New Jersey Ballet to Perform Ginger Thatcher's SATURDAY NIGHT as Part of Annual Gala, 4/9

The New Jersey Ballet will perform Ginger Thatcher's Saturday Night as part of the company's annual gala performance on April 9, 2016 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey. Ms. Thatcher's work is choreographed to the music of jazz singer Etta James, and has been in the company's repertoire for over a decade.

GINGER THATCHER began her professional dance career as an apprentice with the Houston Ballet. She later joined the Cincinnati Ballet and in 1981 joined the Cleveland Ballet, rising to the rank of principal dancer.

Ms. Thatcher's repertoire with the Cleveland Ballet included principal roles in ballets by George Balanchine (Agon, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Theme and Variations), Dennis Nahat (Brahms Quintet, Cannonade, Celebration and Ode, Contra Concerti, In Concert, In Studio D, Ontongeny, Pas de Dix, Quicksilver, Slavonic and Hungarian Dances, Some Times, Summerscape, Wu T'ai Shih), Murray Louis (By George), Daniel Levans (Concert Waltzes), Louis Falco (Escargot), Leonide Massine (Gaite Parisienne), David Lichine (Graduation Ball), Kurt Joos (The Green Table), Antony Tudor (Lilac Garden), Ian Horvath (Ozone Hour, Piano Man), Agnes de Mille (Rodeo, Three Virgins And A Devil), and Jose Limon (The Moor's Pavane, There Is A Time).

Ms. Thatcher has also received acclaim for her performances in classical pieces such as Don Quixote Pas de Deux, The Nutcracker, Bluebird Pas de Deux, and the Prelude in Fokine's Les Sylphides.

From 1991-93 Ms. Thatcher danced with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and danced roles in American Gesture, Concerto 622, Symphonie Concertante, and Waiting For The Sunshine.

Ms. Thatcher has also appeared in the Cleveland Opera's productions of Show Boat (Dance Captain), My Fair Lady (Dance Captain), West Side Story (understudying Anybodys), and Kiss Me Kate, and with the Kenley Players in Evita and Woman of the Year. She has also appeared in the Paper Mill Playhouse's productions of My Fair Lady and Phantom of the Opera, and portrayed the role of Tiger Lily in Paper Mill's production of Peter Pan.

Ms. Thatcher also participated in the Carlisle Project, a workshop for promising choreographers and was the director of the "New Steps" Choreography Project. During the 1994-95 season Ms. Thatcher choreographed Liaisons Ephemeres, a world premiere for the Minnesota Ballet. In 1995 Ms. Thatcher choreographed a new ballet for the Carlisle Project Showcase and won first prize for her ballet, Hidden Forces, at the Sarasota Ballet's Choreography Competition. In 1999 the Lawrence Pech Dance Company presented the world premiere of Ms. Thatcher's Appalachia Waltz and Dance Galaxy presented the world premiere of Ms. Thatcher's Saturday Night. During the 1998-99 season Ms. Thatcher presented an evening of her choreography at the Clark Studio Theatre in New York.

Ms. Thatcher also choreographed Five O'Clock Fox Trot for the Minnesota Ballet during the 1999-2000 season. Ms. Thatcher has also choreographed Billy The Kid and Lamentation Variation 3 for Verb Ballets.

During the 2000-01 season Ms. Thatcher staged Appalachia Waltz for the Louisville Ballet, created Eve for the Steps Dance Ensemble, staged Saturday Night for the New Jersey Ballet and created Urban Study for Oregon Ballet Theatre. In 2002 Ms. Thatcher created Hush for American Repertory Ballet, and in 2006 Ms. Thatcher created 1 Albinoni and 5 Women for the Eidolon Ballet.

She also choreographed the dance sequences in the Glimmerglass Opera Theatre's productions of Eugene Onegin and The Bartered Bride, and the Cleveland Playhouse's production of The Robber Bridegroom (directed by Michael Maggio). In 1998 Ms. Thatcher created the choreography for The Shakespeare Project's production of A Winter's Tale. In 2000 Ms. Thatcher choreographed the Gateway Playhouse's production of Big. In 2003 Ms. Thatcher was the choreographer for the world premiere rewrite of Frank Loesser's Hans Christian Andersen at the Maine State Music Theatre. Subsequently Ms. Thatcher also created a new version of Swing for the Maine State Music Theatre. In 2007 Ms. Thatcher choreographed the TexARTS' concert production of Carousel starring Patrick Cassidy and Shirley Jones.

She has also studied acting and voice and appeared in the lead role of Karen in the independent film, "A Clown in New York", which was shown at the Independent Feature Film Festival/Angelika Film Center.

Ms. Thatcher was Lar Lubovitch's assistant on the Broadway musical, The Red Shoes, and was assistant choreographer for the Vivian Beaumont Theater's revival of Carousel, the Broadway musical, Big, the stage version of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Broadway revival of Oklahoma. For Oklahoma Ms. Thatcher was also second understudy for the role of Aunt Eller. Ms. Thatcher was also assistant choreographer for the Broadway engagement of Adventures in Motion Pictures' Swan Lake. Ms. Thatcher was also assistant choreographer for the musical, The Little Dancer.

Ms. Thatcher was Lar Lubovitch's assistant on Othello, which was created for American Ballet Theatre and restaged for the San Francisco Ballet and the Norwegian National Ballet. Ms. Thatcher was Susan Stroman's assistant on But Not For Me, which was created for the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Ms. Thatcher has been the rehearsal director for Complexions Dance Company, the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. She is also the director of the OU Repertory Dance Company and was an Artist in Residence/Special Lecturer for Oakland University.

Ms. Thatcher is also in demand as a teacher having been on the faculty of Oakland University, the University of Michigan, Ballet Academy East, Steps, the Cleveland Ballet Academy, the Houston Ballet Academy, the Joffrey New School, USDAN, Peridance, and as a guest teacher for American Ballet Theatre, and the Norwegian National Ballet. Ms. Thatcher has been a member of the guest faculty of the Mason Gross Center for the Performing Arts at Rutgers University.