And the winner is....!!

PETE SCHWINGE! Congratulations! You are the lucky winner of our Facebook Sweepstake for 1 ticket to Sander Kleinenberg @ Pacha NYC and you can bring 2 friends! Please send your contact info to dutchperformingartsevents@gmail.com for further details.

Monokino US Tour

Monokino. Photo: unknown

Monday, June 6, 2011 at 8:00 PM
The Trash Bar - New York, NY
Admission: $7
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Pianos - New York, NY
Admission: $8
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Coco 66 - Brooklyn, NY
Admission: $7
Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 7:15 PM
Weapons of Mass Creation Festival -Cleveland, OH
Admission: $5
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 7:30 PM
Water Street - Rochester, NY
For tickets 

Amsterdam based band Monokino has to date released one EP and 2 albums in China where the band is known for its distinct musical identity playing electronic pop music.  Monokino’s sound has been spiced up in a rather kitschy way with a combination of melodious high pitched vocals, static keyboard, rock guitar and electronic/acoustic drum segments. In Holland, China and Germany, Monokino has received both critical and public acclaim for its indie music. Monokino is signed to Modern Sky, China’s largest independent record label. Monokino’s music is released by Konkurrent/My First Sonny Weissmuller in Benelux countries.

Join our Facebook sweepstake and win FREE tickets for Sander Kleinenberg @ Pacha NYC!

Sander Kleinenberg. Photo: courtesey of the artist.

Join the Facebook sweepstake: “LIKE” the Dutch Performing Arts Facebook page and get rewarded!

PRIZE!

*WIN* one (1) complementary V.I.P. ticket and bring two (2) guests for

Sander Kleinenberg – one of the biggest DJs in the world –  

Friday, June 10, 2011 from 10:00 PM 

Pacha NYC (New York, NY)

Prize Eligibility

Only persons who are at least 21 years of age can enter.

Sweepstake Starts

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Sweepstake Ends

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Drawing

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 @ noon (EST) and winner will be contacted.

Rules Summary

1. No one under 21 is permitted to enter the sweepstake.

2. You must "LIKE" the Dutch Performing Arts Facebook page

3. All fans of our Facebook page will be eligible to enter.

4. Tickets must be picked up before June 11th, 2011 in New York. Details will follow.

5. Complimentary tickets are not exchangeable, not returnable or transferable. 

6. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

*Tickets are sponsored by Pacha NYC* 

Seattle International Film Festival presenting 4 Dutch Productions

Johan Primero (2010)

Johan Primero (2010)
Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 9:45 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For tickets
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Everett Performing Arts Center - Everett, WA
For tickets
Monday, June 6, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Admiral Theatre - Bremerton, WA
For tickets

In Johan Primero, Johan Puig is a 42-year-old man who spends his time driving 50 laps a day in his Citroen 2CV around the stadium which is home to the Barcelona football club. He never misses a lap, convinced that this ritual, which originated with his beloved father some 30 years previously (and whose ashes now ride around in the front seat), is the secret of the club’s success. He has constructed his life entirely around this daily routine, with regular stops throughout the neighborhood: at the local café, for a few cortados with his friend Jorge; at the playground to dispense football tips to neighborhood kid Leo; at the candy store to refresh his stash of Chupa Chups; and at the parking garage, for naps. One day, while he’s stopped at a red light, a girl named Paquita washes his windows. She’s cute, she’s friendly, she’s even a soccer fan…but will it be enough to get Johan out of his car?

Win/Win (2011)

Win/Win (2011)
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Egyptian Theater - Seattle, WA
For tickets
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA
For tickets 
Friday, June 10, at 7:00 PM

Kirkland Performance Center - Kirkland, WA

For tickets

If a man gets everything he wants with almost no effort, can he ever be truly happy? Jaap van Heusden’s feature debut explores this central theme in the story of Ivan, a young analyst at an Amsterdam brokerage firm who has an uncanny gift for interpreting data. His savant-like abilities are soon discovered by the arrogant, no-nonsense Stef - one of the firm’s top traders - who takes the wunderkind under his wing. Ivan is an immediate sensation, raking in huge daily profits for the firm, receiving a swanky new apartment and getting amorous attention from the pretty receptionist he has secretly admired as dividends. But his gift comes at a great cost. As the profits and his reputation soars, Ivan feels increasingly detached from the rest of the world, soon forcing him to make a momentous decision. Win/Win is an absorbing character study that also subtly skewers the financial hubris that helped bring about the global economic crisis. In between Ivan’s brilliant stock trades, we see glimpses of real-life news reports about the collapse of Bear Stearns splashed across the trading floor’s video screens - warnings that are virtually ignored by the busy traders.

