The Westhampton Beach Project Food Festival + Melba Moore & Parson’s Dance
Colucci Musical Mime Theatre
Summer in the Hamptons isn’t just about catered pool parties, boutique shopping, and walks along the beach. The arts have always played an integral role in life there among the residents and visitors. This year the Westhampton Beach Project celebrates its fifth year as a complementary two-day presentation of the arts under the aegis of visual and performing artist and producer Steven Colucci, a long-time Hamptons resident. The event will be held July 28th and 29th at the Westhampton Beach Great Lawn, and as dusk fades into starlight, V.I.P. guests will enjoy handcrafted cocktails and delight in food from 25 of the Hamptons’ finest restaurants, including Sobol, Centro, and Blue Nectar. This highlight of the summer social calendar is organized by the Colucci Musical Mime Theatre, whose purpose is to help aspiring young talent by exposing them to established acts in the performing arts.
Steven Colucci
Funded by sales of Colucci’s visual arts, the Westhampton Beach Project is a manifestation of the artist’s passion for the performing arts and sharing that joy with the general public. It also allows Colucci to give exposure to younger performing artists. He shares, “The opening acts will be seen by a who’s who of the Hamptons, and by opening for world-class artists, it allows them to be experienced and heard, building their artistic performance credentials.” Colucci goes on to add, “This is my biggest project; I don’t think I will ever do anything greater in my life than to be an artist and promote artists to the community.” In preparing for this annual event, which was disrupted by the pandemic, Colucci says, “It is difficult to find great talent doing something that should be seen by a larger audience. I am very discerning, and it takes about eight months to find the right mix of talent to present here in the Hamptons. I look domestically and all over the world, because I want the attendees to be wowed by what they see.”
Chris Ruggiero
To kick off the weekend is celebrated singer Chris Ruggiero. Ruggiero has gained national attention from his performances on PBS, and he has been traveling around the country delivering his distinctive brand of vintage rock and roll and sharing his passion for the classics. Ruggiero takes his audience on a musical journey through the golden age of rock and roll, into the music of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Ruggiero, as Colucci explains, “will open the door for people to come, and they’ll come back the next night and see the ballet. Then we got them hooked on the event.”
David Parsons
The second night’s headliner is Parsons Dance, a New York City-based contemporary American dance company led by Artistic Director David Parsons. Dancers will present a program set to music of various genres including Brazilian, electronic, jazz by Miles Davis, and popular songs of Yusuf/Cat Stevens. The company has developed a broad, fervent fan base over the course of its 35-year existence, and is known for its athleticism, unbridled energy, and technical prowess, earning international acclaim.
Marcel Marceau
Colucci developed a keen interest in the arts while growing up in the Bronx. “I spent a lot of time in Greenwich Village and went to a private school there, so I was always around talented people. I was a visual artist at first, but it wasn’t enough for me to paint or to sculpt. I became fascinated with corporal movement and expression,” he recalls. Eventually he made his way to Paris, where he studied mime under Étienne Decroux, the father of modern mime. Colucci also worked with Marcel Marceau, who propelled the artform onto the worldwide stage in the mid-twentieth century and became a household name.
Painting & The Performing Arts
Establishing his name in the arts over the last several decades, Colucci has become a celebrated and much collected painter whose work has been described as neo post-impressionism. He enjoys his lifestyle, imparting, “I have a house on the bay where I paint, and I have a house on the ocean. I am not one to sit around too much; I love getting together and going out with friends for dinner. The Hamptons is such a beautiful area to explore and be social.”
Colucci takes immense pride in his work and is modest about his contributions to the local arts scene, saying, “It just makes me feel great when people see the show and have discoveries about the stories being told visually on stage through dance or enjoying amazing music. You want people to walk away being moved by the experience and knowing that they have witnessed something of exceptional quality.
