Photo courtesy of the JCCNV

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia concludes its first full season of performing arts by producing and presenting three events in March. Richmond Ballet II will perform a repertory program on Saturday, March 2; the JCCNV is producing Corner of the Sky: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz, a cabaret event, on Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10; and Virginia Virtuosi will perform a classical music program celebrating Jewish composers on Saturday, March 16.

RICHMOND BALLET II
Richmond Ballet, the State Ballet of Virginia, awakens and uplifts the human spirit through dance. Their new second company, Richmond Ballet II, is an elite group of ten professional dancers led by Richmond Ballet’s own Resident Artist, Igor Antonov. They will present a mixed repertory program at the JCCNV, including: “Classical Symphony” (choreography by Malcolm Burn; music by Sergei Prokofiev), “Fairy Doll” (choreography, Sergei & Nikolai Legat; music by Josef Bayer), “Notturno” (choreography by Salvatore Aiello; music by Franz Schubert) and “Djangology” (choreography by Val Caniparoli; music by Django Reinhardt). While visiting, the company will conduct a master class for the JCCNV Dance Academy company members.

Last summer the full company made their international debut in London. The London newspaper The Independent said, “Richmond Ballet, the state ballet of Virginia, USA, made its international debut with easy grace. This is a very likeable company, with dancers who share a fluent classical style and warm stage presence.” And the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported from London that “This company immediately sent out a message that it intended to uphold the soft edge of the European tradition, the tradition of the Royal Ballet, of Cecchetti, of the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg by its emphasis on lovely arms, careful pointe work and expressive line.””

The Richmond Ballet II tour is underwritten in part by the Virginia Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and will perform on Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m., at the JCCNV. Tickets are $27, $22 for JCCNV members & seniors (65+), and $18 for students and groups for 10 or more.

CORNER OF THE SKY: THE SONGS OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
The third and final JCCNV cabaret event of the season, Corner of the Sky: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz, celebrates Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz. Audiences know his music through the long-running Broadway show Wicked, and a generation of children have grown up singing along to the Disney film Pocahontas and DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt. Theatre writer Stanley Green, in his book The World of Musical Comedy, says of Schwartz: “What the composer has brought to the theater is a modern, youthful, crisp sound, primarily influenced by rock but also endowed with sensitivity and melodic grace.”

The title song, Corner of the Sky, is from Schwartz’s first Broadway musical in 1972, Pippin, which is being revived this spring on Broadway, direct from an acclaimed run at Boston’s American Repertory Theater. JCCNV’s musical revue will include songs from his musicals Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Working, Children of Eden, Pocahontas, The Baker’s Wife, Rags, My Fairy Tale, The Prince of Egypt and more. The event was conceived by Dan Kirsch, JCCNV Cultural Arts Director. Musical Direction is by Thomas Hodges, and the Director is James Vasquez. The event features Joshua Dick, Jamie Eacker, Stephen Russell Murray and Minka Wiltz, cameos by Marilyn Hausfeld and Jonah Werbel, and Alex Pilotti on guitar.

Performances of Corner of the Sky: The Songs of Stephen Schwartz will take place on Saturday, March 9 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m., and 7 p.m., at the JCCNV. Tickets are $27, $22 for JCCNV members & seniors (65+), and $18 for students and groups for 10 or more.

VIRGINIA VIRTUOSI
Devoted to challenging musical boundaries and engaging new audiences, Virginia Virtuosi performs innovative chamber music concerts throughout the greater Washington DC area and has been hailed by Fairfax Connections for “turning classical music cool.” Their concerts are dynamic, informal, and interactive.

Five musicians will play for this event, and they have created a program to celebrate themes of freedom leading into the Jewish Passover holiday. The program will include Darius Milhaud’s “Creation of the World,” which was inspired by a trip to Harlem to see some jazz bands, “Trio in C Major” by Ferdinand Hiller, and “Shenandoah Suite” by Mark Elliot Bergman (a composition that commemorates the 75 Anniversary of the founding of Shenandoah National Park), among others. The performance takes place on Saturday, March 16 at 8:30 p.m., at the JCCNV. Tickets are $27, $22 for JCCNV members & seniors (65+), and $18 for students and groups for 10 or more.

Image courtesy of the JCCNV

RESISTANCE THROUGH ART
The JCCNV’s Bodzin Art Gallery is currently showing Resistance Through Art, an exhibition that commemorates Yom Ha’Shoah and survivors of the Holocaust. Marilyn Banner, Yonina Blech-Hermoni, Dana Ellyn, Linda Gissen, Janet Gohres, Lynn Goldstein, Lilianne Milgrom, Cherie M. Redlinger, Paula Wachsstock, Elizabeth Wolf and Lloyd Wolf have created works of art that represent the Holocaust. The images or objects might be based on an individual local survivors’ story or the artists’ interpretation of the broader theme of the era. The artist was free to develop their pieces in the manner and medium of their choice. On exhibit through April 15.

The exhibit is in conjunction with Northern Virginia’s 2013 Holocaust Observance Program, “Resistance Through Art,” which will be held on Sunday, April 7, 5 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia.

Single tickets for all three March events are now on sale online through brownpapertickets.com.

Performances will be held at the JCCNV, located at 8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA 22031. All programs and dates are subject to change.

The mission of the JCCNV is to offer quality programs, activities and services which emphasize Jewish culture, identity and values to people of all ages and backgrounds. The Center is a nonprofit social service organization committed to providing social, educational, fitness and wellness programs guided by Jewish values. The JCCNV is a partner agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. The JCCNV Performing Arts Series is funded in part by the Arts Council of Fairfax County, supported by Fairfax County.

For more information about the JCCNV Performing Arts Series, visit jccnvarts.org or call the JCCNV box office at 703-537-3000.

Photo courtesy of the JCCNV

By: Contributing Author

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