Bruce Wells News

DEVON CARNEY, artistic director of the Kansas City Ballet, will be teaching a master class for the Classical Ballet Theatre in Herndon, Virginia on April 23, 2017 from 10 A.M. – 12 Noon. For more information contact Classical Ballet Theatre at www.ctnva.org

The 2017 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, a prestigious honor that carries a $25,000 cash prize, will be presented to choreographer, performer, writer, educator, and speaker Liz Lerman in acknowledgement of her vision and outstanding contributions to the dance field.  Long ago dubbed the “Democrat of Dance” by Alan M. Kriegsman of The Washington Post, Lerman's extraordinary career of the past four decades includes a wide range of groundbreaking work. Established in 2007, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Award's previous recipients include the legendary choreographer Merce Cunningham; MacArthur Fellows Michelle Dorrance and Kyle Abraham; and choreographer, performer, and artistic director Camille A. Brown, among others.

Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking attendance of Festival 2016, Jacob's Pillow Dance announces its 85th Anniversary Season of exciting programming featuring world premieres, commissions, site-specific work, international artists, live music, and Pillow-exclusive engagements.

In the summer of 2017, The School at Jacob's Pillow, a world renowned center for professional dance training will present Professional Advancement Programs in Ballet, Contemporary, Musical Theatre Dance, and a Tap Program led by Michelle Dorrance.

The 59th season will open with the full- length, light hearted Shakespearian frolic, A Midsummer Night's Dream, choreographed by Bruce Wells with music by Felix Mendelssohn. The production will be accompanied by Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau and runs Oct. 7 through 16 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This production also will feature the women of the Kansas City Chorale as well as 35 students from Kansas City Ballet School.

Kansas City Ballet will present the 6th Annual KC Dance Day at the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity today, Aug. 27th from 9:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Kansas City Ballet will present the 6th Annual KC Dance Day at the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity on Saturday, Aug. 27th from 9:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, MO (April 15, 2016) — The 58th season of Kansas City Ballet closes with a mixed–repertory program of four bold and electrifying works in one performance: Viktor Plotnikov's WORLD PREMIERE, Vesna, featuring the music of Antonín Dvorák, Yuri Possokhov's Diving into the Lilacs including music by Boris Tchaikovsky, Helen Pickett's Petal with music of Thomas Newman and Philip Glass and closing the program with Adam Hougland's Rite of Spring with the brilliant masterpiece score by Igor Stravinsky. The production will be accompanied by Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau and runs May 6 through 15 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

KANSAS CITY, MO (April 15, 2016) — The 58th season of Kansas City Ballet closes with a mixed–repertory program of four bold and electrifying works in one performance: Viktor Plotnikov's WORLD PREMIERE, Vesna, featuring the music of Antonín Dvorák, Yuri Possokhov's Diving into the Lilacs including music by Boris Tchaikovsky, Helen Pickett's Petal with music of Thomas Newman and Philip Glass and closing the program with Adam Hougland's Rite of Spring with the brilliant masterpiece score by Igor Stravinsky. The production will be accompanied by Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau and runs May 6 through 15 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

KARL CONDON will be a member of the faculty of the Goh Ballet Academy's Summer Program from July 4-16, 2016 in Vancouver, Canada.

Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the 2016-2017 season. The 59th season will open with the full length, lighthearted Shakespearian frolic, A Midsummer Night's Dream, choreography by Bruce Wells with music by Felix Mendelssohn.

KANSAS CITY, MO (Feb. 15, 2016) — Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney today announced the 2016-2017 season. The 59th season will open with the full length, lighthearted Shakespearian frolic, A Midsummer Night's Dream, choreography by Bruce Wells with music by Felix Mendelssohn.

Ballet Idaho announced that two company members have been promoted to the rank of principal dancer. Elizabeth Keller and Adrienne Kerr join returning principal dancers Phyllis Affrunti and Andrew Taft, along with 15 other company members and three apprentices/trainees to complete the roster for the 2015/16 season.

KAREN SCALZITTI-KENNEDY, former principal dancer of the Boston Ballet and Ballet West, will teach master classes for the Allen Civic Ballet's Summer Intensive on June 8, 9 and 10, 2015 at the Allen Civic Ballet's School in Allen, Texas.

KARINA GONZALEZ and SIMON BALL, principal dancers of the Houston Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker this weekend, December 6 and 7, 2014 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

KARINA GONZALEZ and SIMON BALL, principal dancers of the Houston Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's production of The Nutcracker on December 6 and 7, 2014 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Pacific Northwest Ballet opens its Box Office for 2014-2015 ticket sales on Monday, July 21. As is its tradition, PNB is offering a special money-saving deal for early-bird ticket-buyers, to celebrate the company's 42nd season: Pay no service fees on tickets purchased thru July 31.* Tickets (as well as money-saving subscriptions) may be purchased either by phone (206.441.2424), online (PNB.org) or in person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center.

MIREILLE FAVAREL, former principal dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet and currently associate director of Milwaukee Ballet II, will teach a day of master classes for the Brandywine Ballet on April 6, 2014 at The Dancer Center, West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced to subscribers the line-up for Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2014-2015 season. Highlights include a program devoted to the work of acclaimed choreographer William Forsythe; the return of popular works by George Balanchine, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, and Nacho Duato; a world premiere by New York City Ballet's Justin Peck, a PNB premiere by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa; and a fond farewell to the Northwest's favorite holiday tradition, Kent Stowell and Maurice Sendak's Nutcracker. (PNB will unveil a new production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker with sets and costumes by Ian Falconer in 2015.)

Pacific Northwest Ballet is happy to announce the return of its popular Family Matinee Series production of Pinocchio. The classic tale of a puppet who yearns to be a real boy will be presented as a narrated one-act ballet for family audiences. Like PNB's Family Matinee productions of Snow White and Hansel & Gretel, Pinocchio is conceived and choreographed by Bruce Wells and will feature over 70 students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School in each specially-created, hour-long matinee performance for children and families. (Pinocchio does not feature PNB Company dancers.) Pinocchio runs March 16 and 22 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Performances are at 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm on Sunday, March 16, and 3:30 pm on Saturday, March 22. (Details on the 10:30 am student matinee on March 21 can be found below). For tickets, visit PNB.org or call the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424.