Metropolitan Ballet Company, Settlement Music School and Pennsylvania Ballet II perform in Variations/Collaborations

Metropolitan Ballet Company (MBC) will host Settlement Music School and Pennsylvania Ballet 2 in MBC's annual, Variations/Collaborations: An Evening of Music and Dance, at 7:00 pm on Saturday, April 1, 2017, at Kurtz Center of the William Penn Charter School, 3000 West School House Lane, Philadelphia.

Tickets are now on sale for $15 in advance or $20 at the door; learn more and purchase tickets at www.metropolitanballetcompany.org.

MBC founder and Artistic Director Lisa Collins Vidnovic says, "Our highly trained pre-professional dancers are excited to perform three world premieres by cutting-edge, contemporary choreographers, as well as works accompanied by the brilliant live music of Settlement Music School's talented students. We are also delighted to host Pennsylvania Ballet II for their first appearance in Variations/Collaborations, and to again welcome Settlement's talented musicians to our studio and stage. MBC has annually hosted Settlement in this evening of music and dance since 2001. We welcome both Lydia Veilleux, the new Director of Settlement's Willow Grove Branch, and Eddy Tovar, the new Director of Pennsylvania Ballet 2. Our annual Variations/Collaborations performance unites student dancers, professional dancers, and musicians from three Philadelphia-area cultural resources, giving each group the opportunity to hone their performance skills in a beautiful, high quality collaborative evening for our community.

Metropolitan Ballet dancers will perform three world premieres by innovative choreographers Tommie-Waheed Evans, Sarah Mettin, and Ashley Walton. Tommie-Waheed Evans is the Founder/Artistic Director of Waheed-Works and an Artist-in- Residence at Philadanco. Evans received a fellowship to study at The Ailey School and has worked and performed for Matthew Rushing, Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Karol Armitage, and Debbie Allen. He is currently on faculty at the University of the Arts and recently received his Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from Jacksonville University. Mr. Evans' original works for MBC include the highly dynamic Rush Hour (2014) and Night Run (2015). This is his third original work for Metropolitan Ballet Company. Sarah Mettin, an alumna of Metropolitan Ballet, has danced nationally and abroad and received significant acclaim for her choreography. Ms. Mettin and her Dance Company, Mettin Movement, were well-received at Jacob's Pillow in summer 2015. Ohio-based Ashley Walton is a graduate of Point Park University and has danced professionally with both Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet. Her choreography has received numerous awards, including the Regional Dance America (RDA) Project Tier award in 2009 and the RDA National Choreographic Award in both 2011 and 2012. Walton has been granted five additional National Choreographic Awards for her work throughout the Northeast and Pacific regions. Ms. Walton staged her joyful contemporary ballet, Aloft, for MBC in 2013.

Pennsylvania Ballet II, Pennsylvania Ballet's Second Company, will perform a classical pas de deux, as well as the premiere of a contemporary ensemble work by Jessica Kilpatrick, a faculty member of the Pennsylvania Ballet School.

The highly accomplished young musicians who will perform in Variations/Collaborations study at various branches of Settlement Music School (SMS) and will include The Myer Schwartz Advanced Study Piano Trio coached by SMS faculty member Sandra Carlock, and The William A. Loeb Chamber Ensemble coached by SMS violin faculty member Jean Louise Shook.

Tickets for Variations/Collaborations on April1, 2017, may be purchased online at www.metropolitanballetcompany.org. For additional information or assistance, contact the MBA studio office at 215-663-1665 or amberpermsap@gmail.com.

Metropolitan Ballet Company is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization providing scholarships, performance training for pre-professional dancers and outreach programs designed to promote a love and appreciation of dance in our community. For more information, visit www.metropolitanballetcompany.org or call 215-663-1665.

For more than 100 years, Settlement Music School has been a resource for excellence in community arts education, providing music, dance and the related arts for all - regardless of age, skill level, background, or financial means. At its six locations in South and Northeast Philadelphia, Germantown, Wynnefield, Willow Grove and Camden, New Jersey, Settlement Music School offers 10,000 weekly services and awards $2 million in financial aid each year. For more information, visit www.smsmusic.org or call 215-320-2630.

Pennsylvania Ballet II (PBII) is a program for young dancers just beginning their professional careers. The "Second Company" dancers receive intensive daily instruction and fine tuning from the Pennsylvania Ballet artistic staff and rehearse and perform with the main company for all of Pennsylvania Ballet's larger productions. Fifteen former PBII members are now dancers with Pennsylvania Ballet, with four having risen to the rank of soloist. Approximately 5,000 children and families attended PBII programs annually.