The 2013 MVJF is presented by Adagio Entertainments; in conjunction with The Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau and The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
The Adagio Dancers
The Adagio Dancers are the Merrimack Valley’s hot new jazz dance company !!! They are a professional dance troupe and a division of MillCityDance located at 1201 Westford Street in Lowell MA. The Adagio Dancers perform regularly with the Adagio BIG Band at all of their large show events.
They are back again at the MVJF for the second year, where they will be performing selections from their eclectic repertoire. From the ‘40s How High The Moon and pop/rock selections from the ‘80s, to swing, and some of today’s current favorites; they will showcase their signature high-spirited energy in between bands, giving the MVJF an additional burst of dazzling entertainment !!!
Along with the Festival and ABB performances, they have delighted audiences at various community service events. They have entertained at the annual Kiwanis Monster Bash, Cajun For A Cure ( for Alzheimer’s), and The Walk For Life ( for cancer).
You can also see them dancing on the dugouts at select Lowell Spinners Baseball games this summer !!!!
Janice Mary Andrea Zawodny, Choreographer (AFTRA/SAG)
A creative instinct and love for dance led Ms. Zawodny to quickly establish
herself as a choreographer with diverse talents. She has worked with a myriad
of groups in a wide range of styles from musical theatre, to jazz and hip-hop;
even staging a ballet or two. Her professional career began at UMASS Boston where
she was the artistic director of the dance company, “Energize”. Her musical
theatre credits include many of the usual stock productions as well as original
shows, her most recent being the pre-Broadway run for, David - The Musical, at
the Emerson Majestic Theatre in Boston. She has choreographed numerous nightclub
and floor shows, including the backup dancers and videos for recording artists
“ Honey Bee” and “Glory”. Her own company, “A Feast of Friends Productions”
debuted in 1994. The company’s debut work, Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine,
a dance anthology to the poetry of Jim Morrison, was well received throughout
the New England area. Since then, she has produced and choreographed, for the
company, the musical revue, A Century of Song and Dance, Weird Scenes Inside the
Gold Mine:EP, and two commissioned works, Poetry, Jack, and All That Jazz
(based on the life and works of Jack Kerouac ) for The National Park Service
and A Tale of Salome for Lowell Cultural Affairs division of The Massachusetts
Arts Council. A longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, she has been
featured in the recent films, The Women and The Invention of Lying. A former
cheerleader for The New England Patriots, Ms Zawodny holds degrees in PE and
Dance from UMass. She is currently the owner and artistic director of
MillCityDance in Lowell. After working with the famed SRO Players for 20 years,
she is happy to be entertaining audiences again with the Adagio Big Band.
Her latest artistic endeavor is Co-Producer of The Merrimack Valley Jazz
Festival, an annual musical event on the river in Lowell MA.
Funded by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism