George Balanchine News

The Old Globe opens its 2015-2016 Season with IN YOUR ARMS, a World Premiere dance-theatre musical featuring direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, Godspell, Lincoln Center Theater's The King and I and South Pacific) and original music by Tony Award winner Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island; two-time Oscar nominee for Anastasia). The production begins tonight, September 16, with an opening slated for September 24, and runs through October 25, 2015.

Philadelphia, PA (September 15, 2015) – Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella are pleased to announce that Charles Askegard, former Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater, will be joining the Company as Ballet Master. Kyra Nichols, former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, will also expand her role by becoming a Ballet Master and five new dancers have joined the Company for the 2015-2016 Season.

ANAIS CHALENDARD, first soloist of the Boston Ballet, and LASHA KHOZASHVILI, principal dancer of the Boston Ballet, will appear as guest artists in the Bay Pointe Ballet's Gala at the Oshman Community Center Palo Alto, Albert & Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall in Palo Alto, California on October 1, 2015. Ms. Chalendard and Mr. Khozashvili will dance the White Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, and Don Quixote Pas de Deux.

Robert Fairchild, who received a Tony nomination for his role in Broadway's An American in Paris, will return to Lincoln Center's New York City Ballet this fall for three 'Broadway-flavored' performances.

With not a tutu or tiara in sight, the best dance of the 20th century and the freshest of the 21st combine in The Australian Ballet's 20:21, emerging in Melbourne next month. This electrifying triple bill plays at Arts Centre Melbourne from 27 August to 5 September, before touring to Sydney Opera House from 5 to 21 November.

Sukhishvili, one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world, returns to New York to celebrate a triumphant 70 years of world-wide success for its performances before 50 million viewers in 100 countries in five continents.

Philadelphia, PA (August 31, 2015)– Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella are proud to present a classic masterpiece with George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, as well as two exhilarating and edgy works; Wayne McGregor's Chroma, and Christopher Wheeldon's DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse to kick-off the 2015-2016 Season, October 22-25 at The Academy of Music. 

Pennsylvania Ballet and Artistic Director Angel Corella are proud to present a classic masterpiece with George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, as well as two exhilarating and edgy works; Wayne McGregor's Chroma, and Christopher Wheeldon's DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse to kick-off the 2015-2016 Season, October 22-25 at The Academy of Music.

MIDDLESEX and MERCER COUNTIES, NJ - This September, American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School will be participating in community events throughout Central Jersey: Cranbury Day in Cranbury, Septemberfest in Hamilton, the Hub City Sounds Festival in New Brunswick, and Highland Park's Arts in the Park. 

The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2015/16 is the most ambitious to date. Six ballets and six operas, including five new productions, will be screened in over 1,000 cinemas across 45 countries allowing audiences in the US to experience more opera and ballet from the Royal Opera House than ever before.

With not a tutu or tiara in sight, the best dance of the 20th century and the freshest of the 21st combine in The Australian Ballet's 20:21, emerging in Melbourne next month. This electrifying triple bill plays at Arts Centre Melbourne from tonight 27 August to 5 September, before touring to Sydney Opera House from 5 to 21 November.

Pearl (www.PearlTheShow.com), a new American-Chinese dance-theatre spectacular, inspired by the life of Pearl S. Buck, the first woman to win both the Nobel and the Pulitzer Prizes, will have its world premiere at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for 4 performances only, August 27-30th. The story, focusing on the substantial influence Pearl had on both Chinese and Western cultures, will be brought to life through new choreography by Daniel Ezralow (Ezralow Dance Company, MOMIX, Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony, Academy Awards), a new score composed by Jun Miyake (collaborations with Robert Wilson, Pina Bausch, David Byrne and Oliver Stone) dazzling visuals and a company of 30 American and Chinese dancers.