Heading West (2010) movie still. Photo: www.siff.net

Heading West (2010)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For ticketsFriday, June 10, 2011 at 4:30 PM
Egyptian Theater - Seattle, WA

For tickets

Heading West is a lovely study of everyday life, or, more specifically, the life of Claire, a 38-year-old woman living in Amsterdam whom we follow over the course of a single year. During this time, she cares for her young son, teaches at a school for deaf children, argues with her ex-husband, and flirts with a stranger. She has dinner with friends, visits her mother, goes shopping, checks up on the elderly neighbor, and makes her way from place to place in the city on her bicycle—even after an accident in which she breaks her arm. None of these experiences may be exceptional in their own right, but when taken together, they form a constellation of the highs and lows, large and small, that make up a life, and illustrate a whole which is more than the sum of its parts in this carefully observed, deeply personal film.

Shocking Blue (2010) movie still. Photo. www.siff.net

Shocking Blue (2010)
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 7:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For ticketsTuesday, May 24, 2011 at 5:00 PM
AMC Pacific Place 11 - Seattle, WA
For tickets

Willem, Jacques, and Chris have been best friends for as long as any of them can remember. In Shocking Blue, the three teens all live amongst the colorful expanses of Holland’s tulip fields, which serve as a backdrop for their adolescent games and escapades. No different from country boys everywhere, they approach the threshold of adult life while still clinging to the comforts of an idyllic childhood. Until, that is, the day a tragic accident tears the friendship asunder, resulting in the death of one of them under the wheels of an out-of-control tractor with Willem at the wheel. Suspicions arise that the accident may have had something to do with jealousy over the previous night, when Jacques had gone off for a romantic encounter with pretty, 15-year-old Marianne, but nobody is talking. Mark de Cloe’s second feature is a touching coming-of-age drama, but also a wistful meditation on a shattered friendship. Making excellent use of the bright hues and light of a warm Dutch summer, the film unspools in romantic, almost mythic tones and clearly bodes well for the future of the country’s acting talent with its attractive and surprisingly accomplished young leads.

Sintel (2010) movie still. Photo: www.siff.net

 

Sintel (2010)
Saturday, May 28, 2011 at 9:30 PM
(shown as part of Animation United's screening)
SIFF Cinemea - Seattle, WA
For tickets

Sintel is an independently produced short film, initiated by the Blender Foundation as a means to further improve and validate the free/open source 3D creation suite Blender. With initial funding provided by 1000s of donations via the internet community, it has again proven to be a viable development model for both open 3D technology as for independent animation film. This 15 minute film has been realized in the studio of the Amsterdam Blender Institute, by an international team of artists and developers. In addition to that, several crucial technical and creative targets have been realized online, by developers and artists and teams all over the world.

The Seattle International Film Festival's mission is to create experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world. It is through the art of cinema that we foster a community that is more informed, aware, and alive. The festival takes place from May 19 - June 22, 2011.  

Dutch films at Brooklyn Film Festival

Among Horses and Men (2010) movie still. Photo: courtesy of Brooklyn Film Festival

Among Horses and Men (2010) by Marjoleine Boonstra
Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Indiescreen - Brooklyn, NY
For tickets
Monday, June 6, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Indiescreen - Brooklyn, NY
For tickets

Among Horses and Men directred by Marjoleine Boonstra (1959), who is also a filmmaker, artist, photographer and lives in Amsterdam. Among Horses and Men illustrates a unique portrait of a Nevada prison program that trains inmates to become horse trainers. While still officially in prison, the men work outdoors, breaking wild horses. Their own feelings and emotions are reflected in the behavior of the horses, which have been captured and caged for the first time, their freedom taken. During a period of three months, the prisoners struggle to win the animal's trust and to place the animal under emotional control. In the process, they do the same with themselves.

