Dance leaps onto center stage this weekend with something unusual – the Chicago Dance Crash. The performance is presented by Ballet Vero Beach in partnership with Riverside Theatre. Ballet Vero Beach artistic director Adam Schnell says this will be something exciting. The performance is a full-length narrative work bringing together contemporary dance, hip-hop and acrobatics, he says. “I guarantee that Vero audiences have not seen anything like it before,” he says. Fourteen dancers from diverse backgrounds and each with a different skillset have been working on the show for the past two months. This will be a sneak preview, if you will, of the show that has been in production for more than a year and that will premiere later in Chicago. “Prepare to be transported, stunned and amazed,” Schnell says. “The elements of dance, design, music, spoken word and humanity that come together to showcase what Crash does are simply unmatched in the contemporary dance genre.” Chicago Dance Crash performs 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6 on the Stark Main Stage at Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Tickets are $10 to $75. What’s more, the troupe has participated in the Riverside Dance Festival, bringing intensive summer study for young dancers. There will be a free showcase performance of the young student dancers 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, on Riverside’s Stark Main Stage. Call Ballet Vero Beach at 772-905-2651 or visit BalletVeroBeach.org. You can also reach the theater at 772-231-6990 or visit
RiversideTheatre.com.
Billy Eilish and Finneas can step aside. There’s another brother and sister musical duo set to entertain. It’s “Jake ‘n Sky,” two young music prodigies. They will perform in concert Sunday afternoon at the Emerson Center. The presenting organization is the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. “The program will be a joy for our audiences,” says Space Coast Symphony music director and conductor Aaron Collins. “This is our seventh time showcasing Jake and the first time Sky (his sister) has performed for our audiences. The entire program was put together by the young duo and I can’t wait to see what they have come up with.” Jake (Jacob Velazquez) is a 14-year-old songwriter and multi-instrumentalist living in South Florida. He has performed on “America’s Got Talent,” numerous television network shows and alongside big names like Harry Connick Jr., Andrea Bocelli and Gloria Estefan. His younger sister, Sky (Skylar Rae), is an aspiring performer who was selected for the Broward County Honors Choir. Diagnosed with a form of autism when he was 4 years old, Jake has lifted up the mission to “show the world that having a diagnosis doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of great things.” Collins says Jake is a “real joy.” “He’s one of the most dynamic and intelligent musicians I have ever worked with,” Collins says. “He has won over audiences across the world.” The concert will feature songs that Jake and Sky wrote as well as some of their own arrangements of popular tunes such as “Amazing Grace” and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Collins says Jake also thrills audiences when he tackles challenging Beethoven piano concerti. “He can perform in all styles and he makes it seem effortless … He’s got a huge career ahead of him.” The concert begins 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 7, at the Emerson Center, 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. This free concert is brought to Vero Beach courtesy of Collins and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. Do be sure, though, to go onto the orchestra’s website and reserve those free tickets. Visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org. For more information, call 855-252-7276.
The City of Vero Beach presents “Heroes and Villains,” its 48th annual “Aerial Antics Youth Circus,” at the Saint Edward’s School. On stage will be more than 250 young people performing unique gymnastics, dance and circus aerial productions. The program begins 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, Friday, Aug. 5 and Saturday, Aug. 6 at St. Edward’s School, 1895 Saint Edward’s Dr. Tickets are $8 general and $7 children and seniors. Or, buy a multi-show ticket for $12 general and $10 for children and seniors. You can get tickets at Leisure Square, 3705 16th St., Vero Beach, or purchase them at the door. For more information, call 772-770-6500 or go the Facebook page of the City of Vero Beach Recreation Department.
