Devon Carney To Teach Master Class In Classical Ballet At Classical Ballet Theatre, 4/23

DEVON CARNEY, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet, will be teaching a master class for the Classical Ballet Theatre in Herndon, Virginia on April 23, 2017 from 10 A.M. - 12 Noon. For more information contact Classical Ballet Theatre at www.ctnva.org

DEVON CARNEY was born in New Orleans where he began his extensive dance training under Harvey Hysell. He later joined the New Orleans Ballet, where he danced his first leading roles in Coppelia and The Nutcracker.

In 1978, Mr. Carney was invited to join Boston Ballet II, and in 1979 was offered a contract with the Boston Ballet. Mr. Carney travelled with the company on its 1980 tour to China, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy and France. While still a member of the corps de ballet, Mr. Carney was chosen by Choo San Goh to dance the title role of Romeo in his first full-length ballet, Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Carney was promoted soloist in 1984 and in 1986 was appointed a principal dancer.

Mr. Carney's repertoire included Basilio and Espada in Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote, Albrecht in Giselle, Oberon in Bruce Wells' A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Prince in Ben Stevenson's Cinderella, Jean de Brienne in Fernando Bujones' production of Raymonda Act III, the title role and Prince Gremin in John Cranko's Onegin, Gremio in Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew, and principal roles in Eliot Feld's Contra Pose, Elisa Monte's VII For VIII, Mark Morris' Mort Subite, Maurice Bejart's The Rite of Spring, Antony Tudor's Jardin aux Lilas, Frederick Ashton's Monotones No. 2, Susan Marshall's Overture, Bruce Marks' Pipe Dreams and Inscape, E. Virginia Williams' Sea Alliance, Stephen Baynes' Rococco Variations, and the Balanchine ballets, Square Dance, Who Cares?, Bourree Fantasque, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, La Sonnambula, Rubies, Theme and Variations, Mozartiana, Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, Agon, and The Four Temperaments. Mr. Carney also created the role of Rudy in Bruce Wells' and Bruce Marks' world premiere of The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

In 1990 Mr. Carney danced the role of Siegfried in the Konstantin Sergeyev/Natalia Dudinskaya production of Swan Lake for the Boston Ballet, partnering Yulia Makhalina, principal ballerina of the Kirov Ballet. Mr. Carney has also partnered, Silja Schandorff, principal ballerina of the Royal Danish Ballet, in Romeo and Juliet.

In 1985, Mr. Carney appeared as a guest artist with the Washington Ballet on its tour to China, Singapore and Hong Kongdancing the principal roles in Choo San Goh's In The Glow Of The Night and Schubert Symphony. He has also appeared as a guest artist with Ballet du Nord in Sardinia, Italy where he partnered Marie Christine Mouis in Balanchine's Theme and Variations. During the 1986-87 season, Mr. Carney performed with the Cynthia Gregory Celebration Tour, a benefit tour for drug abuse with honorary chairperson First Lady Nancy Reagan. In 1989 Mr. Carney appeared as a guest artist in the KyotoBallet Academy's production of The Nutcracker. In February 1995 Mr. Carney appeared in the world premiere of Oleg Briansky's Country Moon as a guest artist with the Charleston Ballet in West Virginia. Mr. Carney has also appeared as a guest artist with regional ballet companies in the United States.

Mr. Carney has also been a guest teacher for the Boston Ballet School's Summer Dance Program and Childrens' Summer Workshop, the Portland School of Ballet in Portland, Maine, Ballet Arizona Summer Program, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Cincinnati Ballet, Boston Ballet, the Hartford Ballet, Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet, and Guangzhou Ballet of China. During the summer of 1994, Mr. Carney was appointed assistant director of the Boston Ballet School's Summer Dance Program. In 1995 Mr. Carney was appointed the director of the Center for Dance Education's Summer Dance Program.

In 1988 Mr. Carney choreographed Cascades for Boston Ballet II and in 1993 he created Opus II for the Boston Ballet Dancers' Resource Fund Benefit performances. In 1994 he created Day Star for Boston Ballet II. Mr. Carney has also createdSymphony No. 1, Awakenings, and Wonderful Land for the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program.

From 1998-2000 Mr. Carney was engaged by the Boston Ballet as a guest balletmaster. Mr. Carney has also served as a member of the jury for the 2002 Youth America Grand Prix Ballet Competition.

During the 2002-03 season Mr. Carney was a guest balletmaster for the Cincinnati Ballet and in 2003 was appointed Ballet Master in Chief of the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2008 Mr. Carney was appointed Associate Artistic Director of the Cincinnati Ballet.

During the 2004-05 season Mr. Carney's U Too? was acquired by the Cincinnati Ballet and the Cincinnati Ballet presented the world premiere of Mr. Carney's Another Time, Another Space.

During the 2005-06 season Mr. Carney created, Blue Rondo, for the Cincinnati Ballet and co-staged the Cincinnati Ballet's new production of Swan Lake. During the 2006-07 season Mr. Carney staged a new production of Giselle for the Cincinnati Ballet and created a world premiere as a participating choreographer in BalletMet's 30 X 30 Festival. During the 2007-08 season Mr. Carney created a world premiere of Convergent Sight for the Cincinnati Ballet. During the 2008-09 season Mr. Carney created the world premiere, World Citizen, for the Cincinnati Ballet, and a full-length production of Dracula. During the 2009-10 season the Cincinnati Ballet presented the world premiere of Mr. Carney's Into Night, and he contributed choreography to a new production of Swan Lake.

During the 2010-11 season, the Cincinnati Ballet performed Mr. Carney's production of The Sleeping Beauty, and presented the world premieres of Mr. Carney's Thrive On Here and Entertaining Thoughts.

During the 2011-12 season, Mr. Carney created a new version of The Steadfast Tin Soldier for the Cincinnati Ballet, and during the 2012-13 season Mr. Carney created the world premiere, Boot It Up, for the Cincinnati Ballet, set to music by Peter Frampton, and the Cincinnati Ballet presented the world premiere of Mr. Carney's Concerto #4. During the 2013-14 season Kansas City Ballet presented the world premiere of Mr. Carney's Opus 1.

In 2013 Mr. Carney was appointed artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet.

During the 2014-15 season the Kansas City Ballet performed Mr. Carney's production of Giselle, during the 2015-16 season the Kansas City Ballet performed Mr. Carney's new productions of The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. During the 2016-17 season Mr. Carney will stage a new production of The Sleeping Beauty for the Kansas City Ballet.

(Photo Credit: Kansas City Ballet)