Benjamin Millepied News

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) joins the worldwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday with its presentation of Trois Grandes Fugues, featuring three interpretations of the composer's complex a?oeGrosse Fugea?? from a trio of trailblazing female choreographers a?" Lucinda Childs, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, and Maguy Marin a?" danced by Lyon Opera Ballet. The engagement will play The Joyce Theater from March 18-22. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$55, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

The Joyce Theater Foundation (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the long-awaited return of Pacific Northwest Ballet, the company's first NYC season in four years. Presenting two distinct mixed programs, the heralded company, under the direction of former New York City Ballet Principal dancer Peter Boal, will play Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater (20 Lincoln Center Plaza) June 23-28, with a special gala performance on June 25. All performances will be accompanied by the PNB Orchestra under the music direction of Principal Conductor Emil de Cou. Tickets for both the Pacific Northwest Ballet season and the gala performance can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

West Side Story is officially in previews on Broadway! The new production is directed by Tony Award winner Ivo van Hove; and for the first time ever in the United States, will feature all-new choreography by the internationally acclaimed Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. West Side Story will begin previews on December 10, 2019 and open February 6th, 2020 at the Broadway Theatre.

PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (PuSh) presents the Western Canadian premiere of Montreal choreographer Dana Gingras' visually arresting new work, FRONTERA, for one-night only, January 30, 2020 at 8pm at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Gingras and her internationally lauded dance company, Animals of Distinction, collaborate with the experimental post-rock band Fly Pan Am and members of the UK-based collective United Visual Artists to create a provocative multimedia experience of motion, sound, and light.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and Albertine Books are pleased to announce that Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA), an initiative of the Arctic Cycle, which uses theatre to foster dialogue about the global climate crisis, will offer play four play readings, featuring teen actors, as part of Festival Albertine 2019. Curated by celebrated author and environmentalist Bill McKibben, the weekend-long festival focuses on climate chaos and the race to prevent civilization-scale collapse, and features lead prominent thinkers, politicians, activists, artists, and authors from across the U.S., France, and the francophone world, November 8-10. The CCTA readings take place prior to the discussions on November 9 and 10.

Music Director Rossen Milanov, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony, the Columbus Symphony Chorus, and a host of guest vocalists come together to perform Handel's deeply spiritual oratorio, Messiah, in its entirety for an unforgettable concert experience at the intimate Southern Theatre.

CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov and the musicians of the Columbus Symphony feature guest cellist Pablo Ferrández in a performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto, showcasing the intimate voice of the cello in one of its most glorious and moving embodiments. The program will also include the sparkling orchestration of Torres' Tres Pinturas Velazqueñas, an aural reflection of three of the most famous paintings by Diego Velázquez, and conclude with Brahms' rarely performed masterwork, Symphony No. 3.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Annenberg Center and NextMove Dance present Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal in Dance Me / Music of Leonard Cohen, September 26-28, paying homage to famed poet/singer/songwriter, Leonard Cohen. Visit AnnenbergCenter.org for tickets.