 Among Horses and Men (2010)

Walzer (2010) by Rob Lücker

Monday, June 6, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Brooklyn Heights Cinema - Brooklyn, NY
For tickets
Tuesday, June 7 at 6:00 PM
IndieScreen - Brooklyn, NY
For tickets

Rob Lücker (1977) directed commercials for brands like Albert Heijn, Delta Lloyd, De Bijenkorf and SP. His graduation film Skoda won the Talent&Pro Award for Best Film of Dutch Audiovisual Academy's. Walzer is Lücker's first experimental production:

Scrap metal pikey Arec discovers a valuable treasure during his demolishing and gathering work in a dark basement. He decides to keep it for himself, but soon his two comrades grow suspicious and a fierce and nerve-racking struggle for power unfolds...  

Walzer (2010)

The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF- formerly known as Brooklyn International Film Festival) is announcing its 2011 annual festival themed Plot. The festival has received over 2,200 films from 111 countries. 1,200 are US productions. The competitive event will run from June 3rd through June 12th at indieScreen, a brand new venue in Williamsburg, and the Brooklyn Heights Cinemas. The festival will present 120 film premieres and each film will be shown twice. 

'Bride Flight' opens in the Paris Theatre in NYC

The original 1953 flight. Photo: cover of Revue October 10th 1953, Nieuwe Revu.

Friday, June 10, 2011 at 1:00 PM (first screening)
The Paris Theater - New York, NY
For tickets

Bride Flight (2008) is a lavish romantic drama inspired by the true story of the 1953 KLM flight that won the “Last Great Air Race” from London to Christchurch. The flight was dubbed “Bride Flight” by the international press, because of its special passengers; 40 Dutch immigrants, most of them young women with wedding dresses in their suitcases, traveling to join their fiancés who had already emigrated to New Zealand. Leaving behind the gloom and scarcity of post-WWII Europe, shy but sensual farm girl Ada, dogmatic Marjorie, and Jewish fashion designer Esther are filled with hope for a future of love and freedom. Each takes a very different path in their strange new land, but together with handsome bachelor Frank, they form a bond on the flight that continues to link them for decades to come. Honored with Audience Awards at film festivals across the country, Bride Flight evokes a time of slim choices and desperate optimism, with sweeping views of the New Zealand countryside, stunning period dresses, and the faint smell of Pinot Noir from the thriving vineyard Frank establishes in New Zealand.

 Bride Flight (2008)

Directed by: Ben Sombogaart
Starring: Waldemar Torenstra, Karina Smulders, Anna Drijver, Elise Schaap, Rutger Hauer, Pleuni Touw.

Screenwriter: Marieke van der Pol also wrote the best-selling novel. 

A Music Box Films release.

Conference: The Funding of the Arts

The Cooper Union. Photo: Abbott Miller.

Friday, June 10, 2011 at 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The evening will be concluded with a reception.
The Cooper Union - New York, NY
RSVP at: newyork@pvda.nl

The New York chapter of the Dutch Social Democratic Party – the ‘PvdA’ -presents in collaboration with the School of Art at The Cooper Union: “Who Serves the Arts Best?”.

A debate on public and private funding of the arts in the United States and the Netherlands. Due to rigorous cut backs in arts funding by the current government in the Netherlands, Dutch arts institutions and artists are looking to the United States to explore ideas for supplementing their budgets. Who serves the arts best, and how do we actually measure that? In one-on-one conversations, followed by a moderated panel, museum directors, chiefs of art institutions and foundations, policy makers, deans of art schools and artists will debate the transatlantic divide and build on a template for the future funding of the arts.

Farai Chideya (Radio Host NPR) will be hosting this afternoon of conversations and presentations and introduce the audience to several thought provoking discussions between prominent representatives of leading cultural institutions in the US and in the Netherlands.

Glenn D. Lowry (MoMA) and Axel Rüger (Van Gogh Museum) will start off the debate on cultural institutions by discussing the differences between the so-called Dutch ‘Rijks museums’ — substantially funded by the State — versus the many museums in the United States that work with a board of trustees and rely on private resources. Questions about funding models for the concert hall and the theatre, and their challenges in a changing world increasingly oriented towards consumerism and mass culture, will be debated by Clive 
Gillinson (Carnegie Hall) and Melle Daamen (City Theatre Amsterdam).

