Ballet Idaho Releases NEWDANCE!

Ballet Idaho Artistic Director Garrett Anderson and Executive Director Laura Mulkey have announced the release of NewDance on the Ballet Idaho streaming platform.

A series of 5 new works, NewDance will feature the choreography of Ballet Idaho company dancers Ashley Baker, Antonio Carnell, Cydney Covert, Daniel Ojeda, as well as guest choreographer Yusha-Marie Sorzano.

NewDance builds on the Ballet Idaho tradition of providing a space for company dancers to switch roles and take on the challenges of being a choreographer rather than a performer. Ranging from explorations of sharply classical vocabulary and composition to rich explorations of contemporary movement, there is something for every dance lover in this resulting NewDance collection which will be released in two parts.

NewDance Part One (Releasing March 26th, 2021) features Six Figures by Ashley Baker and REaDy Set by Antonio Carnell.

When asked to describe REaDy Set, Antonio Carnell said, "This past year has been set to a theme of focusing on and valuing the little things. Be it the simplicity and joy of solving a puzzle, calling a loved one to see how they are doing, or even just breathing. I focused on these small things that I maybe would have missed before, and realized that they weren't so small after all. REaDy Set captures some of this journey of learning to embrace the details, and I draped the whole work in a bright red to highlight those detailed movements of choreography and to symbolize the brighter moments that are to come for all of us."

When asked to describe her new work, Ashley Baker said, "Using the overture from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Six Figures exchanges the traditional image of classical ballet with a modern environment, an idea I have always been interested in. Where there would have been tutus and tiaras, there are business suits. Instead of an enchanted forest, this ballet is set in the location it actually happened: the workplace. Dance is a profession where it's not unusual to see the employees portray characters other than themselves while telling a story that isn't their own. In this piece, all you will see are six high-powered individuals excelling at their jobs."

NewDance Part Two (Releasing April 2nd, 2021) features see you on the other side by Cydney Covert, Persona by Daniel Ojeda, and a new work by Yusha-Marie Sorzano.

When asked to describe see you on the other side, Cydney Covert said, "The circumstances of the past year left me thinking a lot about how all things are temporary. I spent a great deal of time dancing alone throughout 2020, studying my own movement and feeling trapped by my space and my body. Being allowed to work in the studio again gave me a newfound appreciation for movement and also for the camaraderie and family that I feel with my coworkers. I began to wonder how I would react if I was one of the last people on earth. Sun Blood Stories provided a perfect background to my vision."

When asked to describe Persona, Daniel Ojeda said, "I'm a massive fan of cinema, so creating this work was doubly exciting for me. I customarily try and create work that communicates some sort of story or concept to the audience. However with this work, the choreography and narrative took a backseat as dancing during a pandemic inherently tells its own unique story. I decided instead, to focus primarily on the movement of the camera, and how I could use the lens as a creative tool, as opposed to a means to an end. I wanted to create a perspective in which the audience shares the stage with us, and feel the range of emotions we feel when we dance. In my opinion, nothing beats watching dance in a theater, so why attempt to replicate that? The next best thing to watching a live performance, is probably the experience of actually performing it. So I do my best to provide that perspective for the audience with this work. Thankfully, I had an incredible cast, and absolutely beautiful music from composer Marc Mellits to create to."

Our guest artist, Yusha-Maria Sorzano, has been attached to a number of nationally recognized companies, including Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She was the recipient of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's New Directions Choreography Lab in 2018, and she is currently a member of Camille A. Brown & Dancers and is a founding co-artistic director of the newly formed Zeitgeist Dance Theatre, as well as serving as Associate Director for Program Development with Francisco Gella Dance Works.

This emotionally vulnerable duet is the first work Yusha-Marie Sorzano has choreographed for Ballet Idaho. Exploring the relationship of two humans stuck together during lockdown, the swings of intense emotion set to a lush cinematic score create a journey that many of us will find familiar in its honesty.

These five bold choreographic voices are not to be missed.

Rent NewDance Part One for $15 now: https://balletidaho1.vhx.tv/products/newdance-part-oneRent NewDance Part Two for $15 on April 2nd, 2021.

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