Press Release

September 3, 2019

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT: Virginia McInnis | [email protected] | 480-874-4663

Photo credit Djeneba Aduayom


SCOTTSDALE, Arizona ­– Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is excited to announce a new dance residency with Jacob Jonas The Company, which focuses on community engagement for the 2019–20 season.

Prior to the Company’s Arizona debut on Friday, Jan. 31, they will visit Scottsdale in September and January to engage with the dance community through public talks, workshops and private masterclasses, such as a closed dance workshop through Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation Cultural Connections program on Jan. 31 with four Scottsdale Unified School District high school dance students.

“The newly formed Dance Advisory Committee shared their interest in making connections with young Los Angeles dance companies, so the Company was a perfect fit. I’ve been watching the Company for a few years and have been really impressed with their ambition, talent and the progress of their work. Jacob is very authentic in his approach, and his interest in building community grabbed my attention. We decided to have Jacob and his co-founder Jill Wilson visit Scottsdale in September, before the January performance to get to know our community and ideally find support for the creation of a new work,” said Abbey Messmer, programming director at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

The goal of the residency’s outreach is to create a more accessible environment around the Company’s work in an effort to expose audiences across the Valley to the power of dance. By working with the Company during their formative years, the Center is eager to support the development of new work and is interested in fostering a long-lasting relationship.

Jacob Jonas The Company will also bring the popular #CamerasAndDancers meetup to the Scottsdale Arts campus, adding it to a long list of cultural co-hosts including LACMA, Jacob’s Pillow, ASU Gammage and Whitney Museum of American Art.

#CamerasAndDancers brings dance and photography together to create content and creatively activate spaces both in real time and online. The Company will hand select local photographers and influencers to capture their movements and the beauty of dance in the landscape.

“I’m extremely excited for the results that will come from all the collaboration,” said Messmer.

In addition to the public events with Jacob Jonas and the Company, the Center and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation will be presenting two closed educational engagements with musician and composer Okaidja Alfroso on Jan. 30 and 31. Memory Lounge — a program for people living with mild to moderate stages of dementia-related illness and their care partners — is one of the arts enrichment activities Alfroso will participate in, where he will take participants on a global music and dance journey that promotes cross-cultural understanding through actively participating in music, dance, and storytelling. During the Company’s performance on Jan. 31, the audience will see Alfroso live on stage performing his score “CRASH”, which was specifically created for them.

Upcoming events (subject to change):

Jacob Jonas: Lecture

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) Lounge
Free with RSVP

Join Jacob Jonas for an intimate look into Jacob Jonas The Company’s history, current projects and inspirations and engaging the arts as a profession. Additionally, Jonas will discuss documenting dance in all mediums and his work within the community.



Jacob Jonas The Company: Documenting Dance — Teen Workshop

Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) Lounge

Free with RSVP


An opportunity for photo and dance students (middle to high school) to participate in a hands-on experience that will broaden their creative and conceptual thinking, composition structure and choreography for and with the camera. Led by dancer and filmographer Jacob Jonas of Jacob Jonas The Company, who’ll perform with his company at the Center on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Refreshments included.

Photography participants must bring a DSLR or phone camera

Dance participants suggested attire flexible clothing and minimal in design.


SCOTTSDALE ARTS
Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation — serving more than 400,000 participants annually.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Since 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has provided a stage for a wide range of artists and genres, creating shared, inspiring experiences for the community that celebrate artistic excellence and cultural awareness. Today one of the premier performing arts halls in the western United States, the Center presents a diverse season of music, dance, theater, comedy and film from around the world.

LOCATION AND PARKING

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. 2nd St. in downtown Scottsdale. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members’ experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assistive-listening devices and wheelchair seating are also available. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/accessibility/ or contact the Member and Patron Services Box Office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) [TDD: 480-874-4694] for further details. Please inquire about services when ordering tickets.

TICKET DISCOUNTS

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers a variety of ticket discounts for Scottsdale Arts members at the Friends level and above, groups of 10 or more and those purchasing packages to four or more events in one order. The Center provides free tickets to selected events for eligible students, teachers and active-duty military and veterans. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/tickets-discounts/ or call 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

THE STORE

The award-winning Store at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts supports the mission and diverse programs of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts. The Store’s unique selection of merchandise includes artist-made jewelry, stylish furnishings for home and office, unique creations by Arizona artists, fair-trade and upcycled/recycled global crafts, music, books, greeting cards and imaginative toys. Purchases are tax free, and members receive a 15 percent discount. Gift wrapping and shipping are also available. The Store is open seven days a week: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon – 5 p.m.; and throughout most evening events. Phone: 480-874-4644.

HOW TO REACH US

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

7380 E. 2nd St.

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org

480-499-TKTS (8587)

MEDIA: For interviews, digital images or additional information, please contact:

Virginia McInnis
Public Relations Specialist
Scottsdale Arts

Phone: 480-874-4663
Email: [email protected]

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