How can cultural foundations pursue a public mission in the field of art and culture, and in what way is this possible without a subsidy system? Are cultural philanthropy and US-style fund raising desirable instruments to introduce in the Dutch cultural system? Is public funding diminishing in the Netherlands (and Europe), but getting more popular in the US? Nicolas Baume (Public Art Fund), Gitta Luiten (Mondrian Foundation) and Katie Hollander (Creative Time) will share their perspectives.
 
Policy makers in the cultural field, such as Rick van der Ploeg (Professor of Economics and former Dutch Secretary of Culture), will give their views on the future of the role of government in the arts in these times of budget cuts and reform. Can art revitalize the flagging economy and “be a source of jobs and economic stimulus,” as Rocco Landesman has argued (NEA), or is it a luxury that government should target first when making decisions on budget cuts?

Saskia Bos (The Cooper Union) and Mark Wigley (Columbia University) will engage in a conversation about funding and education, and open a session with educators, an artist, architect, designer and a theatre director. What does public and private funding mean to artists? Will the concept of cultural enterprise awaken the businessman who lives in many artists and spark creativity even more, or will it leave less room for innovation and lead to more mainstream productions? 

For information please contact Gerald van Wilgen at vanwilgen@mac.com or 856-261-1673

Saskia Laroo on the US Summer Fests

Saskia Laroo. Photo: Ruediger Schestag.

Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Asylum Hill Congregational Church - Hartford, CT
Admission: free
Sunday, June 5 2011 at 11:00 AM
Salvation Army - Brooklyn, NY
Admission: free
Sunday June 5, 2011 at 4:00 PM
Brotherhood Synagogue - New York, NY   
Admission: free
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Forbes Library - Northampton, MA
Admission: free
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 6:30 PM
East Hartford Parks & Rec. - East Hartford, CT
Admission: free
Saturday, July 2, 2011 at tba
Norforlk Country Club - Norfolk, CT
Admission:
Sunday, July 3, 2011 at tba    
Redding Town Green - Redding, CT
Admission: free
Saturday, July 16, 2011 at tba 
Omi International Arts Center - Ghent, NY
Admission: free
Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Royal Masala - Hartford, CT
Admission: free

Saskia Laroo, hailed by American public and press at large as "Lady Miles of Europe", is one of the few women trumpet stylists, blowing for more than three decades. Born July 31, 1959 in Amsterdam, she began on trumpet at age 8, never dreaming of becoming a professional musician. That all changed when Saskia, turned 18, after briefly majoring in mathematics at University of Amsterdam switched her focus to a career in music. She worked extensively in various groups from this point, at first mostly on upright bass, though eventually, on both bass and trumpet; the trumpet became her main  instrument. Saskia Laroo combines today's music by uncontrived romps into new styles, eagerly limned as "nu jazz" or "swingin' body-music"--a vivacious blend of hip-hop, jazz, salsa, funk reggae, and world, that many other artists dare not venture. Her artistry and her groove ring vibrantly and free on her five albums journeying us through the music she has absorbed and plays from heart and soul. 

The Saskia Laroo Band

"Molly says NO!" ft. Judith Mok in NYC

Judith Mok. Photo: courtesy of the artist.

Monday, June 6, 2011 at 6:00 PM

Bruno Walter Hall, Lincoln Center - New York, NY
Admission: free

Originally commissioned for the James Joyce Centenary celebrations in Dublin in 2004, Molly says No! is a dramatic recital written by famed Irish poet and screenwriter Michael O’Loughlin. It shows a different side of the fictional character of Molly Bloom, heroine of Ulysses. Here Molly is a serious artist, professional singer, foreigner, immigrant, bereaved mother, a complex modern woman in a male world. She sings the music she loves in her own words. This dramatic recital features music by Bizet, Mozart, Granados, De Falla, Schubert, Hugo Wolf as well as traditional Irish and Sephardic folk song.

Judith Mok has peformed  Molly says No! throughout Ireland and abroad to great critical acclaim. This show has been invited to many venues, including Dublin Writers Festival, Dublin Bloomsday, Aspects Festival, the first Irish Literary Festival in New Delhi , India and Bhutan, and at many universities.

