On August 1, 2011, while some parts of the city gathered together in communal celebration of Jerry Garcia’s birthday, Birdland hosted a different kind of familial bonding experience by inviting friends, old and new, to celebrate dre.dance’s 7th season, which opens this fall.

Jim Caruso and the Broadway at Birdland series paid tribute to the modern dance company, founded by Andrew Palermo and Taye Diggs in 2004, with a star-studded event that raised money towards dre.dance’s upcoming SummerStage performance on August 19. Performers included Gypsy’s Tony Yazbeck, Wicked star Julia Murney, singer-songwriter and War Horse actress Katy “Mighty Kate” Pfaffl, and Glee’s Tony Leung. Composer Michael John LaChiusa made a rare appearance onstage to sing a few selections from his songbook, including a piece from Queen of the Mist, a play based on a real-life lady daredevil who survived a plunge over Niagara Falls, which goes into production this fall. Aida star Jessica Hendy’s hilarious reenactment of one crazy night during her run with Cats sent the crowd into hysterics, while veteran Broadway diva Sharon McKnight kept the laughs coming with her version of “Wing Beneath My Wings,” renamed “Contempt Under My Feet.” The event was hosted by dre.dance board member and Broadway staple Scott Coulter and featured Paul Massey on piano.

dre.dance makes its SummerStage debut on August 19 with the company premiere of “Goat on a Cow,” a reinterpretation of the beloved NPR/Radiolab story. The performance will also feature excerpts from their most recent work, “dre.diohead,” inspired by the music of Radiohead. To learn more about dre.dance, visit the dre.dance website.  Check out the Kickstarter page.