George Balanchine News

Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive Program will be hosting several guest teachers this year, including New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan. Phelan originally trained at Princeton Ballet School from 2000 to 2009, and then continued her training at the School of American Ballet, the official training academy of New York City Ballet. She became an apprentice of the company in December of 2012, and joined New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in November of 2013.

Daniel Ulbricht/BALLET 2014 offers an exclusive opportunity for audiences to experience some of today's most remarkable ballet dancers in the intimate Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, July 16-20. New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Russell Janzen, Emily Kikta, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Teresa Reichlen.

The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company's next production is a swashbuckler: the world premiere of 'Zorro!' based on Johnston McCulley's 'The Curse of Capistrano' (1919) adapted by James Rana. Spanish for 'fox,' Zorro fought the oppressive colonial government in Spanish California with a quick sword and wit. Wearing a mask, he kept his identity secret, even to the woman he loved. In 1939, Bob Kane and Bill Finger gave credit to McCulley's masked avenger, with his dual identity, as their inspiration for 'Batman.' Like Bruce Wayne and Batman, Don Diego and Zorro are never seen together at the same time.

Daniel Ulbricht/BALLET 2014 offers an exclusive opportunity for audiences to experience some of today's most remarkable ballet dancers in the intimate Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, July 16-20. New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Russell Janzen, Emily Kikta, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Teresa Reichlen. The program is equally impressive, including Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy, danced to Arvo Pärt's ”Fratres;” Two Hearts, a collaboration between Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly; Furiant, created by NYCB Soloist Justin Peck; Sunshine, a solo for Ulbricht by Larry Keigwin; the world premiere of Opus 19. Andante, a duet by critically acclaimed young choreographer Emery LeCrone; and the classic Fancy Free, the first ballet created by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein in 1944, which subsequently inspired the full-length musical On the Town. Cast subject to change.

On June 23, 2014, many young dancers started summer dance programs with Princeton Ballet School at its Cranbury studio and on campus at Princeton University. These programs are known as Summer Intensive Intermediates and Summer Intensive Juniors. They are divisions of Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive, a nationally recognized program in its 32nd year.

This summer, it's 'almost like being in love!' Goodman Theatre produces the first large-scale, professional revival of Brigadoon -- Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick's Loewe's legendary musical of Broadway's Golden Age -- in more than three decades. Under director/choreographer Rachel Rockwell, a company of 28 actors, dancers and singers breathe new life into the enchanting tale of an 18th century Scottish village that appears every century for one day only -- and the complications that arise when it's discovered by two 20th century Americans. With adapter Brian Hill, Rockwell revisits the libretto for this production, while music director Roberta Duchak and an orchestra of 13 use new orchestrations to enhance Loewe's lilting score.

On Monday, June 23, ballet students from around the world started their first day of training at Princeton Ballet School's studios in the Princeton Shopping Center. This is Princeton Ballet School's 32nd year of offering their Summer Intensive course, making it one of the oldest programs in the United States.

Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000), known as 'Tanny,' was surely among the most transcendent.

This Friday, June 20, 10-11:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings**, New York metro area at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN) is the national broadcast premiere of dance-disability documentary American Masters -- Tanaquil Le Clercq: Afternoon of a Faun, which reveals the story of influential New York City Ballet principal dancer and polio survivor Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000), known as 'Tanny.' The film will be available on DVD June 24 from Kino Lorber.

On Today, June 13, 2014 from 12:00pm to 3:00pm at the Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman, NJ, Princeton Ballet School, the official school of American Repertory Ballet, will host its first annual fashion show: "Turn Out for Fashion." All proceeds of this event will support the Princeton Ballet School Scholarship Fund.

DANIEL ULBRICHT is a principal dancer with New York City Ballet and the founder and director of Stars of the American Ballet, a company that tours nationally and internationally and is devoted to presenting high caliber dancer performances and offering educational and outreach programs.

The School of American Ballet's Workshop Performance Benefit 2014 on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 celebrated 50 years of these annual performances and raised nearly $860,000 for scholarships and school programs. The evening began with cocktails at 5:30pm in Juilliard's Morse Hall, followed by the presentation of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Service to Dena Abergel, SAB faculty member and NYCB Children's Ballet Master, and Wien Awards for Outstanding Promise to Lyrica Blankfein, Christopher Grant, Baily Jones, and Addie Tapp. Scroll down for photos from the event!

Megan Fairchild, principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, will be a member of the faculty for the Allen Civic Ballet's Summer Program from today, June 10-12, 2014 in Allen, Texas.

The School of American Ballet's 50th Annual Workshop Performance on May 31, 2014, at 2 pm, was a delight. SAB students performed excerpts and one full length Balanchine ballet chosen to recognize the School's co-founder, George Balanchine, and former faculty member, Alexandra Danilova, who together launched SAB's first year-end student workshop in 1965.

On Saturday, May 18, 2014, 350 Princeton Ballet School students performed in the school's annual spring production 2014,The Sleeping Beauty, at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton. The production featured dancers ranging in age from 5 years to adult, with the lead roles performed by members of American Repertory Ballet Workshop (ARBW), the pre-professional performance wing of Princeton Ballet School.

This summer, it's "almost like being in love!" Goodman Theatre produces the first large-scale, professional revival of Brigadoon -- Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick's Loewe's legendary musical of Broadway's Golden Age -- in more than three decades. Under director/choreographer Rachel Rockwell, a company of 28 actors, dancers and singers breathe new life into the enchanting tale of an 18th century Scottish village that appears every century for one day only -- and the complications that arise when it's discovered by two 20th century Americans. With adapter Brian Hill, Rockwell revisits the libretto for this production, while music director Roberta Duchak and an orchestra of 13 use new orchestrations to enhance Loewe's lilting score.

Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000), known as 'Tanny,' was surely among the most transcendent.

With performances through June 21 in Los Angeles, the two-act story ballet LA SYLPHIDE will be paired with George Balanchine's romantic SERENADE at four of Los Angeles Ballet's home venues: UCLA's Royce Hall, The Alex Theatre in Glendale, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge. Los Angeles Ballet will be touring out of California for the first time, presenting the same production in Seattle, Washington on June 27, 2014, at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center.

On Friday, May 16th, I was privileged to be in attendance of the opening night of Ballet Academy East's 2014 Spring Performance. These young dancers displayed good training and a delight to be performing in eight varied works. Having seen a number of school performances this year, the school shows itself to be a cut above.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, one of the world's premier dance organizations, together with event chair Richard L. Rodesand Meg Siegler Callahan, chair of Hubbard Street's board of directors, hosted the Season 36 Spotlight Ball on Monday, May 19 at theFairmont Chicago Millennium Park.