American Repertory Ballet Presents Season Opener KALEIDOSCOPE At The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center

American Repertory Ballet (ARB) launches its 2022-2023 season with Kaleidoscope for four performances at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, September 23-25.

An innovative program featuring never-before-seen work, Kaleidoscope includes a unique collaboration between choreographer Da' Von Doane, formerly of Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New Jersey-based visual artist Grace Lynne Haynes, whose creations have graced the cover of The New Yorker magazine. A recent graduate of the Rutgers Art & Design MFA program, Haynes will be designing scenic elements and costumes for Doane's new ballet, a partnership amplifying both artists' creative talents. About the piece, Doane says, "This work excavates the interplay between states of mind and processing the nature of change."

"Collaborations are a great way to learn about a different art practice, and mend together two distinct voices. I have grown so much as a visual artist through this project. I've been able to see how visual art can intertwine with dance and take on a new form," explains Haynes. "Working with ARB has allowed me to push my perception of how painting can function and enhance the space it inhabits"

Also commissioned for the program will be a new work by ARB's Ryoko Tanaka and pianist-composer Ian Howells, inspired by Salvador Dali's painting titled Swans Reflecting Elephants. Tanaka, a beloved ARB Company dancer, made her choreographic debut with ARB last season, and Howells is a graduate of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University and Mercer County Community College, where he received degrees in Jazz Studies. He also accompanies classes at Princeton Ballet School, as well as Princeton, Rutgers and Rider University.

"When I saw the Dali painting for the first time, it was fascinating to see how two completely different animals were reflecting each other in perfect symmetry. I found it incredibly unique and mysterious," says Tanaka. "It inspired me to create a piece about two different types of reflections: self-reflection and literal reflection."

The program also features Claire Davison's enchanting Bewitched set to Ella Fitzgerald's iconic vocals. A dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Davison's piece premiered at the Boulder Arts Outdoors Festival in 2021 and ARB performed the piece earlier this year as part of its Mask-erade Gala. Rounding out the performance will be a dazzling classical pas de deux, choreographed by Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, set to music by Léo Delibes and showcasing the balletic bravura of ARB's artists.

Audiences can expect a multifaceted and engaging experience during ARB's Kaleidoscope performances at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center for one weekend only: September 23-25.

For tickets and more information, please visit arballet.org.

Don't Miss a New Jersey News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...