Five guest soloists and the Columbus Symphony Chorus join CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov and the musicians of the Columbus Symphony for The American Festival, performing Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell's monumental oratorio Sanctuary Road based on the writings of William Still, a conductor on the Underground Railroad who helped almost 800 slaves escape to freedom. The program also includes a concert version of Gershwin's American classic, Porgy and Bess.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gustav Dudamel, played magnificently July 16, 2019 as they first featured award-winning Pablo Ferrandez in Antonin Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B minor, Opus 104 in a most passionate and stirring performance. The piece was written by Dvorak about his sister-in-law, who never acknowledged her affection for him, giving this piece an extraordinary range of emotions that Ferrandez fervently played, seeming to feel every note and every nuance with his body and his soul. He is an extraordinary musician, and fully captivated the audience; so much so there were numerous encores of appreciation. It was a moving, heart-felt performance, and I would go anywhere to hear and watch him play again, play anything, as this performance was exalting. Part two of the evening was a reprise, or rather reworking of the performance L. A. Dance Project originally performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which I reviewed, in 2018. (https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Review-ROMEO-JULIET-at-Walt-Disney-Concert-Hall-20181106)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association has announced the four conductors who will participate in the 2019/20 Dudamel Fellowship Program: Hilo Carriel, Marta Gardolinska, Enluis Montes Olivar, and Anna Rakitina. Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, together with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, created the Dudamel Fellowship Program in 2009 to provide a unique opportunity for promising young conductors from around the world to develop their craft and enrich their musical experience through personal mentorship and participation in the LA Phil's orchestral, learning, and community programs.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic and L.A. Dance Project will present Benjamin Millepied's original choreography at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday, July 16, 2019. They will perform selections from Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, in an experimental production that seamlessly fuses stage and screen, centering audiences within the intimate encounters of the tragic love story. Onstage dance, pre-recorded film, and a live video feed from the Bowl's offstage spaces will be arranged into one dynamic, unstable performance, bringing the star-crossed lovers to life today. A choreography for both bodies and camera, Millepied's Romeo and Juliet will use the entire theater to echo the turmoil of devotion and heartbreak in this classic tale. The evening will be a sensory celebration of love immortal.

On September 26, 2019 New York City Ballet will present its annual Fall Fashion Gala, celebrating choreography and costume design with two world premiere works showcasing some of today's most exciting artists from the worlds of dance and fashion.

According to Variety, IN THE HEIGHTS film star Melissa Barrera has been announced to star in the new reimagined musical film CARMEN. She will star in the title role, opposite Jamie Dornan.  Sony Pictures Classics has acquired the film debut of Benjamin Millepied. The film will be produced by Dimitri Rassam, with Nilo Cruz finalizing the script. CARMEN will start shooting this October. Musical contributions will be brought to the table by Nicholas Britell and Julieta Venegas. 

Now celebrating the 24th anniversary in Houston and the 27th season since its inception in Brussels, Belgium, Dance Salad Festival promises another gathering of world-class performers. Famous in their own countries, classical and contemporary dancers share the Dance Salad Festival stage to form a mix of movement and compelling choreography.

Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson and San Francisco Ballet today announced programming for the 2020 Repertory Season. Building on a heritage of commissioning groundbreaking dance from today's top choreographers, uncovering new choreographic talent, staging modern classics, and preserving the works that make up the canon of classic ballet, the 2020 Season places SF Ballet at the forefront of innovation and preeminence. Highlights include two new SF Ballet commissions by Cathy Marston and Trey McIntyre, and a co-commission with American Ballet Theatre of a work by Alexei Ratmansky; as well as works by George Balanchine, David Dawson, Harald Lander, Edwaard Liang, Benjamin Millepied, Mark Morris, Liam Scarlett, Helgi Tomasson, and Stanton Welch. The Season's three story ballets include Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wheeldon's Cinderella, and Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet.

Dances Patrelle is pleased to announce its spring 2019 season, including the world premiereof Francis Patrelle's The American Dream: It's Only Business, at New York Live Arts, 219 W 19th Street, NYC 10011. Performances are Friday, April 12 at 7pm, Saturday, April 13 at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday, April 14 at 12pm. Tickets are $50, with student and senior discounts available, and are currently available at https:newyorklivearts.orgeventdances-patrelle.

In the grand finale of the 2018-19 Masterworks season, CSO Music Director Rossen Milanov conducts the Columbus Symphony in Mahler's most popular and life-affirming symphony that reveals a world of beauty, love, and divine exuberance. Violinist Leila Josefowicz also returns to perform one of her signature works, Ades' Violin Concerto 'Concentric Paths.'

New York City Ballet will open its 2019-20 Season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 17 with George Balanchine's full-length Jewels. The season will continue with 21 weeks of performances, through Sunday, May 31, and will feature 54 ballets and choreography by 12 different choreographers.

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company will appear at The Joyce Theater in New York City for three performances, Wednesday, April 24 at 7:30 PM, Thursday, April 25 and Saturday, April 27 at 8:00 PM.