From JOE INK and celebrated Vancouver Choreographer Joe Laughlin comes the world premiere 4OUR, on stage at the Scotiabank Dance Centre October 1 - 3, 2015 at 8pm, with a preview performance September 30. Brought to life by the exquisite talents of dance artists Gioconda Barbuto, Heather Dotto, Kevin Tookey, and Laughlin, this deeply personal and visually striking new creation will explore family dynamics, cross-generational relationships, and the singular moments that shape our lives.

Minneapolis, MN -- Kicking off its 2015//16 Dance Season, Northrop at the University of Minnesota presents Ballet West on Sat, Oct 3 at 8:00 pm. The company that starred in the reality television show 'Breaking Pointe' will present a sparkling repertoire accompanied by a full, live orchestra comprised of local musicians.

SEATTLE, WA – A new/old holiday tradition comes to Seattle! Pacific Northwest Ballet is excited to premiere the centerpiece of its 2015/2016 season, a sparkling new production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker featuring eye-popping colorful sets and costumes designed by author/illustrator Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig). PNB's new production still features Tchaikovsky's timeless score performed live by the mighty PNB Orchestra, and the beloved story of Clara, her Nutcracker prince, and a magical journey to delight audiences both young and old. “As a ten-year-old boy, I stepped onto the stage for the first time as a member of the cast of George Balanchine's Nutcracker,” said PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal. “The magic of this production was evident from that moment on, and now to have the opportunity to bring it to Seattle audiences wrapped in the brilliance of Ian Falconer's designs is a dream come true.”

American Repertory Ballet's performance season will open at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ with a week of events, presentations, and performances celebrating 5 years of Artistic Director Douglas Martin's artistic leadership.

The Chicago Dancing Festival, the nation's largest dance festival, presents its 9th annual series with George Balanchine's Allegro Brilliante (performed by Miami City Ballet in its Chicago Dancing Festival debut), Mark Morris' Sandpaper Ballet (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, 2015 Festival debut), Justin Peck's In Creases (Chicago's The Joffrey Ballet), Gustavo Ramírez Sansano's El Beso (Ballet Hispanico, 2015 Festival debut) and Twyla Tharp's Sweet Fields (Miami City Ballet) among program highlights. This year's event will take place at Chicago's top downtown venues - the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park - this week, August 25-29, 2015.

Los Angeles is in for a treat next month! Tony and Grammy-winner Audra McDonald comes to the Hollywood Bowl to sing classics from Broadway and the American Songbook with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Bramwell Tovey, Tuesday and Thursday, September 1 and 3, at 8 pm. Audiences on both nights will be entertained by McDonald singing famous tunes by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Mancini and Mercer, and others. The evenings also feature gifted American Ballet Theatre dancers on stage to bring Bernstein's Fancy Free to life performing Jerome Robbins' 1944 choreography.

Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, is pleased to announce the addition of ten dancers to the Joffrey's international roster for the 2015-2016 season: Nicole Ciapponi (Canada), Valeriia Chaykina (Russia), Camila Ferrera (Hoboken, New Jersey), Anna Gerberich (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania), Stefan Goncalvez (Brazil), Luis Eduardo Gonzalez (Colombia), Hansol Jeong (Korea), Gayeon Jung (Korea), Paulo Rodrigues (Brazil) and Joan Sebastian Zamora (Colombia). With these new company members, The Joffrey Ballet is currently comprised of 41 dancers.  

Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, is pleased to announce the addition of ten dancers to the Joffrey's international roster for the 2015-2016 season: Nicole Ciapponi (Canada), Valeriia Chaykina (Russia), Camila Ferrera (Hoboken, New Jersey), Anna Gerberich (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania), Stefan Goncalvez (Brazil), Luis Eduardo Gonzalez (Colombia), Hansol Jeong (Korea), Gayeon Jung (Korea), Paulo Rodrigues (Brazil) and Joan Sebastian Zamora (Colombia). With these new company members, The Joffrey Ballet is currently comprised of 41 dancers.