Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/289950
"A stunning ensemble of contemporary dance celebrities presented by the Sarasota International Dance Festival (SIDAF) will be spotlighted at the Sarasota Opera House" on April 15 in its opening 2014 program, organiz- ers have announced. Leading interpreters of contemporary dance from the Netherlands, New York and California have been assembled by Robert de Warren, president of SIDAF, for a one-night only performance, a news release says. Returning to the Opera House after "her extraordinary appearances in 2010 and 2011" will be Drew Jacoby, an internationally renowned contemporary dancer who is also co-producing the event's unique performance of Lifted, "an exciting and hip program," the release points out. She will be partnered by Medhi Walerski, originally from the Paris Opera and now a principal dancer/choreog- rapher at the Netherlands Dance Theatre, with whom she has danced most recently, the release notes. Li'l Buck, "a spectacular dancer who has appeared with Madonna and Cirque du Soleil," will be making his first appearance in Sarasota, the release continues. His rendition of The Dying Swan, accompanied by cellist CONTEMPORARY DANCE CELEBRITIES TO PERFORM PROGRAM The All-American Family Day will conclude with a free concert by America at 4 p.m. Concessions will be available for purchase, the release notes. Parking will be available in the East Lot at a cost of $5 per vehicle. For the concert, attendees may sit on the out- field grass or in the stands; however, no lawn chairs or high-heeled shoes will be permitted on the field, the release points out. The Arts in the Ballpark series will continue on May 10 when the Sarasota Orchestra per- forms Spirit of America, an outdoor concert featuring guest artist Molly Cherryholmes, a five-time Grammy-nominated violinist, vocal- ist and songwriter. Visit orioles.com/Sarasota to view the com- plete schedule. Sarasota News Leader April 4, 2014 Page 103