Kittery, ME- The Dance Hall starts the fall season with a weekend full of great music. On Friday, September 12 at 8:00 p.m. Atomic Funk Project, a world-class dance band from NYC, will kick off the weekend with the sounds of Motown, Soul and Funk. With three unique vocalists plus full rhythm and horn sections, their high-energy show has something for everyone. 

Erik James, who fronts the Atomic Funk Project, has a connection to the local Kittery community; his uncle is well-known Foreside figure Rev. Brad Hirst of Second Christian Congregational United Church of Christ. Knowing that his nephew would be playing in the area in September, Rev. Hirst suggested to Director Drika Overton that perhaps they could play at the Hall in September. It fit into the schedule and she jumped at the opportunity. "What a perfect way to kick-off the fall with a big community dance party!," she said. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

On Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m. The Yabuno Ettun Project, a piano and bass duo from the New York jazz scene takes the stage for an intimate listening room experience. YEP is a highly creative collaboration between Japanese pianist Haruka Yabuno and Israeli bassist Ehud Ettun. Each one an imaginative composer, Ehud and Haruka have created, during the past few years, a unique interaction on stage. Their performances have been described by listeners as "captivating" and "fascinating."

"The beauty is that we came together through music way before we could find a common verbal language," explains Haruka. "Once music took over, once we knew that improvising could take us anywhere, the journey itself was our destination."

The repertoire is broad landscape, which is why each concert is a unique experience. Ehud explains: "Even though we came from different backgrounds, perhaps musically, indeed culturally, we found many similarities between Japan and Israel, let alone between us."

Tickets for this event are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Events at The Dance Hall are for all ages. Advance tickets are available at www.thedancehallkittery.org and at RiverRun Bookstore in Wallingford Square, Kittery.