George Balanchine News

The Actors Fund, the national human services organization for everyone in performing arts and entertainment, will hold its Annual Gala on Monday, May 14, 2018. The evening will celebrate Academy Award-winning actor and filmmaker Warren Beatty, Tony Award-winning Broadway and film director Kenny Leon, currently director of Children of a Lesser God on Broadway, two-time Tony Award-winning actress, singer and dancer Chita Rivera, and Golden Globe-winning, Academy Award and Emmy-nominated actress Uma Thurman. Mr. Beatty, Mr. Leon, Ms. Rivera and Ms. Thurman will be awarded The Actors Fund's Medal of Honor. The event begins with 6 pm cocktails followed by a 7 pm dinner and tribute at the New York Marriott Marquis. The evening will include special tribute performances by guests to be announced.

The Sarasota Ballet will revive Galina Samsova's production of Paquita during the company's 2018-19 season. The performances will take place on October 26, 27, and 28, 2018 at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts in Sarasota, Florida. Miss Samsova's production of Paquita was first staged for the Sarasota Ballet in 2010.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at Dance Theatre of Harlem's DOUGLA! Check out the photos below!

Pennsylvania Ballet Soloist James Ihde has announced he will retire after 25 seasons on stage with Pennsylvania Ballet, with a performance of George Balanchine's Diamonds on Sunday, May 13 at 2pm at The Academy of Music.

The Works & Process series at the Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue in NYC has been giving New Yorkers an up-close-and-personal chance to experience aspects of the creative process for over three decades. One recent installment, a fascinating retrospective entitled “Breaking Bread with Balanchine”, explored Mr. B's passionate involvement with cooking and how his relationship to food influenced his choreography. Food scholar Dr. Meryl Rosofsky researched the “culinary biography” during her resident fellowship at NYU's The Center for Ballet and the Arts.

One of the American theatre's iconic stars will add a University of Florida honorary degree to her record of achievements that include Tony Awards, the Kennedy Center Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Northrop announces its 2018-19 Dance Season featuring 10 remarkable dance companies, including the return of audience favorites American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. The season's three ballet presentations will all feature live music, including a special partnership with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A special copresentation with Walker Art Center presents an ice-dancing group for the season finale.

New York's beloved Dance Theatre of Harlem, under the artistic direction of Virginia Johnson, returns to NY City Center for its annual homecoming season tonight, April 4, the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the annual Vision Gala, honoring dance legend Carmen de Lavallade and civil rights icon Xernona Clayton.

The one and only, incomparable Broadway legend, Chita Rivera, will perform her acclaimed solo concert event on Monday, June 25 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets from $40 are available here. The two-time Tony Award winner will recreate signature moments from her legendary career including numbers from West Side Story; Sweet Charity; Chicago; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Bye, Bye, Birdie, The Rink and The Visit. Accompanied by her long-time trio, Rivera will perform songs by Bernstein, Sondheim, Kander & Ebb and others.

Ballet Arizona's All Balanchine lineup includes three mesmerizing ballets by George Balanchine, one of the most important choreographers of the 20th Century. All Balanchine will open with Symphony in Three Movements, and feature Natalia Magnicaballi in two leading roles, The Siren in Prodigal Son, and The Sleepwalker in La Sonnambula in her final performance with Ballet Arizona. All Balanchine will be performed May 3-6, 2018 at Symphony Hall and is staged by Artistic Director Ib Andersen, one of just a handful of artists worldwide authorized by The Balanchine Trust to stage these masterpieces.

The Sarasota Ballet's 27th Season Gala, 7 April 2018, will feature guest artists Susan Graham, Misty Copeland and Marcelo Gomes, as well as a World Premiere by Ricardo Graziano Sarasota, FL (April 2, 2018) - The Sarasota Ballet has announced that tickets to the Company's 27th Season Gala Dinner have sold out, however tickets for only the performance are now available. The Gala performance, at the Sarasota Opera house, 7 April 2018, will feature Opera Star Susan Graham and internationally acclaimed ballet stars Misty Copeland and Marcelo Gomes as well as performances by The Sarasota Ballet, including a World Premiere by Resident Choreographer Ricardo Graziano.

Now celebrating the 23rd anniversary in Houston and the 26th season since its inception in Brussels, Belgium, Dance Salad Festival promises another gathering of world-class performers. Famous in their own countries, classical, modern and contemporary dance companies/dancers share the Dance Salad Festival stage to form a mix of movement and compelling choreography.

The New York City Ballet has completed its annual pilgrimage to the Kennedy Center. This year the venerable company brings an offering of Balanchine, Martins, Peck, and more Balanchine to Washington. The choreography was well danced, and the orchestra sounded excellent. But compared to years past, the simplicity and repetitive nature of this program left me feeling underwhelmed.

De Funes Dance is thrilled to share its newest full-length program, INTERIOR DIALOGUES. This trio of works includes two world premieres, 'Fragments,' and 'V.,' and an encore presentation of 'Crisalida'. The writings of Friedrich Nietzsche in 'Fragments,' and Virginia Woolf in 'V,' and the music of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla in 'Crisalida,' combine with the literature of our own personal histories to reveal the interior language of our minds. INTERIOR DIALOGUES is conceived and choreographed by Diego Funes in collaboration with the dancers.

One of Broadway's most anticipated events, MCC Theater's annual Miscast gala, was held Monday night, March 26. Robbie Fairchild took on 'The Music and the Mirror' from A Chorus Line. Check out the video below!

As part of the Paul Taylor American Modern Dance annual residency at Lincoln Center Koch Theater, Taylor has introduced 'Dances of Isadora,' staged by Lori Belilove, founder and Artistic Director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation and Company, and danced by Sara Mearns, the estimable New York City Ballet ballerina.

De Funes Dance is thrilled to share its newest full-length program, INTERIOR DIALOGUES. This trio of works includes two world premieres, 'Fragments,' and 'V.,' and an encore presentation of 'Crisalida'. The writings of Friedrich Nietzsche in 'Fragments,' and Virginia Woolf in 'V,' and the music of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla in 'Crisalida,' combine with the literature of our own personal histories to reveal the interior language of our minds. INTERIOR DIALOGUES is conceived and choreographed by Diego Funes in collaboration with the dancers.

San Francisco Ballet has announced its 2018-19 Season program and schedule. This summer, SF Ballet will return to Festival Napa Valley for one performance only on Friday, July 27, 2018, accompanied by members of the SF Ballet Orchestra. In addition, the Company will also return to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., from October 23-28, 2018, where they will perform two mixed-bill programs of selected works from Unbound: A Festival of New Works.

Brooklyn Ballet, a unique and interdisciplinary dance company rooted in the classical idiom, presents Revisionist History, a provocative and diverse Spring season of broad range and repertoire. Brooklyn Ballet's programming is ever-expanding, embracing multifaceted dance styles and refashioning historical works. April's offerings include works of legendary dance makers George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Isadora Duncan and Michel Fokine, as well as premieres of mixed genre and interdisciplinary works by Artistic Director Lynn Parkerson. The Company presents 5 performances, April 19-22, in The Mark O'Donnell Theater at The Actors Fund Arts Center in downtown Brooklyn.

A classic from Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato alongside world premieres by Danielle Rowe and James Sofranko highlight SFDanceworks' third season June 8 - 10. Rounding out the program is a duet by Penny Saunders, a recent recipient of the Princess Grace award for choreography. SFDanceworks' Season Three takes place at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Tickets, $20 - $60, are now on sale via sfdanceworks.org/season-three or by phone at (415) 345-7575.