George Balanchine News

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to present the return of The Sarasota Ballet, following its highly successful, critically acclaimed 2016 Joyce debut, from August 14-19, 2018. Under the Artistic Direction of Iain Webb, The Sarasota Ballet will present two programs featuring works by Tony Award-winner Christopher Wheeldon, Sarasota Ballet Resident Choreographer and Principal dancer Ricardo Graziano. and Sir Frederick Ashton, whose work the company has become renowned for executing with such skill and strength. Indeed, one of the programs has been designed to celebrate Ashton, commemorating the 30th anniversary of his death, and will include a guest performance by Marcelo Gomes.

New York City Ballet announced today the programming for Principal Dancer Joaquin De Luz's farewell performance, which will take place on October 14 at 3pm, closing the Company's 2018 Fall Season. After a 15-year career with New York City Ballet, for his final performance De Luz will dance 'Theme and Variations' from George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Suite No. 3, Jerome Robbins' A Suite of Dances, and Peter Martins' Todo Buenos Aires. Also on the program will be Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, a personal favorite of De Luz's, which he will not perform that afternoon.

One of the world's most iconic ballets returns to the stage right here in Houston as Houston Ballet presents Stanton Welch AM's Swan Lake. The much-anticipated final production of the 2017/18 season will wrap up Houston Ballet's Hometown Tour in venues across the city, with performances June 23-July 1 at Jones Hall, where Houston Ballet began performing in 1966 before moving to the Wortham Theater Center in 1987.

Arlene Shuler, New York City Center President and CEO, today announced programming for Balanchine: The City Center Years, the centerpiece of the 75th Anniversary Season. Beginning on October 31 (through Nov 4), an international roster of eight prestigious companies-American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet-perform thirteen works over six programs.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) announces the casting for the final production of the 2018 Nutmeg Summer Series: "Jesus Christ Superstar", the iconic rock opera based on the last week of Jesus' life that has blown away audiences for over 40 years. CRT Nutmeg Summer Series Artistic Director Terrence Mann directs. "Jesus Christ Superstar" stars Alex Prakken (Jesus), Ryan Vona (Judas) and Jonathan Cobrda (Pontius Pilate).

The Joffrey Ballet set a new attendance record in 2017-2018 and achieved the highest grossing season in its 62-year history, breaking the previous record established during the 2016-2017 season. Total attendance in 2017-2018 exceeded 100,000, with ticket revenue surpassing $7.7 million. The record numbers come at a time of growth for the Joffrey, which recently received a $1 million grant from the Alphawood Foundation to fund a transformational three-year project aimed at audience expansion and sustainability.

One of the world's most iconic ballets returns to the stage right here in Houston as Houston Ballet presents Stanton Welch AM's Swan Lake. The much-anticipated final production of the 2017/18 season will wrap up Houston Ballet's Hometown Tour in venues across the city, with performances June 23-July 1 at Jones Hall, where Houston Ballet began performing in 1966 before moving to the Wortham Theater Center in 1987.

Maine State Ballet celebrates its Company dancers with the annual production of  Dancer's Choice, a program selected by the dancers themselves, on June 20th and 21st only, at Maine State Ballet's Lopez Theater. 

The 2018-2019 season includes six Broadway shows, headlined by the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Blockbuster Beautiful – The Carole King Musical. Also coming as part of the Haverland Carter Broadway in New Mexico series are Finding Neverland, The Sound of Music, Kinky Boots, and the newly-restaged Cats. RENT 20THANNIVERSARY TOUR will also tour to Popejoy as a Broadway Extra.

A classic from Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato alongside world premieres by Danielle Rowe and James Sofranko highlight SFDanceworks' third season June 8 - 10. Rounding out the program is a duet by Penny Saunders, a recent recipient of the Princess Grace award for choreography. SFDanceworks' Season Three takes place at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Tickets, $20 - $60, are now on sale via sfdanceworks.org/season-three or by phone at (415) 345-7575.

The Music Center welcomes the return of American Ballet Theatre (ABT) with the company's production of the 19th century classic ballet, La Bayadere, which will be performed at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the first time from July 13 - 15, 2018.  The final engagement of the 15th season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, La Bayadere is set in royal India and tells the story of eternal love, fate, vengeance and justice.  The production will highlight ABT's stellar roster of international ballet stars, including Principal Dancers Isabella Boylston, Jeffrey Cirio, Misty Copeland, Hee Seo, Cory Stearns, Gillian Murphy, Devon Teuscher and Christine Shevchenko.

Broadway legend Chita Rivera will be presented with a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards on June 10, 2018. This award recognizes theatre artists that have made significant contributions to theatre throughout their life.

CHRISTIAN LAVERDE KÖNIG, former principal dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet, will teach a master class for the Commonwealth Ballet in Acton, Massachusetts on Saturday, June 2, 2018 from 1-3 P.M.

The Massachusetts-based American conductor Kevin Rhodes will return to the Vienna State Opera Ballet for his 23rd season, after conducting the season finales of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Massachusetts, and the Traverse Symphony Orchestra in Michigan,where he serves as Music Director and Conductor, and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra in Boston, where he is Principal Conductor.

Internationally renowned Ballet Nacional de Cuba returns to the Opera House stage showcasing their extraordinary talent in two ballets, May 29-June 3. Artistic Director Alicia Alonso's definitive staging of the romantic classic Giselle anchors the engagement, May 31-June 3, and its acclaimed version of Don Quixote is performed May 29-30. The performances mark the 40th Anniversary of the company's landmark U.S. debut at the Kennedy Center. All performances will be accompanied by the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. 

Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella are pleased to announce James K. Payne, founder of Payne Academy of Ballet in Texas, will begin leading The School of Pennsylvania Ballet for the 2018-2019 school year.

Today, CAROUSEL's Brittany Pollack speaks exclusively with BWW about taking the leap from the world of ballet to the world of musical theater in her Broadway debut!

Houston Ballet presents the final mixed repertory program of the season, Play, an incredible, one-of-a-kind event celebrating the Houston community in an artistic response to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. After such an historic natural disaster and the destruction it caused for the local community-including flooding Houston Ballet's Center For Dance and home venue, the Wortham Theater-Houston Ballet strives to transform a challenging situation into a positive artistic reaction as they approach the end of the Hometown Tour across the city. This immersive three-sided performance experience has been created specifically for the Hometown Tour's unique venue at the George R. Brown Convention Center's General Assembly Hall, with performances held June 8-10.

The New York Philharmonic announces Foreign Bodies, a one-night-only multidisciplinary event conducted and hosted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, concluding his tenure as The Marie-Jos e Kravis Composer-in-Residence. The concert, Friday, June 8, 2018, at 8:00 p.m., will feature Esa-Pekka Salonen's Foreign Bodies, accompanied by the World Premiere of a live video installation by Tal Rosner; Dan el Bjarnason's Violin Concerto, with Pekka Kuusisto in his New York Philharmonic debut; and Obsidian Tear, a dance work choreographed by Wayne McGregor performed by members of the Boston Ballet (Philharmonic debut) and set to Mr. Salonen's Nyx and Lachen verlernt. Foreign Bodies will be casual and multi-sensory; drinks and conversation will flow as attendees mingle with the performers, who will give additional impromptu performances throughout the event.

Chita Rivera has won the 2018 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement Award.