UNCW Presents: Wilmington Latin Dance Party — tickets on sale now

Get ready Wilmington-area to enjoy Latin dance, Broadway-inspired entertainment, Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers screenings, classically historically black colleges and universities marching band tradition, and much more. Tickets are now on sale for UNCW Presents 2021-22 performance season.

UNCW Presents shines a spotlight on the intellectual life of the campus through inclusive, distinctive, and diverse cultural programming.

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The following events are scheduled:

• Wilmington Latin Dance Party will be held Thursday, Aug. 26. The free salsa party will feature a beginner lesson and short performances by Wilmington Latin Dance, followed by an inclusive and lively dance party.

• Internationally acclaimed songwriter, Scott Alan, and award-winning singer and performer, Shoshana Bean, will provide an evening of Broadway-inspired entertainment on Friday, Sept. 10.

• Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers Screening – "Stateless." Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary, follows the grassroots campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris, as she challenges electoral corruption and fights to protect the right to citizenship for all people. It will air Sunday, Sept. 12.

• Dedicated to enhancing area awareness of the art form that is an operatic production, Opera Wilmington provides audiences of all ages with the information and experience to cultivate true appreciation for the stage. Cast members include nationally emerging singers along with local talent and advanced UNCW students, and the Opera Wilmington Orchestra which is composed of UNCW faculty and other professional musicians from across the state. Opera Wilmington to be perform Saturday, Sept. 18.

• Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers Screening - "Not Going Quietly."  When a young father chances to meet a powerful senator on an airplane, their filmed exchange goes viral and sparks one of the most powerful political movements in a generation. The film will be shown  in October, date to be announced later. 

• Carpetbag Brigade airs Friday, Oct. 15. True pioneers at the art of acrobatic stilt dancing – The Carpetbag Brigade masters a unique theatrical language in the delicate overlap of theater, dance, and circus. 

• Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers – "And So I Stayed" will air Tuesday, Oct. 26. The forthcoming documentary is about survivors of abuse, fighting for their lives and spending years behind bars. This is the story of how the legal system gets domestic violence wrong. It is a moving portrait of Kim, Tanisha, and Nikki, three survivors whose strikingly similar stories are separated by over 30 years.

• Gaspard&Dancers, Wednesday, Nov. 3. The Durham, N.C.-based Gaspard&Dancers is a group of artistically and athletically gifted dancers who perform works that marry playful physicality with lyrical, athletic partnering. 

• An Evening with Sandra Cisneros, Thursday, Nov. 4. Cisneros, author of "The House on Mango Street," will participate in a UNCW Writers’ Week panel discussion that explores the author’s literary choices and life experiences. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

• Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers Screening – "Duty Free."  After a 75-year-old immigrant mother gets fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper, her son takes her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation. The film will air in November, date to be decided.

• Holiday Jazz with the John Brown Big Band featuring Nnenna Freelon on Saturday, Dec. 18 in Kenan auditorium. Six-time GRAMMY Award nominee Freelon is known worldwide as a compelling and captivating live performer. John Brown Big Band is a cutting-edge professional large jazz ensemble. 

• DRUMLine Live, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.  DRUMLine Live is an international tour based on the HBCU marching band tradition. With riveting rhythms, bold beats, and ear-grabbing energy, this stage show is a synchronized musical showcase of the HBCU experience.

• Black Violin, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Black Violin is composed of classically trained violist and violinist Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus who combine their classical training and hip-hop influences to create a distinctive multi-genre sound that is often described as “classical boom.”

• New Morse Code, March 31, 2022. New Morse Code is the alluring and uncommon combination of cello and percussion. In practice, they are best described as two musicians of extraordinary depth and skill untethered by their instrumental constraints. Their playful and innovative methodology allows for the creation of a meaningful and lasting repertoire.

• Las Cafeteras, Saturday, April 9, 2022.  Using traditional Son Jarocho instruments like the jarana, requinto, quijada (donkey jawbone), and tarima (a wooden platform), Las Cafeteras sing in English, Spanish, and Spanglish, and add a remix of sounds, from rock to hip-hop to rancheras. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

• Wilmington Dance Festival, Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, 2022. The Wilmington Dance Festival is a celebration of evocative local dancers and choreographers. Wilmington Dance Festival is co-presented with the Dance Cooperative, a nonprofit in Wilmington focused on providing affordable classes, rehearsal spaces, and performance opportunities to those under-served artistically, culturally, and economically in the greater Wilmington area.