Richmond Ballet Returns to The Joyce for Four NY Premieres, 5/9-14

By: Mar. 22, 2017
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Richmond Ballet returns to The Joyce Theater for the first time since 2010 to perform four NY premieres from the more than 60 works commissioned by the Company since its inception. Under the 37-year leadership of founder Stoner Winslett - one of the longest tenured artistic directors of a major American ballet company and one of the few women in this position - Richmond Ballet has grown into one of the most respected midsized companies, presenting its body of works around the world. For their 2017 New York season, the Company has selected pieces by four gifted choreographers including Chinese-born Ma Cong, Warsaw-born and New York-resident Katarzyna Skarpetowska, San Francisco-based Val Caniparoli, and Richmond Ballet's Artistic Associate, Malcolm Burn.

"Richmond Ballet is proud to continue its tradition of bringing new works and new artists to the New York stage," says Artistic Director Stoner Winslett. "Our Joyce season will feature exceptionally talented dancers in an eclectic program of works - each demonstrating the amazing range of choreographers and dancers today." These performances will mark the Company's fourth visit to The Joyce Theater, and its fifth visit to New York City. Richmond Ballet debuted at The Joyce in 2005, and returned to perform a selection of contemporary works in both 2007 and 2010.

The May program features four works originally premiered by Richmond Ballet. Choreographic standout Katarzyna Skarpetowska created her cosmically inspired Polaris (2015) from "Pillars of Creation," the compelling photograph of the Eagle Nebula (the birthplace of many stars) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.With music by Mexican electronica musician Murcof, the work was a highlight of Richmond Ballet's celebrated New Works Festival. Ma Cong's Lift The Fallen (2014), with music by Max Richter, is a stunning tribute to his mother, which includes beautiful nuanced nods to the choreographer's own Chinese culture. Val Caniparoli's Swipe (2011), set to music by Gabriel Prokofiev, is a syncopated mash-up of classical ballet and hip-hop dance, bursting with the artist's trademark silky grace and angular pulse. And, Pas Glazunov (1991) is an enchanting pas de deux set to the music of Alexander Glazunov and created by Malcolm Burn, who celebrates his 30th anniversary with the Company this season.

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

PERFORMANCE TIMES:

Tue-Wed 7:30pm; Thu-Fri 8pm; Sat 2pm & 8pm; Sun 2pm &7:30pm

TICKET PRICES AND JOYCE MEMBER INFORMATION:

Single tickets start at $10. Call JoyceCharge (212-242-0800); visit the Box Office (Monday-Friday, 12-6pm); or charge online at Joyce.org NOTE: Ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

For more information about Richmond Ballet, visit richmondballet.com

About Richmond Ballet:

Richmond Ballet, The State Ballet of Virginia, is proud to return to The Joyce Theater and to further its mission to uplift and awaken the human spirit. The Company is dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and continuing evolution of the art form of ballet through performance, training, education, and integrity and is honored to share four of the over 60 original works in its repertory with New York audiences. Since its early days as a civic company in the 1950s until its emergence as a professional company in 1984, Richmond Ballet, now State Ballet of Virginia, has flourished as a home for the past, present, and future of dance. Now in its 33rd professional season, the organization continues to thrive thanks to the leadership and vision of Artistic Director Stoner Winslett, who celebrates her 37th anniversary with Richmond Ballet this year, and to the extraordinary support of the Richmond community. In addition to the professional company, the organization is proud to celebrate the strength of the School of Richmond Ballet, now in its 42nd year, and outreach programs including the acclaimedMinds In Motion. The organization operates from a state-of-the-art training and performance center on Canal Street in Richmond, developed in 2000 under the direction of Ms. Winslett and the Ballet's Board. Making its international debut in London in 2012, in a highly acclaimed run at the Royal Opera House's Linbury Theatre, the Ballet conducted its first tour to China in May of 2015, with performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Grand Theatre. The strong connection between training and performance at Richmond Ballet has resulted in almost three-quarters of Richmond Ballet's professional dancers rising through the ranks from the School or RBII to the professional company. That foundation, combined with repertory that is based on 19th and 20th century masterpieces, as well as new ballets by contemporary choreographers, gives Richmond Ballet the versatility, dynamic energy, and intense emotion for which it is known.

