'The Westhampton Beach Project' Returns for an Exciting Weekend of Dance and Music

There’s no shortage on the East End of places to enjoy live music, fine art and dance. But there’s no place that combines them like “The Westhampton Beach Project,” an annual show held on the Great Lawn, free of charge to the public.

For two nights, local residents and seasonal visitors have an opportunity to enjoy high-quality performances at this year’s edition of “The Westhampton Beach Project,” which will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26, at 8:30 p.m. both nights.

The project was founded by Steven Colucci, an artist and classically trained dancer in ballet and mime who runs Colucci’s Musical Mime Theatre, which is the main charity that sponsors the project.

Colucci has deep ties to the community, as he spent part of his early career performing at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and other local venues.

Colucci described the performance on Friday, July 25, as “mind-blowing,” with its eclectic combination of music and dance. Providing the music for the evening is a group dubbing itself as The Colucci Orchestra. Led by keyboardist and musical director Frank Pisani, the band features five members who haven’t performed together before that night. Pisani will be performing double duty, filling the role of a bassist by playing bass lines on a keyboard with his left hand, akin to Ray Manzarek from The Doors.

“This is not a rehearsed band — this is me putting together major talent,” said Pisani. “I just tell them what I need and the keys of the songs, and without a rehearsal it’ll sound like we’ve rehearsed for years.”

The songs that the band will be performing range from Great American Song Book classics to soulful jazz and groove-able disco and funk.

The group will be joined by Rhonda Denet, a powerhouse jazz and soul singer, as well as Bobby Ericson, who will be playing harmonica. Though this will be Ericson’s first time performing as part of the project, he has been a longtime friend and collaborator of Colucci’s, serving as his musical director and pianist for many years.

“My first love has always been playing music and performing, and anything I have to do with that is always a great joy to me,” he said. “But it’s particularly eventful this time, because I’m going to be in my friend’s festival.”

The evening will alternate between songs from the band and dance performances from Gallim Dance Company, Alvin Ailey Dance and Valetango. Colucci expressed his excitement for Valetango, a New York City-based dance company that will be performing a mix of traditional tango dancing and newer styles of tango.

Valeria Solomonoff, the founder of Valetango, noted how in the past “people had a very stereotypical idea of tango and that evolved,” though the style is now “at the forefront of partnering techniques,” with an emphasis on improvisation involving two dancers.

“My work has always been trying to make clear that tango, more than anything, is the dance of co-creation,” she said. “Because it’s co-creational, it’s very involved, very interconnected and it allows for a huge level of freedom and improvisation.”

The show’s second night on Saturday, July 26, features Parsons Dance, a New York City-based dance company that has made frequent appearances at the project.

David Parsons, the company’s founder, noted that performing in a setting like this is unusual for the group but a welcome change of scenery.

“For us it’s a fun thing to be able to do an outdoor show — we don’t do as many of them as we used to,” he said. “If the weather holds and it’s not too hot, we love the experience.”

Fresh off a tour of Europe and South America, the group’s performance will feature contemporary dance numbers that pay tribute to various artists. Among these is “Whirl Away,” which was inspired by New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, as well as a solo piece by dancer Zoey Anderson set to Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”

Another number that Parsons highlighted is “Caught,” a solo piece set to music by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. Inspired by his work in photography, “The dancer basically gets hit by a strobe light only when they’re at the top of their leap in a dark space, so it’s like watching a photograph.”

Parsons noted that the set was specifically designed for an outdoor setting. “It’s very eclectic; it’s made for an outdoor jam,” he said. “We made the program around really getting people excited about seeing humans dancing on stage to music.”

While the performances are free, attendees have the opportunity to donate to “The Westhampton Beach Project” to get VIP access in return. For $25, audience members get access to exclusive seating close to the stage. For $60, attendees get exclusive seating, as well as access to a VIP tent with all-you-can-eat appetizers and cocktails from 18 local spirit sponsors and 17 local restaurant sponsors.

To learn more about or to donate to “The Westhampton Beach Project,” visit whbprojectbycolucci.com.