How much fun am I having this weekend? I get to sing in the orchestra pit with the band, accompanying the dancers of the National Dance Institute in the 2011 Event of the Year – A Sense of Wonder. My kids danced with NDI when they were in middle school, and now I’ve been drawn back into this wonderful world through singing. (Thanks, Gary, for the invite!)
NDI, founded by NYC ballet dancer Jaques D’Ambois in 1976, brings dance and music to public school students in NYC, across the US and around the world. The high standards Jacque and his artistic team of professional choreographers and musicians demand from their dancers, along with the professional sets (one year they were designed by Red Grooms!) means that the Annual Event is like no children’s school performance you’ve ever seen. This is not ballet, or modern dance – it’s NDI dance, a unique blend of fun and movement that any kid who loves to move can learn and excel doing.
This year’s NDI Event theme is Science, and the kids dance marvelously as they celebrate frackals, the immune system, DNA replication, robots and the miracle of the sun.
For me, the best part is getting to be one of the girl back up singers in She Blinded Me With Science. Our version is a bit tamer than the orginal but just as much fun.
If you’re looking for a great show for yourself and your family, come on by – we’ve still got two more shows to go. And if you do, be sure to stop down to the pit afterwards and say hi!
What FUN!