Dance Theater Of Harlem Hosts Open House

ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH AT 3PM

ACTRESS, COMEDIAN AND POET, PHYLLIS YVONNE STICKNEY WILL BE THE GUEST HOST ALONG WITH FEATURED PERFORMANCES BY THE DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM AND THE DTH ENSEMBLE

NEW YORK,  The Dance Theatre of Harlem will continue its monthly Open House Series on Sunday, February 13th at 3p.m. at the Everett Center for the Performing Arts, located at

Performances will include excerpts from students from The Dance Theatre of Harlem School Professional Program and DTH Ensemble member Flavia Garcia in a new work entitled "Four By Four".  In addition, fresh from the start of their touring season this year, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble will perform,: "The Greatest" (pas de deux) set to the classic by George Benson; "New Bach", set J. S. Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor.

The 3:00 Performance will be followed by a reception with the artists. Refreshments served.

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney was one of the first comedians of color to perform at the Juste Pour Rire Comedy Festival in Montreal. Canada. She performed with the late John Candy as well as being introduced at the festival by Ed Bagley Jr. to perform her stand up comedy. Her stand-up performance at the world famous Apollo Theater was one of the selling points to sell the now popular Showtime at the Apollo to the network. Ms. Stickney is also a motivational speaker and published author and poet. She was the first female to ever perform with The Last Poets on the sound track of Panther (1995/I). Essence Magazine's 25th Anniversary Issue named her as one of the 200 African

American Women who has changed the world. Ms. Stickney has created and designed a line of clothing for every woman called Butterbaby, launched in 2004. Ms Stickney is the Founder/Executive Director for a non-profit community based organization called Alternative Careers in the Arts. She is also an accomplished stage performer and has received two AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theater. She was also the writer/Creative Consultant on the ABC short lived series New Attitude a Castle Rock production.

Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, a 16 member company comprised of younger dancers trained in the DTH style is currently performing on its 2010 national tour.  The Ensemble presents a unique artistic/educational performance package together with Master Classes and other educational services to audiences that would otherwise be excluded because of economic and geographical circumstances.  The goal of the project is to expand greater audience awareness and involvement in classical ballet. The production is notable for its audience interaction; live music and educational, artistic, and inspirational content. 

In addition, signed copies of award winning author Marilyn Nelson’s Beautiful Ballerina will be available for sale after the performance. Beautiful Ballerina is a picture book Nelson created to celebrate the strength, courage and gracefulness of beginning ballerinas in her ode to the dancer and to the beauty of the black woman. Four young ballerinas from the Dance Theatre of Harlem were photographed in movement by Susan Kuklin, revealing the beauty of ballet on every page. The gorgeous photographs and poetic prose invite children and all to celebrate the joy of dance.

About The Open House Series

The Open House Series has been a staple program of Dance Theatre of Harlem since its inception.  As one of DTH’s community outreach initiatives, the Open Houses provide high quality performances by the students of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School and the DTH Ensemble and special guest performers.  Performances are held at 3:00p.m.on the second Sunday of each month from November through May, and include a post-performance reception.  Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Open House Series allows community members who would not otherwise have access to DTH performances the opportunity to view and appreciate the arts at more than a fraction of the actual ticket price. 

Harlem Brewing Company and JTE Spirits are proud beverage sponsors of the Dance Theater of Harlem Open House Series.

For more information, please contact the Dance Theatre of Harlem at 212-690-2800

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  Contact: Donna Walker-Kuhne

dwkuhne@gmail.com

Dance Theatre of Harlem

466

New York, NY 10031

www.dancetheatreofharlem.org