Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo to Return to Segerstrom Center with LAC, 3/7-9

Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes the return of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo March 7 - 9, 2014 under the Presidency of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover. The company will perform the American premiere of LAC, a new and brilliantly re-imagined telling of the Swan Lake story by Jean- Christophe Maillot, the company's choreographer and director.

Center President Terrence W. Dwyer said, "We are so pleased to welcome Jean-Christophe Maillot and his Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo back to the Center with the American premiere of LAC. Our audiences were charmed by the production of Cinderella during the company's first visit to us in 2012, and I am confident that LAC will be received just as enthusiastically. It is beautiful, thoughtful and, of course, features the extraordinary dancers of this wonderful company. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and LAC will continue to enhance the Center's reputation as an international leader in presenting and developing great dance. Most importantly, though, it will be another inspiring dance experience that we are proud to offer to our audiences each year as part of the Center's International Dance Series."

Tickets for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo start at $35 and will go on sale Sunday, January 12 at 10 a.m. PST. Tickets will be available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings for 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. Free Preview Talks will occur one hour prior to each performance. Artists and program are subject to change.

Jean-Christophe Maillot was appointed artistic director-choreographer of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover in September 1993. LAC is his third work to be presented at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. His production of Cinderella was performed in 2012 by Les Ballets de Monte Carlo for its Center debut. He choreographed Switch, which was co-commissioned by the Center with Ardani Artists for the November 2013 world premiere of Diana Vishneva: On The Edge.

Maillot's taking over as choreographer director of Les Ballet de Monte-Carlo's 50 dancers has taken the company on a new path and has rapidly developed the level of maturity and excellence that is indicative of the company today. His personal inward quest is the origin of the new language that enables him to handle the great classics as well as to establish his mark in the world of abstraction, an artistic approach that has been praised throughout the international press. In 2002, his production, La Belle, received the Nijinsky Award for best choreographic production of 2001 at the Monaco Dance Forum and the Danza & Danza Prize for the best show. He was awarded the Choreographer's Prize from the Italian critics at the Benois de la Dance ceremony at the Bolshoi Theatre for his production of Faust created in Monaco.

Maillot is an Officer in the Ordre du Me?rite Culturel of the Principality of Monaco, Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier of the Le?gion d'Honneur in France. On November 17, 2005, he was appointed Chevalier of the Ordre de Saint Charles by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. In 2010, in Moscow, he received the Prix Benois de la Danse for the Best Choreographer along with the Premio Dansa Valencia 2010.

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo was reestablished in the Principality in 1985 through the commitment of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of H.S.H Princess Grace of Monaco. The company was initially managed by Ghislaine Thesmar and Pierre Lacotte, then by Jean-Yves Esqerre. In 1993, H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover appointed Jean-Christophe Maillot as the head of the company. Building on his dance experience gained with Rosella Hightower and John Neumeier and as choreographer and director of the National Choreographic Centre in Tours, Maillot gave the Mone?gasqe company a new boost. He created an original repertoire around his own productions. Maillot's choreographic influence dominates in pieces such as Dov'e la luna, Recto-Verso, Vers un Pays Sage, Entrelacs, Opus 40, Men's Dance, D'une Rive a? l'Autre, Altro Canto and Miniatures, as well as in the great classics with their timeless themes, such as Romeo and Juliette, The Nutcracker, La Belle, Faust, Daphnis and Chloe?, Cinderella and LAC (after Swan Lake).

Maillot recently enriched the repertoire by inviting contemporary choreographers including William Forsythe, Jir?i? Kylia?n, Karole Armitage, Marco Goecke, Johan Inger, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Shen Wei, Alonzo King, Emio Greco, and Chris Haring among others. Since 1993, the company has been performing on major international stages. In 2009 and 2010, on the occasion of Celebration of Les Ballets Russes Centenary, the company collaborated closely with the Princess Grace Dance Academy and the Monaco Dance Forum (founded in 1998 by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, Jean-Christophe Maillot and Ste?phane Martin). The following year, the three entities began the process of their merging officially in order to create in the Principality of Monaco a structure dedicated to dance quite unique in the world.

The Center's International Dance Series is made possible by Audrey Steele Burnand Endowed Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances. Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds United Airlines, Official Airline of the Center. Classical KUSC is the Radio Media Partner of the International Dance Series and Coast Magazine is the Print Media Sponsor of the International Dance Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multi- disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center traces its roots back to the late 1960s when a dedicated group of community leaders decided Orange County should have its own world-class performing arts venue.

As Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization, Segerstrom Center for the Arts owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for the Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming each season for audiences of all ages from throughout Orange County and beyond, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. It offers many education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach hundreds of thousands of students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

LES BALLETS DE MONTE-CARLO: LAC (based on Swan Lake) Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Segerstrom Hall
March 7 - 9, 2014; Friday at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m.

Program:

LAC (American Premiere)
Jean-Christophe Maillot, choreographer-director under the Presidency of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with additional music by Bertrand Maillot
Costume design by Philippe Guillotel

Free Preview Talks will occur one hour prior to each performance. Tickets start at $35; tickets go on sale January 12 The Box Office, located at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA (Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.) or daily online at SCFTA.org; (714) 556-2787.

Information provided is accurate at the time of printing, but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a private, non- profit organization. "Segerstrom Center for the Arts" is a registered trademark.