Gypsy of the Year 2013 - Choreography by Ray Mercer
2,439 views · Published 11 January 2016 · 5:21 · Indexed 21 September 2026
Channel: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS · 2016 · Entertainment
At Gypsy of the Year 2013, the company of The Lion King took honors for the best onstage presentation for a captivating dance of couples who skillfully integrated ropes to spin, twirl and jump to original music by cast member Bongi Dumas and directed by Ray Mercer. Choreographer Ray Mercer, winner of Joffrey Ballet's Choreographers of Color Award, will present Pure Motion, an evening of his dances produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The evening will feature two performances at 7 pm and 8:30 pm on Monday, February 29, 2016, at The Ailey Citigroup Theatre in New York City. Throughout Mercer’s ongoing, 13-year run as a cast member of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway, he has simultaneously created work on the New Jersey Ballet, the Pensacola Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Philadanco and Ailey II. Mercer also has been a guest artist for the Boston Ballet and has worked with Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin and Garth Fagan. Mercer’s dynamic, visually striking and thought-provoking choreography has won the best onstage presentation award seven times at Broadway Cares’ annual Gypsy of the Year and Easter Bonnet Competition. The prolific choreographer will present some of New York’s most promising dancers in seven contemporary pieces, including one premiere created especially for the event. The evening will provide a fitting closure to Black History Month, which is celebrated during the month of February. From humorous solo skits to thrilling original dances, the 25th anniversary of Gypsy of the Year celebrated past and present gypsies with verve, vigor and heartfelt appreciation for those who give it their all eight shows a week. More than 250 gypsies, the most talented singers and dancers in the ensembles of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, performed dances, songs and skits at Gypsy of the Year, the culminating celebration of six weeks of extraordinary fundraising. This year, 56 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies raised an amazing $4,343,234 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The grand total was announced Tuesday, December 10, 2013, by surprise guest Daniel Craig, who joined Cherry Jones, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart to share the welcome news. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $250 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. Broadway Cares awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states and is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic. SUBSCRIBE NOW: http://youtube.com/BCEFA http://broadwaycares.org http://facebook.com/BCEFA http://twitter.com/BCEFA http://instagram.com/BCEFA
