New Jersey Ballet Premieres New Works At NJPAC In April
The New Jersey Ballet returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center with a world premiere by Harrison Ball, April 24-25, 2025.
With its 66-year legacy of excellence, the New Jersey Ballet will return to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) for a weekend performance series, Friday-Saturday, April 24-25, 2025. The new program LEGACY & VISION centers around Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs and a world premiere by Harrison Ball.
Twyla Tharp's irresistible Nine Sinatra Songs (1982) is an escape into a glamorous world of seven couples, tracing the arc of their relationships to the music of Frank Sinatra. Celebrated for its combination of technical precision and emotional depth, this work by the legendary Tharp captures the essence of romance and nostalgia.
Set to Sinatra's jazz-pop hits such as “All the Way,” “That's Life,” and “Strangers in the Night,” Nine Sinatra Songs “seems to celebrate the glorious hope of connecting, and its impossibility.”
Also on the program is Harrison Ball's second world premiere for New Jersey Ballet, New Ancient Strings (2025). A former New York City Ballet principal dancer known for his dynamic and expressive movement style, Ball is quickly becoming a prominent voice in the ballet world. Set for about 19 dancers in costumed designed by Zac Posen, New Ancient Strings is at its core reflective of community and human relationships.
“The piece begins with a lone dancer on stage, kneeling—almost bowing into the ground in surrender. As the music unfolds, dancers enter, as if to uplift her, or perhaps they exist only in her mind. The music itself is a journey, and I aim to create that same sense of exploration for both the dancers and the audience. For this piece, I believe we have the opportunity to introduce new instrumentation to American ballet, to explore a new choreographic approach, and, most importantly, to create something with profound meaning—rather than merely glorifying the music and performance. My intent is to inspire, to move people, and to highlight humanity and our deep connections.” - Harrison Ball, choreographer
|
Are the Bennet Girls OK? The Theater at The Navesink Library (7/31-8/08) |
|
Mean Girls: High School Version SASY Inc. (8/07-8/09) |
|
Sutton Foster & Kelli O''Hara with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center (8/23-8/23) |
|
Neruda Songs and Poulenc's Gloria State Theatre New Jersey (4/18-4/18) |
|
Mala Aria Premiere Stages at Kean University (7/16-8/02) |
|
Pirates! The Penzance Musical Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center (9/25-9/27) |
|
Mozart-Mania! - Bay Atlantic Symphony Stockton University Performing Arts Center (11/01-11/01) |
|
Once Upon a One More Time The Actors Studio of New Jersey (12/04-12/13) |
|
Gil Shaham Plays Dvořák Mayo Performing Arts Center (2/21-2/21) |
|
ME, The stage Play Long Branch Church of God (10/17-10/17) |