Plus-sized performers spread it on thick for JELLY ROLL April 30, 2006

New York City?New York's biggest stars?in both mass and moxie?are hitting the stage hard on Sunday, April 30, at JELLY ROLL, a dance and burlesque benefit for Big Moves-USA's newest branch in New York. Featuring the over-the-top talents of the Glamazons, Sweetie, Nedra Johnson, Janie Martinez, and Seleka, JELLY ROLL is guaranteed to fill up the Slipper Room (167 Orchard Street at Stanton, Lower East Side, New York). Doors open at 7 p.m., and the curtain rises at 7:30. General admission seats are $15 in advance (available only online at www.bigmoves.org), or $20 at the door.



JELLY ROLL performers run the gamut from burlesque to bellydance, hip hop to high drag. But all of the performers prove the point that plus-size can be a plus on stage. This is especially true in burlesque, where cups running over are what the audience wants. The Glamazons have raised the stakes with tight routines and tighter clothes that leave viewers gasping for breath and cheering for more. Drag artist Sweetie also brings her weight to bear at JELLY ROLL, with just a few yards of sequins holding her honky-tonk energy in place. Supersized bellydance star Seleka keeps the belly in bellydance, and there will even be some seriously phat hip-hop action from Marina Wolf Ahmad, founder of Big Moves and artistic director of the Phat Fly Girls.



JELLY ROLL isn't only about dance, either, because Big Moves supports more than just dance. Nedra Johnson, the NYC-based singer/songwriter, will lay down a set of soulful funk and R&B, while Janie Martinez stands up for a full-front comedic blast, excerpted from her one-woman show, Fat Girls Go to Hell.



The guest artists at JELLY ROLL are united in supporting Big Moves, the only producing and service organization in the world dedicated to getting more people of all sizes into the dance studio and up on stage. Recently featured on NPR's Day to Day program, Big Moves was founded in 2000 in San Francisco, and began operating in Boston in 2005. The Boston branch already boasts performing ensembles in musical theater and hip hop, as well as special projects in bellydance, ballet, and post-modern movement theater. This year the volunteer-run organization is touring its performance and dance revue to DC, Toronto, New York City, and even the Montreal Fringe Fest, and JELLY ROLL is where it all begins. All proceeds raised at JELLY ROLL will be directed to supporting Big Moves productions in New York City (including the Big Spender show coming to town on June 2-3).



In addition to JELLY ROLL, Big Moves will be hosting three introductory dance workshops on the weekend of April 28-30: jazz on Friday evening, hip hop on Saturday afternoon, and bellydance on Sunday afternoon. It's a full weekend of size-friendly dance and performance, with the promise of more to come! To preregister for these workshops, buy pre-show tickets to JELLY ROLL, and find out more about Big Moves, visit us online at http://www.bigmoves.org .

Official Website: http://www.bigmoves.org