Judith Mok performs Molly Says No Part I

Judith Mok (Soprano). Her lieder, oratorio and opera repertoire led to appearances at numerous festivals including Salzburg, Edinburgh, Paris and the Holland Festival. She has worked in North and South America and in almost every country in Europe, having sung with orchestras such as London Sinfonietta, the Netherlands Philharmonic, de Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, the Mozart Players, the Freiburgerbarock and Amsterdam Baroque, and the Vienna Symphony in concert halls such as the Concertgebouw, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Queen Elisabeth Hall, Theatre du Chatelet and the Bastille, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires.

She has performed and recorded operas by Mozart, Philidor, Handel, Puccini, Richard Strauss and Wagner with conductors such as Berstein, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Rostropovitch, Edo de Waart, Ed Spanjaard, Hartmut Haennchen,  JC Malgoir  and many others.
 
Having dedicated part of her career to contemporary music, composers such as Louis Andriessen, Gerardo Gandini, Bob Zimmerman and Jeff Hamburg have written works for her which have been recorded on CD. She was also chosen by the Oscar-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun to perform his works in several countries. 

Judith Mok has made many television and radio recordings in Europe , North and South America and India. She has sung and acted in several feature films with actors like Elliot Gould and Jacqueline Bisset, including the award-winning Goodnight Vienna.

'Dusk' at Bershire International Film Festival

Schemer / Dusk (2010) movie still. Photo: www.imdb.com

Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 2:30 PM
Triplex Cinema #2 - Great Barrington, MA

For tickets

During a scorching hot summer the tension in a group of young friends runs so hight, they decide to murder one of the girls in their group. Dusk is a tragic ensemble film about the emergence of a fascist dictatorship within a group, a dynamic that requires the death of a scapegoat.

The Berkshire International Film Festival is a world-class festival that is an integral part of the cultural fabric of the Berkshires. BIFF showcases not only the latest in independent feature, documentary, short, and family films but also lively panel discussions and special events focusing on filmmakers and talented artists from both sides of the camera.

The festival takes place from June 2-5, 2011.

Dutch DJs are taking over Pacha NY

Sander van Doorn
Thursday, June 3, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Pacha NY - New York, NY
For tickets  

Thought to be a technical and musical genius by many, Sander van Doorn is without a doubt one of the worlds most essential, influential and popular DJ/Producers in dance music today. In very short order, Sander has become a brand synonymous with excellence – both production wise, and in front of the thousands he plays to nightly. He is truly one of the strongholds in dance music, a generation defining artist that reshapes our perception of what dance music can be, and he does it all with that electrifying Sander van Doorn smile. Sander van Doorn is electronic music royalty. He’s a hit-maker, a tastemaker, and musical visionary.  With boundary pushing preciscion, Sander has taken music, clubbing and production to the next level. He’s been awarded so many honors from industry and peers alike that his mantle is permanently bowed. Poll after poll cement his status as one of the worlds best, and you can bet that whatever the position or rank he holds, in the hearts and minds of his fans he is always #1.

Fedde Le Grand
Friday, June 4, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Pacha NY - New York, NY
For tickets

2009 has been a truly phenomenal year for Dutch artist Fedde le Grand. With a glittering career that includes worldwide number ones, packed arenas, throbbing dance floors, A-list collaborations, a raft of international awards and a debut artist album Output that hit over 60 countries worldwide, it’s been a year that has cemented his reputation as one of the most forward-thinking, in-demand, creative forces in global music. But though this may have been an impressive ‘beginning’, it was just that – a beginning. There was more to come from le Grand and the world was about to sit up and take notice of the Dutchman. Let Me Think About It, The Creeps and 3 Minutes to Explain all followed, setting club-land on fire and stamping Fedde’s name all over the global music charts. There was nobody anywhere that fell short of Fedde’s magic, including Grammy Award-winning Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am, international electronic godfather Fatboy Slim and Madonna. That the Queen of Pop should have picked up on Fedde came as no surprise to anyone with one eye on his meteoric career. After using Put your hands up to promote her Sticky and Sweet tour, she then requested Fedde’s remix skills for her global smash hit Give It 2 Me.

