William Forsyth News

Distinguished American choreographer William Forsythe has selected Houston Ballet to perform in Los Angeles at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Oct. 21-23, as part of "Celebrate Forsythe", a program with a never-before-seen approach that salutes his works.  Houston Ballet will perform Artifact Suite, after its September premiere in Houston, a piece that both deconstructs and reconstructs the rules of traditional ballet. As the third Forsythe piece added to Houston Ballet's diverse repertoire, the visit to Los Angeles adds exciting momentum to a growing relationship with Mr. Forsythe's iconic works.

Reinforcing the role of The Music Center as a major hub for dance in Los Angeles, The Music Center's powerful new dance season will engage both dance lovers and those new to the art form by challenging preconceived notions of classical ballet and exploring the realm of contemporary expression. The 2016-2017 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center (Dance at The Music Center) will provide the platform for some of the finest U.S. dance companies and artists along with internationally renowned companies who are among the most requested by Music Center audiences. This coming season opens with Celebrate Forsythe (October 21-23, 2016) as three American ballet companies - San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Houston Ballet - perform in one program in a never-before-seen approach to salute one of America's top choreographers, William Forsythe. The season continues with the distinctive contemporary work of Jessica Lang Dance (February 17-19, 2017); the return of the much-in-demand Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 8-12, 2017); the west coast premiere of Scottish Ballet's A Streetcar Named Desire (May 19-21, 2017); Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg's exploration of the passions of Tchaikovsky (June 23-25, 2017); and an original program curated by New York City principal ballerina Tiler Peck with the return of The Music Center's BalletNow (July 28-30, 2017). A number of the engagements will be integrated with arts education programs including high school performances and teacher workshops. Center Dance Arts is the founding supporter of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center.

The Royal Swedish Ballet, one of Europe's first and most revered ballet companies, returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts June 10 - 12 with the West Coast debut of Juliet and Romeo by choreographer Mats Ek.

New York City Ballet will open its 2016-17 Season at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, September 20, and will continue for 21-weeks of performances, through Sunday, May 28, and feature a total of 77 ballets created by 24 different choreographers.

Tonight, March 15, Broadway's AN AMERICAN IN PARIS welcomes a new star -- Garen Scribner -- who will also be traveling with the show's upcoming national tour this fall.

On the evening of Thursday, February 25th 2016 at the Eisenhower Theater in Washington, DC, Director's Cut began with a standing ovation for Artistic Director Septime Webre who just announced his departure from the Washington Ballet after a seventeen-year tenure. Webre has transformed the Ballet from a sleepy little troupe into a respected regional company. Director's Cut shows off Webre's ambition and many of The Washington Ballet company's strengths. The evening featured three works by Webre, William Forsythe, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa that were tied together by athleticism and physicality.

Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet under the artistic direction of Peter Boal returned to New York City Center in February 2016 with an 'All Balanchine' program on the 24th and 25th followed by a triple bill, 'Contemporary Innovations', on the 26th and 27th. The latter, which I saw on the 26th, featured works by two choreographers who had at one time worked with William Forsythe as members of Ballett Frankfurt and a third piece by Forsythe himself. Forsythe's protegees created pieces that harked back to his own reinvention of classical ballet, yet went further in that direction with strikingly individual styles. The PNB dancers, superbly trained and impeccably rehearsed, gave world-class performances in all three of the evening's offerings. In particular, Angelica Generosa was a shining presence with superb technique. She is currently a member of the corps de ballet, but I see a promotion in her future.

Following a worldwide search for the most outstanding young talents in dance, literature, theatre and visual arts, Rolex recently announced the finalists who will be introduced to the respective mentors - Ohad Naharin (dance), Mia Couto (literature), Robert Lepage (theatre) and Joan Jonas (visual arts) - in the 2016-2017 Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative.

