Top Tapper Savion Glover and his 14-year-old son Chaney joined us on Thursday evening, July 25, for a conversation in support of Dance on the Lawn. The “Scenic Summer Gathering” was the fourth in a series of outdoor social events marking DOTL’s Sixth Season Campaign.
 
Savion, who made his mark as the lead in Broadway’s “The Tap Dance Kid,” each summer teaches young students at the NJ Performing Arts Center Arts Intensive Program, where he also serves on the organization’s board. NJPAC will present the students at Glover’s revival of “The Tap Dance Kid” in three days of performances beginning Sept 15.
 
“It’s my duty to tell them what’s outside these walls, and give them permission to be free, that it’s ok,” said Glover. According to Laura Marchese, DOTL Managing Director, “This is why we do arts education." Right now, according to Glover, “I am happy to be figuring out my why.”
 
The evening was a fitting celebration of dance as we gear up for the fall festival in September.  Thank you to our hosts Barbara White and Lennon Register, and to the many DOTL supporters who came to this special event.

~ Adria Rolnik 

Read about the update on our "6 Months to our 6th Season" campaign, including our "Garden Dances," the upcoming "Scenic Summer Gathering" with guest Savion Glover, and more.  

The "Scenic Summer Gathering" with Savion Glover (Thursday, July 25 @ 6-8pm), is our only ticketed event.

$65 Single ~ $100 Couple.

We do hope that you will consider attending and supporting DOTL; your support will go towards artist fees for our exciting 6th season! 

Amid a summer full of activity, we’d like to pause to acknowledge and welcome several funding organizations into the Dance on the Lawn family. 

Our sponsors focus on supporting arts programs with strong community connections. The Dodge Foundation, a key supporter of the arts in New Jersey for nearly 40 years, has a focus on programs with an inclusive mission and an emphasis on the meaningful role that the arts can have in building community. Partners for Health Foundation aims to invest in programs that improve the quality of life in Essex and Passaic Counties. Similarly, BSTV and Investors Bank support community-minded organizations that contribute to civic life in the NJ communities they serve. And in August, we added Montclair Orthodontics to our esteemed list of supporters.

To cap this season’s campaign, DOTL also is a proud recipient of a Masterwork Foundation Community Grant Award. This New Jersey-based organization has been supporting excellence in the arts, particularly music, for more than fifty years and recently announced an expansion of their mission to include funding in all arts disciplines. To celebrate, the Foundation invited artists, arts lovers, and arts supporters to a “re-envisioning” event at the Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ in March, where DOTL’s 2019 Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer, Oluwadamilare (Dare) Ayorinde, shared a piece of his work-in-progress. Executive Director Todd Whitley again honored DOTL in June: “Recognizing community-based programming that supports excellence in the arts is what the Masterwork Foundation' s Community Grant Awards are all about. We're pleased to offer our top grant award to Dance on the Lawn, whose generosity and conviction to the arts we admire.”

AND...just before our big event on Saturday, September 7th, Dr. Barnes & Carter, Family Eye Care, Marc Berube, L&B Healthy Pet Markets, Jonathan DeCamp - DeCamp Bus Lines, Egan & Sons, Pub & Kitchen and Stuffed Grass-Fed Burgers joined our DOTL family!

Support from these organizations is an acknowledgement of DOTL’s dedication to enriching our shared communities. In each case, the funders recognized DOTL’s strength as a resource in supporting the local dance community and in making dance performance accessible to all. This recognition also shows how much DOTL has grown since the first festival in 2014. The hard work by DOTL’s many local supporters is raising awareness, helping to ensure DOTL’s presence as the place for dance in Montclair. For this, we’re particularly proud and grateful.

Garden Dances were hosted by friends of DOTL in May and June to support DOTL 2019!

In May, Dance on the Lawn welcomed the warmth of spring with Garden Dances, the first in a series of informal outdoor gatherings hosted by community friends of DOTL. ​Our May hosts, Jessica and Quincy Troupe, are longtime supporters of DOTL:

“We are so very honored to help raise needed funds for Dance on the Lawn: My husband and I are passionate about supporting the arts on a local level. Charmaine Warren and Laura Marchese have tirelessly advocated for this annual festival and, as a result, have exposed this community to the wonders of dance. We wholeheartedly support their endeavor!”

Garden Dances in June was hosted by Debbie and Frank Gibbons.  Debbie shared what access to dance means to her:

“Dancing has always been a source of joy, a way to communicate feeling. When I first saw Dance on the Lawn five years ago, I was hooked.  What a gift to experience live dance - right in our own backyard!! In our crazy, busy, technology-driven world, Dance on the Lawn gives us a moment to pause, slow down, and experience the beauty of human movement so that, for just a moment, we can remember we are all connected.”