Sander Kleinenberg
Friday, June 10, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Pacha NY - New York, NY
For tickets

Sander Kleinenberg is a Dutch DJ and producer. Born in Delft in 1971, he started DJing in his early teens playing at local bars. After getting his start in production in 1996, some of the biggest DJs in the world, including Sasha, Deep Dish, and Max Graham have used his tracks on their mix compilations. My lexicon and Sacred are examples of his trancier production work, while The Fruit and Work To Do are examples of a more funk-tinged house. His most recent compilations fall under the Everybody moniker, and reflect the style of DJing that he is playing out at the time.

 
















Afrojack
Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Pacha NY - New York, NY
Admission: $54,43

The stars must've been aligned just right when Nick van de Wall (better known as Afrojack) saw his first ray of light. Music was his first love since his early youth. He started playing piano when he was only five. Being a very creative student, Afrojack spent most of his time listening to all kinds of music while studying. It was no surprise that it didn't take him long to turn the tables and start making music instead of just listening to it.

Befitting his position as the leading figure of the Dutch new wave, his success stretches far beyond his home turf; 2010 has seen him become one of the most in demand DJ/producers of any nationality.

With a peerless reputation as a producer - including Lady Gaga’s Alejandro and Madonna’s Revolver, his signature style is bringing him the kind of remix requests that most dance artists will only ever dream of.

Dutch Composer Ruben Naeff got inspired by the Dutch Prime Minister

The Deviant Septet. Photo: courtesy of the artist.

Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:30 PM (world premier)
Greenwich House Music School - New York, New York
Admission:$15

Inspired by Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat, about a soldier who sells his soul to the devil, the New York based Deviant Septet presents a concert with a different instrumentation and a Faustian spirit. Especially for this program, the Dutch composer Ruben Naeff (1981) wrote For the Deviants: a tribute to the deviant voice, which was inspired by the Faustian pact that the current Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte recently had made with the politicians Verhagen and Wilders. 

When Naeff began working on the piece, he started looking for Faustian themes, inspired by Stravinksy's Histoire du Soldat and Zappa's Titties and Beer, that both will be performed at the concert, too. He realized after a while that he had been occupied by such a theme for quite a while: recently the leader of the Dutch conservative party, Mark Rutte, had barely won the elections and eventually chose to form a government that included the populist anti-Islam party that just had won tremendously. The choice for this controversial coalition partner was not obvious: he ignored the socialist party, who had got just one single seat less, and chose to include the conservative Christian party, which had dramatically lost half of its seats in parliament.

Ruben Naeff. Photo: UvA FNWI

Educated in both mathematics and music and recently employed as an economist, Ruben Naeff finds himself in an attempt to comprehend the world and set it to music. His love for mathematics led him to write De Bètacanon (The Scientific Canon), a paean for science that was commissioned by the Dutch national newspaper De Volkskrant and in which the fifty scientific topics of the newspaper's eponymous project were sung in a canon in four voices. The financial crash of 2008 inspired him to write The Dancing Dollar, in which he set both Citigroup's share price and its former chairman's words to music, and where he asked the Dollar for a dance. After that, many economically inspired pieces came to life, including a businessman's Elevator Pitch for solo flute and a neoliberal creed Credo for chamber choir, with texts from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. Ruben embraces all kinds of music and strives to write music that inspires and moves.

NY screening of award winning 'Can I Kick It' by Jos Dirkx

Can I Kick It? (2010) movie still. Photo: courtesy of the filmmaker.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Roger Smith Hotel - New York, NY
Admission: free

Can I Kick It? tells the untold story of women’s football in South Africa. Together with the incredible team of Nations United, an organization consisting of 7 campaigns, 1 film, and an active dialogue all blending the art of film-making and the idea and goal of global unity led by Chaker Khazal, we have an action-packed week ahead of us.
Documentary maker and founder/director of Girls & Football SA, Jos Dirkx, won “Best Documentary” at the Festival du TV et Cinema in Beirut, Lebanon, which represents the second biggest film festival in the Middle East region. It is the first time that this award has been given to a female director and a female led initiative since 1939, when the awards and film festival were founded.  

