News
ROSHINI AND ELISA: A CULTURAL CROSSWALK
Saturday, November 9 (4 - 6pm EST), 2024
Connecting their journeys in Bharatanatyam and Ballet, Roshini and Elisa share their inner voices in an exploration of how both traditions can intersect. Coming from worlds as different as India and Colombia, both dancers meet in New York to find unexpected commonalities in a dynamic collaboration where cultural borders become an invitation to cross them.
Featuring sitarist and composer Galen Passen.
Location: The Ailey Studios, 405 West 55th Street New York
Tickets available online at: here.
FJK DANCE 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
April 11 (performance: 8:00 pm - 9:30pm, Doors open at 7:30pm), 2024
Experience with us an unforgettable evening as FJK Dance proudly celebrates its 10th Anniversaryperformance, a testament to the resilience and triumph of cultural exchange through movement andvisual art. Since its inception, FJK Dance has captivated audiences worldwide with its innovativeblend of diverse dance styles and visual aesthetics, transcending boundaries and fostering meaningfulcross-cultural dialogue.
This program will feature Fadi J Khoury’s cross-cultural dialogue in choreography and visual art, a special guest performance by Sevin Ceviker – Cofounder and founding member of FJK Dance, and the world premiere of project Ayah; a multimedia piece combining live painting and dance.
Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 524 West 59th Street, New York (map)
Tickets available online at: here.
Hispanic Heritage Show: performance with Unlimited Stages in celebration of the Hispanic Heritage month
September 22 (1 pm), 2023
Happy LatinX Heritage Month! We're proud to be celebrating this month with an incredible Unlimited Show accompanied by our friends at REDi Dance Company and Latiné Musical Theatre Lab.
We are thrilled to have dancer and voice actor Elisa Toro Franky performing in The Unlimited Show! Get your tickets to see her and many more perform live September 23rd at The Green Room 42!
The Green Room 42, 570 10th Ave, New York (YOTEL, Times Square)
The Festival of the Arts in Mohonk Mountain House
August 15 (9 pm), 2023
"Classical/rock violinist Daisy Jopling has toured the world with her band and recorded nine albums. In this festival, Daisy will play a program ranging from famous love songs to her own orginal music, featuring pianist Jeff Miller in collaboration with internationally renowned dancer Elisa Toro Franky".
Mohonk Mountain House, 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
The International American Ballet Summer Gala Performance “Timeless Echoes”
August 5 (7 pm), 2023
Enjoy this spectacular night from classical favorites to new creations by Director Analia Farfan (International American Ballet), Stars of Tango: Guillermina Quiroga and Mariano Logiudice, as well as brilliant ballet, opera singers, flamenco and tango artists such as: Derek Brockington, Vita Koreneva, Paloma de La Vega, Ninah Beliasky, Lakof Shonsky, Petr Borchenko, Elisa Toro Franky (who will perform Carmen's variation), Genaro Freire, Misa Mochizuki, Analia Farfan, Erica Maillet, Jialin Wu, Arisa Tahinata Elisabeth Archer and martial artist Eddie Wang.
Theater at St. Jean 150 East 76th Street New York, NY
Tickets and information here.
photographer by Christopher Pelham
Ninja Ballet in ROAR Summer Festival
July 22 (2pm), 2023.
Shoko Tamai (Ninja Ballet director) says: "I am looking forward to deliver the light of dance today with honoring @ninjaballet since we are moving forward from our previous works that we have been creating with @elisa.toro.franky. Come enjoy my choreography and our dance together at the park, everyone is welcome for this day!"
Performers: Shoko Tamai and Elisa Toro Franky.
ROAR Summer Festival, a summer festival celebrating Lower East Side and Chinatown communities.
SDR Park-Stanton Street.
"FJK DANCE: Raising the Arab Voice in Contemporary Dance at New York Live Arts"
By: Miranda Stuck, May 25, 2023
"For their ninth season, FJK Dance presents three company signature works by Artistic Director Fadi J. Khoury, each rich with contemporary and visual arts, reflective narratives, and an overarching motif of peace building........Elisa Toro Franky stands out with strength and elegance in her lines, taking agency over the stage as she skims the floor with her beautiful arches".
FJK SEASON 2023
May 23 - 25 (7:30pm), 2023
FJK Dance Season 2023 features the company’s signature work in cross-cultural dialogue. Fadi J Khoury, the Arab-American Artistic Director, brings his Middle Eastern heritage to the stage through choreography in a multimedia program combining contemporary dance and visual art; Breaking down stereotypes and expectations of gender roles and expression.
New York Live Arts, 219 west 19th street, New York (map)
Tickets and information here.
