Tulsa Ballet Returns To NYC At The Joyce Theater 8/10-15

Following a 25-year hiatus from the Big Apple, Tulsa Ballet will make its long awaited return to NYC with its Joyce Theater debut from August 10 - 15. Tickets for this company's highly anticipated week-long engagement start at $19 and are available by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or via the internet at Joyce.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street, in Chelsea.

Tulsa Ballet's Joyce debut will feature a riveting triple bill that includes Nacho Duato's stunning Por Vos Muero, Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Elite Syncopation and Young Soon Hue's This Is Your Life, a work created for The company in the spring of 2008. Artistic Director Marcello Angelini, when asked about his decision for the repertory to be presented at The Joyce, explains: "The decision for the New York repertory has been a complex one. Our company enjoys a rich and wide repertory that spans from the classics of the 19th century to the works of the top dance makers of the 20th century and the present times. Our program had to be representative of our eclectic repertory and had to depict the primary quality of our troupe: its versatility". With this philosophy in mind, Elite Syncopation, on a score written by Scott Joplin and other contemporaries of this icon of American music, will open the program, portraying the classical technique and quality of the troupe's dancers as well as their sense of humor. Por Vos Muero, a work that uses the rich Spanish music of the XV century to enhance its mesmerizing choreography, will reveal The company's contemporary aspect.

The other aspect of Tulsa Ballet is its renewed commitment to create art in Tulsa and export it to the world. With this concept in mind, The company built and opened a proper 300 seats, $6 million theater, built around the project of creating new art, in the spring of 2008. This Is Your Life was among the works that graced that evening. Created loosely on the concept of the 1950's television show that bore the same name, this work merges drama, humor, acting and stunning dancing to tell the story of its characters. Three works, one from a man who wrote dance history like Sir Kenneth MacMillan, one from a man that is writing dance history like Nacho Duato and a third one by an accomplished young talent that is already claiming her place in the spotlight.

Tulsa Ballet was founded in 1956 by husband and wife, Roman Jasinski and Moscelyne Larkin, dancers internationally known for their style in the grand Ballet Russe tradition, and musician Rosalie Talbot. The artistic mission of The company has remained constant throughout the years: To combine the beauty and joy expressed by dance with the drama and entertainment of the theatre.

Another milestone in The company's history occurred when Marcello Angelini was appointed Artistic Director in 1995. A native of Naples, Italy, Angelini has performed as principal dancer and guest artist with some of the most renowned companies in the world. A graduate of his father's ballet school, and the recipient of a special government scholarship to the Kiev Institute of Dance in the former Soviet Union, Angelini's professional career spans nine countries and three continents. Mr. Angelini has been called by Dance Magazine "The Italian Tornado" for undertaking an ambitious repertory building program. In the last decade, Tulsa Ballet has added more then 70 new works to its repertory that were either Oklahoma Premieres, American Premieres or World Premieres. Tulsa Ballet has also claimed a spot on the international scene, performing in three European countries and South Korea during the past seven years. Press quotes are included with this press release.

The repertoire of The company today includes the majority of the 19th century works, including August Bournonville's La Sylphide, Giselle, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, all either re-staged or choreographed by Angelini, as well as Anna-Marie Holmes' Don Quixot, Ronald Hynd's Rosalinda, Andre Prokowsky's Three Musketeers and Anna Karenina, Amedeo Amodio's Carmen, Christopher Wheeldon's A Midsummer Nights Dream, Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias, Ben Stevenson's Cinderella and Michael Smuin's Tony Award Winning version of Romeo and Juliet.
But this is just a part of the eclectic repertoire that has become the trademark of this organization. At Tulsa Ballet, full length classical works are always alternated with neo-classical and contemporary works by the likes of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor, Kurt Jooss, Nacho Duato, Billie Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Stanton Welch, Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp and many others.

Tulsa Ballet will perform according to the following schedule at The Joyce Theater from August 10 - 15: Monday - Wednesday at 7:30pm, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets for these performances are $19; $29; $39 (for Joyce members $19; $29) and can be arranged by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800 or online at www.joyce.org. NOTE: Ticket prices are subject to change. For more information about Tulsa Ballet, please visit www.tulsaballet.org. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street.

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