Due to unforeseen circumstances, the CUNY Dance Initiative’s 10th Anniversary celebration performance with Music from the Sole and Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernandez originally scheduled for Saturday 4/27/24 has been POSTPONED. The New Date of the event has not yet been determined, but we will contact all ticketholders when that occurs. When the new date is announced, if you are able to attend the performance, your tickets will be honored for entry. If you are unable to attend the new date, please contact your original point of purchase for a Refund. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

DATE: SAT, APR 27, 2024, 8 PM
VENUE: LeFrak Concert Hall
TICKETS: $30 for All (No Fees!)

Join us for an evening of percussive dance as we celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the CUNY Dance Initiative with two alums of this ground-breaking residency program: Music From The Sole and Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández.

Music From The Sole is a tap dance and live music company that celebrates tap’s Afro-diasporic roots, particularly its connections to Afro-Brazilian dance and music, and its lineage to forms like house dance and passinho (Brazilian funk). Led by Brazilian choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and by composer Gregory Richardson, their work embraces tap’s unique nature as a blend of sound and movement, incorporating wide-ranging influences like samba, passinho, Afro-Cuban, jazz, and house. As part of its mission to bring tap dance, America’s original vernacular dance form, to new audiences, the company appears as both a dance company and percussive-led band at both music and dance venues, including recently Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Vail Dance Festival, The Yard, Caramoor Jazz Festival, Harlem Stage, Bryant Park, and the Guggenheim.

“A jolt of good energy” (The New York Times)

Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández are known for bridging the culture of traditional Flamenco dance with contemporary global influences. Sonia, originally from Barcelona where she earned her degree at the Instituto de Teatro y Danza, has been hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality.” Ismael has been described by The Washington Post as the “most charismatic performer” and praised for his “connection to the Gypsy source.” Ismael grew up performing in flamenco festivals throughout the world with his internationally renowned family, La Familia Fernández. Sonia and Ismael’s approach to the art form does not stop at its traditional roots: the couple was tapped by the pop-icon Madonna to choreograph the worldwide “Rebel Heart Tour” (2015-2016), with Ismael providing vocals. They also provided the same for Ricky Martin for the “Lola Lola” Flamenco choreography in his Las Vegas concert All In!

“a furnace of earthy sensuality” (The New York Times)

The CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), an expansive program providing New York City choreographers and dance companies with creative residencies on CUNY campuses, announces its tenth year of supporting the dance field and the awarded artists for its 2023–24 cycle. There is no other dance residency program of CDI’s scope in the country. Since its launch in 2014, CDI has facilitated 220 residencies—from emerging choreographers to established dance companies—at 13 CUNY colleges in all five boroughs, granted more than 11,000 hours of studio and stage time to artists; sponsored workshops and master classes for more than 5,000 students; and attracted more than 20,000 New Yorkers to performances and showings at CUNY performing arts centers.

For artists, the impact of a CDI residency can be far reaching: alumni have received Bessie Awards and Guggenheim Fellowships for work developed during residencies, and made connections that have yielded additional teaching and performance engagements. CDI supports a wide range of dance styles and forms reflecting the diversity of the awarded artists, as well as the variety of curatorial perspectives that shape the selection process. In addition to supporting rehearsals and the creative development of new and existing projects, all residencies include master classes, open rehearsals, or Q&As to directly connect artists with CUNY communities. For more information on CDI, click HERE.