April 25, 2023 (6:30pm) .
Performing a special tribute to Gibran Khalil Gibran at the United Nations.
Gibran Khalil Gibran, usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran, was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist, also considered a philosopher although he himself rejected the title.
United Nation headquarters, New York.
SAKURA- Ninja Ballet
April 22 (6pm), 2023.
This work, entitled “SAKURA”, balances the viewer along the razor’s edge of action and reaction, shifting genres as it weaves in and out of classical and contemporary movement. Shoko Tamai’s original choreography gives rise to new possibilities as it ventures into uncharted territory, where danger creeps around every corner, and each breath could be your last. In this uncertain realm, and face to face with the abyss, Ninja Ballet becomes free to express the unlimited potential of the human body.
Featuring choreography by Shoko Tamai. Danced by Elisa Toro Franky. Shakuhachi by Adam Robinson. Drum (Music arrangement) by Mal Stein. Artwork by Pedro Cuni.
71 Murray Street, New York.
FJK in Museum of Fine Arts Houston GALA
January 20, 2023
FJK Dance performance at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston GALA, celebrating the art of Islamic wold. Fadi J. Khoury presents his choreography where his Middle Eastern heritage comes through ballet and contemporary dance.
Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX, USA.
Nutcracker with Weschester Ballet Company
December 16, 17 & 18, 2022.
Over 60 years of classical tradition of Weschester Ballet Company.
Some guest artists : Elisa Toro Franky, Dannys González and Nick Logrea.
Lehman Center for the performing arts, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West Bronx, New York.
Nutcracker with Adirondack Ballet Theater
December 10 & 11, 2022.
The Adirondack Ballet Theater has the distinction of being the first dance company to perform at the Charles R. Wood Theater in 2004. ABT is proud to bring this full-length ballet to community arts patrons, and makes their return to the stage with over 50 local dancers.
Some guest artists : Elisa Toro Franky and Leonel Linares.
Charles R. Wood Theater - 207 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY.
FJK DANCE ON STAGE AT KINGSBOROUGH
December 3 (8 pm), 2022
FJK Dance takes the stage with two visually stunning dances set to the iconic music of Bizet’s Carmen and Ravel’s Bolero, and the World Premiere of "Off Limits," a multimedia work featuring live painting, music, and contemporary dance. Part of the 2022-23 CUNY Dance Initiative.
On stage at Kingsborough, 2001 Oriental Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY
Tickets and information here.
November 12 (7 pm), 2022
Gala Theme: “Activism Through Arts Education”. Save the date and join us on November 12th for a gala evening of professional and student performances. We are raising money to bring our dance residencies and multicultural educational performances to more schools and to purchase a portable dance floor.
Ballet Arts Center for Dance, 130 West 56th Street, New York, NY 10019
Tickets and information here.
FJK SEASON 2022
October 13 (7:30pm) & October 15 (9:00 pm), 2022
Visual art meets contemporary dance in a cross-cultural dialogue. FJK Dance celebrates its eighth anniversary season at NEW YORK LIVE ART presenting Off Limits preview and repertory choreography by Fadi J Khoury.
New York Live Arts, 219 west 19th street, New York (map)
Tickets and information here.
Stefan Paolini & Elisa Toro Franky
July 9 (7pm & 9:30pm), 2022
Eclectic piano meets South american, folkloric ballet! Colombia meets Italian Harlem along the Danube!
Minton's playhouse, 206 West 118th Street, New York.
Tickets and information here.
Dance With Bach
May 20 (7:30pm) & May 21 (2pm & 7:30pm), 2022
JOIN US for an evening of glorious Bach, performed live by The Sebastians orchestra and Christopher Caines Dance!
Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church. 152 W 66th St, New York.
Tickets and information here.
See the announcement in Arts In The City and an article in "This week in New York".
Spring Musicale
March 10 at 7 pm, 2022.
A Fusion of Music, Poetry and Dance. Organized by DAHA (Dvorak American Heritage Association).
In a DAHA first, choreographer Pedro Ruiz presents a new dance, completing this creative rite of spring. Organized by Laura Jean Goldberg, violinist and DAHA music advisor. Dancers: Elisa Toro and Leonel Linares.
Bohemian National Hall. 321 East 73rd St, 3rd Fl, New York.
More information here.
Westchester Ballet Company's Nutcracker season
December 17, 18 and 19, 2021.
Westchewster Ballet Company has over 60 years of classical tradition.
Elisa is guest artist in the roles of Snow Queen and Arabian.
Lehman Center for the performing arts, 250 Bedford Park Blvd West Bronx, New York.
