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New JeansOpening Date: August, 2013
Closing Date: August 2013 Air date: February 18, 2021 Medium: online Where to watch: Eventbrite |
Stage Production Notes
Billed as a “song and dance production” and based on fact, the piece is a journey into avant-garde musical theater and a stylish documentary on post-evolutionary Cuba. A provocative blend of culture and expression presented in dance (African, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Salsa) to original songs.
New Jeans began life under the title Viva Cuba. The piece was created by David Alonzo Jones, a writer and dancer who has worked with a range of artists across jazz, opera, and ballet disciplines. According to SFGate’s Andrea Abney, American-born Jones was inspired to develop the piece after visiting Cuba in 1999. He wrote poems about the issues facing post-revolution Cubans, which were developed into songs and stories.
Songs in the piece include “I’ll Swim If I Have To,” “American Tourists,” and the theme song “Viva Cuba,” which is billed “the hallmark refrain of the enduring spirit of the Cuban people.”
Viva Cuba was performed at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco in July 2008, the Showcase Theater in San Rafael in April 2013, and the Southgate Theater in San Francisco in August 2013. The production has also been performed at the College of Marin Fine Arts Theatre, the Marin Civic Center Showcase Theatre, Chicago City Limits in New York, the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, and the Southside Theatre in Fort Mason.
The production was filmed during its run at the Southgate Theater (see Filmed Production Notes below).
The title was changed to New Jeans as writer David Alonzo Jones felt it was more alluring.
A cast album under the title Viva Cuba! was released in 2009.
Billed as a “song and dance production” and based on fact, the piece is a journey into avant-garde musical theater and a stylish documentary on post-evolutionary Cuba. A provocative blend of culture and expression presented in dance (African, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Salsa) to original songs.
New Jeans began life under the title Viva Cuba. The piece was created by David Alonzo Jones, a writer and dancer who has worked with a range of artists across jazz, opera, and ballet disciplines. According to SFGate’s Andrea Abney, American-born Jones was inspired to develop the piece after visiting Cuba in 1999. He wrote poems about the issues facing post-revolution Cubans, which were developed into songs and stories.
Songs in the piece include “I’ll Swim If I Have To,” “American Tourists,” and the theme song “Viva Cuba,” which is billed “the hallmark refrain of the enduring spirit of the Cuban people.”
Viva Cuba was performed at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts in San Francisco in July 2008, the Showcase Theater in San Rafael in April 2013, and the Southgate Theater in San Francisco in August 2013. The production has also been performed at the College of Marin Fine Arts Theatre, the Marin Civic Center Showcase Theatre, Chicago City Limits in New York, the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek, the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, and the Southside Theatre in Fort Mason.
The production was filmed during its run at the Southgate Theater (see Filmed Production Notes below).
The title was changed to New Jeans as writer David Alonzo Jones felt it was more alluring.
A cast album under the title Viva Cuba! was released in 2009.
Filmed Production Notes
New Jeans was filmed live during performances at the Southgate Theater in San Francisco in 2013.
The piece was streamed via YouTube between February 18, 2021 and February 27, 2021.
New Jeans is now available to stream on demand via Eventbrite.
New Jeans was filmed live during performances at the Southgate Theater in San Francisco in 2013.
The piece was streamed via YouTube between February 18, 2021 and February 27, 2021.
New Jeans is now available to stream on demand via Eventbrite.
New Jeans PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Southgate Theater, San Francisco
Producer: American Theater Company, Jeff Palmer and Peter Penhallow
Writer/Choreography/Director: David Alonzo Jones
Arrangements: Robin Rogers and David Jones
Cast:
Narrated by Al Milburn
Principal Singers/Dancers
Marian Yesufo
Kelli Thomas
Rana Kangas-Kent
Christine Ng
Cory Kremlacek
Dancers
Jorge Alfonso
Karin Broekhoven
Jennifer Gotti
Mario Juarez
Trungta Kositchaimongkol
Audrey Maria Norman
Litta Rascal
Theatre: Southgate Theater, San Francisco
Producer: American Theater Company, Jeff Palmer and Peter Penhallow
Writer/Choreography/Director: David Alonzo Jones
Arrangements: Robin Rogers and David Jones
Cast:
Narrated by Al Milburn
Principal Singers/Dancers
Marian Yesufo
Kelli Thomas
Rana Kangas-Kent
Christine Ng
Cory Kremlacek
Dancers
Jorge Alfonso
Karin Broekhoven
Jennifer Gotti
Mario Juarez
Trungta Kositchaimongkol
Audrey Maria Norman
Litta Rascal
Sources
Articles
Websites
Other
- Andrea Abney, “'Viva Cuba' shows good and bad sides of nation,” SFGate (July 10, 2008)
Websites
- County of Marin, “Viva Cuba,” Accessed via: https://tickets.marincenter.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=69
- David Alonzo Jones, Accessed via: https://faithealer4all.wixsite.com/vcsite/david-alonzo-jones
- Viva Cuba, Accessed via: http://vivacubainfo.org/
Other
- Correspondence with David Alonzo Jones, Jan 2021
Written by Luisa Lyons (January, 2021)