CommuniTEA Dance 2024

Dates

June 9, 2024 at 4:00 PM

Venue

Ziff Ballet Opera House Stage

Run Time

4 hours

Parental Guide

All ages

The Arsht Center's LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration returns for its seventh year!

CommuniTEA Dance is a FREE, rainbow-filled blowout emceed by FayWhat?! and starring Alex Newell, a Tony Award-winning, Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, actor and activist. Join us at the Glow With Pride dance party featuring DJ Musicat and drag performances by Ebonee Excell and Melissa Plastic Hilton.

Glow With Pride ✨ Neon vibes only! Get ready to illuminate the Ziff Ballet Opera House stage and wear your best brights and neon. You glow, girls, gays and theys!

Arrive early and explore the Pride Marketplace, featuring South Florida's vibrant LGBTQIA+ community and allies. Indulge in happy-hour food and drinks from 4 to 6 p.m.!

Tickets

Online ticket sales are no longer available for this performance. Tickets may still be available in person at the box office or by calling 305.949.6722.

Artists

Alex Newell

Alex Newell garnered widespread acclaim for their portrayal of one of network television’s first transgender characters, the fearless and flamboyant Unique Adams on the hit television series Glee. Building on that success, Newell transitioned into theater, showcasing their versatility and talent in Broadway musicals such as Shucked and Once on This Island, which received a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.

In 2023, Newell and J. Harrison Ghee became the first openly nonbinary performers to win Tony Awards (Newell for Shucked and Ghee for Some Like It Hot). Newell was also honored with a spot on Time magazine's “Next 100” list, further solidifying their status as a cultural trailblazer and visionary.

Beyond the stage, Newell's music career has flourished, beginning with the release of their 2016 EP, Power, which includes the singles “This Ain’t Over,” “Basically Over You (B.O.Y.)” and “Nobody To Love.” In addition to collaborations with Clean Bandit and The Knocks, they loaned their vocal prowess to Blonde’s “All Cried Out” and DJ Cassidy’s “Kill the Lights” with Jess Glynne and Nile Rodgers, the latter of which clinched No. 1 on the Billboard Dance/Club chart. Between headlining and supporting Adam Lambert on tour, Newell has ignited stages at Coachella, The Governor’s Ball Music Festival and beyond. They have used their platform to uplift LGBTQ+ youth through advocacy and by aligning with The Trevor Project and GLAAD, among other organizations.
DJ Musicat

DJ
FayWhat?!

MC
Ebonee Excell

Ebonee Excell is a Libra, which makes her gracious, clever and idealistic. But “hardworking” is the word that truly describes this Haitian-born renaissance woman and her two decades as an accomplished dancer, choreographer, showgirl and recording artist. “Success doesn’t just find you. You have to work for it,” she likes to say. Excell started her artistic path in the early 1990s at the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York. Her career has taken her onstage with the likes of Thalia and Moby. That she’s a bona fide house music producer is just icing on the cake. Excell dreams of owning her own dance company one day, but in the meantime, you’ll have to catch her tearing the roof off the Ziff Ballet Opera House stage.
Melissa Plastic Hilton

Melissa Plastic Hilton, aka Twinkle Toes, is a Gemini, which makes her gentle, affectionate, playful and not one to sweat the haters. “They hatin’, but they takin’ notes,” as she likes to say. As well they should be, since Melissa is a self-confessed open book. Having cut her teeth dancing in a group over 13 years ago, she has since blossomed into a fearless diversity entertainer who lives to capture the crowd. And captivate audiences she does whenever she throws down with her fellow divas at Palace, a place she calls home. Never one to shy away from big dreams, Melissa plans to chase success all the way to RuPaul’s Drag Race.