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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Andrew J. Nemr
office@andrewnemr.com
347-708-6781
ANDREW J NEMR (artistic director)
CATS PAYING DUES
BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center
199 Chambers Street (between West Street and Greenwich)
May 13th-17th
Cats Paying Dues Celebrate 10th Anniversary Season with
World Premiere of Three Suites
NEW YORK – Cats Paying Dues (CPD) and founding artistic director, Andrew Nemr, will celebrate their 10th Anniversary Season with the world premiere of “Three Suites” at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers Street) for six performances only from May 13-17, 2015.
“Three Suites” is a celebration of CPD’s history and a vision of the future featuring three suites of new work, each highlighting a unique interpretation of tap dance. The first suite, “Ever for Love” combines popular songs with tap dance to tell a story of the pursuit of love, reminiscent of CPD’s debut show “All For Love”. The second suite “Remembrances”, primarily an cappella work, combines rhythms from around the world with live vocals performed by the dancers themselves, and explores the universal nature of percussive dance alongside stories of love, longing, and strife. The final suite, Entering the Waters, a special collaboration with hammered dulcimer virtuoso and composer Max ZT, and his band, House of Waters, charts a path for the future of the company both aesthetically and as a forum for collaboration.
The six performances will benefit Cedar Home for Girls, an orphanage in Nabay, Lebanon, that serves orphaned and at risk girls, and is currently challenged with an increased need due to the extreme circumstances in the region. This is of personal significance as artistic director, Andrew Nemr, is the son of Lebanese immigrants. In addition to performing with the company, Nemr will offer his unique brand of tap dance story telling as interludes between each suite.
“In a world that has much pain and suffering, Tap dance can be used to bring us together, to share universal stories, and to better the lives of those who are in need the most.” said Andrew J. Nemr. “As we celebrate a milestone, it’s important to remember the responsibility we have as artists and use its power for good.”
Andrew J. Nemr and Cats Paying Dues 10th Anniversary Season and World Premiere of “Three Suites” runs Wednesday – Sunday, May 13-16, 2015. Schedule is as follows: 5/13-5/15 at 8pm, 5/16 at 2pm and 8pm, and 5/17 at 2pm. An Artist Talk-Back will follow the May 16th, 2pm, performance. A VIP Reception hosted by Byblos Restaurant will follow the May 13th performance.
Tickets for the performances are $33, $28 for Students/Seniors (with ID), $125 VIP (includes VIP Reception, May 13th only). All tickets are available for purchase at the box office (199 Chambers Street, New York, NY), by phone (212) 220-1460, or online at tribecapac.org.
For more information about Cats Paying Dues, the 10th Anniversary celebration, and Three Suites visit www.catspayingdues.com.
About Andrew J. Nemr (www.andrewnemr.com)
Mentored by Gregory Hines, Andrew is considered one of the most diverse tap dance artists today. His work as a soloist, educator, director of Cats Paying Dues (CPD), and co-founder of the Tap Legacy™ Foundation, Inc., has garnered him a 2012 TED Global Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces: Dance Initiative Grant, a Flo-Bert Award for Excellence in Tap Dance, and multiple residencies through the CUNY Dance Initiative. Described as “a welcome return to the elegance of simplicity and the tap dancer as maker of aural magic” (exploredance.com) and “deeply touching” (Daily Gazette), Andrew has performed alongside the likes of Nat Adderley, Jr., Harry Connick Jr., the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and the legendary Les Paul. Traveling internationally as a performer, educator, and speaker Andrew has appeared in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Stockholm, Barcelona, and across the United States. Nemr as also brought tap dance to the Dominican Republic through an ongoing cultural exchange with the Civil Innovation Lab. Nemr appears on the Grammy nominated recording Itsbynne Reel by Dave Eggar, the DVD Documentary and companion album Tuesdays at Mona’s by Mona’s Hot Four, and as narrator of DanceTime Publications’ tap dance DVD, Tap Dance History: From Vaudeville to Film. Andrew has been blessed to receive the guidance of Dr. Bunny Briggs, Dr. Jimmy Slyde, Dr. James “Buster” Brown, LeRoy Myers, Ernest “Brownie” Brown, Henry “Phace” Roberts, Dr. Henry LeTang, Mable Lee, Tina Pratt, Dianne Walker, Savion Glover, Ted Levy, and Gregory Hines.
About Cats Paying Dues (www.catspayingdues.com)
Cats Paying Dues (CPD), now celebrating its 10th season, has been presenting critically and popularly acclaimed work since it’s debut in All For Love (2005, Mainstage Theatre at Playwrights Horizons). Subsequent seasons Where the Music Lives (2008) and Echoes In Time (2009) were described as “a welcome return to the elegance of simplicity and the tap dancer as maker of aural magic” (exploredance.com) and “the complete journey through American tap…” (the Daily Gazette). Other appearances include The Quarterly Arts Soiree at Webster Hall (NYC), Jamaica Performing Arts Center (NY), The Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (NYC), the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts (CT), Williams College (MA), MASS MoCA (MA), Symphony Space (NYC), and Celebrate Brooklyn! (NYC). Return performances include Norte Maar’s Fete De Danse (NY) the Tap Extravaganza (NY), DUMBO Dance Festival (NYC), and the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (National Broadcast). Residencies include BRIClab (NYC) and the CUNY Dance Initiative at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (NYC). Engaged in outreach programs, Cats Paying Dues also presents Come Together, an anti-bullying school presentation based on personal stories from CPD company members, and the Narrative Arts Program, a curriculum-based dance and storytelling program developed in partnership with Global Arts Initiative and the Hudson Guild.
Cats Paying Dues is Mallory Davis, Jess Gersony, Naoyuki Hashimoto, Adele Joel, Alexander MacDonald, Carlos Morales, Allie Pizzo, Jason Stump, and Thomas Sutter.
About House of Waters (www.houseofwaters.com)
Described as “A sight to behold” (TimeOut NY), House of Waters embraces the multi-layered sounds of the world. All virtuosos in their own right, Max ZT (hammered dulcimer), Luke Notary (percussion), and Moto Fukushima (six string electric bass), have collectively traveled the world, performed, and recorded together and alongside some of today’s most notable musicians including Pt. Ravi Shankar, Victor Wooten, and in Cirque Du Soleil productions. “One of the most original bands on the planet” (NY Music Daily), their unique style is a product of intense collaboration and a love of music and its power that is infectious.
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