San Diego Ballet Announces 2013/14 Season Opening of PRELUDES AND POETRY/ CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

The San Diego Ballet (SDB) presents PRELUDES & POETRY & CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS, both by SDB's artistic director Javier Velasco. PRELUDES & POETRY will open on Friday, October 25th & 26th and CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS will perform on October 27th at the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza, downtown San Diego.

PRELUDES AND POETRY

Directed and Choreographed by Javier Velasco

October 25-26, 2013

Join us for this special San Diego Ballet primer!

Artistic Director Javier Velasco will guide audience members through the SDB aesthetic and experience. This intimate presentation will feature highlights from the San Diego Ballet repertoire and Mr. Velasco's choreography including...

SUITE ITALIENNE (Excerpt - Pas De Deux)

Dancers: Stephanie Maiorano & Maxim Tchernychev

Music: Igor Stravinsky

SUITE ITALIENNE is set to Stravinsky's piano and violin concerto of the same name. "When people think of Stravinsky they either think of the lush sounds of Firebird or the dissonance of his later works," says Velasco. "But this little gem has an enormous amount of clarity, and intimacy, AND beautiful melodies. I kept coming back to this piece over and over, but for some reason it took a while to get into our programming. I love it because it doesn't try too hard. It just sort of flows out like a clear stream. And yes, it's a tutu ballet. Classical... and romantic."

REMINISCENCE

Dancers: Zoe Marinello -Kohn & Joseph Hochschild

Music: David Burge

REMINISCENCE was the final piece composed for the San Diego Ballet by composer David Burge. Mr. Burge served as resident composer for the organization for over a decade, during which he composed 10 pieces for SDB. A champion of 20th century music, and an internationally acclaimed pianist, he would often accompany the ballets himself. This piece was written for violinist Päivikki Nykter to be performed with the ballet. We are thrilled that she will be joining us for this series of performances in his memory. "We often take musical accompaniment for granted," says Velasco. "When we break it down to a single instrument onstage, we become much more aware of the relationship between dancers and that which shares the stage with them."

LOVE: 20 CENTS THE FIRST QUARTER-MILE

Dancers: Stephanie Maiorano & Joseph Hochschild

Music: Bert Turetsky

Special Guest: Douglas Jacobs

LOVE: 20 CENTS THE FIRST QUARTER-MILE is accompanied by the depression era poetry of Kenneth Fearing, together with the improvisational music of bassist Bert Turetsky. This award winning piece can be a different experience from performance to performance. "Just as we take accompaniment for granted, we also take for granted that dancers and musicians are somehow supposed to "mirror" each other," says Velasco. "In this piece, the dancers need to be aware and listen, because much of it is done to text and improvised music. There are sections in silence. The performers have to relate to each other or it doesn't work. And as thrilled as we are to have Bert performing with us, we are equally thrilled to have the San Diego Rep's Founding Artistic Director Douglas Jacobs reading the text."

HOW HIGH THE MOON

Dancers: Members of the San Diego Ballet

HOW HIGH THE MOON is one of the types of pieces SDB has become known for. Bright. Bouncy. Jazzy. And fun!..."I heard the music of Les Paul and Mary Ford a few years back," says Velasco. "The clarity and intricacy of the early electric guitar experimentation just sounded like a natural accompaniment to the precision of the pointe work used in ballet. What a better marriage than the steel strings of a guitar and the steely toes of a ballerina? I didn't realize until after I chose these pieces that they featured guitars as main instruments. Maybe we should have called this show POINTE SHOES AND PICKS or TUTUS AND TWELVE STRINGS or ..."

The performances will be followed by a Meet the Artist discussion with Mr. Velasco and dancers of the company.

And on Sunday

CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS Directed and Choreographed by Javier Velasco

October 27, 2013

BALLET - HIP HOP - GIANT PUPPETS - WOW!

A colorful journey through the animal kingdom set to the beloved music of Camille Saint-Saens and folk music from all over the world. Presented in association with Animal Cracker Conspiracy and the Living Coast Discovery Center.

CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS features not just Velasco's modern/ballet fusion staging but hip hop dance performed by alumnus of San Diego's first and finest hip hop crew, Culture Shock San Diego. Says Velasco, "Although we had collaborated on ballets before with Culture Shock, this one is a bit different. Carnival of the Animals was created specifically for young children to enjoy. But that doesn't mean the level of dancing is any less. As a matter of fact, it contains one of the most famous solos in ballet... the Swan, made famous by Anna Pavlova." This year, the production will be joined by the fantastical puppets of Animal Cracker Conspiracy and will be introduced by a special "guest" from the Living Coast Discover Center.

The Sunday Matinee performance of Carnival of the Animals is the only "Public" performance of the piece in the 2013/14 season. During the week, the piece has been performed for San Diego County school children. CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (A BALLET FOR CHILDREN) was the third ballet created in the eleven-year collaboration between SDB, Culture Shock San Diego and Young Audiences of San Diego.

The scenic panels for the ballet were created via a contest in the highest level design class at the School and Creative and Performing Arts in the South Bay. SDB artistic director Javier Velasco chose the winning design and then the panels were fabricated by the artists at the school.

And...

WESTGATE TEA CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

Join Us for a Special Tea before the Carnival @ 12 noon at the Westgate Hotel, Broadway and 2nd Avenue. Dress up as your favorite animal and have your photo taken with animal dancers from San Diego Ballet! After Tea, we'll walk across the street to the the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza for the Carnival of the Animals 2 pm. performance.

Tea Tickets are $60 for children and $75 for adults, and include the performance.

Reservations for the TEA are required and must be made by October 25.

Please call 619 294 -7311 or purchase online at sandiegoballet.org

Javier Velasco has been hailed by the San Diego Union-Tribune as "San Diego's answer to Jerome Robbins" and was listed among people to watch in the art and theater scene by San Diego Magazine. He has supplied dances for productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe and has a long-standing relationship with the San Diego Repertory Theatre, where he has directed and choreographed productions of A Christmas Carol, Cabaret, and Suds, and many others. He currently serves as artistic director of the San Diego Ballet having created over 80 original pieces for the company since it's inception. His ballet set to the poems of Kenneth Fearing, Love: 20 Cents the First Quarter-Mile, was given the award for Best Choreography by the San Diego Dance Alliance, the third time he has been honored by the organization.

San Diego Ballet is a 23-year-old organization dedicated to bringing the finest quality dance productions to San Diego. Our Studios are located at Dance Place San Diego 2650 Truxtun Road, Suite 102, at the NTC Promenade in Point Loma. For further information, call (619) 294-7378. E-mail: sandiegoballet@aol.com. Or visit our website at www.sandiegoballet.org