ShaLeigh Dance Works to Hold a "Special Edition" of Its Annual Gala

ShaLeigh Dance Works is pleased to announce that its 3rd annual gala will be held at The Rickhouse on October 13th at 6pm. This special edition of the gala is themed Secret Garden Rendezvous - defined as new beginnings, your secrets are safe with us, we are growing to be seen. The elegant extravaganza will include wine tastings and hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, local artists, a secret guest speaker, and special performances by ShaLeigh Dance Works. General admission tickets go on sale Monday, September 23rd.
 
“As we launch our 5th season in North Carolina, we are excited to be celebrating record growth in our programs and achievements,” said ShaLeigh Comerford, the company’s Artistic Director. Last season the company produced over 20 public performances, 4 touring productions, 9 commissioned works, 40 donation-only community classes, and 28 masterclasses and workshops. Comerford was also a recipient of the 2018 Ella Pratt Fountain Emerging Artist Award, the 2018-19 Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Grant Award, and their 2018 World Premiere of Bamboo Wind was received with 4 sold-out shows, critical acclaim, and standing ovations.
 
“2019 has already marked several new and meaningful initiatives,” Comerford said.  This year will mark several inaugural programs including a Mentorship Program to develop and nourish the artistic growth of the dancers with renowned choreographers; a ShaGa Teacher Training Program, augmenting their movement language and training the next generation of teachers; an Apprenticeship Program to provide an intimate group of community dancers with 6 weeks of professional training and artistic development; a new partnership with the Reality Center providing weekly movement classes for teens and adults with developmental disabilities; and the development of their next evening length project titled The In-Between, a dance-theatre work encompassing the very real complexity of identity, feminism, race, and queerness as the embodiment of what it means to be human.
 
“I truly believe that we are in deep need of work that affirms and promotes a sense of community, empathy, and connection; work that restores us, reminds us that we’re human, and connects us to one another again. I am keeping faith that people who are able to join us in this endeavor will do so,” Comerford explains. “Our Gala efforts help us to keep powerful art experiences at the center of a broader conversation about cultural values and the intellectual, aesthetic, and social purpose of making art.”
 
Sunday, October 13th
 
The Rickhouse
 
ShaLeigh Dance Works Annual Gala
 
Secret Garden Rendezvous
 
www.ShaLeighDanceWorks.com/Revolutionaries  

 
ABOUT THE COMPANY
ShaLeigh Comerford first founded her dance-theatre company, ShaLeigh Dance Works, with the premiere of returning at the 4th annual Greensboro Fringe Festival in 2005. Since receiving a standing ovation at their NYC debut at Judson Church in 2007, a whirlwind of performances launched ShaLeigh Dance Works into recognition as an emerging dance-theatre company. Their success has taken them from performances and creative residencies in NYC to Germany, England, Israel, and Japan. Since establishing Durham, NC as their home base in 2014, the company has celebrated multiple tours with the North Carolina Dance Festival (NCDF), performing at the prestigious American Dance Festival (ADF) with Here and Now: NC Dances, and presenting two evening length works as showcased artists of Durham Independent Dance Artists (DIDA). Their 2019 sold out performances of Bamboo Wind received standing ovations and critical acclaim.
Known for a diverse ensemble that consists of some of Durham’s most brilliant performers and creators ranging in genres from theatre, performance art, heels, drag, martial art, and contemporary ballet, SDW has had the privilege of receiving commissions, residencies and most recently their first NYC tours since landing in NC. Their 2018 premiere of I Promise was listed by Byron Woods of criticalfragilistic.blogspot.com as one of “five exceptional dances from 2017,” and their ADF Here and Now: NC Dances premiere of Dedicated to [ ] because of [ ] (and vice versa) was hailed by Kate Dobbs Ariail of the CVNC.org as “a marvelous surprise … with its mix of Gaga-style freedom of movement and balletic elegance … well suited to the complex balance of dance theatre.

VENUE & PARKING
The Rickhouse
609 Foster Street Durham, NC 27701
 
A retired prizery, Durham’s Rickhouse is all chandeliers, antique casks, reclaimed wood, mortar, brick, and metal. For one night, this historic space transforms into an urban botanica. Just a block from Central Park, the heart of Durham, street parking abounds along Foster Street, Hunt Street, Rigsbee Street, Roney Street, and Corporation. Evening parking is also available in surrounding lots.
 
 
For more information about the company or the fundraiser, visit their website at: www.shaleighdanceworks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shaleighdance works
Instagram: @shaleighdanceworks
Twitter: @shalsnina