On Friday, July 27th, 2012 at 8:00 PM, world-renowned ballet educational institution The Joffrey Ballet School will introduce “Joffrey West” with a red carpet event. The special night will feature an art show and auction of dance-inspired art pieces specifically created for the event by internationally esteemed artist Domingo Zapata. The evening will take place at the Valley Performing Arts Center at Cal State Northridge. It will be an opportunity for the East Coast-based internationally acclaimed institution to announce its highly regarded dance-training intensive’s summer West Coast program.
Today’s working professional dancer has to master various dance disciplines, and the Joffrey Ballet’s highly regarded curriculum incorporates all forms of dance to create the ideal dancer. Joffrey West’s rich program includes a classical ballet core of technique, pointe (variations/pas de deux), conditioning and nutrition, and a contemporary focus of technique, partnering, and improvisation. The contemporary component exposes students to modern, jazz, and hip-hop dance so they have a marketable and broad range of fluency. In this rigorous but rewarding program, students are instilled with the foundational values of rehearsal and performing choreographic works. Joffrey West’s prestigious faculty includes Emmy Award-winner, Mia Michaels. Ms. Michaels is the television star choreographer and judge from So You Think You Can Dance. She will be instructing all trainee levels of the intensive, and creating a new choreographic piece to be showcased at the red carpet performance. In addition, performers from the internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil will instruct the dancers during the four week intensive and will perform during the red carpet performance as well as the art show portion of the evening.
The distinctive, esteemed work of visual artist Domingo Zapata will be a special feature of the red carpet event. Mr. Zapata’s captivating style has attracted the world’s most prestigious collectors, including George Soros, Johnny Depp, the Chazen Family, the Cipriani Group, and Joel Robuchon. The highly regarded Whitewall Magazine recently named Domingo Zapata an “artist to watch.” Mr. Zapata’s recent show, “Dangerous Things,” held at the Delano Hotel during Art Basel Miami, attracted over 1,000 people eager to celebrate his newest works. He’s collaborated with galleries worldwide, including Marlborough Gallery, Parisud and Carmen de la Guerra. This will be his second show with the Joffrey Ballet School.
Born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Domingo Zapata is internationally acclaimed for his figurative and abstract expressionist paintings. He paints in oil and acrylics, often-incorporating mixed media, collage, and graffiti. Mr. Zapata’s body of work varies significantly in motif, but consistently in exploring themes of sexuality, opulence, and vitality in his distinguished style. In addition, he often draws on his experiences as a songwriter. Mr. Zapata co-wrote lyrics for Los Del Rio’s “The Macarena Song,” as well as lyrics for Michael Jackson and Jon Secada.
For the Joffrey School West event, Mr. Zapata will unveil a body of dance- inspired work that will be up for show, sale, and auction. The pieces sold at auction will sponsor deserving talented dancers to attend the Joffrey Ballet School’s year-round pre-professional Trainee Program. Mr. Zapata himself will be donating two pieces to be sold to change the lives of ten under-privileged dancers in the Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program. Photographer Angela Cappetta will feature the dancers in 10-signed pieces. In addition, the photography will be sold to benefit the Joffrey Ballet School Trainees who are in need. His talent and dedication to redefining art in the 21st century only surpass Mr. Zapata’s charitable work. His visions of modern art have blended Picasso with Andy Warhol and are, simply stated, genius.
The Joffrey Ballet School fuses multiple styles of balletic training to create a curriculum that is uniquely Joffrey. In more than fifty years, the Joffrey Ballet School has remained on the forefront of American dance education. Graduates of the school have gone on to dance for major classical ballet companies, as well as for numerous contemporary companies, both in the United States and abroad. The Joffrey Ballet School is the only ballet school in New York City that offers a well-rounded dance curriculum that includes serious training in both classical ballet (technique, pointe, variations, adagio, men’s classes) and contemporary ballet (technique, improvisation, partnering), as well as modern, character, choreography, dance history, music, pilates and yoga. For more information please visit: www.joffreyballetschool.com
