ArtYard is thrilled to announce the first performers coming to our McDonnell Theater stage in the new year — LayeRhythm, Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca, SNACKTIME, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Flor de Toloache.
The lineup includes talented artists who blend freestyle live music and street dance, fuse their Mexican roots with Broadway hits, and imbue influences from their French and Haitian heritage into their breathtaking jazz.
Freestyle music, dance, and audience interaction
Get moving in the new year with a play-based jam session of freestyle music, dance, and audience interaction that will get you off your feet on Saturday, Jan. 11. Featuring a rotating cast of top-tier local and international street/club dancers, emcees, singers, and musicians, LayeRhythm artists work from a diverse cultural palette — hip hop, funk, soul, house music, and popping, locking, waacking, Detroit jit, Chicago footwork, krump, flexN, breaking, voguing, litefeet, and house dance styles.
LayeRythm will be in residence in the lead-up to the performance to develop the music aspects of the company so that the musicians can hone how they respond in the moment to the movement of the dancers, recentering the paradigm of dancers listening for the music. With LayeRhythm, the musicians not only follow the dancers, they compose music inspired by the movement of the dancers as they are dancing. The residency a partnership between ArtYard and Works & Process’ LaunchPAD program.
Broadway en Spanglish
Husband and wife duo Jaime Lozano and Florencia Cuenca join us at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 1 to create musical magic with Broadway en Spanglish. A fusion of their Mexican roots with their journey to the American Dream, this multi-lingual musical cabaret features fresh interpretations and new arrangements of contemporary musical theater songs from Hamilton, Waitress, Frozen, and more.
Lozano is a musical theater storyteller considered by Lin-Manuel Miranda as the “next big thing” on Broadway. Cuenca has performed Off-Broadway in Children of Salt (NYMF 2016 Best of Fest) and A Never-Ending, and named Best New Jazz Artist by Hot House Jazz (2016). The two have performed to sold-out crowds at venues such as Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, and Lincoln Center’s American Songbook Series. Stirring mariachi music, humorous stories, and Cuenca’s rousing vocals make for a memorable night celebrating cultural diversity.
Soul, funk, R&B, and punk
Don’t miss Philadelphia-native seven-piece band SNACKTIME, “one of the most original ensembles out there right now” (Paste Magazine), perform their truly unique sound blending inspiration from soul, funk, R&B, punk, and more at a concert at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 22.
SNACKTIME has gone from attracting huge crowds in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square to performances at venues such as the legendary Red Rocks and South by Southwest while touring Portugal with Portugal. The Man.
One of jazz’s most gifted voices
Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of jazz’s most startlingly gifted vocalists and storytellers, and brilliant pianist Sullivan Fortner will bring audiences along on a journey of compelling stories, unexpected twists, and humor in a concert at 7:30 PM on Saturday, April 5. McLorin Salvant’s French and Haitian heritage influence her musical language and style, imbuing it with captivating rhythm and remarkable depth. With every performance, the duo makes a vast range of repertoire come alive in new ways — some breathtaking, others exceedingly subtle.
Tickets, which range from $20 to $39, are on sale now at our ticket page. Additional events will continue to be added to our online calendar throughout the year.
Stay tuned for an announcement about our next exhibitions, featuring works by Alex Callender, Brian Guerin, Tom Hubben, and Janny Baek, opening on Feb. 22.
Flor de Toloache serves up “alt mariachi”
New York City-based Flor de Toloache joins us to perform their rousing mariachi music the evening of Saturday, April 19. They return the following day on Sunday, April 20 to offer an intimate musical workshop and mariachi lesson.
Latin Grammy-winning, Grammy-nominated Flor de Toloache, NYC’s first all-female mariachi is not your typical mariachi. This band has fused mariachi with jazz, R&B, soul, hip-hop, rock, and so much more. Founded in 2008 by Mireya I. Ramos and Shae Fiol, members hail from Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Nicaragua, and the United States, bringing a rich tapestry of cultural influences to their music. Like the legendary love potion from the Toloache flower, Flor de Toloache casts a spell with their powerful vocals and captivating stage presence.
Tickets for the performance are $29.
The workshop will offer participants a behind-the-scenes look at their journey and a lesson in mariachi. The group will perform songs from their repertoire and teach attendees one of their songs. This workshop is for community members 16 and older who play an instrument and love learning new musical genres. The workshop, $25, is limited to 15 participants.
Photo at top: From top left: LayeRhythm, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Florencia Cuenca and Jaime Lozano, and SNACKTIME.
