General Mischief Dance Theatre presents Joyful Noise

General Mischief Dance Theatre presents Joyful Noise on Friday, June 13, 2025 at 7pm and Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 2:30pm and 6pm at the Riverside Theater, 91 Claremont Ave, NYC. Tickets are $10-$25 (including fees), with discounted prices for kids, students, and seniors. The Sunday, June 15 performance at 2:30pm will also be livestreamed. In-person and virtual tickets can be purchased online at trtnyc.org/upcoming-shows.

Join the company at the historic Riverside Theater for their 15th Anniversary Season! These uplifting performances include exciting collaborations with L.A.-based percussion ensemble TAIKOPROJECT, Oakland-based composer Donna Viscuso, plus the debut of a brand-new commission created by Hodi Maputo Afro Swing in Mozambique. Complete with tap, swing, modern dance, and moments that break the fourth wall, these family-friendly performances have something for everyone! The evening also features live musical performances by percussionist Pablo Eluchans and flutist Zara Lawler – don’t miss this delightful and energetic show!

“With all the shows one can see in NYC, it’s refreshing to see a small theater production that exudes such talent and passion.” (Gisselle Guillen, Broadway World)

“What happens in their space is not just the choreographic equivalent of extreme sports, but a process at once fun and intellectually caffeinated.” (Nicholas Birns, Dance Insider)

Audiences have described the performance as “Ecclectic,” “Mesmerizing,” and simply, “Joy.”

Running time: 75-80 minutes, no intermission.

ASL Interpretation is available for the Friday, June 13 performance. The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Zara Lawler/The Flute on its Feet (Collaborator and Performer, She/Her)

Groundbreaking flutist Zara Lawler, “an engaging, fluent, mellifluous soloist,” (Houston Chronicle) made her concerto debut with the Houston Symphony and her recital debut at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall. Highlights include the US premiere of Il Cerchio Tagliato dei Suoni, Salvatore Sciarrino’s work for 104 flutists, directed by Lawler at the Guggenheim Museum, a Flute Jamboree directed by Lawler at the Kennedy Center, and tours of Texas, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio and two albums with her flute and marimba duo Lawler + Fadoul. Lawlers recent interdisciplinary creations include Symmetrical Lives, a choreographed Bach B Minor Suite in which the musicians are also the dancers, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, musical scenes from Betty Smith’s beloved novel.  Lawler has given solo recitals in New York, Santa Barbara, Hong Kong, and has in venues including the Kennedy Center, the Kravis Center, and Lincoln Center. She studied at the Juilliard School with Carol Wincenc and Sam Baron. ZaraLawler.com - @fluteonitsfeet on Instagram and @TheFluteOnItsFeet on Facebook

Pablo Eluchans (Collaborator and Live Percussionist, He/Him)

Born and raised in Santiago de Chile, studied with many of Chile’s best drummers, at Escuela Moderna de Musica, as well as at Berklee College of Music. He works as a freelance performer and recording artist, who has toured South and North America, The Caribbean, Europe and Asia. He has also recorded over 100 albums as a sideman, leader or co-leader, as well as DVDs, film scores, TV and radio jingles. He has toured South and North America, The Caribbean, Europe and Asia. Pablo is a partner and the house drummer at Pinch Recording, a studio opened in 2016 in Long Island City, NY. Also a founding member of Pinch Records (record label) and Pinch Music (production music library). He is very active in NYC’s modern dance scene, working regularly as an accompanist at Alvin Ailey and other schools. Pablo released his first solo album “Body Language (todo lo que es)” in 2021, a solo drum set improvisation album.

