Over the past 17 years, an extraordinary group of artists from around the world has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, the Silk Road Ensemble was conceived by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and consists of a diverse, rotating lineup of instrumentalists, vocalists, composers and storytellers. The collective exemplifies music’s ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope. [Read More]

Two amorous figures sit seaside, intimately entwined on a cozy bamboo banquet and making music from a shared shamisen. With nearly identically coiffed tresses, flowing robes and delicate, demure features, the figures seem paradigms of female beauty in classical Japanese art. But any observer from the Edo period (1603-1868) would have immediately recognized that one figure is a maiden and the other is a wakashu — male adolescents who were objects of sexual desire for both men and women. [Read More]

Fadi Khoury’s FJK DANCE will bring 10 company dancers to China, kicking off the company’s first extended international tour to the Far East, February 28 to April 30. The eight-week multi-city tour will 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. The company’s multicultural approach to the medium will be presented in more than 30 theaters throughout the run. [Read More]