01/27/2013 7pm The VETS: 1 Avenue for the Arts, Providence
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis is a Pulitzer Prize-winning, musical icon and a master big-band leader in the tradition of Duke Ellington. The most outstanding jazz musician of his generation, his finest instrument is the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as "the greatest large jazz ensemble working today". Fifteen of jazz’s leading soloists sweep the audience into a foot-tapping, feel-good concert of the very best of American big band swing by Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and more.
“The audience was weak from applauding, shouting and jumping up and down with the joy of the great music it had heard.” — El Universal/The Herald
03/01/2013 to 3/18/2013 Venues throughout Providence
The Rite of Spring turns 100 in Rhode Island
A series of public programs exploring the impact of the 1913 debut of Igor Stravinsky & Vaslav Nijinsky’s landmark work—"The Rite Of Spring", all leading up to the March 19th performance by The Joffrey Ballet at Providence Performing Arts Center
Public programs are funded in part by a grant from The RI Council for the Humanities
Delve into the history and impact of the ballet that caused a riot! Photo by Herbert Migdoll
03/19/2013 7:30pm Providence Performing Arts Center
Joffrey Ballet The Rite of Spring
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of most magnificent dance and music masterpieces ever: "The Rite of Spring", performed by the Joffrey Ballet.
Sparking a riot that gave birth to modern music and dance, the original Stravinsky and Nijinsky production premiered in Paris in 1913 and forever changed the way audiences hear and see.
The Joffrey Ballet has been hailed as “America’s Ballet Company of Firsts”. Forty-six of their superb dancers will perform "The Rite of Spring", paired with thrilling contemporary works by two of the best choreographic minds of the 21st century. Don’t miss the first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, the first American company to visit Russia, the first to commission a rock ‘n roll ballet and the only dance company to appear on the cover of Time Magazine.
“...knocks you out with the sheer beauty, power and modernity of its dancing.” — The Chicago Sun Times
04/04/2013 7pm Metcalf Auditorium, RISD Chace Center - 20 N. Main St.
Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams vol. 5
FirstWorks presents: Heather Henson - with her handpicked selection of puppet film shorts featuring independent filmmakers and puppeteers who explore their craft specifically for the camera. "Handmade Puppet Dreams, vol. 5" showcases the fresh voices of independent puppeteers who embrace film as their medium for individual expressions while exploring a spectrum of live-action puppetry styles.
Pictured: "Moonfishing" Director David Michael Friend
04/07/2013 4pm RISD Auditorium
Heather Henson and IBEX Puppetry Celebration of Flight
Heather Henson, daughter of beloved Muppet founder Jim Henson, and Ibex Puppetry perform their newest spectacle of puppetry, kites and aerial artistry.
The intangible spirits of wind and flight visit a young crane and lead it to its destiny. Unifying dance, kites, and puppetry with themes of seasonal movement and the Earth's energy flow, the process is unforgettable. Awarded "Best Show" at the 21st UNIMA Festival in Chengdu, China [June 2012], the show features puppets, kites, and flags from independent artists and the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
09/29/2012 4-11pm Greater Kennedy Plaza - Downtown Providence
FirstWorks Festival: On The Plaza in 2012
Take to the streets with the FirstWorks Festival: On the Plaza in 2012. Flip out watching a spectacular vertical performance held 30-stories in the air. Be inspired by a creative smorgasbord of over 200 performers. Feel the heat of a full Waterfire. Discover a world of culture – right this way for a free festival of music, dance and performance.
Indonesia’s Papermoon Puppet Theatre has transformed the world of puppetry the way graphic novels have changed comics: taking a popular form too often dismissed as child’s play and making it intellectually challenging, emotionally chilling, and visually bold. (Think "Maus", not Muppets.)
Drawing on the hip, youthful vibe of Indonesia’s preeminent hotspot, Yogakarta, the company uses the whimsy and seeming innocence of beautiful, simple puppets to create multimedia performances that spark dialogue amongst audience members and artists.
"Mwathirika" is set in 1965, the infamous "Year of Living Dangerously" when thousands of Indonesians were jailed and murdered. A history of the lost, and the lost history of a nation. A non-verbal, puppet-theater experience in 60 minutes.
(Due to subject matter, recommended for ages 14 and up)
*Papermoon Puppet Theatre is on tour as part of Center Stage SM
“This is the way that we, the generation of the 1990's, read the other side of an event in our country, a dark chapter in Indonesian history.”
-Maria Tri Sulistyani, Papermoon Co-Artistic Director
10/11/2012 to 10/21/2012 Venues throughout Providence
Pixilerations [v.9] New Media Fringe Festival at FirstWorks
PIXILERATIONS [v.9] opens on Thursday, October 11th with groundbreaking multimedia installations, performances and film/video screenings which investigate the state of new media arts. Now in its ninth year, PIXILERATIONS will feature cutting-edge artists from Taiwan and leading digital media artists working in Southern New England in a rare opportunity to view artwork that incorporates technology, interactive games, robotics, and virtual environments.
Pixilerations is produced by FirstWorks through a long-standing collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design: Center for Student Involvement and Digital Media (D+M) Department and with Brown University: MEME (Multimedia & Electronic Music Experiments) program, Visual Arts Department and Creative Arts Council.
Concert performances 10/12 & 13 featuring 2010 TED Global artist Miwa Matreyek
Artwork in photo by Rafael Attias, Pixilerations [v.8] Fall 2011
10/26/2012 to 10/28/2012 Fri.-Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm RISD Auditorium
Lostwax Multimedia Dance Particular
Critically acclaimed Lostwax Multimedia Dance takes audiences on a flight of wonder, exploring the power of the flock and the quirkiness of the individual. With their signature fusion of striking physicality and high-tech visuals, Lostwax's PARTICULAR provokes, tickles, and poignantly asks what it is to be alone in a crowd. For their fourth major presentation by FirstWorks, artistic director Jamie Jewett creates a media collaboration, engaging the collaborative talents of composer Luke duBois and video artist Aaron Henderson. From starling's murmurations, to the Lark Ascending to herds of flamingos - particle systems, mash-ups, algorithms, and mtv - Lostwax creates a unique synthesis of dancers' bodies and new media technology.
01/27/2013 7pm
03/01/2013 to 3/18/2013 
03/19/2013 7:30pm
04/04/2013 7pm
04/07/2013 4pm
09/30/2012 4pm
