Press Release - April 11, 2008
BALAM’s Carlos Fittante to Appear with Nani Devi
in “Indonesian Night”
--A Spectacular Performance of Traditional Indonesian Dances--
at the Galaxy in Guttenberg , New Jersey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joyce Luhrs, Publicist, 201-592-9126, luhrsassocpress@rcn.com
Carlos Fittante, Artistic Director, 646-361-9183
BALAM’s Carlos Fittante to Appear with Nani Devi
in “Indonesian Night”
--A Spectacular Performance of Traditional Indonesian Dances--
at the Galaxy in Guttenberg , New Jersey
(GUTTENBERG, NJ) --April 11, 2008—BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM), a unique ensemble that creates a new vision of contemporary dance by fusing Balinese theatre with diverse cultural dance styles, announces that Artistic Director Carlos Fittante, BALAM’s Resident Guest Artist Nani Devi and the Nani Devi Indonesian Dance Company will appear April 12, 2008 in “Indonesian Night”, a spectacular performance of traditional Indonesian dances and vibrant costumes.
The performance will begin at 8:00 P.M. at the Galaxy in the Spa Lounge located at 7000 Boulevard East, Tower 1 in Guttenberg, New Jersey. The event is sponsored by the Galaxy Social and Cultural Committee.
During the intermission, musician Rene Sahir will play classical guitar pieces and refreshments will be provided. Tickets, $20 each, may be purchased at the door on the night of the performance. For tickets and further information, contact 917-670-5510.
The extensive program will feature traditional Indonesian dances and music from the islands of Bali, Java, Sumatra, and Borneo. Fittante and Devi will perform a duet in Oleg Tambulilingan , the love dance of the bumblebees from Bali, and Fittante will also appear in Tari Baris, the warrior dance, from Bali. Amantes , a special Balinese-Western fusion piece, has been added to the program. Fittante will perform this seductive masked solo to music by Mexican pop singer Juan Gabriel.
The program also includes Pendet Dance , the welcome dance from Bali; Tari Merak, the peacock dance from West Java; Tari Rebana, the tamburin dance from Aceh/Sumatra; Tari Lilin, a candle dance from Sumatra; Jaipong Betawi, the flirtation dance from Java, and Dayak Giring Giring , the ritual dance from Borneo .
Carlos Fittante, Artistic Director of New York City’s acclaimed BALAM Dance Theatre, is a choreographer and dancer specializing in contemporary fusion choreography. Fittante, who has performed throughout the United States and internationally, has studied and performed in Bali, Indonesia with the renowned Semara Ratih Gamelan.
He is an eminent guest teacher nationally and is presently on the faculty of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute of New York, where he teaches Mask & Gesture/Movement for actors. Fittante is a graduate of the School of American Ballet and holds a Bachelors of Arts in dance from Empire State College. He has an eclectic movement background in Ballet, Baroque and Balinese dance and is an avid practitioner of yoga.
Among the leading festivals and companies that he has performed with are the New York Collegium, Boston Early Music Festival, Academy of Ancient Music, and the New York Baroque Dance Company, where he was a principal dancer. His choreographic work has been presented at numerous festivals, including New Choreographers on Point and DUMBO Dance Festival, and with other companies such as Ballet Santa Barbara, where he is artistic associate.
Nani Devi, BALAM’sResident Guest Artist , was born and raised in Bali, Indonesia and began dancing at the early age of ten. Ms. Devi specializes in and performs classical Balinese dance, as well as those from the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Sulawesi. Educated at the University of Indonesia, she has distinguished herself as a knowledgeable instructor in various dance traditions, having collaborated with many notable dance masters and performers throughout Indonesia.
Noted for dancing with a natural grace and sweet expression, she was selected by the Indonesian government to perform in the palaces of Bali for visiting heads of state. Ms. Devi studied at the University of Indonesia, and in 1972, she settled in New York City performing and promoting Indonesian dance forms for the Ministry of Culture. She has performed throughout the world, including Russia, Japan, China, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, and in several Middle Eastern countries.
Currently, Ms. Devi serves as Artistic Director of the Nani Devi Indonesian Dance Company and is an instructor at Lotus Music and Dance Studio, a gathering place for master performers and teachers of traditional world music and dance in New York City.
About BALAM
BALAM offers a new vision of contemporary dance that emanates from a cutting-edge fusion of diverse cultural dance styles and movement techniques. The company’s fusion repertoire presents an opulent dance theatre that blends contemporary choreography, eclectic music, striking masks, imaginative props, and vibrant costumes to create a performance that appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
In 1979, Islene Pinder, a Lehman College dance educator, founded the company and brought the mesmerizing Balinese dance theatre style to New York audiences. Under the directorship of Spanish-American choreographer Carlos Fittante, BALAM’s fusion repertoire blends boldly divergent dance styles and movements, including ballet, Spanish, Lester Horton, Baroque, Latin, Hip-Hop, Noh, and karate, as well as Balinese.
BALAM has been featured at several distinguished festivals and venues, such as First Night New York; Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors; La Mama Experimental Theatre, New York, New York; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Lee, Massachusetts; and many others. The company has also appeared internationally at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, Bali and the 2nd Encuentro Internacíonal de Danza Contemporánea in Cancún, Mexico.
The company’s work has received critical recognition from the New York Times and Village Voice. The Governor and people of Bali and the Indonesian Consulate of New York have highly commended its performances.
For further information about BALAM Dance Theatre, visit www.balamdance.org.