Edwaard Liang News

Like the musical icons who inspired the work, The Washington Ballet's program BOWIE & QUEEN toys with the art form - respectful of classical roots yet pushing forward. The pieces innovate, celebrate and they have fun. While BOWIE & QUEEN is full of heart and poetry, the irreverent and humorous moments remind us all to lighten up and enjoy.

Houston Ballet is pleased to announce that Andrew Nielsen will join its artistic leadership team as Director of Production. Mr. Nielsen will oversee all technical and production management duties for Houston Ballet locally and internationally.

 The Washington Ballet (TWB) presents a full-throttle evening of entertainment that combines the artistry and beauty of dance with the power of the world's most innovative popular rock icons who defined an epoch and became fixtures in American pop culture -David Bowie and Queen. The performance features two company premieres: Trey McIntyre's Mercury Half-Life and Edwaard Liang's Dancing in the Street, and includes a live electric violin performance by S&R Foundation's Artist-in-Residence, Machiko Ozawa.   

LILLIANA HAGERMAN and LAMIN PEREIA DOS SANTOS of the Kansas City Ballet will appear as guest artists with the Allen Civic Ballet and Allen Philharmonic at the Performing Arts Center at Allen High School in Allen, Texas on May 19, 2016. This will be a joint performance of the Allen Civic Ballet and the Allen Philharmonic featuring Ms. Hagerman and Mr. Pereia in Act II of Cinderella. Ms. Hagerman and Mr. Pereia will also be teaching master classes as part of this engagement.

The Columbus Symphony today announced its 2016-17 Masterworks lineup, the second season under the baton of CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov. Bringing a balanced approach to programming with an emphasis on traditional works paired with new music, large scale choral works, and collaborations with renowned soloists, Milanov will expand the initiatives launched in his first season and add new enhancements in this season to create a heightened connection with central Ohio audiences. 

Upon first glance, the sterile, white sets that greet the audience once the curtain rises on BalletMet's "Carmen.maquia" might have many theatergoers double-checking their programs. Indeed, the barren stage, interrupted by amorphous masses that appear to be constructed from thin layers of crepe paper, in no way resembles the streets of Seville, Spain. Yet it is on this blank canvas that the dancers of BalletMet create color through movement and emotion, effectively painting a vibrant, Pablo Picasso-esque portrait of humanity.

Halloween isn't always just about candy and kids in costumes -- it also often calls to mind the supernatural fantasies that haunt our nightmares. Last weekend, BalletMet delved into the spine-chilling story of Bram Stoker's "Dracula," just in time for the ghoulish holiday.

The world premiere of BalletMet's "Breaking Ballet" thrust audiences into a world where the music of Cyndi Lauper, the tradition of classical ballet and the serendipity of urban romance converged on the same stage within a single two-hour program.

 Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the appointment of two new members, Elysa Hotchkiss and Thom Panto, and two new apprentices, Lilliana Hagerman and Naomi Hergott to the Kansas City Ballet Company. Additionally there are 10 new members of Kansas City Ballet's Second Company comprised of KCB II dancers Ivan Braatz, Nikolas Gaifullin, Aaron Steinberg and Goldie Walberg and Trainees Miranda Dafoe, Lindsay Dekleva, Elizabeth Dennen, Melanie Jensen, Zoe Stein, and Kara Troester. High resolution photos can be downloaded here.

Opera Columbus will open the 2015-16 season with a spectacular new production of Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide, the first professional production of a French Baroque work in central Ohio. Produced by Opera Columbus and performed in collaboration with BalletMet Columbus and Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra (Cleveland), the production will be the first collaboration between Opera Columbus and Apollo's Fire, and the second full-scale collaboration with BalletMet.

(May 28, 2015) Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater will be awarded the prestigious University of Chicago Jesse L. Rosenberger Medal at UChicago's 523rd Convocation, tonight, June 13.

Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch was awarded the Order of Australia for his contributions to the world of dance. The award recognizes his significant service to the performing arts as a ballet dancer, mentor, choreographer and artistic director. The prestigious Order of Australia Award, established in 1975, is bestowed on Australian citizens for meritorious service in a particular area or field of activity.

?Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch was awarded the Order of Australia for his contributions to the world of dance.

(May 28, 2015) Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater will be awarded the prestigious University of Chicago Jesse L. Rosenberger Medal at UChicago's 523rd Convocation, Saturday, June 13.

With enchanting beauty and grace, the Kansas City Ballet brings Dances Daring (Then and Now) to the stage of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. From the moment of the first curtain rising, to the fall of the final curtain the beautifully crafted and performed movements of the four-part ballet mystifies the audience.

The 57th season of Kansas City Ballet closes with “Dances Daring (Then and Now),” with four electrifying works in one performance: Edwaard Liang's Wunderland,featuring the music of Philip Glass, is a haunting, visually striking contemporary ballet; performed in celebration of the centennial of his birth, the pas de deux from Todd Bolender's most revered ballet, The Still Point, features the music of Claude Debussy; Concertino follows, set to the music of Arcangelo Corelli, by choreographer Amy Seiwert who is gaining national renown for her surprising, remarkable work; and finishing the program George Balanchine's iconic The Four Temperaments, set to the music of Paul Hindemith, is pure energy.

The Fourth of July might still be several months away, but the Ohio Theatre's halls were bursting with patriotic pride last weekend for the works of several American artists celebrated in BalletMet's performance of "American Masters."

April 30-May 9, 2015, Houston Ballet returns to Canada to perform Artistic Director Stanton Welch's acclaimed staging of La Bayadere ("The Temple Dancer").

FRANCES CHUNG and TIIT HELIMETS, principal dancers of the San Francisco Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Allen Civic Ballet/Allen Philharmonic's joint production of Swan Lake Act III on May 16, 2015 at the Performing Arts Center at Allen High School in Allen, Texas. Ms. Chung and Mr. Helimets will be dancing the Black Swan Pas de Deux as part of this production. Ms. Chung and Mr. Helimets will also teach master classes prior to this performance.