35th Anniversary Celebration – Four + Four Celebration of Dance Honors Joan Karff and Shelly Power

Four + Four Celebration of Dance celebrates 35 years of Dance Month at the Kaplan Theatre featuring eight dance companies, who have performed on the Kaplan Stage in years’ past. Two outstanding community leaders in dance, Joan Karff and Shelly Power, will be honored for their contributions to Dance Month in its formative years.

On Saturday, January 24th at 7:30 pm, Four + Four Dance Concert will feature NobleMotion Dance, Revolve Dance Company, Urban Souls Dance Company, and Uptown Dance Company. Each company will present one premiere piece and one piece from their repertory. Joan Karff, who formed a professional modern dance group in 1976 which became the resident company for the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC for the next twenty-five years, will be honored during the evening celebration. Joan choreographed over 35 works for her company known as “New Dance Group.” When Joan ended the company in 2001, she began a mentoring project “Women on the Way Up” at Lamar High School which seeks to enlarge the world of college-bound girls from underserved populations by introducing them to the arts, to literature and to current events.

Four + Four Celebration of Dance continues with a second performance on Sunday, January 25th at 7:00 pm, featuring Chapman Dance, HIStory, Houston Ballet II, and MET dance who will present one premiere piece and one from their repertory. Shelly Power who assumed the position of director of Houston Ballet’s Academy in 2004 will be honored during Sunday’s evening concert. As a choreographer in Dance Month’s Houston Choreographers X6, Shelly’s choreography was seen on the Kaplan Stage in 1994. In 2011, Texas Executive Women honored her as one of Ten Outstanding Women in Houston and she continues to be a strong advocate of dance education nationally and internationally. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to recognize these two outstanding women for their contributions, and continued support of Dance Month,” remarked Maxine Silberstein, JCC Dance Director.

As a pre-show to Four + Four, audience members can experience the visual feast of Motion Captured, Dance on Film that features site-specific, innovative choreography that combines dance and technology, curated by Ashley Horn. Motion Captured begins 45 minutes before each performance on Saturday and Sunday. Join us following each performance for a 35th Anniversary Celebration with festive music, wine, and desserts.

Tickets are $18 member/$25 public/$13 senior adult and student. To purchase tickets go online and visit www.erjcchouston.org/dancemonth or call the box office at 713.551.7255. Dance concerts take place in the Kaplan Theatre at 5601 S. Braeswood, Houston, TX 77096. Dance Month at the Kaplan Theatre is funded in part by the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center Patrons of the Arts, a grant from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc., and RBC Wealth Management. Marriott Houston Westchase is the official hotel for Dance Month. United Airlines is the official airline for Dance Month.