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Theater, dance, and related matters around town

Daniel Beaty as Paul Robeson in BAM's production of his "The Tallest Tree in the Forest"
Daniel Beaty as Paul Robeson in BAM’s production of Beaty’s “The Tallest Tree in the Forest”

Among the myriad choices you can make for this weekend’s entertainment, we suggest taking a trip to BAM to see Daniel Beaty’s solo performance as Paul Robeson in his play The Tallest Tree in the Forest. Moisés Kaufman directs Beaty as he plays over 40 characters to portray the life of the controversial Robeson. The son of a freed slave, Paul Robeson rose to international acclaim and was a huge Broadway star, best known for his role as Joe in  Show Boat, activism and for his Communist affiliations. The Tallest Tree in the Forest plays through March 29th, and you can get tickets by clicking through to the BAM box office at BAM.org.

"Cloven Kingdom" among the offerings on the Paul Taylor's American Modern Dance programs at Lincoln Center through March 29th.
“Cloven Kingdom” among the offerings on the Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance programs at Lincoln Center through March 29th.

Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance is at Lincoln Center for the rest of this week, as well.

Catch the high flying Paul Taylor Dance Company in a repertory that includes  Big Bertha,  Troilus and Cressida (reduced), Company BDiggity, Promethean Fire,  Sea Lark and Taylor’s 142nd as yet untitled New Work, among others.On stage, over this final week you can also see Shen Wei Dance Arts in Shen Wei’s Rite of Spring, and Doris Humphrey’s Passacaglia

Shen Wei Dance Arts in "Rite of Spring." Photo by Stephanie Berger.
Shen Wei Dance Arts in “Rite of Spring.” Photo by Stephanie Berger.

performed by the Limón Dance Company.

Paul Taylor’s NYC spring season runs through March 29th. Tickets are available at www.ptamd.org/tickets.

We’re huge fans, as you can witness from our reviews here. But we’ll say it again, a Taylor dance is like no other and each is a thought-provoking and fascinating experience.

Jamie Benson and the Shakedown Dance Collective take to the subways to tell real transit stories danced by real people in historic subway cars. On April 1st at 6:30pm, his program will premier at
NYC Transit Museum, Downtown Brooklyn. His goal is “to incite a new dance community and rediscover the humanity of everyday life in the NYC, as well as the world at large.”

The Wild Project presents Max Baker’s new play, Live From the Surface of the Moon. Don and Carol are hosting a party to watch Neil Armstrong’s moonlanding; Holly Phelps is invited, and so are you. See the Stable Cable Lab Co. production from April 2nd to 11th. You’ll find more information at http://thewildproject.com/performances/2015-Surface-of-the-Moon.shtml; go to Ovation Tix to get tickets.

From April 8th through 11th, Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to New York’s City Center for four performances, including a premiere of Darrell Grand Moultrie’s Vessels. Be there for Dance Theatre of Harlem’s 2015 NY Season.

For more information, visit http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/.

"Desert Dancer," based on a true story of bravery   opens on April 10th in cinema theaters.
“Desert Dancer,” based on a true story of bravery opens on April 10th in cinema theaters.

Desert Dancer tells a true story of an Iran in which dancing is a revolutionary action against the state. In an environment in which cultural freedoms are restricted,  Afshin Ghaffarian watches banned videos of Michael Jackson, Rudolph Nureyev, and Gene Kelly as inspiration. The film stars Freida Pinto, as Elaheh, who along with several friends led by Afshin, starts an underground dance company in the volatile climate of the 2009 presidential election. In New York, the film opens on April 10th at the Sunshine Cinema on Houston Street and AMC Loews Lincoln Square.

On April 13th, a star-powered cast presents a one night only introduction to Our Class by Tadeusz Słobodzianek. The readers include: Nina Arianda, Ellen Burstyn, Kim Cattrall, Alvin Epstein, Brian Murray, John Pankow, Hunter Parrish, and Austin Pendleton, under the direction of Cosmin Chivu. Find out more about this play reading at http://emanuelskirballnyc.org/events/our-class/.

This should keep you busy. Check in soon for more suggestions and news from the railto!

Enjoy.