18th Century Peruvian Dance with live Baroque guitar, and singing
5. Mariones, a Baroque guitar solo 
6. Caballo de Rejoneo (premiere). Live singing and a Sevillanas duet dancing with castanets 
7. Harp and Butterfly, solos by Isadora Duncan, Marie Carstens-guest artist 
8. Ramayana: Abduction of Sita, BALAM's signature Balinese fusion dance story ballet inspired by the Hindu epic.

ARTISTS
Nani Devi, Inma Heredia, Robin Gilbert, Yumiko Niimi, Steven Jeltsch, Ryan Closs, Eugenia Forteza, Barbara Romero, Toshinori Hamada, Carlos Fittante, Marie Carstens-guest artist

Body Trip to Bali: A Performance/Masterclass

Thurs. Feb. 8, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Body Trip to Bali: A Performance/Masterclass
NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study,
World Culture Dance (closed event)

BALAM performs the spectacular Balinese solo fan dance, Terunajaya and conducts a masterclass in Balinese dance.







Photo Credit: Selena Cuca

2023 Season


Fri.-Sun., Dec. 8-10The Christmas Show. CANCELED DUE TO COVID19
St George Theatre
35 Hyatt St, Staten Island, NY
Tickets $19-$68
Box Office: 718-442-2900, ext. 1
In-person at the Box Office (Open 12:00pm – 5:00pm, Tuesday-Friday)
Online at Ticketmaster.com anytime

Sat., Dec. 2, 2:00-2:30 p.m. Free Showing-El Vito, Las Niñas del Pasodoble
Marblehead Christmas Walk
115 Pleasant St,
Marblehead, MA
(781) 631-6262

Fri., Oct. 20, 9-11a.m. Latin Dance Show. BALAM guests with the Phyllis Rose Dance Company
Rhodes Academy, Hempstead, NY

Sat., Oct. 7, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Celebración de la Cultura Hispana con Baile y Canción / Celebrating Hispanic Culture with Dance and Song. Free.

Hempstead Public Library
115 James A Garner Way
Hempstead, NY 11550
(516) 481-6990
 
BALAM's new 50-minute program celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month! Featured in this program is El Barreño, a charming folkloric dance from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. The program also stars entertainer, hostess and comedian extraordinaire -- Inma Heredia -- singing, dancing, and introducing the performance’s diverse works listed below. 

Sat., Sept. 23Dance for World Community Festival 2023, 12:50-1:00 p.m. Stage 2 (Mass Ave near Putnam Ave), Cambridge, MA. FREE
Due to inclement weather, this event has been postponed until June 2024

BALAM performs Soleá de Arcas and Las Niñas del Pasodoble in Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre's 14th annual dance festival.

Sat., July 29. 1:30 p.m. Summer Dance Intensive Performance, Marblehead School of Ballet. FREE
Enjoy a range of repertory highlighting ballet, and modern, including BALAM's new Spanish Pasodoble for three student dancers of the Marblehead School of Ballet, 115 Pleasant St, Marblehead, MA 01945
RSVP. Seating is limited. Reservations must be made in advance. 
Contact: msb@havetodance.com or call 781-631-6262  

June 15 - June 25, The Lady of the Camellias, by Shakespeare. FREE
BALAM has choreographed for a cast of actors’ dances inspired by the 19th century ballroom suite.
Castle Clinton National Monument, The Battery (Battery Park) New York, NY 10004
Thurs., June 15 - Sun., June 18 & Thurs., June 22 - Sun., June 25 at 6:30 pm.

Sun., June 4 & 5, 7-8:30 pm. Federico Garcia Lorca Festival presented by Danisarte 
La Nacional, 239 West 14th St, 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10011
Tickets: General Admission: $30 • Seniors & Students:  $25 per evening, or
the Cultural Passport, a special offer to attend both shows for $45.

