Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival Announces 85th Anniversary Season Opener

Miami City Ballet returns to Jacob's Pillow for the first time since 1998, to open the Festival's 85th Anniversary Season June 21-25, in the Ted Shawn Theatre. Led by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer who later directed The George Balanchine Foundation, the company performs a program with a trio of works by master ballet choreographers,

"It was important for us to open the 85th Anniversary Festival with a premier American ballet company that is quite simply making great work right now under the stellar leadership of its Artistic Director, Lourdes Lopez," comments Jacob's Pillow Director Pamela Tatge. "It's been nearly 20 years since Pillow audiences have had the opportunity to see Miami City Ballet. Their rich programs will showcase the dancers' virtuosity and musicality. We're so excited to welcome them back!"

The company's Pillow program opens with Allegro Brillante, choreographed in 1956 by New York City Ballet co-founder George Balanchine. Balanchine once called the exuberant Allegro Brillante "everything I know about classical ballet in thirteen minutes." Danced to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75," the ballet is one of Balanchine's most joyous, pure dance pieces, characterized by precise dancing and expansive romanticism. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Balanchine (1904-1983) is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. He co-founded NYCB with Lincoln Kirstein in 1948 and created more than 400 works in his lifetime.

Peter Martins's Barber Violin Concerto contrasts a classical couple with a bare-footed couple as the worlds of ballet and modern dance collide. Peter Martins, a Danish dancer, choreographer, and New York City Ballet Ballet Master in Chief since 1983, created this work to composer Samuel Barber's "Violin Concerto, Opus 14." The ballet, which Martins choreographed for NYCB's American Music Festival in 1988, features one pair of classical dancers and one pair of modern dancers.

The program concludes with Polyphonia, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. Regarded as one of Wheeldon's breakthrough contemporary works, Polyphonia's eight dancers perform to 10 piano pieces by Hungarian avant-garde composer György Ligeti, performed live. Wheeldon received the London Critics' Circle Award for best new ballet and an Olivier Award for best new dance production for Polyphonia. Born and raised in the U.K., Wheeldon danced with the Royal Ballet before joining New York City Ballet at the age of 19. He became NYCB's first resident choreographer in 2001 and has choreographed for Broadway, The Metropolitan Opera, and for the world's most prominent companies including The Royal Ballet, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet.

Two company members will also perform Carousel Pas de Deux by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, June 17 at the Pillow's Season Opening Gala.

About Miami City Ballet

Founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and founding Artistic Director and ballet legend Edward Villella, Miami City Ballet is admired as one of the world's preeminent interpreters of the choreography of George Balanchine. Its repertory of 100 ballets, including twelve world premieres, was built upon the Balanchine repertory, style, and technique and then expanded to include beloved classical works of importance and exciting new choreography by contemporary and groundbreaking artists. MCB has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Its Pillow debut was in 1988, with an immediate return the following summer as well as in 1996 and 1998.

The company's 2016 debut at Lincoln Center was hailed by the press as a resounding success; The New York Times' Alastair Macaulay wrote "Of all the ballet troupes who have visited the Koch in recent years, none looks so truly and completely a company."

Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez was recruited to direct the company in 2012. She is one of the few female artistic directors leading a major ballet company in the U.S. Born in Cuba, Lopez joined New York City Ballet in 1974, dancing for two ballet legends: Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She eventually became a principal dancer in 1984 and retired from performing in 1997. After her retirement she became a journalist and a dance educator. She later joined The George Balanchine Foundation as Executive Director and co-founded Morphoses with Christopher Wheeldon in 2007. She was serving as the sole director of Morphoses when it made its Pillow debut in 2012.

Miami City Ballet at Jacob's Pillow

Ted Shawn Theatre, June 21-25

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm

Saturday & Sunday at 2pm

$78, $65, $45

A limited number of $35 Under 35 tickets are available; adults ages 18-35 are eligible. One ticket per person; each guest must show valid I.D. when picking up tickets at Will Call.

Tickets are on sale now; online at jacobspillow.org, and via phone 413.243.0745, and at the Jacob's Pillow Box Office at 358 George Carter Road, Becket, MA, 01223.