New World School of the Arts shines the spotlight on more than 200 students as it returns to the Miami-Dade County Auditorium to present the popular signature showcase – Rising Stars. The professionally staged, energy packed, one-of-a-kind show will highlight the work presented thus far this academic year, by NWSA high school and college students. Just one week after the Rising Stars Performance, the NWSA visual arts division will present the Rising Stars Exhibition, curated by renowned artist Didier William.
With carefully selected excerpts from dance, music, and theater performances, the showcase directed by new NWSA Dean of Theater, Alan Patrick Kenny, will feature selections from musical theatre such as “Impossible” and “Ten Minutes Ago” from Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and “Side by Side by Side” from Company by Stephen Sondheim. The dance division has selected choreography excerpts from “Rush Hour” by Robert Battle, NWSA alum and Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, as well as Paul Taylor’s impressive work, “Piazzola Caldera.” Guests should also prepare to enjoy a robust program of music that will include “Final Dance (Jota)” from Manuel de Falla, and Duke Ellington’s “Chinoiserie” among other compositions.
“As a new member of the New World School of the Arts family, it’s been wonderfully exciting and inspiring to learn about the history and legacy of the institution, and how Rising Stars, as the school’s signature annual event, showcases the amazing work that’s being created here. I’m incredibly grateful to the students, faculty, staff, and administrators who have generously collaborated to put on this special event. I’ve had a great time working with the production team to weave the show together, and we can’t wait to share it!” – Alan P. Kenny.
The 2023 Rising Stars showcase will be dedicate to former Dean of Theater, Patrice Bailey, in memoriam. Dean Bailey directed the New World School of the Arts signature fundraiser – Rising Stars, for more than two decades, during which time the showcase exposed thousands of guests to the exceptional artistry of the NWSA students.
“Patrice loved working on Rising Stars each year because she relished the opportunity as the director of the show to assemble a dazzling showcase highlighting NWSA dance, music, and theater students in a carefully organized and choreographed show,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson, Provost of New World School of the Arts. “The best tribute we can make to Patrice’s legacy is to raise the curtain once again on the students of NWSA so that their families and community can see them shine like the stars they are.”
“We want this to be an indelible learning experience for NWSA students as well as an unforgettable evening for the patrons that come to celebrate and enjoy their artistry.”
Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson
In addition, the NWSA Rising Stars Alumnus Award, presented on stage during the Rising Stars Performance each year to a high school or college graduate from New World School of the Arts who is successfully contributing to their art form, will be presented to visual artist Didier William, who graduated from the visual arts division of New World School of the Arts in 2003. Didier William is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He earned an BFA in painting from The Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University School of Art. His work has been exhibited at the Bronx Museum of Art, The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, The Museum at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Carnegie Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The Figge Museum Art Museum. He is represented by James Fuentes Gallery in New York and M+B Gallery in Los Angeles. William was an artist-in-residence at the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation in Brooklyn, NY, a 2018 recipient of the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2020 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grants and a 2021 recipient of a Pew Fellowship from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. He has taught at several institutions including Yale School of Art, Vassar College, Columbia University, UPenn, and SUNY Purchase. He is currently Assistant Professor of Expanded Print at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Didier is also the curator of the 2023 Rising Stars Exhibition to be on view at the New World Gallery from March 16 through April 7, 2023.
Founded by the Florida Legislature more than three decades ago, New World School of the Arts has educated, trained, and cultivated a generation of artists who have become the artistic leaders of the future. Graduates from the high school and college programs of NWSA are award-winning artists, playwrights and performers with Academy, Emmy, Tony, Grammy, and Bessie Awards. They are influential painters, sculptors and graphic designers, and their work thrives in museums and galleries, as well as on stages and concert halls around the globe. Our alumni are a source of inspiration to young artists from all walks of life in our community and in our state, and their success is a testament of the possibilities that emerge when the right blend of support and resources are engaged.
Providing access is one of New World School of the Arts most important missions. Blind to academic standing at the onset, NWSA’s acceptance policy is based solely on artistic talent. This allows students from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic status to compete for their spot in the school’s coveted arts programs based on their individual talent. Once accepted, students are expected to achieve both academically and artistically. Earning respected national merit and leadership-based scholarships such as the Gates Millennium Scholarship, Posse Foundation Scholar, and Presidential Scholar in the Arts, NWSA students have demonstrated over the years that a rigorous arts curriculum not only helps foster their passion and create the next generation or artists, but it also helps students engage and achieve excellence in any academic discipline.
A Florida center of excellence in the visual and performing arts, New World School of the Arts is an educational partnership of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and University of Florida. NWSA provides a comprehensive program of artistic, creative, and academic development through a curriculum that reflects our community and the rich multicultural state of Florida. Through our partners NWSA confers the high school diploma, Associate of Arts degree, and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Music degrees in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theater and Art & Design. NWSA’s rigorous eight-year curriculum and conservatory-style teaching has empowered students in our community and our nation to become leaders in the arts for more three decades.
Information about New World School of the Arts at 305-237-3135 or nwsa.mdc.edu.
RISING STARS PERFORMANCE
March 10; 7:30 PM
Miami-Dade County Auditorium. 2901 West Flagler Street, Miami
Performance Tickets: $15, $30
General Admission Tickets. For information please call 305-237-3135
VIP Tickets $150, $250
VIP Tickets. For information please call 305-237-3502
RISING STARS EXHIBITION
March 16 – April 7
Opening Reception: March 16; 5 PM – 8 PM
New World Gallery. 25 NE 2 Street, downtown Miami
Free and open to the public. For information please call 305-237-3620