Joffrey Ballet Performs at Sarasota's Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 3/8

The Joffrey Ballet steps up to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Monday, Mar. 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45-$65 (with a limited number of "smart seats" priced at $30).

Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino's uniquely American vision of dance first took form in 1956. The original company of six dancers had a repertoire of original ballets (by Robert Joffrey) that set them apart from other small touring companies -- who often performed scaled-down versions of the classics. From the beginning, Joffrey and Arpino's company came out of their roots, out of America.

For more than a half-century, The Joffrey Ballet's commitment to taking world-class, artistically vibrant work to a broad and varied audience has created a solid foundation that continues to support the company's capacity for achieving important "firsts." The company was the first to perform at the White House (at Jacqueline Kennedy's invitation), first to appear on television, first American company to visit Russia, first classical dance company to go multi-media, first to commission a rock ‘n roll ballet and first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time magazine.

For more information and to buy tickets, contact the Van Wezel Box Office at 941- 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org. Dinner is available prior to most shows by Michael's on East at the Van Wezel by calling (941) 366-0007 or logging onto www.bestfood.com.