On June 6 (6-8pm), kick off summer with DOTL at our next Garden Dances: Enjoy the company and
conversation of fellow dance lovers, share a casual dance performance, and support DOTL in continuing to bring dance to our community. As this month’s co-host, Debbie Gibbons shared what access to dance means to her:

“Dancing has always been a source of joy, a way to communicate feeling. When I first saw Dance on the Lawn five years ago, I was hooked.  What a gift to experience live dance - right in our own backyard!! In our crazy, busy, technology-driven world, Dance on the Lawn gives us a moment to pause, slow down, and experience the beauty of human movement so that, for just a moment, we can remember we are all connected.”

Debbie and Frank Gibbons are excited to welcome back DOTL’s 2015 Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer, Robert Mark Burke. Described as “the hottest young talent on the New Jersey dance scene” (Robert Johnson, NJArts.net), Robert has continued to have an impact as a choreographer, performer, and educator. His company, Robert Mark Dance, performs original work both locally and nationally, while Robert continues to dance with NJ favorite 10 Hairy Legs, among others. In the spirit of community engagement, Robert also remains committed to dance education, teaching at universities and high schools throughout the area. Friends of DOTL will have a chance to see how Robert has developed and progressed since 2015, as he shares new choreography created for Robert Mark Dance.

June’s Garden Dances marks the third month in DOTL’s “6 Months to Our 6th Season” fundraising
campaign. A lively group of DOTL supporters came together on a splendid spring evening in May for our first Garden Dances. Take a breath before summer is in full swing and join us in June!

RSVP for Garden Dances to maggie@danceonthelawn.org
(Location will be sent by email with confirmation of reservation.)

On May 23 (6-8pm), Dance on the Lawn welcomes the warmth of spring with Garden Dances, the first in a series of informal outdoor gatherings hosted by community friends of DOTL. As part of the "6 Months to Our 6th Season" Campaign, Garden Dances will bring together local lovers of dance to raise funds for DOTL's upcoming fall festival. ​Our May hosts, Jessica and Quincy Troupe, are longtime supporters of DOTL:

“We are so very honored to help raise needed funds for Dance on the Lawn: My husband and I are passionate about supporting the arts on a local level. Charmaine Warren and Laura Marchese have tirelessly advocated for this annual festival and, as a result, have exposed this community to the wonders of dance. We wholeheartedly support their endeavor!”

Join Jessica and Quincy to share food, raise a glass, and “talk dance” with others who share a passion for dance performance. The evening also offers a chance to catch up with Kyle Marshall, our 2016 Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer. Since his DOTL commission, Kyle has continued to be an innovative force on the local dance scene, garnering a 2017 NJ State Council on the Arts fellowship and a 2018 Juried “Bessie” Award for his “accomplished, witty, and immensely engaging choreography.” On May 23, Kyle will present a taste of his recent work from his company, Kyle Marshall Choreography, in a casual dance performance. 

​DOTL is committed to supporting local artists and presenting a vibrant afternoon of dance each September. DOTL would not exist without the support of individuals who believe in access to dance for everyone. Our fundraising goal is $1,000 for each month of the “6 Months to Our 6th Season” Campaign. Join us for Garden Dances and help bring free, live dance to Montclair this fall and beyond.

RSVP for Garden Dances to maggie@danceonthelawn.org

(Location will be sent by email with confirmation of reservation.) 

​





​On April 10, DOTL’s 2019 Emerging Commissioned NJ Choreographer, Oluwadamilare (Dare) Ayorinde, presented a sneak peek of his DOTL commission at an Open Rehearsal on the Montclair State campus. The Open Rehearsal has become an annual spring tradition, bringing together DOTL’s Emerging Choreographer with dance students and dance enthusiasts in the local Montclair community.
​
Dare and his dance partner, Morgan Bryant, immediately had the MSU dance students on their feet and moving for a casual physical warm-up. Dare explained that, for him, dance is about relationships – to the physical space, to others in the room, to sounds, to memory, to emotion. Sitting and watching would not be the group’s only role! Dare and Morgan then alternated between showing segments of movement (both set and improvised) and sharing ideas with the group. Throughout, visual artist Myssi Robinson circled the room, translating movement into an abstract, visual record on paper.

Watch the Open Rehearsal on Facebook Live here

Dare’s emphasis on relationship creates work that is intensely unique and personal to the dancers in the space. For Dare, the afternoon was a chance to share how he works and to hear responses from a knowledgeable audience. For the dance students, it was a chance to talk about and experience process with young artists at the start of their careers. For DOTL, the Open Rehearsal is part of our core mission to connect the various dance communities in New Jersey, on our way to presenting the annual fall festival.

SAVE THE DATE!
Dare’s commission will premiere at Dance on the Lawn –
Saturday, September 7 at 3:00pm.

JOIN US FOR OPEN REHEARSAL...

Come spend the afternoon getting to know DOTL's 2019 Emerging Choreographer, Oluwadamilare "Dare" Ayorinde, during his "OPEN REHEARSAL."

Wednesday, April 10 at 2:30-3:50 - At MSU Life Hall 1250  

There’s public parking on campus and it takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Life Hall studio 1200.

This is free event will give you a sneak preview of his new work to be premiered at DOTL on Saturday, September 7th, 2019! 

Keith Thompson is Dare's mentor

Click here for a short video!