American Repertory Ballet to Participate in Cranbury Day & Septemberfest

American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School will be participating in events throughout Central Jersey this fall, including in the towns of Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Hamilton. On September 7, ARB will participate in Cranbury Day on Main Street, and advanced Princeton Ballet School students will perform in the School's beautiful Cranbury studio. The following weekend, ARB will be at Hamilton's Septemberfest on September 15. Later in the month, on September 28 at 4:00pm, the company will be performing at New Brunswick High School as part of the New Brunswick Cultural Center's Hub City Sounds arts festival.

American Repertory Ballet Workshop (ARBW) students have been performing at Cranbury Day for years. This year, ARBW dancers, which include dancers from the ARB and Princeton Ballet School Trainee Program, will perform: HOP-SKIP & JOPLIN, a fun 1920's-inspired work by ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton originally set on students at Princeton Ballet School's 2013 Summer Intensive program, excerpts from the ballet LA FILLE MAL GARDEE, and the Marzipan variation from ARB's NUTCRACKER. Dancers from the ARBW Juniors program will perform Call and Response, a lyrical and vibrant work choreographed by Cheryl Whitney-Marcuard, ARBW Administrator, ARBW Juniors Ballet Master, and long-time Princeton Ballet School faculty member. There will be two Cranbury Day (September 7, 2013) performances: 2:00pm and 3:30pm in Princeton Ballet School's Cranbury studio at 29 Main Street. All day, American Repertory Ballet will be stationed at a table in front of the studio, taking part in the Cranbury Day festivities on Main Street.

As part of the Hub City Sounds festival in New Brunswick, American Repertory Ballet's professional dancers, Trainees, and ARBW students will perform at New Brunswick High School on September 28 at 4:00pm. The Company will perform Patrick Corbin's CARESS. Set to Kate Jewel's 8 MOVEMENTS, CARESS was praised by Jerry Hochman, dance critic for CriticalDance and Ballet-Dance Magazine, as "vibrant, inventive and multi-faceted." The ARBW and ARBW Juniors dancers will perform HOP-SKIP & JOPLIN and CALL AND RESPONSE again at New Brunswick's Hub City Sounds Festival. George Street Playhouse will also be on the program. This performance is free and open to the public.

At Hamilton's Septemberfest on September 15, American Repertory Ballet will be present for the day, providing information about the company's Fall Season and 50th Annual NUTCRACKER Season in addition to some fun activities for children.

"Events like these offer additional performing opportunities for our students, and engage community members in new and exciting ways," says ARB Community Events Coordinator and Princeton Ballet School faculty member Katie Scibienski. "They are a fun glimpse into what we at Princeton Ballet School spend our days doing and a way to share our passion with locals."

ABOUT American Repertory Ballet AND PRINCETON BALLET SCHOOL:

American Repertory Ballet's mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the popular ON POINTE series. The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. The company's rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields and Melissa Barak; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. ARB was voted People's Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008, 2011, and 2012.

Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Princeton Ballet School currently enrolls approximately 1500 students annually from age three through adult and is directed by Mary Pat Robertson. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton which are equipped with shock-absorbent floors, non- slip dance surfaces and pianos for live accompaniment. Many of Princeton Ballet School's faculty members have performed professionally; others have attained graduate degrees in dance education and have won awards for their teaching. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, STREB, Momix, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago,Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, New York Theatre Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Met Columbus, and American Repertory Ballet.

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