Let’s Dance! Accent Dance NYC’s performance and fundraiser
November 6 at 7:30 pm, 2021.
Inviting YOU to Accent Dance NYC 's annual gala fundraiser. See unique works by David Fernandez, Lucia Jackson , Dardo Galletto, and more! All funds will go toward Access Quality Arts Education in underserved communities.
Pelham Picture House, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, New York 10803
Get tickets here
FJK Dance Season 2021
October 7, 8 and 9, 2021.
Following seven years of extraordinary creative output, Fadi Khoury, New York based founder, Artistic Director, and the visionary engine behind the FJK Dance Company, has come through the pandemic with all his energies dedicated to a full Reset—hence the title of our newest production. Celebrating seven years of dance, RESET is a full evening program dedicated to all those lost during this pandemic. “Reset” will honor the memory of Genevieve Young (1930-2020), a beloved founding Board member and guiding light. Her legacy, her love of dance, and commitment to the mission of FJK Dance in creating positive change, continues to inspire our professional artistry and engagement with the world-at-large.
New York Live Arts, 219 West 19th Street, New York, NY.
Get tickets here
See article "FJK Dance: Midnight at the Oasis" by Jerry Hochman.
Accent Dance NYC presents Regalo Hispanico
September 17 at 7:30pm, 2021.
Regalo Hispanico is a World Premiere performance event of Accent Dance NYC celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month that you will not want to miss! The evening of dance at the iconic Latinx theater features internationally-recognized Mexican choreographer David Fernandez’s new work highlighting a boy’s journey through the pandemic, Mexican folk art, mythical creatures, and the importance of family, as well as a works of tango, salsa, and contemporary ballet of award-winning choreographers and composers. Elisa Toro plays one of the mystical characters that comes to life.
Teatro LATEA, 107 Suffolk Street, 2nd floor, NY.
Sancocho LIVE from #RestartStages at Lincoln Center
September 16, 2021.
Celebrate the power of ancestry and food in "Sancocho," a musical theater work performed at #RestartStages. Conceived & co-written by Rhina Valentin, Sancocho features Valentin, JENN JADE Music, Andre Veloz, Michela Marino Lerman, and Elisa Toro Franky.
#LatinxHeritageMonth.
Lincoln Center Damrosch Park, New York.
Accent Dance NYC honors Hector Lavoe (with a choreography of Elisa Toro Franky)
September 12, 2021.
September 12th’s free outdoor event to honor the 75th birthday of salsero legend Hector Lavoe featured Accent Dance NYC. We are proud to be involved in arts education and community outreach in The Bronx and excited that the Bronx Music Heritage Center chose us again for an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage month.
Bronx Music Hall Plaza, New York.
Accent Dance NYC, Ninja Ballet & Friends
July 23, 2021.
Presentation of dancers or Accent Dance NYC and Ninja Ballet in Boricua College.
Boricua College, 3755 Broadway, New York.
Articles in New York Times
May 9, 2021.
Presentations of the New York Philharmonic in a shipping container. Elisa and the songwritter Juana Luna, associated with El Puente, made a performance accompanied by a quartet of Philharmonic string musicians.
Domino Park, Brooklyn, New York.
El Puente Presente
March 20 at 6pm, 2021.
Celebration of Women's History Month. Presentation of Elisa in "Naranjo en Flor" (choreography of Dardo Galleto)
211 S 4th St, Brooklyn, New York.
Site of El Puente Presente here
On Screen Beyond Quarantine
December 3rd at 7pm EST, 2020.
Fundraiser and holiday event to support Accent Dance NYC’s educational programming and virtual educational performance. With a special guest speaker and current member of the New York City Ballet; footage from Accent Dance NYC’s latest dance initiatives in the South Bronx and Mt. Vernon, New York. Accent Dance NYC artists present the dance premieres created during the pandemic.
To donate: get tickets here.
Live Zoom event with the artists.
Gifts for My Mother - お母さんの贈り物
New York: November 22, 2020, at 8pm; Tokyo: November 23, 2020 at 10 am
Performance by Shoko Tamai (Artistic Director of Ninja Ballet Dance Company that fuses Classical Ballet and Martial Arts) and Elisa Toro Franky (Joint program director of Accent Dance NYC). This performance is done from New York City's Upper West Side .
$10 to Venmo. Join Zoom Meeting.
From NYC to NYC with Love: The Battery Dance Virtual Festival presents Accent Dance NYC
August 22, 2020, at 7 pm
Tune in for the world premiere of Naranjo en Flor, a beautifully-shot dance film choreographed by Dardo Galletto, performed by Elisa Toro Franky, with singer Lucia Jackson, and accompanied on guitar by Ron Jackson. This event is streamed on the Battery Dance Festival’s YouTube channel on the day of the event.