On Sun., June 4, BALAM presents three Escuela Bolera dances: Solea de Arcas (1870), El Vito and Panaderos de la Flamenca (late 18th century). Also featured on Sunday's program are Inma Heredia:  Spanish Show woman (Singer/Dancer/Actress), and Tali Roth:  Israeli Concert Guitarist.

Thurs., May 25, 1-2 pm. Return to the Garden of Love • FREE
St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church
239 W 49th St, Manhattan, NY 10019 • (212) 489-1340

Gotham Early Music Scene's (GEMS) Midtown Concerts  series presents the debut of BALAM's  sequel program Return to the Garden of  Love featuring excerpts from the music Concerts Royeaux by Francois Couperin, Baroque dance by Carlos Fittante, a traditional Balinese mask, and an original script by Inma Heredia. View the concert in a live broadcast at the GEMS website or YouTube channel. 

• Yumiko Niimi  - dancer
• Carlos Fittante - dancer
• Mezzo-soprano Eugenia Forteza
• Lisa Terry - viola Parthenia Viol Consort
• Ryan Closs  - theorbo
• Dongmyung Ahn  -violin
• Dongsok Shin  - harpsichord

Sun., April 16, 1-2 pm. Monthly Dance Adventure-Sevillanas Rocieras
Marblehead School of Ballet (MSB)
115 Pleasant Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
(781) 631-6262
$20. Registration required. Drop-ins welcome. Ages 12 and up. No previous experience needed. 
In studio and virtual lesson format

March 30-April 2, Metamorphosis: Wu Song and the Tiger, 
Chaconne de Phaeton, and Chaconne de Arlequin
BALAM joins Voices of Music to present an original program of live music and dance.

• Yihan Chen-guest pipa virtuoso, and Kaili Chen-guest Chinese dancer

March 30 Palo Alto 
April 1 San Francisco
April 2 Berkeley

March 4, Chaconne de Phaeton (Dongmyung Ahn, Baroque violin.)
Faculty Showcase at QC Arts
Lefrak Concert Hall at Queens College-City University of New York

Feb. 9, Terunajaya - A Balinese Dance Performance/Masterclass/ and Lecture
World Dance and Cultures, NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study

2022 Season

Dec. 9-12, The Christmas Show. St George Theatre, Staten Island, NY








Nov. 23. Caton School Brooklyn, NY


BALAM and Ballet Fiesta Mexicana join to present Hispanic Heritage Dance Extravaganza. Photo: Yloy Ybarra taken by Julie Lemberger









Wed., Oct. 19 6:30-8:00 p.m. FREE

Hispanic Heritage Festival Program
BALAM guest performs with the Phyllis Rose Dance Company
Brentwood Middle School, Brentwood, Long Island, NY 11717






Tues., Oct. 18, 11-1 pm. FREE

Danzas de ida y vuelta: A Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration!
Williamsbridge Oval, Bronx, NY

By subway, take the 4 Train to Mosholu Parkway stop, the D Train to the Norwood/Bedford Park stop,  the MetroNorth to the Botanical Gardens stop.


Sat. Sept. 24, 4 pm. Arts on the Lake, 640 NY-52, Carmel Hamlet in New York 10512
Taking Flight, an Afternoon of Modern & Cultural Dances

BALAM guest performs with the Putnam County Dance Project. 

Sat., July 9, 2:45-2:52. FREE. NICE Festival (Norwalk International Cultural Exchange), 10 North Water Street in Norwalk, CT.

Oleg Tambulilingan (Love Dance of the Bumblebees)a scintillating and playful Balinese dance duet choreographed in 1952 by the celebrated Balinese star dancer, I. Ketut Marya (Mario). This dance, popular in Bali, uses music from the exciting Gong Kebyar (bursting into flames) genre and was was in part Mario's response to the glamorous Hollywood movie musicals he experienced while touring internationally.

