FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact:
Amber Henrie
(917) 270-0550
BILLY ELLIOT STAR JOSEPH HARRINGTON, AND
LEGENDARY BALLET EDUCATOR KAT WILDISH
SERVE AS GRAND MARSHALS FOR
FIFTH ANNUAL DANCE PARADE NEW YORK NEW YORK,
May 5, 2011 --- Dance Parade New York, the only parade in the world
to exclusively celebrate and showcase the diversity of dance, announced today
their 2011 Grand Marshals. The Fifth Annual Dance Parade New York will honor
the legendary Charles L. Reinhart, who recently announced his retirement as
President of the American Dance Festival, Joseph Harrington, the youngest
dancer to ever play the leading role of Billy in the Tony Award winning Broadway
hit, Billy Elliot the Musical, and former NYC Ballet and ABT ballerina Kat Wildish.
The trio will lead thousands of dancers down Broadway on May 21, 2011 starting
at 1:00 PM and receive an honorary award on the main stage of the postparade
DanceFest at 3:00 PM in Tompkins Square Park.
Mr. Reinhart is thrilled to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2011 Dance Parade,
“Choreographers are gods that walk on earth and dancers are angels. Together,
they create beauty and our heritage.” Dance Parade New York pays tribute to
this beauty and heritage through its vibrant display of beautiful costumes,
decorative floats, lively music and joyous dancers.
Charles L. Reinhart has worked as a producer, manager, festival director,
consultant and administrator in the arts since 1955. President of the American
Dance Festival (ADF) since 1968, he was Co-Director with the late Stephanie
Reinhart from 1993–2002. Mr. Reinhart is currently a member of the Board of
Directors of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), where he is the Dance Chair.
In addition to serving on dance panels for the NEA and the Guggenheim
Foundation, he was the U.S. representative of the International Theatre Institute’s
dance committee. He has produced many dance events in New York City and
has written articles for The New York Times, Dance Magazine and the North
Carolina Medical Journal. Mr. Reinhart has been the recipient of numerous
domestic and international awards for his lifetime achievement in dance, service
to the arts and production.
“I’m so excited to be a Grand Marshal in this year’s parade,” said Harrington. “I
love to dance and I enjoy sharing with audiences the Billy Elliot story and the
excitement of dance. I’m really happy to represent the show on this important
day for dance in NYC.”
Joseph Harrington has been taking dance classes since he was three years old.
When at home in Ohio, Joseph trains at the “Just Off Broadway” dance studio in
Mt. Carmel, OH and with the Cincinnati Ballet. He is a student at the School of
Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in downtown Cincinnati. He started
performing in Billy Elliot last October and loves all areas of dance, but will usually
say that ballet is his favorite.
“It is my great pleasure to join the Dance Parade this year as Grand Marshal,”
said Wildish. “I’m looking forward to celebrating our art form with New York City!”
Kat Wildish is a New York City master ballet and pointe teacher currently on
faculty at The Ailey Extension Program. She performed with New York City Ballet,
American Ballet Theater, and numerous international companies including Zurich
Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and The Eglevsky Ballet. She is an ABT®
Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training
Curriculum and has been teaching over 35 years. A Ford Foundation Scholarship
winner, Kat is also Artistic Director of the semiannual Performing in NY Showcases
and will produce the first annual NYC Festival of Dance Schools June 15-16, 2011.
No tickets are needed to view the 5th Annual Dance Parade, but spectators
seeking the best seats will enjoy the ideally located Dance Parade Grand
Stands. A lively MC will entertain Grand Stand ticket holders and dancers will stop
for a quick performance. All proceeds support the cost of the parade and
festival. Tickets are available at
http://danceparadegrandstand.eventbrite.com/.
All dancers must register for the parade in advance through the Dance Parade
website: http://www.danceparade.org/EE/index.php/join/join_parade/.
Registration is free for individual dancers, and there is a suggested donation of
$50 for dance organizations.
ABOUT DANCE PARADE NEW YORK
Dance Parade New York is an entity of Dance Parade Inc., which began in 2006
as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Its charitable mission is to promote dance as
an expressive and unifying art form, while educating the public about
opportunities to experience dance. Dance Parade celebrates diversity by
showcasing all forms of dance around the world through sponsorship of a yearly,
citywide dance parade and dance festival. Additional programs include
education outreach and artistic partnerships to aid in increased public
awareness and the showcasing of dance on multiple levels.
For more information about Dance Parade New York’s programs, volunteer and
sponsorship opportunities, or to donate, please visit www.danceparade.org.
More on Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical, winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical,
features music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter
Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry.
Tickets for Billy Elliot the Musical range from $41.50 to $141.50, and can be
purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office (246 West 45th Street) or by calling
Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or visiting http://www.Telecharge.com. The playing
schedule for Billy Elliot is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm, Thursday – Sunday at
7:30pm, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm.