Battery Dance Festival has been held in New York annually since 1981. This year the festival was held virtually and there were selected dance groups from 19 countries which performed 52 performances over 9 days.
Accent Dance NYC in Bronx Rising!
Los Cantantes: A Tribute to Héctor Lavoe & Rubén Blades
August 15, 2020, at 8 pm
Presented by the Bronx Music Heritage Center, a livestream event celebrating the life and legacy of the great salsa singer Héctor Lavoe. The program combines dance segments with interviews of three remarkable musicians who worked with Héctor: Eddie Montalvo, Gilberto Colón, and Mike Amadeo.
An Evening of Advocacy, BronxNet TV
August 10, 2020, at 7 pm
Featuring a 10-minute “call-to-educational-action” by Bronx Principal + Influencer LUIS TORRES, then WATCH artists of Accent Dance NYC channel the power and beauty of dance, LISTEN to the voices of children nurtured and empowered by music and dance programs, ADVOCATE for widespread access to the arts for all children, and JOIN the Q&A discussion with a distinguished panel of educators.
On BronxNet TV, Channel 70 Optimum and 2136 FIOS in the Bronx and BronxNet.tv worldwide.
A Time of Cultural Convergence
July 25, 2020, at 7pm
Jefferson Historical Society Presents Accent Dance NYC in Virtual Evening of Dance to celebrate culture, diversity, and unity in uncertain times.
Join us for a watch party on Facebook, streaming LIVE at Jefferson Historical Society followed by a Q+A with the artists!.
See more information in Broadway world article and Critical Dance article.
Let's Dance! The 2019 Accent Dance Fundraiser & Performance
September 21, 2019.
Accent Dance NYC presents an evening of live dance performance, during which we will share how our unique educational initiatives are empowering youth in underserved schools in New York City and lower Westchester.
The Picture House, 175 Wolfs Ln, Pelham, NY 10803.
See more information in Broadway world article and Pelham Examiner article.
Project Connect: Dances to Unify. Accent Dance NYC presents new works at Summer Streets Dance Festival
August 17, 2019.
Free outdoor performance. Astor Place, New York, NY 10003.
See more information here and Broadway world article
Article in Dance Informa magazine
June 25, 2019.
Accent Dance: Bringing culture, dance and community to New York City schools
See full article here
Article in Broadway World about Accent Dance NYC’s performance at Bronx Rising!
June 6, 2019.
"Accent Dance NYC, an education and performance initiative that champions learning and communication through dance, will celebrate the history of Tango at Bronx Rising! Tribute to James Reese Europe & His Latin Connection at the Bronx Music Heritage Center on June 15, 2019."
See full article here
May 18 & 23, & June 1, 2019.
With special guest artists The Bang Group.
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. 334 Amsterdam Avenue at 76th Street, New York, NY 10023.
See more information here
Poe Center Performance of Accent Dance
April 12, 2019.
Accent Dance, an educational initiative and performance ensemble, comprised of an international, multi-disciplinary group of dancers and musicians, presents a dynamic hour of ballet, tango, hip-hop, and jazz. Poe Park Visitor Center, 2640 Grand Concourse, Bronx, N.Y. 10458.
Article in Broadway World about Accent Dance NYC
April 8, 2019.
"Accent Dance NYC brings quality multicultural dance education and performance programs to underserved schools and communities, advocating for widespread access to the arts and dance education while highlighting the power of dance to showcase diversity, unify cultures and communities, and transform lives."
See full article here
WBC’s The Nutcracker
December 14-16, 2018.
Presented by the Westchester Ballet Company.
Over 60 years of classical tradition in our community.
Westchester County Center. 198 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606
See more information here
MCD's 2018 Nutcracker
December 7, 8 and 9, 2018.
Presented by MCD- mooney/cooley dance. Our talented company of young dancers come from NYC & Westchester County and are honored to perform with our international cast of professional dancers.
Riverside Theatre, 91 Claremont Avenue , NY, 10027.
See more information here
December 6, 2018.
A dance party with a special performance. Bring your dance shoes and dance with us! Celebrating the holiday season with wine and tasty hors d'oeuvres at the beautiful German Evangelical Lutheran St. Pauls Church.
315 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011.
See more information here
September 13 &15, 2018.
From classical ballet to ballroom and Middle Eastern to jazz. Join us for the world premiere of UnTold, a multimedia dance installation by Fadi J Khoury featuring Middle Eastern culture as well as works by guest choreographers Gary Pierce (ballroom) and Debbie Roshe (jazz).
