VSA arts Partners with The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for Reopening of Fully Accessible Opera House on November 19, 2003

November 7, 2003

Free Event Features Excerpts from Deaf West's Broadway Production of Big River and a Performance by Dancer Homer Avila.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, D.C., November 7, 2003 - VSA arts is partnering with The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a performance commemorating the reopening of the newly renovated and fully accessible Opera House on Wednesday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m . The program, a "Performing Arts for Everyone" event, is free and open to the general public.

The program will feature a performance of Solo by dancer Homer Avila, as well as excerpts from the Deaf West production of Big River , in association with Mark Taper Forum and Roundabout Theater, which is coming off a critically acclaimed Broadway run. The evening will also include excerpts from Leonard Bernstein's Mass , featuring opera sensations Harolyn Blackwell and Douglas Webster.

"The arts belong to all of us, whether patron or participant," says Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. "This wonderful occasion celebrating the Opera House's reopening marks the Kennedy Center's commitment to improving physical access and presenting artists with disabilities on stage."

The Deaf West production of Big River includes deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing actors performing with both spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL), interweaving music, voice, sign language, dance, and storytelling techniques from both hearing and Deaf cultures into a unique theatrical event.

Dancer Homer Avila will perform Solo , choreographed by Victoria Marks with music by Miguel Frasconi. Avila has performed with Twyla Tharp, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Mark Morris, Ralph Lemon, and Momix. In the spring of 2001, his right leg and hip were amputated as a result of chondro sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. For most people this would mean the end of their dancing career, but not for Homer. I am fortunate to have discovered something that completely engages me and manifests my being; basically, my destiny, he says of dance. And so he began to explore ways to dance on one leg, with and without crutches.

The renovations to the Opera House, which closed last December for yearlong remodeling, improved accessibility on all levels of the theater, upgraded the sound system, improved the lighting and environmental controls, replaced the orchestra-level floor, and added an additional house elevator serving all lobby levels. These improvements will make for an enhanced theater experience for all patrons.

VSA arts

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA arts is creating a society where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Nearly 5 million people with disabilities participate in VSA arts programs every year through a network of affiliates in 49 states and 64 countries worldwide.

VSA arts will present the 2004 International VSA arts Festival from June 9-12, 2004, in Washington, D.C . Artists from around the world will perform and exhibit at locations such as The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, and the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, please visit www.vsartsfestival.org .

The Millennium Stage

As part of the Kennedy Center's "Performing Arts for Everyone" (PAFE), free performances are given every day of the year at 6 p.m. on the Millennium Stage. These performances of music, theater, and dance feature emerging and established artists from around the Washington, D.C. area, across the nation, and around the world. Since March 1997, the Millennium Stage has hosted nearly 20,000 performers, presented artists from all 50 states, and welcomed more than a million visitors.

The Millennium Stage actively promotes partnerships with Washington's vast diplomatic community by collaborating with cultural attach￩s to spotlight the finest traditional and contemporary artists from countries around the world. In addition, State Days feature artists from various parts of the U.S. on the Millennium Stage by working with members of Congress to nominate artists from their home state. The artists in the State Days series reflect each state's unique regional culture. Participating artists from the local, national, and international community benefit from the exposure of performing at the Kennedy Center, and Center visitors and patrons benefit from a variety of performances showcasing talented artists from D.C., across the country, and around the world. The Millennium Stage introduces the performing arts on to the local community and to the millions of people who visit the Center each year. These 6 p.m. performances are always free of charge 365 days a year. For more information on the Kennedy Center, please visit http://www.kennedy-center.org .

The Millennium Stage Performances are brought to you by Target and the Fannie Mae Foundation.

The Millennium Stage, underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs, is brought to the public by Target and the Fannie Mae Foundation, with additional funding provided by the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the Meredith Foundation, Temple-Inland, Inc., DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Cora and John H. Davis Foundation, and the Millennium Stage Endowment Fund (James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs, Fannie Mae Foundation, Mr. James V. Kimsey, Gilbert and Jaylee Mead, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, Anonymous, and other gifts to secure the future of the Millennium Stage.)

Contact:
Tanya Travers
Director of Public Awareness
(202) 628-2800
info@vsarts.org

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