#b#On His Toes#/b#
Max Azaro of West Windsor, a ballet dancer for five years, saw his training pay off with a second-place finish in the Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals. The competition, held in Philadelphia, featured 102 participants from around the world.
Azaro, 14, is a student in Princeton Dance and Theater Studio’s conservatory program. A freshman at High School South, he dances for more than 20 hours a week. “He came into PDT having had gymnastics experience, but no dance experience,” says PDT director Risa Kaplowitz. “He just knew that he wanted to dance. It was clear from the beginning that he was very coordinated and able to pick skills up quickly.”
“When I got out on stage, I knew immediately that I had one goal — to leave a lasting impression, to make them remember me,” says Azaro. “This was my chance to grab the judges’ attention and make my mark.”
At the competition, Azaro presented “James Variation” from “La Sylphide” and the “Peasant Pas de Deux” from “Giselle.” Kaplowitz, a resident of West Windsor, coached Azaro in both dances.
“I was thrilled and surprised to get second place in this competition,” says Azaro. “I never thought that I would do something like this, let alone get to the finals.” Azaro’s placement and high scores from four internationally known judges allow him to advance to the YAGP Finals, a week-long event held in New York City in April.
In productions by DanceVision, of which Kaplowitz is artistic director, Azaro originated the role of Kai in “The Snow Queen” and the role of Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Last year he toured the state with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra as one of five DanceVision dancers to perform in NJSO’s “Dance Around the World” concerts.
“YAGP is different from other ballet competitions because you have the opportunity to dance for world class former dancers and teachers, and if you get to the finals in New York, you get to be watched by schools and companies,” he says. “My hope for the finals is to get my name out there and be seen by different professional company schools around the world, so someday when I grow up, I can hopefully dance for the companies.”
Several years ago Drew Nelson, a former Plainsboro resident and student at PDT, was involved in the competition. “He is now finishing up at the Royal Ballet School and was recently offered contracts to two different world class ballet companies,” says Kaplowitz. “I am very proud and am happy that Max’s accomplishment will get some exposure.”
“This is a once in a lifetime chance. I am so excited for this April,” says Azaro, whose mother, Kathy, is a pediatrician, and father, Marco, a biochemist.
Tickets to the final round on Wednesday, April 9, and the gala performance on Thursday, April 10, are available at www.yagp.org. Both events are at the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.
#b#Musical Notes#/b#
Broadway talents came together on the High School South stage on Saturday, January 11, in a successful benefit for the school’s theater program. Every seat was filled and close to $20,000 was raised for the drama department at the school. The event was coordinated by West Windsor residents Marilyn Stoddard Mangone and Lori Chase. (The News, January 10).
Performers included Broadway actors Will Chase, Norbert Leo Butz, Charlie Pollack, Becky Gulsvig, and Catherine Brunell. Surprise guests included Sebastian Arcelus (Elf, Jersey Boys, and more) and Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, The Boy from Oz, and more). Other surprise guests were Daisy and Gracie Chase, who sang with their father, Will.
Eugene Gwozdz started the show with a presentation of the overture from “Gypsy” on the piano. Songs performed included works from “Oklahoma,” “The Last Five Years,” “Wicked,” “Jersey Boys,” and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”
The finale of “One Day More” from “Les Miserables” was performed with the school’s choir, which also performed with Butz earlier in the evening. Soloists included David Catalano of Plainsboro, a graduate of High School South and a student at the University of Delaware; and Shivram Viswanathan, drum major of the Pirate Marching Band.
#b#To Carnegie Hall#/b#
Hayley Kunkle of West Windsor is one of three piano students at the New School for Music Study invited to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the Music Development Program’s Tri-State Certificate of Excellence Recital and Awards Ceremony.
Kunkle, an eighth grade student, was awarded the highest marks in her level in the tri-state area during the practical exams for the Music Development Program. The Carnegie Hall performance is scheduled for Sunday, March 16, at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.carnegiehall.org for $25.
On the Big Screen
Ethan Hawke, a former West Windsor resident, has been nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for “Before Midnight,” a film he co-wrote with Richard Linklater and Julie Delpy.
#b#On Stage#/b#
Joe Sherbin of West Windsor is appearing in “Sex, Relationships, and Sometimes … Love” at the Snapple Theater Center, 1627 Broadway, in New York City. The show features candid and modern monologues that examine the emotions of crossgender, straight, gay, and human men and women in sex and love. Written by Joelle Arqueros with music by Sherbin, the show was performed at the Producers Club on 44th Street in November and December.
Raised in Highland Park, Sherbin graduated from Rutgers and studied piano at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He has taught music and performing for the past 30 years. After living in Red Bank for 15 years, he moved to West Windsor two years ago.
Preview performances begin Thursday, January 30. Tickets are $50. Visit www.ticketmaster.com or call 212-921-7862 for information.
