Commack Based New York Dance Theatre and Opera Night, Long Island Launch Creative Collaboration

New York Dance Theatre (NYDT) of Commack and Opera Night, Long Island (ONLI) of Northport have joined forces to expand the reach of classical arts on Long Island with the premiere of "Bohème to Broadway," on World Opera Day, Sunday, October 25 at 4 pm at Stage 74 at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack.

The 90-minute showcase includes selections from operas La Bohème, Rigoletto, Carmen, Die Fledermaus, and Verdi's Il Trovatore; and Broadway shows Annie, Phantom of the Opera, Madame Butterfly, My Fair Lady, Show Boat, and more.

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NYDT Artistic Director and "Bohème to Broadway" choreographer Nicole Loizides explains, "As we expand the reach of our small boutique professional company with new creative partnerships like our new collaboration with Opera Night, Long Island, we hope to introduce new audiences to ballet and opera with a unique approach to what both can be combining two worlds on one stage with boundless expression."

Featured ONLI artists sopranos Kimberly Iannuzzi, Amanda Levy-Medeiros and Karina Vartanian; tenor Arthur Lai; mezzo-sopranos Jacqueline Ledesma and Marie Michalopoulos; and baritones Bernardo Medeiros and Luis Vega-Torres have performed at the Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Saluzzo Opera in Italy, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and the United Nations among other notable venues, and have won international opera competitions. The singers are accompanied by pianist Kelly Horsted.

New York Dance Theatre soloists Sandy Cieslak, Alana Lewis, and Sinhye Moon are joined by Ohman School of Ballet advanced students Jillian Rabbit, Sonya Russo, and Nina Van Zandt.

Tickets are $30; $15 for children 12 and under at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/boheme-to-broadway-tickets-1998264103726?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true. Ticket includes post-performance reception with a meet and greet. Visit www.nydancetheatre.org or call 631.462.0964 for more details.

About Opera Night, Long Island

Opera Night, Long Island (ONLI) began in 2004 as an informal "open mic" gathering of opera lovers at a café in Northport, New York, where singers were invited to bring sheet music for arias and duets and show off their talents for the community. Since that time, the goal of Opera Night has been to foster the production and appreciation of opera and chamber music in the Long Island community by providing an excellent venue for participating musicians. The long-term goal of Opera Night is to establish an opera house and concert hall on Long Island, so that local artists have a home and the community outside New York City has a closer venue in which to experience consistent artistic excellence.

About New York Dance Theatre

Founded in 1974 by New York City Ballet soloist Frank Ohman with the blessing of his mentor, New York City Ballet co-founder George Balanchine, New York Dance Theatre is currently under the artistic direction of NYDT alumna and former Momix principal dancer and choreographer Nicole Loizides, whose production work includes the Sochi Olympics. NYDT continues to present studies and performances of works by Balanchine and Antony Tudor with repetiteurs from the Balanchine and Tudor Trusts. The company's partnerships include organizations focused on at-risk youth opening up scholarships to children in need and offering opportunities to experience live performances.

About the Ohman School of Ballet

The Ohman School of Ballet was founded in 1979 by Frank Ohman (1939-2019), former soloist at New York City Ballet (NYCB) and is currently led by Executive Artistic Director Nicole Loizides, herself an alumna of the school.Located in Commack the school serves as a training ground for promising young dancers and offers aspiring students the opportunity to learn classical ballet in the style passed down from George Balanchine to his protégé, Frank Ohman.OSB is a non-competition, non-recital school, focusing on proper classical ballet technique. A division of the New York Dance Theatre, Inc., the Ohman School has become an integral part of the company and is one of the very few not-for-profit ballet schools in the region. It offers four studios with state-of-the art flooring and a highly qualified teaching staff. Artistic advisors for the school include New York City Ballet principal Daniel Ulbricht and retired New York City Ballet principal Ask la Cour, who served as Artistic Director of the school following Frank Ohman's passing, as well as former Dance Theatre of Harlem principal Da'Von Doane and Toledo Ballet Artistic Director Eric Otto. The school recently launched a well- balanced dancer program open to students from any dance school, offering individualized sessions focused on nutrition, massage, mental well-being, and Pilates.