 Thurs., April 21, 1:15-1:55 p.m. FREE

Garden of Love in Miniature

Presented by GEMS Midtown Concerts, and offered in honor of Gladys Isabel Fajardo Luhrs

Church of the Transfiguration, 1 East 29th Street, NYC

Live online at: Watch Live - Gotham Early Music Scene, Inc. (gemsny.org)

Music: Jean-Baptiste Lully's Entree d'Apollon transcribed for solo harpsichord by Jean-Henri D'Anglebert, Francois Couperin's Concerts Royaux 1 and 2, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Sans Freyeur Dans Ce Bois. 

2021 Season

Wednesday, October 6, 7-8 p.m. FREE






Photo: Julie Lemberger

BALAM Festival: Live Cultural Dance and Music


 La Nacional: Spanish Benevolent Society, 239 West 14th Street, New York, NY. Reservations required. 

• Oleg Tambulilingan (Love Dance of the Bumblebees), a Balinese dance duet with Nani Devi and Carlos Fittante;

• Rama and Sita, a duet from B ALAM’s Balinese/Ballet fusion dance Ramayana story ballet, with Robin Gilbert and Carlos Fittante;

 Kamisama, a Japanese Noh dance solo, performed by Toshinori Hamada;


• El Bosque (The Forest), a Baroque/Balinese fusion duet, performed to the Toccata Arpeggiata (1604) by Giovanni Kaspberger, played live by Ryan Closs and danced by Yumiko Niimi and Carlos Fittante;

• Scottish Tunes (1742), a Baroque musical suite, is performed by Lisa Terry on gamba and Ryan Closs on theorbo;

• La Madrileña, a mid-19th century Spanish Escuela Bolera duet presented at the Paris Opera, performed by Barbara Romero and Carlos Fittante; and

 Panaderos de la Flamenca, an early 19th century Spanish Escuela Bolera dance, in the Andalusian style.


This program was made possible by the New York City Artist Corps and Friends of BALAM.






BALAM Blog Articles

BALAM’s New 2024/2025 Season Features Mysterious Enchantment, Baroque Masterpieces and Comedy, Martial Honor, and Vibrant Latin Dance Rhythms!

Travel in time with BALAM Dance Theatre and experience three mesmerizing programs in the company’s 2024-2025 season, launching in September 2024. During the new season, see the majestic mystery of the Alhambra Palace in southern Spain and elegant Baroque dance performed to music by English, French, and Italian master composers. 


El Barreño. Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger

The company’s dancers will perform irresistible vibrant Latin dance rhythms and songs of Old and Nuevo España (New Spain), with guest artists from the Martinez Academy of Arms presenting the formidable 18th century Spanish Destreza fencing technique.

BALAM is renowned for its well-researched and imaginative cross-cultural work. Rooted in the opulent and enthralling aesthetics of Balinese theatre, the company presents a contemporary vision of cultural dance by blending ballet, modern dance, and diverse cultural styles from various historic periods.

In the fall of 2024, BALAM guest performs in two new works presented by Mosaic Dance Theater Company and La Fiocco.  During the spring of 2025, BALAM returns to the Gotham Early Music Scene’s Midtown Concerts Series to debut a thrilling program.

Mosaic Dance Theater Company.  September 14, 28, and 29 2024.

In September, BALAM opens the new season with a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Artists, Barbara Romero and Carlos Fittante, guest perform with Mosaic Dance Theater Company, based in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, in their premiere of “Impressions of The Alhambra”, a 90-minute theatrical work based on the beautiful prose of Washington Irving’s “Tales of the Alhambra”. Conceived of and directed by Mosaic Dance Theater Company’s Director, Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, this evocative story telling ballet


Panaderos del la Flamenca. Photo Credit: Julie Lemberger

creates vivid vignettes through text, images, music, dance, and gesture to portray the adventures of 19th century southern Spain. BALAM’s dances infuse the production with salero (Spanish charm) derived from the romantic Spanish Escuela Bolera dance style. Courtly elegance and symbolic, expressive gestures from Baroque dance and pantomime are spotlighted. Renaissance, Baroque, Spanish, and belly dance styles, choreographed by Carlos Fittante, artistic director of BALAM Dance Theatre, and Samara Adell, choreographer of Mosaic Dance Theater Company, seamlessly blend to capture the Alhambra’s enigmatic allure and timeless mystique.

