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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 29 2015 Young Soon Kim, Artistic Director: wwyskdc@gmail.com, 646-456-6761 Xenia Hanusiak, Public Relations: presswhitewave@gmail.com, 917-225-2689

The 2015 DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL BEGINS NEXT WEEK

A FREE-FOR-ALL MARATHON of DANCE INNOVATION for NEW YORK

OCTOBER 8-11, 2015

October 8, 2015 – 7.00 GALA October 9-11, 2015 – Festival Performances

October 11, 2015 – 12-3pm Family Friendly Program

Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter 29 Jay Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY

Next Thursday, October 8, 2015, “The 15th Annual DUMBO Dance Festival” explodes onto the stage of the Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter. For four nights and three days, lovers of dance will experience an Instagram of contemporary dance. The DUMBO Dance Festival is committed to the future expressions of dance by providing performance opportunities for 75 dance troupes from across America and the globe.

“This is a festival about opportunities. The 2015 DUMBO Dance Festival provides performance opportunities for 325 dancers to showcase their work. It also offers New York audiences an opportunity to witness one of the most diverse displays of choreographic courage and excellence for free,” says Ms Young Soon Kim.

The Opening Night Gala features performances by the two host companies, WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, Gelsey Kirkland Ballet, JÁNOS FELEDI/FELEDI PROJECT (Hungary), and Oniin Dance (Italy), as well as Buglisi Dance Theatre, James Hansen/Assemblage Dance and Annielille Gavino-Kollman (USA).

On the opening night, Hungary’s FELEDI Project under the direction of its founder János Feledi will present the New York premiere of “Breathing Together” and Daniela Rapisarda’s Oniin Dance Company, one of Italy’s foremost contemporary dance companies will present the New York premiere of “Phone.” The climax of the evening will be presented by the Young Soon Kim Dance Company in their final installment of the cycle with Here...Eternal NOW.

The 15th DUMBO Dance Festival is presented in association with Gelsey Kirkland ArtsCenter and takes place in their new state-of-the-art, 300-seat theater (formerly St. Ann’s Warehouse).

Dancers from across the United States, Canada, Hungary, Korea and Italy will join in with New York’s active dance community to offer a snapshot of the new directions in dance in the 21st century.

In this anniversary year, the roster of companies includes: TwiN dolls, Caitlin+Dutton, Winnie Berger/Mook Dance Project, Julieta Valero/Rastro, Kelly Ferris Lester, URSULA VERDUZCO/BBBALLET, BAXco, Tina Croll + Company, Lindsay Head, William Ervin, Ashley Robicheaux & Artists, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, Jackie O'Toole & Dancers, Azul Dance Theatre/ Yuki

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Hasegawa, BOINK! Dance & Film, Amos Pinhasi, Kyle Marshall Choreography, Sun ae Hwang/SUNPROJECT, Sonali Skandan & Jiva Dance, Tomomi Imai, Alchemy Dance Company, Yuka Kawazu/Danse En L'Air, JÁNOS FELEDI / FELEDI PROJECT, Artis Smith and Dancers, David J. Popalisky, James Hansen/Assemblage Dance, AMS Project, XAOC Contemporary Ballet/Eryn Renee Young, Satomi Itohara/ Sance, Peggy Choy Dance, Jesse Phillips-Fein, Shauna Sorensen and Dancers, Annielille Gavino-Kollman, Jeanette Stoner, Monica Hogan Danceworks, Monkeyhouse, Vanessa Long/Vanessa Long Dance Company, Shawn T Bible/stbdance, Aaron Atkins/Ballet Inc., Tara Lynch, Kathleen Helm and Dancers, Monteleone Dance Collective, Jazz Roots Dance Company, Savannah Heineken, Ciao Bella Arts, Chris Choreography, Heather Roffe, Keith Johnson/Dancers, De Funes Dance, Nadine Bommer Dance Company, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, Maxine Steinman, Company SBB, CORE Concert Dance Company, Siobhan Lawless, Texture Contemporary Ballet, Elisabetta Minutoli/Vivo Ballet, Alenka Cizmesija, TSAI HSI HUNG, Elizabeth Shea Dance, Birds of a Feather: Aerial Duo, Ju Hwan Hwang, Joori Jung/ARTLAB J DANCE, Emily Bufferd, Oniin Dance Company, Luda Lee/Black Toe Contemporary Ballet, Buglisi Dance Theatre, WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, and more.

In its commitment to dance for all, the 15th annual DUMBO Dance Festival is also proud to announce the following events in our 2015 program:

Family-Friendly Program: Sunday, October 11th 12 noon-3pm Celebrating the next generation of dancers… and their parents (!) WHITE WAVE’s Kids Can Dance education program will lead Hip Hop/B-boy and Modern Dance classes for kids of all ages. Following the class, eight companies will take to the stage in a fun and educational program featuring the best, family-friendly performances of the 2015 festival. Grand Finale: Sunday, October 11th 8pm-9:30 pm For the Festival Grand Finale, eight choreographers/companies will present works, including Joori Jung/ARTLAB J DANCE (Detroit), Keith Johnson/Dancers (Long Beach), Oniin Dance (Rome), Luda Lee/Black Toe Contemporary Ballet (Korea), and Aaron Atkins/Ballet Inc., WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company, XAOC Contemporary Ballet/Eryn Renee Young and Winnie Berger/Mook Dance Project (New York).

History of the DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL

WHITE WAVE created the DUMBO Dance Festival in 2001 in response to the dance community’s need for performance opportunities that would not only present, but also produce the work of rising choreographers at little or no cost to the artist. The festival is now recognized as New York’s most prestigious gathering of choreographic excellence encouraging exploration, creativity, bravery and originality. For 14 years, the festival ran concurrently with the DUMBO Arts Festival (formerly d.u.m.b.o. arts under the bridge festival) and was presented at the company’s home, the WHITE WAVE John Ryan Theater in DUMBO. The closing of our theater at the end of 2014 and the discontinuation of the DUMBO Arts Festival in 2015 are a testament to the changing character of DUMBO and the beginning of a new era for WHITE WAVE’s festivals.

WHITE WAVE’s festivals have garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times, PBS Ch.13 “NYC-Arts”, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News, The Village Voice, Channel 7 “Eyewitness News,” and Dance Magazine. As WHITE WAVE has grown, so has the buzz surrounding us, garnering rave reviews in both local and international media citing the magnificence of our festivals.

In its short history WHITE WAVE Dance has presented over 2,400 choreographers/dance companies and over 11,000 performers to a total of more than 67,500 audience members.

Please visit www.whitewavedance.com for more information about the 2015 DUMBO Dance Festival and WHITE WAVE’s annual program.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural

Affairs in partnership with the City Council; Mertz Gilmore Foundation; Korean Cultural Service, NY; the

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Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Republic of Korea, JOHN RYAN COMPANY and Individual Supporters.

High resolution photos are available for download at photobucket.com

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2015 DUMBO Dance Festival Photos