It’s the beginning of a new year, which can only mean one thing: It’s time for Rhythm of the Night at the Concord City Auditorium.
Rhythm of the Night is a big showcase of local dance companies that has served as the traditional kick-off event for the new year’s schedule at the Audi since 1992.
This Saturday – the 26th for Rhythm of the Night – will feature 172 dancers and nine companies, so there will be plenty of kicking, tapping, hopping and twirling all night.
Some of the best dancers from the Audi resident dance studios will be both showing off their skills to the masses and getting a little stage time before some big-time competitions. Since this show comes very early in the year, it serves as sort of a tune-up for dancers who will go on to compete on big stages over the course of the winter and spring months.
“Many of our studios and dancers win trophies and scholarships – regional and national prizes,” said Carol Bagan, head honcho at the Audi.
If you can’t get that ’90s dance song by Carona out of your head after reading “Rhythm of the Night” so many times, you’re not alone. In fact, that song is what inspired the name of the show way back when it was still played on modern, mainstream radio.
At the first show, a group did a dance to the song and it was so good – and the title really embodied the spirit of the event – that they decided to keep the name, Bagan said. No word on whether there will be any performances of the song at this year’s show.
A presentation of this scale is really a big deal at the Audi. When all is said and done, more than 200 people – ages 8 through 80 – will have contributed in some way to the show, including the famous cookie bakers (there will be a lot of cookies on hand, we’re told).
To give an example of all the work that goes into something like this, the light technician has received info on the costumes each of the 22 acts will wear so the special LED effects, which the Audi now has, can be cued to complement the dancers. Suffice it to say, they’re not fooling around with this Rhythm of the Night.
Apart from Bagan, who always has her finger on the pulse of all things Audi, producer David Murdo and director Miranda “Mandy” Milano will be handling a lot of the heavy lifting. Murdo is always involved in Audi productions and Milano runs NV Dance Productions on Hall Street, so this won’t be amateur hour over there.
One of the big side benefits of this show is that it will almost surely put the Audi over its fundraising goal for the Seat Restoration Project, which will replace all of the 850 theater seats.
Before advance ticket sales opened, the Audi was about $5,000 shy of its $100,000 goal. They’ve already sold a bunch, meaning they’re only about $3,500 away from the end, and Murdo is confident that the goal will be met and well surpassed after this show.
Tickets for the 26th annual Rhythm of the Night, which is Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium, are $12 and available now at the UPS Store or at the door the day of the show. The family-friendly show will run 90 minutes.
For more info, go to concordcityauditorium.org.
