New World School of the Arts shines the spotlight on more than 200 students as the Broadway-style production, RISING STARS, returns to the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts to present the popular signature showcase. Sponsored in part by Bank of America, the professionally staged, energy packed, one-of-a-kind show will offer works presented thus far this academic year by NWSA high school and college students. A highlight of the evening each year is the NWSA Rising Stars Alumni Awards, which recognizes a graduate who is successfully contributing to their art form. This year, the honor will be presented to recognized dancer, Mariya (Masha) Dashkina Maddux, a NWSA high school graduate (2003) and BFA college alumna (2006).
Beginning with the Rising Stars Exhibition, guests are invited to enjoy an evening of all things visual art during the Opening Reception taking place this year just minutes from the Arsht Center, at Fredric Snitzer Gallery. Along with faculty and administration, the participating students will be on site to discuss the artworks carefully curated for the exhibition this year. An invaluable show for the community, the show consists of painting, drawing, photography, visual technology, sculpture, graphic design, and installations – allowing visitors to enjoy a wealth of artistic exploration by young rising artists. Under the direction of NWSA dean of theater Alan Patrick Kenny, the Rising Stars Performance will offer works presented thus far this academic year by NWSA high school and college students. From the theater division, guests will be treated to carefully selected scenes from the play Kodachrome, directed by Kenny, as well as from the Tony Award-winning musical Chicago, directed by Matthew Buffalo. Under the direction of Dr. Grant Gilman (conductor) and Dr. Megan Barrera (voice), the music division will rouse the house with excerpts from Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II, presented by the Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Theatre Ensemble, while the NWSA High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jim Gasior, will delight the audience with Duke Ellington’s ever popular composition Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. The audience can also expect to witness dance excerpts from Paul Taylor’s joyful masterwork Esplanade and Robert Garland’s playful contemporary ballet Joplin Dances, among others.
“We’re grateful to Bank of America for their steadfast support of our students through the years,” said Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson, Provost and CEO of New World School of the Arts. “A vital part of the artistic training we offer at NWSA is the opportunity to exhibit and perform in professional venues – and Rising Stars is the culmination of this commitment. Presenting a showcase of this high caliber requires an additional layer of rehearsal time, preparation, and resources – something that our faculty and administration consider in preparation for each academic year. Bank of America’s partnership allows us to continue to build on this important phase of our students’ artistic growth as we help them advance their artistry while sharing the next generation of artists with the South Florida community.”
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 Mariya (Masha) Dashkina Maddux, a professional concert dance performer and educator. A native of Kiev, Ukraine she was first introduced to dance through the classical Vaganova ballet technique. After relocating to the United States, she studied under the direction of Ruth Weisen at the Armour Dance Theatre of Miami, and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA from New World School of the Arts under the directorship of Daniel Lewis. In 2007, Dashkina Maddux joined the prestigious Martha Graham Dance Company, and rose to the rank of principal dancer, performing iconic roles in the classical Graham repertoire, as well as works created by some of the most renowned contemporary choreographers. She has been featured in Dance Magazine’s “Dancer’s Choice” and has appeared in several notable projects, including the Martha Graham Dance Technique videos, directed by Miki Orihara and Susan Kikuchi, and the feature film Fall to Rise, written and directed by Jayce Bartok.
Maddux has also collaborated with photographers to capture the essence of dance, with her image featured on the covers of Dior Magazine (Issue #26), and The Art of Movement, a dance photography book by Ken Browar and Deborah Ory of NYC Dance Project. As the Founder and Director of the Wake Forest Dance Festival in North Carolina, Dashkina Maddux is dedicated to using dance as a platform for community engagement and inspiring the next generation of professional dancers. She is one of the founding members of the North Carolina-based Movement Migration Dance Collective and serves on the boards of the Dancing Angels Foundation and the High Point University Inaugural Advisory Board. In recognition of her contributions to the art of dance, she was honored with the Alto Jonio Best Dancer Award in Calabria, Italy, in the summer of 2018. Dashkina Maddux works as a regisseur with the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, where she has the privilege of staging Martha Graham’s iconic works on professional dance companies and university dance programs.
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 college degrees in programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance, Music, Theatre 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 EXHIBITION
Opening Reception
March 14; 5-8PM
Fredric Snitzer Gallery
1540 NE Miami Court, Miami
Free and open to the public
RISING STARS PERFORMANCE
March 14; 7:30PM
VIP Reception: March 14; 6:00PM
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
Ziff Ballet Opera House
1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
General admission $20, $35
VIP admission $150, $250