About the choreographers:

Malcolm Burn, a New Zealand native, is in his 30th year with Richmond Ballet. During his 25-year dancing career, he performed in companies such as London Festival Ballet, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, The National Ballet of Zimbabwe, Ballet West, and P.A.C.T. Ballet in South Africa where he won the Ivan Soloman Award for Best Male Dancer in 1973, 1976 and 1980. A Richmond Ballet company dancer from 1987-1993, Mr. Burn remains fondly remembered for his principal roles in full-length ballets, for the memorable works created on him, and especially for his riveting portrayal of "Death" in The Green Table. Becoming the Company's Ballet Master upon retirement from dancing with Richmond Ballet, he additionally was named the Ballet's Artistic Associate in 1999. As ballet master, Mr. Burn has re-staged many of the classic full-length ballets and choreographed his own versions of Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella, as well as other shorter pieces including Pas Glazunov. Prior to coming to Richmond Ballet, Mr. Burn was co-director of Ballet Arizona. He is also currently a répétiteur for The John Butler Foundation.

Val Caniparoli offers a versatility that has made him one of the most sought-after choreographers in the United States and abroad. While San Francisco Ballet has been his artistic home for more than 41 years, Mr. Caniparoli has also contributed to the repertories of more than 40 companies, including Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West, Washington Ballet, Israel Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, State Theatre Ballet of South Africa, Louisville Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet. He has also choreographed for the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, and worked on several occasions with the San Francisco Symphony, most memorably on the Rimsky-Korsakov opera-ballet Mlada, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. Caniparoli has received ten grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts, an artist fellowship from the California Arts Council, and two awards from the Choo-San Goh and H. Robert Magee Foundation. His work with American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco includes the staging and creation (with Carey Perloff) of Tosca Café and choreography for A Doll's House, A Christmas Carol, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Arcadia, and A Little Night Music.

Ma Cong has been widely recognized as a rising-star in the choreographic world. Having started his dance career at the Beijing Dance Academy, Ma joined the National Ballet of China in 1995, later moving to the United States to join Tulsa Ballet in 1999. During his 12 years at Tulsa Ballet, he performed works by Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Ben Stevenson, and many others. As a choreographer, Ma has created original works for companies around the world, including Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, BalletMet, Smuin Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Queensland Ballet Australia, and the National Ballet of China. Named one of the "25 to Watch" by Dance Magazine in 2006, Ma also has been the recipient of many awards and honors including the Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography (2007), the "Audience Favorite Award" and the "Editor's Choice Award" from Pointe Magazine, as well as top honors in 2008 at the 21st Century Choreographic competition.

Katarzyna Skarpetowska is a native of Warsaw, Poland. She is an alumna of the NYC High School of Performing Arts and received a B.F.A. from The Juilliard School in 1999 under Artistic Director Benjamin Harkarvy. In 1992, she performed on Broadway in Metro, directed by Janusz Jozefowicz. Kate was a member of Parsons Dance (1999-2006), where she performed lead roles in the company's repertory including the iconicCaught. While a member of The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (2007-2014), she performed at many reputable venues such as New York's City Center, The Kennedy Center, and The Bolshoi Theater, and was a guest artist with The Battleworks Dance Company and Buglisi Dance Theater. Dance Magazine named Skarpetowska one of the "25 to Watch" in 2016 and her choreography has been performed by Richmond Ballet, Ailey II, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Parsons Dance, Buglisi Dance Theater, Houston METdance, Hubbard Street 2, and Bruce Wood Dance Project, among others.



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