Jos Dirkx was born in Rio de Janeiro and has since been traveling the world with her parents and brother. She has lived in Brazil, Bangladesh, Spain, Senegal, The Netherlands, Canada, Norway and currently resides in South Africa. Her passion for social justice and gender equality has propelled her participation in projects, debates, fund raising and campaigning for increased public awareness of women’s rights, and her hands-on experience with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has furthered her dedication to making social justice and gender equality a worldwide priority.

She has worked on various projects, including projects for victims of the Tsunami, as well as on services for commemoration of World War II survivors and victims and has volunteer experience teaching theatre in South Africa and English in Sudan. She has spoken in various European countries about Female Genital Mutilation.

Next to the screening, the new technology and heath campaign of Girls & Football SA will also be launched.

Gerald van Wilgen in the Theatre at the American Legion Hall

The Importance of Being Earnest. Photo: courtesy of the artist.

Friday, May 13, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets
Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets
Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets
Friday, May 20, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets
Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 8:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets
Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Theatre at the American Legion Hall - Collingswood, NJ
For tickets

Celebrate Collingswood with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, presented by The Collingswood Shakespeare Company. Join Oscar Wilde in his visit with Walt Whitman as they watch this hilarious play.

Gerald van Wilgen is an ambitious multi faceted playwright, writer and director who doesn’t shy away from big ideas.
His recent play Quaerere (work-title) is an epic tale of three characters dealing with entitlements, destiny and self-determination. In Rites of Passage and Constant Revolution at the Rotunda at the University of Pennsylvania, he directs a divers group of artists and community participants to create new rituals and find their own voice.
For the Collingswood Shakespeare Company he has also directed William Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale. He is the facilitator of a the Coffee & Shakespeare group that meets monthly at the Collingswood Public Library as well.
Gerald van Wilgen holds an MA from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and studied directing at the Walnut Street Theatre School in Philadelphia and the HB Studios in New York.

IPAY Dutch Youth Theater Consortium Tour ft. Speeltheater Holland

Speelteater, De Maan. Photo: Jørgen Koopmanschap

Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater - Costa Mesa, CA
For tickets at 1:00 PM / 3:30 PM
Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 3:00 PM
Overture Center for the Arts, Capitol Theater - Madison, WI
For tickets
Friday, May 6, 2011 at 6:00 PM
Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre - Cleveland, OH
For tickets
Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM
Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre - Cleveland, OH
For tickets at 12:00 PM / 3:00 PM
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM
RVCC Arts - Somerville, NJ
For tickets  
Friday, May 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM
RVCC Arts - Sommerville, NJ
For tickets 
Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 3:30 PM
RVCC Arts - Somerville, NJ
For tickets
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Painted Bright Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
Admission: t.b.a.
Friday, May 20, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Painted Bright Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
Admission: t.b.a.
Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM
Painted Bright Art Center - Philadelphia, PA
Admission: t.b.a.
For several reviews on Perô (or Mysteries of the Night)

Perô (or Mysteries of the Night), an adaptation of the popular children’s book by French author Michel Tournier, will make its California debut at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in the Family Series on April 23 with two performances. This award-winning production from Speeltheater Holland of the Netherlands tells the story of Perô, a baker in a tiny Italian village with a broken heart. Perô loses the girl he has loved since childhood after she runs off with a flashy house painter. He stops baking and closes his bakery. Using puppets, actors, singers and live musicians, this charming tale of love comes to life.

Speeltheater Holland is a non profit touring theater company based in Edam in the Netherlands. Founded in 1976, the company has performed theater for children for more than 30 years.The company’s performances range in size from small plays using one to three actors as well as larger scale productions. Speeltheater Holland creates theater for children of all ages and sometimes for adults as well. The productions include the use of puppets combined with acting and other theatrical disciplines. In addition to developing and presenting performances, Speeltheater Holland also seeks to be a breeding ground for young (puppet) theater makers and a place where new forms of co-operation can be experimented with and cultivated.

Speeltheater Holland, Perô. Photo: Dirk Buwalda

Next to the public shows, Speeltheater Holland also scheduled a number of school performances. For more info: www.speeltheater.nl/Enews.html 

International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) is the premiere membership organization in the world today servicing and supporting the professional community of performing arts for young audiences. Their membership is comprised of a growing worldwide network of artists, producers, presenters, agents, educators and students that are dedicated and involved in producing, presenting and promoting all forms of theatre, music, dance, circus, puppetry and more.