Introducing the 2017-18 Season!
Venice Institute for Performing Arts 2017-18 Season at the Venice Performing Arts Center
The Broadway Boys
September 23, 2017
The Broadway Boys is a collection of Broadway’s finest male singers. By adding elements of pop/funk/gospel/jazz to traditional showtunes, The Broadway Boys have redefined the musical theater genre. They have toured the country, playing venues large and small, America’s Got Talent and The TODAY Show. The Broadway Boys’ album, “Lullaby of Broadway,” debuted at #6 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.
Russian Grand Ballet Presents: Swan Lake
October 14, 2017
Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, together with choreographer Marius Petipa, raised both ballet music and dance as an art form to new heights with Swan Lake (from 1895). There’s a good reason why Swan Lake is so often called the ‘ballet of all ballets’. The combination of pure romanticism, the story about love and deception and Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet music all continue to reach new generations of audiences.
The Nutcracker
December 9, 2017
Each year, students from the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School perform the World-Famous Nutcracker, and we are excited to be bringing them to the VPAC and to Venice for the first time! This holiday classic is conceived and choreographed by the school’s artistic directors Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez, master teacher Delia Ballart Arcia, and resident choreographer Tania Vergara.
Swing’N The Holidays: The Jive Aces
December 17, 2017
Kick off the holidays as The Jive Aces deck the hall with high energy music, wild stage show, and irresistible humor! The UK’s No.1 jive and swing band performs energetic renditions of Christmas Classics and fresh arrangements of classics—from such greats as Louis Prima, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin and more—leaving the audience cheering!
Jim Stafford
January 6, 2018
Best known for his humorous country novelty songs, Jim Stafford’s perfect blend of comedy and song has given him an extremely successful career performing. He has guest-starred on the Love Boat and Fantasy Island, had an ABC show, The Jim Stafford Show, co-hosted Those Amazing Animals with Burgess Meridith and Priscilla Presley, hosted 56 episodes of Nashville on the Road, and received gold record for his work on the Disney movie The Fox and The Hound.
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
January 14, 2018
The legendary Tommy Dorsey had a run of 286 Billboard chart hits and the band had seventeen number one hits with his orchestra in the 1930s and 1940s including: “Boogie Woogie”, “I’ll Never Smile Again”, “Song of India”, and “The Music Goes ‘Round and Around”. Now directed by Terry Myers, the faces have changed, but the songs have remained the same, and the band plays on.
Harry Allen with Wycliffe Gordon featuring the Sportiello Metz Parrott Trio
January 24, 2018
VIPA joins the the South County Jazz Club for The Harry Allen & Wycliff Gordon Quartet! Known worldwide for their individual performances, these World-Class Jazz musicians come together for a dynamic performance.
Nick Baulitauri
January 27, 2018
Nick Bollettieri tells audiences about his life, the importance of following your dreams, and how tennis shaped his world. Tickets available for a clinic before the performance at the Venice High School tennis courts.
Shen Yun
February 3 & 4, 2018
The world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company performs at the VPAC again this season, an all-new show for 2017. Fascinating stories from 5,000 years of Chinese culture are told through the vivid athleticism and deep expressiveness of classical Chinese dance, one of the most demanding art forms in the world. A groundbreaking East-West orchestra captures the spirit of ancient China. Grand animated backdrops place the audience right inside the action. Shen Yun’s uplifting energy is something you can feel long after the curtain falls.
New Christy Minstrels
February 9, 2018
Folk Music Legends, the world-famous group, The New Christy Minstrels® won a Grammy for their very first album and have Gold Records galore. The same songwriter who penned their hits: Today, Green,Green, Saturday Night, Denver, and Mighty Mississippi, etc. is still at it. No performing group has ever spawned so many successful musical careers as The New Christy Minstrels®. “For over fifty years we have been the best talent show ever,” says Sparks. ” We still are.” Don’t miss any opportunity to see this stellar group in concert!
Kings of Dance
February 22, 2018
A festival of dance, elegance and beauty, The Lezginka State Dance Company of Russia brings a new program “Dances of our Region.” A program that brings forth the people’s culture, traditions and high performing mastership in all their brilliance. The Lezginka Ensemble offers an extensive program of fiery, temperamental dances of the numerous peoples inhabiting this Mountain Country, its entire choreographic and music works convey the noble endeavors of the Daghestan people that are treading the highroad of national development in the multinational family of the people of Russia.
Clyde Butcher: Art of Environmentalism
February 23, 2018
Florida – where water, earth and heaven meet, consists of Clyde Butcher’s adventure photographing in black and white with a large format view camera the mysterious and primeval wilderness of Florida. He will share stories about his journey from being an architect and landscape photographer in California to becoming a landscape photographer in Florida. The program will be followed with questions from the audience.
Jazz Masters Featuring Dick Hymen & Ken Peploski; Symphony of Broadway
February 24, 2018
Featuring a 35-piece orchestra, VIPArts and South County Jazz Club are excited to partner again to bring you Jazz Masters: Dick Hyman and Ken Peplowski in The Symphony of Broadway.
Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers
March 10, 2018
Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers have been dazzling audiences for more than 60 years with their country music, won countless awards and performed numerous concert halls, festival stages, national television shows and even the White House on several occasions. The brothers have seen their music top the charts and touch the lives of fans of all ages. Known for chart-topping hits like, “Broken Lady,” “All the Gold in California,” “Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You),” “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “ I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love,” “Statues Without Hearts,” “Love is Just a Game,” and “Night Time Magic.”
Kadan Bart Rockett
March 23- 24, 2018
America’s Got Talent contestant, Kadan Bart Rockett and his sister, Brooklyn Nicole Rockett, were first inspired by their mom and dad while watching them headline theaters to pursue magic, illusion, ventriloquism, music and dance. This 10 year old magician will entertain the entire family while inspiring the confidence to work hard and follow their dreams, no matter how young they are. Coming for 2 shows, audiences will be able to see Kadan during a school time production on March 23rd, or with their families on March 24th.
Bossa Nova All Stars
March 31, 2018
Experience the classic Bossa Nova hits and sizzling Jazz Samba with this dynamic, all-star
ensemble. The Bossa Nova All Stars features nylon string guitarist Nate Najar, vibraphonist, Chuck Redd, tenor saxophonist, Harry Allen, and the stunning Maucha Adnet on vocals. The gorgeous Brazilian sounds of Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd sound as fresh and new as when they took the world by storm with the Girl From Ipanema, Desafinado, and so many more hits.
Semi Toned
April 6, 2018
Semi-Toned are the University of Exeter’s infamous all male singing sensation. Join the on a thrilling journey from the seventies through to the present day, all via the medium of music – and completely unaccompanied. The show promises to give audiences more of what they love; the same humour, innovation and musicality that is synonymous with the boys in burgundy. And if that wasn’t compelling enough, the group is also renowned for its dancing ability: watch as they shuffle in Lindy Hop, drop to Beyoncé and do the Macarena.
