The Corps de Ballet News

Daniel Ulbricht/BALLET 2014 offers an exclusive opportunity for audiences to experience some of today's most remarkable ballet dancers in the intimate Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, July 16-20. New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Russell Janzen, Emily Kikta, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Teresa Reichlen.

Daniel Ulbricht/BALLET 2014 offers an exclusive opportunity for audiences to experience some of today's most remarkable ballet dancers in the intimate Ted Shawn Theatre at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, July 16-20. New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Daniel Ulbricht directs and performs with a select ensemble of top stars including Tyler Angle, Craig Hall, Robert Fairchild, Russell Janzen, Emily Kikta, Rebecca Krohn, Tiler Peck, Georgina Pazcoguin, and Teresa Reichlen. The program is equally impressive, including Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy, danced to Arvo Pärt's ”Fratres;” Two Hearts, a collaboration between Benjamin Millepied and composer Nico Muhly; Furiant, created by NYCB Soloist Justin Peck; Sunshine, a solo for Ulbricht by Larry Keigwin; the world premiere of Opus 19. Andante, a duet by critically acclaimed young choreographer Emery LeCrone; and the classic Fancy Free, the first ballet created by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein in 1944, which subsequently inspired the full-length musical On the Town. Cast subject to change.

Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews, both Soloists with American Ballet Theatre since 2007, will give their farewell performances with the Company today, July 5 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Kajiya will debut in the role of Swanilda in Coppelia at the matinee, opposite Joseph Gorak as Franz, and Matthews will dance the role of Franz at the evening performance, opposite Paloma Herrera as Swanilda.

On June 27th 2014 at the Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center during The Boston Ballet's first ever engagement in New York City, the company proved to be better than the New York City Ballet at dancing Balanchine. I know I'm not alone in holding that opinion because I overheard several people seated near me express the same sentiment during the enthusiastic applause for Symphony in Three Movements. The principals and soloists were superb, but the corps de ballet was the true star of the show. In particular, the follow-up movements that flowed flawlessly down a long diagonal line of dancers were mesmerizing. Mr. B, who helped bestow the Ford Foundation funding that allowed E. Virginia Williams to found the company in 1963, would surely have been proud.

Sascha Radetsky, a Soloist with American Ballet Theatre since 2003, will give his farewell performance with the Company tonight, July 3 at the Metropolitan Opera House in the role of Franz inCoppelia. Radetsky will dance opposite Xiomara Reyes in the role of Swanilda.

In celebration of its 25 years on Broadway, Cameron Mackintosh brought forth a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA for a North American Tour, now in its Boston premiere at the ornate Boston Opera House. Directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by Scott Ambler, impressive set design by Paul Brown, Maria Bjornson's Tony Award-winning original costume design, and evocative lighting design by Paule Constable, the show is a visual spectacle that has enough magical effects to transport the audience to the Paris Opera House in the late 19th century.

On June 23rd, Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes were scheduled to dance the lead roles of Odette-Odile and Prince Siegfried in American Ballet Theatre's Swan Lake. Unfortunately, after an exquisitely musical and technically proficient first act, it was announced that Ms. Murphy would not dance in the second act due to an injury, sparking a collective gasp from the audience, especially since the first act was danced so well.

Isabella Boylston has been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Joseph Gorak, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher and Roman Zhurbin have been promoted to Soloists. The promotions, which become effective August 1, were announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Principal casting has been announced for the upcoming world premiere production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. The cast will include Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan, Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, Veanne Cox as Madame Baurel, Jill Paice as Milo Davenport, Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, and Max Von Essen as Henri Baurel.

Dance legend Desmond Richardson, one of the seven dancers who performed at the first Fire Island Dance Festival in 1995, returns to the festival stage for the 20th anniversary July 18-20, 2014, on the shores of the Great South Bay.

Megan Fairchild, principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, will be a member of the faculty for the Allen Civic Ballet's Summer Program from today, June 10-12, 2014 in Allen, Texas.

Today, June 3rd, Metropolitan Ballet Academy will begin its annual master class series, The Bridge. The series gives intermediate and advanced level students the opportunity to study with some of the region's most celebrated professional teachers and dancers. This year's series features ballet instruction led by three acclaimed dance artists and teachers: Abi Stafford, Olga Kostritzky, and John Selya.

Wednesday, May 28th, New York City Ballet presented a program bookended by Balanchine. Concerto Barocco articulated propriety and decorum in delicate glances; Jerome Robbin's Other Dances promulgated gentle desire in the pas de deux; Benjamin Millipied's Neverwhere delved into power plays; and Balanchine had the last laugh with the exuberant laissez-faire Who Cares?

On Tuesday, June 3rd, Metropolitan Ballet Academy will begin its annual master class series, The Bridge. The series gives intermediate and advanced level students the opportunity to study with some of the region's most celebrated professional teachers and dancers. This year's series features ballet instruction led by three acclaimed dance artists and teachers: Abi Stafford, Olga Kostritzky, and John Selya.

Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews, both Soloists with American Ballet Theatre since 2007, will give their farewell performances with the Company on Saturday, July 5 at the Metropolitan Opera House. Kajiya will debut in the role of Swanilda in Coppélia at the matinee, opposite Joseph Gorak as Franz, and Matthews will dance the role of Franz at the evening performance, opposite Paloma Herrera as Swanilda.

Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch announced today that Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya, currently soloist dancers with American Ballet Theatre (ABT), will join Houston Ballet as first soloists for the 2014-15 season beginning in August 2014.

The young dancers of Columbia University and Barnard College fell back and forth in dance repertory and dared to add their own voices to iconic works at the matinee performance at Miller Theatre, Saturday, April 26th, 2014. Each of the four works provided unique challenges: Andrea Miller's Fall Recover Recover tested their capacity for the essence of modern dance technique, Twyla Tharp's Treefrog in Stonehenge demanded the stamina of a jazzercise class, Martha Graham's Lamentation Variations asked students to reflect upon Graham's legacy with their own minds and bodies, and Robert La Fosse's Concerto for Mr. B thrust the dancers on to their toes.

The curtain comes down on Pacific Northwest Ballet's 41st season with its annual Season Encore Performance, a crowd-pleasing reprise of some of PNB's greatest hits. A thrilling evening of inspired repertory selections and awe-inspiring performances (including Crystal Pite's show-stopper, Emergence), the program will feature PNB's entire Company, along with the mighty PNB Orchestra. The Season Encore Performance will be presented one night only, Sunday, June 8 at 6:30 pm at McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer Street. Tickets may be purchased exclusively through the PNB Box Office (206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at 301 Mercer Street at Seattle Center.)

Megan Fairchild, principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, will be a member of the faculty for the Allen Civic Ballet's Summer Program from June 10-12, 2014 in Allen, Texas.

Sascha Radetsky, a Soloist with American Ballet Theatre since 2003, will give his farewell performance with the Company on July 3 at the Metropolitan Opera House in the role of Franz inCoppelia. Radetsky will dance opposite Xiomara Reyes in the role of Swanilda.