The show is offered free to the public.  Tickets are recommended and may be procured on www.TicketStripe.com. For more information, visit www.mosaicdancetheaterco.org.

Mosaic Dance Theater Company’s program is made possible by funds from the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

La Fiocco. October 26 and 27, 2024.

In October 2024, BALAM opens the new month with a celebration of Arts and Humanities Month. Dancers Yumiko Niimi, Robin Gilbert, and Carlos Fittante will guest dance in the premiere of “Pasacaille: A Baroque Dance Extravaganza”, 

Garden of Love In Miniature. Photo Credit: BALAM Dance Theatre

presented by La Fiocco, a Pennsylvania based period music ensemble. This eclectic program features a spectacular array of musical masterpieces by period composers, including Henry Purcell, John Blow, Jean Baptiste Lully, Francois Couperin, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Antonio Vivaldi, and others. BALAM’s program highlights imaginative Baroque dance choreography and exquisite Baroque costumes and masks.

For this program, BALAM will create and present two new pieces. The first, “The Old Bachelor: A spirited and flirtatious Baroque Dance Suite”, is accompanied with music by Henry Purcel. The second piece offers the whimsical comedic work, “Harlequin Goes Bird Watching!”. Featuring striking masks and golden scrolled Balinese wings, this imaginative entertainment highlights the sophisticated, lively music of Jean-Baptiste Lully, Francois Couperin, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. Dancers Yumiko Niimi and Carlos Fittante will perform in both of these works.

 “Folia: A Spanish Baroque Fantasy”, an audience favorite, will be revived for this show. This dramatic work features Antonio Vivaldi’s rendition of La Folia, with BALAM’s principal dancer, Robin Gilbert, performing in a noble Baroque mask with Fittante.

The performance dates and locations are:

• Saturday, October 26. 7:30 p.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church. 6587 Upper York Road, Solebury, Pennsylvania.

• Sunday, October 27. 3:00 p.m.
Christ Congregation. 50 Walnut Lane, Princeton, New Jersey.

Tickets are $30 for general admission and $15 for students. Tickets are only available through lafiocco.org.

Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS): Midtown Concerts. June 5, 2025.

In June of 2025, BALAM debuts “Old and New Spain in Music, Song, Dance, and Destreza Fencing”, a thrilling program selected by GEMS for the 27th season of its acclaimed Midtown Concerts series. BALAM’s new program will be presented in the largest, most diverse series of free chamber music concerts in the nation, 

An anonymous 16th century illustration from "La Verdadero Destreza". Photo Credit: Biblioteca Nacional de España

comprising weekly performances by over 40 different professional ensembles and artists. The dance company’s bold and innovative program features two Baroque dancers performing, three musicians playing Baroque guitar, Baroque cello, and hand drum, and a mezzo-soprano singing. The concert will also showcase a rich tapestry of 17th- and 18th-century Spanish Baroque guitar music and the visionary poetry of New World feminist Sor Juana de la Cruz. A lively period folk melody from Veracruz, Mexico, juxtaposed to the haunting Baroque melody 'La Folia’, with a riveting demonstration by the Martinez Academy of Arms the Spanish Destreza fencing technique.

The performance date and location are:

• Thursday, June 5, 2025. 1:15-2:00 p.m. FREE

St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church (AKA: The Actors’ Chapel)

239 W 49th St, New York, New York 10019

For further information, go to https://www.gemsny.org/midtown-concerts .

Fiesta Odalan 45!

