Wilmington News Journal photographer Fred Comegys captured the curtain call.

Ashley L. Sullivan-Kirksey and several members of the Pieces of a Dream Dance Theatre were featured performers in this years production of the Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts.  The concert was the culminating event of the Wilmington's annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival.  Pieces of a Dream, Inc. members Ashlei Randolph, Viveca Hutchinson, Adiah Simpson, and Dietra Hunter were joined by Nashira Council, Amanda Pollard, Charles Russell, Roberto Rodreiguez-Garcia, and Nicole Starcheski to perform in five featured selectioned with music by the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Choir.

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The  second audition will be held at our rehearsal studio, Danceworks Dance Studio 413A New London Road, Newark, DE 19711 on June 30.  Sign in is at 7:30. Please contact Ashley for questions and details.

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Duke Ellington Sacred Music Concert
Sunday June 21, 2009 from 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Grand Opera House
818 N Market St
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 

Pieces of a Dream will be performing at the Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert at the close of the 2009 DuPont Clifford Brown Jazz Festival—Wilmington’s premier music festival and the largest free jazz festival in the Mid-Atlantic. 

The tickets are free, but you must reserve a ticket at the Festival website.



Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, led by acclaimed local conductor and music educator David Christopher and performed by approximately 150 instrumentalists, vocalists, and dancers. Featured performers will include award-winning tap dancer Joseph Webb, whose performances include Savion Glover’s Bring in ‘Da Noise Bring in ‘Da Funk; the Pieces of a Dream Modern Dance Theatre; and several distinguished soloists, including vocalist Devonne Gardner, who soloed for Ellington when he debuted the Sacred Concerts; 13-year-old vocalist Halima Bleu of Wilmington, who performed the role of Nala in the Broadway production of The Lion King; and Iris Fairfax, Lawler Rogers, and Zen Aura. Featured instrumentalists include trumpeters Nick Corvino and Matt Gallagher, bassist Rob Swanson, and pianist Dennis Fortune. The Wilmington Children’s Chorus will also perform.

Website: http://www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com/

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Pieces of a Dream, Inc and Executive and Artistic Director Ashley Sullivan-Kirsey have had several mentions in the news lately. 

On June 5,  Ashley and the Richardson Park Hip Hoppers featured by ABC channel 6's Lauren Wilson in "Hip to New School Activities". You can see the spot above, an ad plays first. From the feature:


"There's something happening at a school in Wilmington that has students smiling, working really hard, and doing some dancing too.

Recess is indoors on a rainy day, but that doesn't matter to a group of girls at the Richardson Park Elementary School. They gave up recess after they got hip to a better way to spend their free time

It is hip hop.

It is a new initiative designed to help kids stay in shape while having fun and learning some lessons about life....

Miss Ashley has a couple of rules for the girls including 'you can't say can't' and 'you have to try.'



On May 28, Ashley and the Richardson Park Hip Hoppers were the Cover story for the News Journal Crossroads Magazine. From the article: 

"Dance, Sullivan-Kirksey says, teaches them so much. In addition to physical activity, it teaches them discipline."...The girls agree that their instructor has high expectations. One if her rules is, "You have to try it" and another, "you can't say can't." Yet, says Jones, "when people do it wrong, she works with you until you get it right."  "She teaches us how to work as a team." says Ashley Galindez-Ceballos."

The article is in the News Journal Archive on there website, but will be included on our upcoming press page, if you'd like to read the full article.

On April 30th Pieces of a Dream was the also the Crossroads cover story in Janel Atlas' "'Movement' as statement"

"On March 27, Pieces of a Dream presented "Social Movement," a dance performance using historic civil-rights era music with dramatic modern choreography to open a dialogue about race.

Among the movements of the show was "Riot-Us Behavior," a dance-dramatization of the Wilmington race riots, including music and speeches by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, Mavis Staples and Boyz II Men.

Part of the performance illustrated the horror and grief that poured out when King was assassinated in April 1968; the entire cast stood watching an off-stage blue glow, while the audio of archival reporting about King's death played.

The collective gasp of the dancers and their writhing movements brought into sharp relief the communal loss of hope that day."



Scans and pictures from the articles will be posted soon on our new press page, so if you missed these the first time around, you'll be able to read the full story there.

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Pieces of a Dream, Inc.

Is seeking dancers to join the company for the

2009 – 2010 Performance Season

All male and female dancers over the age of 13 are welcome to audition.  Dancers should be proficient in ballet, modern, and jazz dance techniques.  Other formal training is an asset.

 Monday, June 8, 2009

Sign-In è 7:30 PM

Audition è 7:45 PM

 

Danceworks Dance Studio

413A New London Road, Newark, DE 19711

 

For more information,

Visit our website www.PiecesofaDream.org,

e-mail us at [email protected],

or call us at 302.593.6172.

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