George Balanchine News

This summer, the Colburn School will host two, two-week, five-day summer workshops, June 19–30 and July 31–August 11, 2017, in preparation for The Music Center's holiday production of the all new George Balanchine's The Nutcracker® by Miami City Ballet.

BalletMet's 40th anniversary season will take audiences from the company's intimate performance space to the glittering land of Oz. The Columbus-based ballet company, which was founded in 1978, recently announced its 2017-18 season on its website.

 On July 29, the Vail Dance Festival kicks off its 29th year (July 29- August 12) with a season of new collaborations, artist debuts, and world premieres.

Nigel Redden, Lincoln Center Festival Director, today announced the lineup for the 2017 Festival, which runs from July 10 to 30.  This summer, in its 22nd season, the Festival continues to accentuate its mission of globalism by inviting to Lincoln Center artists and companies from many parts of the world who are creating audacious, original, and relevant work. Musicians, actors, writers, directors, filmmakers and dancers from a dozen countries and five continents will animate Lincoln Center's campus venues with bold creations-43 performances packed in a span of three weeks.

Richmond Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater for the first time since 2010 to perform four NY premieres from the more than 60 works commissioned by the Company since its inception. Under the 37-year leadership of founder Stoner Winslett – one of the longest tenured artistic directors of a major American ballet company and one of the few women in this position – Richmond Ballet has grown into one of the most respected midsized companies, presenting its body of works around the world. For their 2017 New York season, the Company has selected pieces by four gifted choreographers including Chinese-born Ma Cong, Warsaw-born and New York-resident Katarzyna Skarpetowska, San Francisco-based Val Caniparoli, and Richmond Ballet's Artistic Associate, Malcolm Burn.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to present the New York debut of Scotland's national dance company, Scottish Ballet, from April 11 – 16, featuring a mixed bill including the U.S. premieres of Motion of Displacement and Ten Poems. Tickets range from $10-$56 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Victory Dance Project, under the Artistic Direction of Amy Jordan, will celebrate its third anniversary with three performances, running June 15 - 18 at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. The season will open with a Celebration honoring Broadway legend Chita Rivera, who will be presented with the company's "Woman of Valor Award." The program, entitled From This Movement On will also include a world premiere choreographed by Jordan, as well pieces from the company's repertory.

Phoenix Youth Ballet Theatre, a pre-professional non-profit program sponsored by Arizona Dance Artistry, is scheduled to premier their spring production, GISELLE, this May. And although the dancers and teachers are engrossed in choreography, costumes and other production-related tasks, they're also working to share their passion with the local community and young girls who may have an interest in dance and storytelling through movement with a new program aimed towards Girl Scouts.

Balanchine choreographed 425 works over the course of 60-plus years, and his works are considered masterpieces and performed by ballet companies all over the world. So you can image how thrilled I was to find out Los Angeles Ballet was going to present BALANCHINE: MASTER OF THE DANCE as their final selection of their 2016/2017 season. In it, three of his most outstanding ballet choreographies are presented: Divertimento No. 15 featuring music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Prodigal Son with music by Sergei Prokofiev; and Who Cares? with music by George Gershwin, adapted and orchestrated by Hershy Kay.

The Benjamin Middle School in North Palm Beach will be presenting a TEDx Talk event in the Barker Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 24. TEDx are independently licensed TED Talk events. The Benjamin Middle School - not the high school - is located at 11000 Ellison Wilson Road in North Palm Beach.

On Sunday, April 23, 2017 at 7:30pm, Works & Process at the Guggenheim presents New York City Ballet's Music Director Andrew Litton, a longtime conductor of symphony orchestras around the world who recently added ballet orchestra maestro to his achievements with his appointment at NYCB. Litton will share his unique perspective on the similarities and differences between these two experiences, and will illuminate the intricacies of NYCB's vast musical repertory prior to the Company's upcoming Here/Now Festival, featuring 43 ballets created for NYCB since 1988, which will take place from April 25 through May 21 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center.

Happy Friday, BWW Dance! Here are the top dance stories from around the BroadwayWorld you might have missed this week! Sarasota Ballet, The McCallum and More!

Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced casting for the North American premiere of Genus choreographed by Wayne McGregor.

After paying tribute to artistic inspirations during Fall 2016's DEMO, Damian Woetzel continues to unite artists from across fields around a common theme in performance on April 3, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. in the Eisenhower Theater. This installment of the multi-genre series brings together acclaimed artists for a special one-night performance to celebrate the combination of song and dance.

Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella will finish the 2016/2017 season with two mixed bill programs: Romance in April, featuring the World Premiere of Nicolo Fonte's Ghost Stories; and the final program, Re/Action, in May which includes a World Premiere by Choreographer in Residence, Matthew Neenan. Romance, supported by ALGER, will run April 6-9 at The Merriam Theater, and Re/Action will run May 11-14 at The Academy of Music.

Elegant, electrifying and marvelously athletic, this always dazzling company returns with programs that include some of its newest works along with Alvin Ailey's classic Revelations at NJPAC May 12-14. Tickets start at $25 for each performance.

Just in, Sydney Morton has joined the cast of DUETS with thewriteteachers.com Volume 5 - April 22nd at Feinstein's/54 Below.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College continues its 2016-17 season with The Beauty of Ballet, a free lecture demonstration presented by the School of American Ballet (SAB), today, March 11, 2017 at 2pm.

The Minnesota Orchestra announces plans today for Sommerfest 2017, unveiling a celebratory summer festival in which the Orchestra salutes two of its artistic leaders: Doc Severinsen on his 90th birthday, and Sommerfest Artistic Director Andrew Litton, who has announced that this summer will mark his final season as the head of the festival. Running from July 3 to August 5, Minnesota Orchestra's summer season includes two tribute concerts to Pops Conductor Laureate Severinsen; performances by Litton and his friends André Watts, William Wolfram and New York City Ballet dancers; and culminates with the opera Litton has long wanted to conduct in Minnesota, Strauss' Salome. The summer season also involves the annual Symphony for the Cities concerts, two previously announced regular season programs and the return of the Minnesota Orchestra Fantasy Camp.

Queens Theatre is launching its Winter/Spring 2017 Season with a diverse array of presentations, including the acclaimed dance company FLAMENCO VIVO CARLOTA SANTANA, Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers and a new Queens Theatre production of the American classic, The Miracle Worker.