524 West 59th Street. New York NY 10019.
See more information here
June 27, 2018.
Dialogues of the Body integrates and contrasts languages that -without words- translate human essences into dance. Through ballet, contemporary dance and tango, an aesthetic and expressive resonance is created between bodies. Bodies that in their traces reveal anthologies of experiences, fusions, complements, and passions that alternate between happiness and disagreement. Elisa Toro Franky, creator and director of the initiative "El Caldero Creativo", joins in this production with three colombian outstanding figures: Carolina Ramírez in contemporary dance, John Freddy Galindo in tango, and Luisa Fernanda Hoyos in contemporary dance and tango.
Elisa Toro Franky with Dardo Galletto Dance presents: Gala Performance
Saturday, December 2nd, 2017.
For Elisa's Green Card Campaign.
Dardo Galletto Studios, 151 W 46th St. 11th floor, New York, NY 10036.
See more information here
Dardo Galletto Dance presents: Myself
September 22-23, 2017.
Galletto Dance is a New York-based company of ten international dancers that is led by choreographer and director Dardo Galletto. Galletto fuses elements of Argentine tango, classical ballet and contemporary dance to capture an amalgam of European and Latin elements.
New York Arts Life , NY, United States.
See more information here
FJK presents: Season 2017 at New York Live Arts
September 14-15, 2017.
The company's fourth annual season in New York City presenting a contemporary fusion of culture and dance.
219 West 19th Street New York, NY, 10011 United States.
See more information here
June 13, 2017, at 7:30 pm.
This program is an opportunity to communicate peace, diversity, tolerance, and harmony. We aim to celebrate the Middle Eastern heritage and raise awareness to the positive and artistic influence of this culture.
At the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on 68th street between Lexington and Park Avenues, New York City.
Get tickets and see more information here
The eight-week multi-city tour present three FJK DANCE repertory works, Take Two, Echoes and Dum Tak, in 31 Chinese cities including Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, introducing FJK's unique blend of ballroom, ballet, jazz and Middle Eastern dance to new international audiences.
In an intensely immersive experience, the ballet features chamber music by Ernst Toch, Paul Hindemith and Mozart, performed by Contemporaneous, one of New York’s hottest young classical bands. Guest artists Sean Stewart (ABT) and Maya Oguri (NYTB) join Christopher Caines Dance company members .
November 18, 19, and 20, 2016.
New two-act ballet fusing bold spatial and musical experiments inspired by the architecture of Buttenwieser Hall.
Lexington Avenue at 92nd St, New York, NY.
November 17, 2016, at 7:30 pm.
Presenting new collaborations and previews of the 2017 season program. Featuring live music and guest artists, Middle Eastern and Spanish/Latin dance come together in a unique jazz fusion with flamenco and mambo.
92Y: Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway New York, NY.
Get tickets and see more information here
FJK presents: Two World premieres: Reflections & Take Two
April 6 to 9, 2016, at 7:30 pm.
The mission of FJK Dance embodies a fundamental idea – to fuse the vocabularies of various dance forms into a language expressive of our shared capacity to create.
New York Live Arts, at 219 West 19TH Street, New York, NY. 10011.
Get tickets and see more information here
Shall We Tango NYC festival
November 21, 2015, at 8 pm.
Elisa participates in this event as Dancer of Dardo Galletto Dance.
Flamboyan Theater, Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St. (lower level), Manhattan, New York.
See more information here
From classical ballet to ballroom, from Middle Eastern to jazz - new and exciting collaborations and a unique fusion of culture and dance. The Works in Progress performance is dedicated to highlight the creative process in FJK Dance, and the progression of the fusion in all aspects .
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival 2015
July 15, 2015.
Elisa participates in this event as Dancer of Dardo Galletto Dance.
Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts in the town of Becket.
See more information here
FJK Season 2015: A contemporary fusion of culture and dance. Ballet to Ballroom, Middle Eastern to Jazz – an international blend. Presenting four world premieres and a special guest choreographer collaboration
March 31, 2015.
92y Center for Educational Outreach Musical Introduction Series, New York .
Shall We Tango NYC festival
October 11th 2014.
Elisa participates in this event as Dancer of Dardo Galletto Dance.
92Y Harness Dance Center, New York.
See more information here
Opera "The Fairy Queen"
August 8, 9, 10, 16, 18, and 23, 2014.
(Henry Purcell's baroque masterwork) for New York's Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, under the direction and choreography of Christopher Caines.
Elisa performs in this Opera as Actress.
Classic Stage Company Theater, NYC.
See more information here
Excellent review in The New York Times