In the spring of 2024, BALAM presented Fiesta Odalan 45! in New York City to celebrate the company’s 45th anniversary performing contemporary cultural dance for communities worldwide.  Fiesta Odalan 45! presented solos, duets, trios, and a quartet spotlighting a range of music, dance forms and movements from Indonesia, Peru, Spain and the United States from the 18th century to the present. The captivating, well-received program may be viewed online, https://youtu.be/Gh-n-KWmxFU .

Contact BALAM

For further information about BALAM Dance Theatre, call 646-361-9183 or contact balamdancetheatre@gmail.com.

Learning the Terunajaya 

Carlos Fittante. (Feb. 2024)

Photo Credit: Neil Simpson

I first studied Terunajaya with BALAM’s Founding Director, Islene Pinder, whose expressive hands and carefully selected cue words quickly put me into a different mind-body state. Eventually, Islene and I pieced together an acceptable draft of the dance for me to bring to Bali. There, I continued my instruction under the tutelage of Ayu Sukmawati, an award-winning Balinese dancer and Co-Artistic Director of the Semara Ratih Gamelan. This was an immersive experience that frequently overwhelmed my nervous system. It was amazing!

Choreographed in 1918 by Pan Wandres and revised in 1952 by I. Gede Manik, this formidable dance solo is in my opinion one of the great works of the cultural dance genre. This solo combines male and female Balinese dance movement patterns and draws upon several other popular Balinese dances. These include the Baris solo warrior dance, Legong, typically performed by pre-pubescent girls; Oleg Tambulilingan, a dancing queen bumblebee; and the Jauk, a strong masked demonic character.

How a dancer embodies these diverse energies and movement patterns is a sign of their skill in the role. When preparing my performance of Terunajaya, I use the Baris, a Balinese dance role that I also perform, as the substratum for my movement. His physical prowess suits my height, cisgender male identity, and innate body’s physicality, which also easily transfers to the Jauk’s moments in the dance.

However, to realize the identity of the Terunajaya character, I must also show the coy innocence of the Legong, and the flamboyant sensuality of the Oleg Tambulilingan. The result of this surreal blend is a unique Balinese dance expression that leaves me feeling like a martial artist in combat, who is simultaneously flirting with a suitor!

The Mystery of Bali Combines with Baroque Music and Dance in Garden of Love in Miniature (Jan. 2022)

The vitality of Bali combines with Baroque music, dance, and song in BALAM Dance Theatre's premiere of Garden of Love in Miniature.  The original and imaginative program will be presented both live and virtually by Midtown Concerts, a project of Gotham Early MusicScene, at Church of the Transfiguration, located at 1 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016 on Thursday, April 21 from 1:15 p.m. to 1:55 p.m. EST.  Photo Credit: Toshinori Hamada

The program is open to the public and admission is FREE.  The performance will also be live streamed on April 21 at https://gemsny.org/midtown-live.      

                                                                         

The concert is dedicated in memory of Gladys Isabel Fajardo Luhrs, a Friend of BALAM, who appreciated and enjoyed classical music and dance during her life.  Her goodness, integrity, and generosity were inspiring.                                                         

In this program, gorgeous Baroque period costumes, a striking wooden Balinese deer mask, and Balinese hand carved golden leather bird wings are shown on one stage.  "BALAM Dance Theatre's feel-good program presents light entertainment in the spirit of the Baroque opera entrée act, inspired by the theme of love, that will charm and enchant the audience.  This performance embodies the mysterious spirit of Balinese masked dancing and fantasy wings with the bucolic delights presented by Baroque master painters François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard," said Fittante.                                       

BALAM, a non-profit, professional dance theatre company based in New York City, offers a new vision of contemporary cultural dance by combining diverse dance styles from around the world and historic periods with ballet and modern.  The company's new program opens with the stunning Entrée d’Apollon, a notated Baroque dance solo, circa 1701, performed by Baroque choreographer and dancer Carlos Fittante.  BALAM dancer Yumiko Niimi performs an Allemande, as a masked bird character, with Fittante reappearing as a masked deer.  Eugenia Forteza, guest mezzo-soprano, debuts with the company, as the fictitious Madama Amorina, a famous Baroque actress visiting the garden of love to meet a secret admirer.                 


