Carlos Fittante of BALAM Dance Theatre to Perform Live Dance Solos in Screening of "Speaking for Myself" at Laguna Beach Film Society's 2011 Winter Documentary Series

NEW YORK, NY, January 06, 2011 (Press-News.org) Carlos Fittante, artistic director of BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM), a New York based contemporary dance company inspired by Balinese theatre, will perform live three dance solos featuring Balinese, Baroque and fusion dance styles in the pre-screening event of the critically acclaimed independent film "Speaking for Myself". The film will be shown in the Laguna Beach Film Society's (LBFS) 2011 Winter Documentary Series, "Passionate People in Film", at the Forum Theatre, 650 Laguna Canyon Road Laguna Beach, California, on Friday, January 14. The event begins at 7 p.m., followed by the film screening. Admission is free for LBFS members and $15 for guests and the public.

Directed by award-winning film maker Bert Shapiro, "Speaking for Myself" presents a rare, intimate view of Manhattan's creative heart, as seen through the eyes and passions of eight performing artists. Among the artists interviewed are BALAM's Fittante, a choreographer, and Toshinori Hamada, a Noh performer. Other interviews are with a concert pianist, an actress, a composer, a tablah virtuoso, an organist, and a singing poet.

The film has received rave reviews.

Speaking For Myself' is an entertaining, thoughtful and honest look at some tough "working" artists who, despite the odds, are leaving their mark in a tough, yet vibrant city.... I left the screening inspired. -
--Wayne Miller of Sugar Moon Entertainment Capital

In the pre-screening performance, Fittante will dance three distinct solos —"Teruna Jaya", "Armide", and "Amantes"— all selected specifically from BALAM's repertoire for this event . In "Teruna Jaya", a spectacular, traditional Balinese fan dance solo will be performed to gong kebyar gamelan music with Fittante appearing in a sumptuous Balinese dance costume. "Armide" utilizes Baroque dance and an authentic period courtier's costume and the sensuous 17th century music by Jean Baptiste Lully. Eastern and western influences merge in the presentation of "Amantes", a haunting character in a Balinese mask and with romantic Latin music by Mexican pop super star, Juan Gabriel.

The event starts at 7 p.m., beginning with the dance solos and a brief introduction for each piece. The screening of the 75-minute film follows.

For further information, call BALAM Dance Theatre at 646-361-9183 or visit http://www.balamdance.org.

About Carlos Fittante

Carlos Fittante is the artistic director of BALAM Dance Theatre and a specialist in Balinese and Baroque dances. Currently, he is on the faculty of the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, where he teaches Movement for Actors. Fittante's extensive performing credits include the Gamelan Semara Ratih of Ubud, Bali, New York City Opera, Boston Early Music Festival; and Ballet Santa Barbara.

The BALAM History

In 1979, Islene Pinder, a Lehman College dance educator, founded the company and brought the mesmerizing Balinese dance theatre style to New York audiences. Under the directorship of choreographer Carlos Fittante, BALAM's repertoire blends boldly divergent movements genres, including ballet, Spanish, Lester Horton, Baroque, Latin, Hip-Hop, drag, Noh, and karate, as well as Balinese.

BALAM has been featured at several distinguished festivals and venues, such as Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors in New York City and Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Lee, Massachusetts, and has appeared internationally at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar, Bali, among others. The company's work has received critical recognition from the New York Times and Village Voice and the Indonesian Consulate of New York highly commended its performances.

BALAM Dance Theatre (BALAM) offers a new vision of contemporary dance that emanates from a cutting-edge fusion of diverse cultural dance styles and movement techniques blended with Balinese theatre. The company's fusion repertoire presents an opulent dance theatre that integrates contemporary choreography, eclectic music, striking masks, imaginative props, and vibrant costumes to create a performance that appeals to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For further information, contact us at (646) 361-9183 or info@balamdance.org.