George Balanchine News

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.

Houston Ballet's current season is wrapping up quickly. Last night they opened a mixed repertory program titled MODERN MASTERS, and in about two weeks they'll be opening SWAN LAKE, this season's closer. As everyone expected, Houston Ballet's current program is filled with beautiful and stunning movement, incredible feats of dance athleticism, and gorgeous emotionality. MODERN MASTERS features four short pieces that highlight the range of the company all while celebrating the best of modern ballet choreographers.

Halfway through celebrating its 50th year at the David H. Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center, the New York City Ballet showcased three diverse pieces influenced by the Company's greatest artists - Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and of course, George Balanchine.

Of all the great ballerinas, Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929-2000), known as 'Tanny,' was surely among the most transcendent. With a body unlike any before hers, she mesmerized viewers and choreographers alike as principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, and became a muse to both her husband George Balanchine and friend Jerome Robbins. Then, at age 27 and the height of her fame, Le Clercq was stricken with polio and paralyzed; she never danced again. Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker Nancy Buirski (The Loving Story) brings Tanny's poignant story to the screen for the first time inAmerican Masters -- Tanaquil Le Clercq: Afternoon of a Faun, premiering nationally Friday, June 20, 10-11:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings, New York metro area at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN).

Following its 2012 Jacob's Pillow debut, The Hong Kong Ballet returns with sleek elegance, technical precision, and a range of contemporary ballets. Directed by Madeleine Onne, former Artistic Director of The Royal Swedish Ballet, the company performs a varied program that includes Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor's In Light and Shadow, set to Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' and 'Orchestral Suite in D Major No. 3'. The company's male dancers will present Nacho Duato's commanding Castrati, which explores themes of masculinity and sacrifice to the music of Antonio Vivaldi and Karl Jenkins. A poetic trio from A Room of Her Own, by National Ballet of China resident choreographer Fei Bo, opens this international program. The Hong Kong Ballet kicks off the 2014 Festival in the Ted Shawn Theatre, June 18-22.

Now through June 1, 2014 Houston Ballet offers up a mixed repertory program showcasing works by three of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers entitled Modern Masters. The program features the company premiere of Jir?i? Kylia?n's comic and delightful Sechs Ta?nze (Six Dances), along with revivals of his playful and sexy work Petite Mort, William Forsythe's explosive In the middle, somewhat elevated and George Balanchine's complex and inventive The Four Temperaments. Houston Ballet will give six performances of the program in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center.

From today, May 22 - June 1, 2014, Houston Ballet offers up a mixed repertory program showcasing works by three of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers entitled Modern Masters.

The School of American Ballet announces the Workshop Performance Benefit 2014 on Tuesday, June 3, 2014, celebrating 50 years of these annual performances. The evening begins with cocktails at 5:30pm in Julliard's Morse Hall, followed by the performance at 7pm. A seated dinner at 9:15pm followed by dancing will conclude the evening. For more information, please contact the special events office at SAB at (212) 769-6610. Tickets and tables are available at http://sab.org/support/events/workshop_performance_benefit.php.

Following the record-breaking attendance of Festival 2013, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival announces the full 2014 Festival free and ticketed event schedule. Jacob's Pillow is a National Historic Landmark, home to America's longest-running dance festival, and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Noted dance writer Jennifer Dunning has called the Pillow "the dance center of the nation, possibly the world."

On Friday, 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.

SASHA DE SOLA, soloist of the San Francisco Ballet, and TIIT HELIMETS, principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet, will appear as guest artists in a collaborative performance co-presented by the Allen Civic Ballet and the Allen Philharmonic. Ms. De Sola and Mr. Helimets will dance the Grand Pas de Deux in The Sleeping Beauty Act III in collaboration with the Allen Civic Ballet and the performance will be accompanied by the Allen Philharmonic at the Performing Arts Center at Allen High School in Allen, Texas on May 17, 2014.

Today, May 17, 2014, Princeton Ballet School will present its 2014 annual spring production, The Sleeping Beauty, at the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Over 300 students will dance in this production.

Dancer, actress, singer, Academy Award Nominee and Golden Globe Award Winner Lesley Ann Warren will add her movie star glamour to that of Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) supporters in an evening to EXPERIENCE, Love and celebrate OBT. The EXPERIENCE. Love, OBT Gala will be held on May 16 at Pure Space, in Northwest Portland's Pearl District. The event will honor those who have built OBT and welcome new leaders that bring their artistic vision to the future of Portland's only professional ballet company.

Ballet Academy East presents the 2014 Spring Performance from today, May 16-18, 2014 at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 524 West 59th Street, NYC.

Emmy-winning filmmaker Nancy Buirski spotlights Le Clercq's ballet career, struggle with polio, and influence on George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and dance.

Oscar-nominated actor and founding Wooster Group member Willem Dafoe and legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov are a dapperly dressed odd couple, forced to deal with the most inconsiderate of corpses in this surreal melding of absurdism, pitch- black comedy, and vaudeville from iconic director Robert Wilson, THE OLD WOMAN.

American Masters Tanaquil Le Clercq: Afternoon of a Faun, premieres nationally Friday, June 20, 10-11:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings, New York metro area at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN).

Dance Against Cancer raised more than $200,000 for the American Cancer Society on Monday, May 5, 2014. Proceeds from the evening will benefit research initiatives and patient and family service programs. More than 500 guests attended the fourth annual Dance Against Cancer. VIP guests enjoyed cocktails, preferred seating, and a gift bag in addition to the performance and post-event reception. The performance featured new work by Brian Reeder created for American Ballet Theatre's Isabella Boylston with New York City Ballet's Chase Finlay and Amar Ramasar, Paul Taylor Dance Company in its first appearance at the benefit, Charles 'Lil Buck' Riley performed with students from National Dance Institute, and included the NYC premiere of Justin Peck's Sea Change. Scroll down for photos from the performances!

Hilda Morales was born in N.Y. City, and grew up in Puerto Rico. Her early training was with Ana Garcia of the Ballet San Juan. At 14 years of age, Ms. Morales received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. She danced as a principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, soloist with American Ballet Theatre, artist-in-residence with the Colorado Ballet and guest appearances with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Albuquerque Ballet and Jacksonville Ballet. During her dancing career, Ms. Morales performed in full-length classic ballets as well as works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, John Butler, Alvin Ailey, and Jose Limon. Ms. Morales was featured in the movie The Turning Point, in the role of Sandra, directed by Herbert Ross. She guest teaches and is on the faculty of the Central Pennsylvania summer programs, and joined The Hartt School faculty in 1998.

New York City Ballet hosts its 2014 Spring Gala tonight, May 8 at 7pm, featuring a special one-time-only program designed by NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the opening of the New York State Theater (now the David H. Koch Theater) at Lincoln Center, as well as celebrate its future with a World Premiere ballet by choreographer Justin Peck and composer Sufjan Stevens.