Olympic Ballet Theatre Presents New Works In DEBUTS

Olympic Ballet Theatre (OBT) continues its 2022-2023 performance season with DEBUTS in February, presenting new works by contemporary choreographers. This production features From the Dark Land by Donald Byrd and "O.D.D." (Oliver Davis Dances) by Arcadian Broad.

"We included DEBUTS in the OBT performance season last year, and we are excited to bring it back with new creative pieces by contemporary choreographers this season," said artistic directors Mara Vinson and Oleg Gorboulev. "We are thrilled to collaborate with Donald Byrd, the award-winning local choreographer, often referred to as 'citizen artist,' and Arcadian Broad, a soloist at The Sarasota Ballet, who mesmerized OBT audiences with his dashing performance as Basilio in our production of Don Quixote. We look forward to delighting our patrons with this celebration of creativity in contemporary ballet."

This production will include a "Meet the Artists" Q&A session on Saturday, February 18, 2023, immediately following the performance. Audience members will have an exciting opportunity to meet both choreographers and learn more about their creative process of bringing new works to life on stage.

DEBUTS will run two performances at the Edmonds Center for the Arts on February 18 and February 19, 2023. Tickets range from $27 to $40 and can be purchased at https://www.olympicballet.org/tickets or at the box office (425) 774-7570.

For more information, contact OBT at dance@olympicballet.org or visit https://www.olympicballet.org/performance-season/debuts/ .

Olympic Ballet Theatre's 2022-2023 season is proudly sponsored by the Edmonds Arts Commission, the City of Everett Cultural Arts Commission, The City of Everett Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, Peter Smart/EdwardJones, and Seattle NorthCountry.

Arcadian Broad is from Titusville, Florida. He started dancing at the age of 10 in various styles, such as tap, hip-hop and jazz. After receiving a scholarship at ADC IBC, he attended the Orlando Ballet summer program. He went on to train at the Juilliard School in New York City. At 16, Arcadian was hired as a professional company dancer with Orlando Ballet. Under the direction of Robert Hill, he became youngest hire in the company's history to date. In 2019, Arcadian joined the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2021, he joined The Sarasota Ballet as a demi-soloist and was promoted to soloist the following season. He has performed numerous principal roles in ballets such as: Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, The Firebird, Michael Pink's Dracula, Val Caniparoli's A Cinderella Story, Twyla Tharp's Sinatra Suite, Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free, Septime Webre's Wizard of Oz, Sir Peter Wrights Summertide, Sir David Bintley's A Comedy of Errors, and Sir Kenneth Macmillan's Elite Syncopations.

Arcadian is also a dual choreographer and composer. He has created and premiered over 30 works, including two full-length ballets: Beauty & the Beast and WonderLand: Mad Tales of the Hatter. For his full-length productions, he also composed original orchestral scores. His choreography has been performed by Orlando Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Danceworks Chicago and seen on TV/streaming channels. Arcadian was a Top 10 finisher on America's Got Talent and has appeared on The Ellen Show and So You Think You Can Dance. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences with the next generation via summer programs and masterclasses all around the country.

Donald Byrd is the Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle. Formerly, he was Artistic Director of Donald Byrd/The Group, a critically acclaimed contemporary dance company, founded in Los Angeles and later based in New York, that toured both nationally and internationally. He is a Tony-nominated (The Color Purple) and Bessie Award-winning (The Minstrel Show) choreographer.

Throughout the 40+ years of his choreographic career, Mr. Byrd has created over 100 works for his companies as well as works for many leading classical and contemporary companies. This list includes Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, The Joffrey Ballet, The Philadelphia Dance Company (Philadanco), Dance Theater of Harlem, and many others. He has worked extensively in theater and opera, both in America and abroad, including Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Israeli Opera, New York City Opera, The New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater, Intiman Theatre, and Baltimore Center Stage. Mr. Byrd's many awards, prizes, and fellowships include the Doris Duke Artist Award; Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Cornish College of the Arts; Masters of Choreography Award, The Kennedy Center; Fellow at The American Academy of Jerusalem; James Baldwin Fellow of United States Artists; Resident Fellow of The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center; Fellow at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, Harvard University; and the Mayor's Arts Award for his sustained contributions to the City of Seattle.

Olympic Ballet Theatre is an emerging nonprofit ballet company presenting four productions of classical and contemporary ballets each season. Founded 42 years ago and now under the leadership of co-artistic directors Mara Vinson and Oleg Gorboulev, OBT has become a mainstay of the Snohomish County arts scene, regularly touring theaters in Everett and Edmonds. OBT provides high-quality original and classical ballet productions while maintaining family-friendly ticketing prices and intimate venues that audiences love.