Musicians of BALAM's Lisa Terry of Parthenia Viol Consort performs on viola de gamba with Ryan Closs from 4&20 Strings and the Lute Society of America New York Chapter on therobo.  Guest musicians Kenneth Hamrick of American Virtuosi on harpsichord and Dongmyung Ahn on Baroque violin join the company. 


This intimate, imaginative program features the exquisite music of Jean Baptiste Lully’s Entrée d’Apollon transcribed for solo harpsichord by Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, François Couperin’s Concerts Royaux: Concerts 1 and 2, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Sans Frayeur dans ce Bois.  Throughout the program, recited text created by Fittante and Inma Heredia is spoken.


For further information about the program or BALAM Dance Theatre, contact balamdancetheatre@gmail.com or call 646-361-9183.            


BALAM Dance Theatre to Debut 'Live Baroque Music and Dance' at  Midtown Concerts (March 2021)







BALAM Dance Theatre premieres Live Baroque Music and Dance, a new Baroque inspired choreography created by artistic director Carlos Fittante.  The virtual performance will be presented live by Midtown Concerts, a project of Gotham Early Music Scene, at Church of the Transfiguration, located at 1 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016 on Thursday, May 27 from 1:15 to 1:55 p.m. EST. 


The program is FREE and may be viewed live on May 27 and after the event at these websites:

            BALAM, a New York City-based company, offers a new vision of contemporary dance by combining ballet, modern and diverse cultural dance styles from around the world and historic periods.  The new program features two New York premieres, El Bosque and Fandango, and the world premiere of Four Corantos.  A stellar line-up of artists take the stage in this premiere with Baroque BALAM's artistic director, choreographer and dancer Carlos Fittante, and guest musicians Lisa Terry of Parthenia Viol Consort and Ryan Closs of 4&20 Strings and the Lute Society of America New York Chapter.


            BALAM celebrates its first live performance since the COVID-19 pandemic began with this intimate and imaginative program using Baroque musical gems from England, Scotland, Italy, and Peru.  These works are featured: diverse Corantos and other selections from the Leycester Lyra Viol Manuscript by John Jenkins (1592-1678) for solo viol, charming Scottish Tunes by Francesco Barsanti (1690-1775), the rolling Toccata Arpeggiata for theorbo by Giovanni Girolamo Kaspberger (1580-1651), and the commanding Fandango for Baroque guitar by Matías Maestro Alegría (1766-1835).


            BALAM creates a unique entertainment experience that has universal appeal.  Audiences of all ages and backgrounds enjoy the company's innovative movement alchemy where dynamic athleticism, detailed skills, and movement techniques from around world and time periods are fused and enhanced by eclectic music, striking masks, vibrant costumes and fantasy stories.

            The company educates the community about dances and cultures featured in its repertoire.  Through its Out & About Series, free and affordable performances, workshops and creative events at the grassroots level are made available for families, children, students and community residents.  

            "This new intimate program expresses the creative spirit that sustained us during the pandemic period and the renewed opportunity to perform together in-person feels like a joyful blossoming, after a harsh and austere winter.  We encourage teachers and other educators to attend and invite their students to experience this unique program," said Fittante.


       During the performance, viewers will see Fittante's original and historically informed choreographies: El Bosque (The Forest); Fandango, with castanets and taconeo (rhythmic footwork in the Escuela Bolera style); and four distinct representations of the Coranto, a dance form inspired by King Louis XIV’s favorite dance, the Courante.  These dances bring history to life through an elegant and artistically charged embodiment of period aesthetics.

                       For further information, call 646-361-9183 or visit BALAM Dance Theatre on its website, http://www.balamdancetheatre.com, and blog, www.balamdancetheatre.blogspot.com.  Follow the company on Facebook, www.facebook.com/balamdancetheatre, and check for updates on Twitter @BALAMDance.