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Forces of Nature Dance Theatre (Forces) celebrates its 25th Anniversary Season in conjunction with the 40th celebration of the Institution of Kwanzaa. In honor of this monumental occasion the 25th Anniversary Committee presents the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre 25th Anniversary Gala and New York Season to be held at Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. on December 22-23, 2006. The New York Season will feature a gala night of critically acclaimed repertory works and a one-night only performance of the groundbreaking new work, Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross, a timely and daring piece about Islam and Christianity and the necessary drive for peace. The Anniversary Season’s Friday night (December 22nd) performance will be hosted by Woody King, Jr. and feature Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and the Cross an evening-length dance theater work that explores some of the cultural, historical and mythical conflicts, as well as confluences between Christianity and Islam. From the Crusades to the present, the work will be set in an elaborate theatrical matrix developed by Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam who reinvents the elements of a larger-than-life chess game to tell his story by combining modern dance, ballet and West African dance.

Saturday night’s (December 23rd) gala performance will be hosted by Chuck Davis and feature the following classic works:

* The Life and Legend of Marie Laveau, a theater-dance piece about an 18th-century voodoo priestess in New Orleans. The significance of “…Marie Laveau” has grown exponentially since the devastating losses caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The piece serves as an important artistic representation of the rich and complex African and religious history of New Orleans, and is a link to the ancestral and cultural past which bridges the region’s African and Caribbean identity to that of the United States;

* Passion Fruit, a sensuous, witty number which investigates the nature of eroticism and love;

* Ancestral Earths which explores the historical and cultural bridge between Native Americans and African Americans, and features the Silver Cloud Native American Dancers.

Saturday night’s performance will be capped off with an exclusive appearance by alumni members of the company performing a special version of Chuck Davis’ Homage to the Ancestors.

Tickets for the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre 25th Anniversary Gala and New York Season are $45 for orchestra seats, $35 for mezzanine and $25 for balcony. VIP tickets are available for Saturday night’s concert at $100 with a post performance gala reception for VIP ticket holders. Persons buying tickets for both nights of concerts will receive a 15% discount. A special group rate on orchestra seats is available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets, please call the Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. Box Office at 212-650-7100 (Monday � Friday, 1-6 pm), or visit the website at www.harlemstage.org. Harlem Stage/Aaron Davis Hall, Inc. is located on the campus of the City College of New York at 135th Street and Convent Avenue.