Boston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen announces the programming for the 2016-2017 season at the Boston Opera House, to begin in October. The 53rd season will launch with Le Corsaire, a historically significant work in the world of ballet that originally premiered in Paris in 1856, followed by Mikko Nissinen's "dazzling, dreamy" The Nutcracker (Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe). The season continues with the North American Company premiere of William Forsythe's ARTIFACT, "a work that definitely shows this choreographer as the most influential practitioner of the art form since Balanchine" (Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times). In April 2017, Marius Petipa's quintessential The Sleeping Beauty will return with soaring music by Tchaikovsky. The season will also include two mixed repertory programs with works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Ji?i Kylian, and Alexander Ekman, as well as a world premiere by Resident Choreographer Jorma Elo. Additionally, Le Corsaire, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty will offer Boston Ballet School students the unique opportunity to appear in Company productions.

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo Celebrates it's 30th Anniversary with Jean-Christophe Maillot's CINDERELLA, February 18th to 20th, 2016, at New York City Center. Here he talks about his training, his performing career, and his choreography.

BroadwayWorld looks at Garen Scribner and Sara Etsy, their S'Wonderful careers and their roads to AN AMERICAN IN PARIS! 

Just in, Broadway's AN AMERICAN IN PARIS has announced new stars for its leading lineup, who will also be traveling with the show's upcoming national tour this fall.

The Australian Ballet's contemporary triple bill Vitesse is ballet at full voltage. Three stripped-back abstract works by three of the world's leading choreographers show the men and women of the Company at their strongest and fastest, shaking the artform to its foundations. Vitesse runs at Arts Centre Melbourne from11-21 March, and Sydney Opera House from 26 April-16 May.

The Australian Ballet's contemporary triple bill Vitesse is ballet at full voltage. Three stripped-back abstract works by three of the world's leading choreographers show the men and women of the Company at their strongest and fastest, shaking the artform to its foundations. Vitesse runs at Arts Centre Melbourne from 11-21 March, and Sydney Opera House from 26 April-16 May.

Previously only available as part of a 2016 subscription, individual tickets for all productions in The Australian Ballet's 2016 season will go on sale at 9am AEDT on Thursday 28 January 2016. This year the national company performs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, and each season is accompanied by unique behind-the-scenes events to perfectly complement the mainstage productions.

Broadwayworld.com interviewed Hilly Bodin who plays Snow White in Company XIV's production of 'Snow White.' The show will be on stage at Minetta Lane Theatre through March 12th.

'JUPITER (a play about power)' by Superhero Clubhouse and Kaimera Productions is an argument of soaring irony and logic between humanity and a dude with one-time magic who has made all fossil fuels disappear permanently from the Earth. That's not such an unbelievable premise, when you think about it, because in terms of our global history, we are on the brink of an energy systems overhaul. Some 'man at the switch' could at any time begin shutting our industrial civilization down. Oh, we'll be indignant then. Now imagine a philosophical debate between this overlord and a woman who represents all of humankind. That is the one-act 'dream play' that will be offered to us by playwright Jeremy Pickard, director Simon Adinia Hanukai and musician/energy policy specialist Jonathan Camuzeaux, presented by La Mama from February 11-28, 2016.

The National Ballet of Canada returns to the Kennedy Center following its highly regarded 2013 engagement of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with the United States premiere of The Winter's Tale from January 19-24, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Based on William Shakespeare's classic play of the same name, the production is co-produced with The Royal Ballet and choreographed by the renowned British choreographer and Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon, choreographer of the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris, and his acclaimed creative team. The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra will accompany this production.

Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking ticket sales and attendance of Festival 2015, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival announces a new season of exciting programming featuring international artists, world premieres, and an impressive number of live music engagements. This season signals an exciting new era in Pillow history, as the Board of Directors plans to name a new Jacob's Pillow Director in early 2016. Former Executive and Artistic Director Ella Baff stepped down from her role in September of 2015, following a successful 17-year tenure.

A solitary tree, withered and skeletal, lit by a spotlight and ominous percussion. Suddenly, she appeared, crawling rapidly in a storm and fervently circling said tree over and over again. This arresting display is how Life in Progress commenced opening night at the lush New York City Center, kicking off Sylvie Guillem's final world tour after a celebrated 39-year dance career.