Hodi Maputo Afro Swing (Collaborator – Eugenio Macuvel, Choreographer, He/Him)

Hodi is a non-profit cultural association founded in 2014. The mission of Hodi is to work for the preservation, research and dissemination of Mozambican traditional dance, music and traditional instruments as well as African American Swing Dances. The company has over 78 artists encompassing several subgroups: a high-level singing and dance company, a musical group Banda Hodi, Makwaela choir group, choir musical group, and theater group. Hodi also runs a youth program under the name Hodi Afro Swing Kids where future professional dancers are learning to dance Mozambican traditional dances and Swing in the suburb of Maputo. Hodi has grown to be one of Mozambique’s most advanced companies representing dances from the whole country, and Hodi artists have participated in major international festivals abroad in China, Macau, Sweden, South Africa, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, the USA and many others. They have also participated and performed at the international Lindy Hop events such as Burning Swing (BLS), Herrang Dance Camp (SWE), Swinging Montpellier Africa (FR), and Frankie 100 (US).

Karen Gayle (Choreographer, She/Her)

Originally from Toronto, received her degree from Ryerson University. Karen is a faculty member at The Juilliard School, Marymount Manhattan College, Montclair State University, The Joffrey Ballet School, Steps on Broadway and The Ailey School. She has taught and choreographed across the U.S. and abroad, including Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Italy, Cyprus, and Israel and is a returning guest artist with OH Ballet Arts Academy (MD), Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, (PA), Techniche de Danza (Rome) and Earl Haig Performing Arts School (Toronto). Commissions include: General Mischief Dance Theatre, The Harvard Ballet Company, Steps Repertory Ensemble, Boston Tea Party Opera, Steffi Nossen, Marymount Manhattan, MSU. Karen Gayle at xodusdancecollective.com - @xodusdance on Instagram

Richard Sayama (Company Artist & Choreographer, He/Him)

Originally from Honolulu, Hawai’i, earned his B.F.A in Modern Dance and B.A in Business Arts & Management from Marymount Manhattan College. He has toured domestically and internationally as both a performing artist and choreographer. Richard currently dances with General Mischief Dance Theatre, Limón 2, LaneCoArts, Obremski/Works, One Day Dance, and recently helped produce, choreograph, and perform with Feathers Dance Company in Tokyo, Japan. In addition to choreographing and performing, he is also involved in teaching as well as filming & editing for dance.

TAIKOPROJECT (Collaborator) was founded in 2000 in Los Angeles by a group of emerging taiko drummers led by Bryan Yamami and Masato Baba. The group continues to define a modern American style of taiko, blending traditional forms with an innovative and fresh aesthetic. They made waves as the first American group to win the prestigious Tokyo International Taiko Contest (2005), and have performed and recorded with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Hans Zimmer, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Squeak E. Clean, Diplo, and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony. In 2021, the Ford Foundation recognized TAIKOPROJECT as one of America’s Cultural Treasures. TAIKOPROJECT.com - @taikoproject on Instagram and Twitter

Emily Smyth Vartanian (Artistic Director, She/Her) is General Mischief's Head Troublemaker. She is a graduate of the UCLA Dance/World Arts and Cultures program, DNA’s Choreographic Investigation Course, and Ann Reinking’s Broadway Theatre Project. Her original work has been presented at Radio City, the Capitol Theater, Dixon Place, and elsewhere in New York, the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington D.C., and the Freud Playhouse, Highways, and House of Blues in Los Angeles. Instagram: @emily_go_play

This performance is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. General Mischief’s work is also supported by Dance/NYC’s Dance Advancement Fund, made possible by the Howard Gilman Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

About General Mischief Dance Theatre

Founded in 2008, General Mischief is an ensemble-based company dedicated to reinforcing the power that joy and laughter in sharing ideas. They create original dance adventures that are playful, accessible, and often interactive. Their high-level storytelling and dynamic movement create performances that uplift and surprise audiences of all ages.

Joy infuses their creative process in the rehearsal room as well as our onstage work. The company has produced 16 seasons of playful theatrical dance from the Atlas Arts Center in Washington, D.C. to the gardens at Kean University in New Jersey, and Dixon Place, City College of New York, and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

For more information, visit https://www.generalmischief.com/.