Cincinnati, OH, – ballet tech cincinnati, winner of the 2008 Scripps-Corbett Innovation Award, welcomes some of the best dancers from the best companies and the best choreography in the world for its Seventh Annual Gala of International Dance Stars at 8PM on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at Cincinnati’s premier venue, the Aronoff Center. Gala of International Dance Stars will once again astonish, astound and amaze the audience with the gravity defying athleticism, artistry and strength of the dancers, the traditional and new, on-the-edge choreography, remarkable diversity of cast, music and dance styles and the sheer joy of the experience! This year’s cast of 14 fabulous dancers from 9 world renowned companies represents 7 Countries. The only International Dance Gala in the Midwest and one of only a few in the entire nation, each year the Gala of International Dance Stars brings audiences to their feet with rousing standing ovations and comments like, “You hit a home run! This was the most thrilling thing I’ve ever seen!” “It was spectacular!”… “The performance was absolutely AWESOME” and “the most outstanding local dance performance that I’ve ever seen.” “As a former modern dancer, I really appreciated the quality and diversity of the dances.”
BALLETNY’s Kellye A. Saunders will return for her fourth Gala appearance with new partner, Dancer-Choreographer Matthew Prescott, of SUZANNE FARRELL BALLET and formerly with JOFFREY BALLET. “…time spent with Kellye A. Saunders, a dancer of special eloquence and elegance, is time unwasted”- New York Times. Prescott recently performed in the Suzanne Farrell Special with Cincinnati Ballet Company. Saunders and Prescott will perform a pas de deux from Alonzo King’s Signs and Wonders to Traditional African music by Tchad, ” Chant de Selle” and a Matthew Prescott creation, This Heart to Sinaed O’Connor music.
Jamal Story, COMPLEXIONS ” a standout young technician with heart … The strutting male in a solo excerpt from the group dance “This is Your Dance Life” is also familiar, but here the beefcake is bashful… The performance by Jamal Story was as serious and stunningly danced as it was comical.” – Jennifer Dunning, NY Times and partner Francesca Harper, founder of THE FRANCESCA HARPER PROJECT, a New York City based company dedicated to creating groundbreaking dance, music, and theater works. They will perform world premier Jamal Story choreography, Irreconcilable
Differences to music by Mariza and Francesca Harper’s Made of Clay to “Love is Here to Stay”, deconstruction by Wynne Bennett with Chopin Mazurka.
Meredith Webster and Brett Conway, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet. Meredith is a recipient of this year’s Princess Grace and Chris Hellman award and Brett performed in the 2003 Gala to standing ovations. The LINES Ballet dancers will perform Alonzo King choreography: a classical pas de deux excerpted from Irregular Pearl performed to Baroque music and a contemporary pas de deux excerpted from a ballet called Migration performed to an original composition by Leslie Stuck.
Drew Jacoby and Rubinald Pronk, partners/co-founders of Jacoby & Pronk and principal
dancers with Morphoses/TheWheeldon Company, were formerly with LINES Ballet and Dutch National Ballet., “The independent duo of Rubinald Rofino Pronk, a sleek dancer…and Drew Jacoby, a tall, perfectly-ripped woman…were sensational — all sinewy dynamite and flexy agility — in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s angular showpiece, One.” – Houston Chronicle. Jacoby & Pronk will perform Ochoa’s One and a world premiere New Work by Peter Leung, In the Beginning .
Hayna Gutierrez and Miguel Angel Blanco recently defected from Cuba after a double joint presentation of the Nutcracker Suite by The National Ballet of Cuba and the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble at Hamilton Place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and joined Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami as principal dancers. “Tall, long-legged Blanco is elegant and powerful, with convincing emotional gravity…’Swan Lake’ superb with new Cuban trio” – Jordan Levin, The Miami Herald February, 2008. Gutierrez and Blanco will perform the Le Corsaire Pas de deux and the Cincinnati Premeire of the Spartacus Pas de deux.
Marijn Rademaker and Elizabeth Maso of Stuttgart Ballet will make their debut Gala appearance. “Marijn Rademaker danced stylishly as Benno with much brio and charm in the divertissements. As Lensky, Marijn Rademaker had a winning charm and freshness” -ballet.co. They will perform John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene and Kazimir’s Colours by Mauro Bigonzetti with music by Dmitri Shostakovitch.
Husband and Wife Duo, Tiit Helimets and Molly Smolen, Principal Dancers with San Francisco Ballet round out this year’s cast. Tiit Helimets has been described by San Francisco Chronicle dance critic Rachel Howard as “irrepressibly princely and a perfect partner.” Born and raised in the Baltic Republic of Estonia, Helimets danced with Estonian National Ballet and Britain’s Birmingham Royal Ballet. “Smolen moves with exorbitant energy, capturing the lion-hearted quality we associate with Duncan. What’s more, she makes the movement look impetuous; for a moment you think she might be inventing it on the spot.” – Arts Journal. Smolen and Helimets will perform the Act II pas de deux from Giselle and Vademecum, world premier choreography by Tiit Helimets.
ballet tech cincinnati will offer a new, invitation only experience, The Skybox to the Stars, an exclusive opportunity to preview the Gala of International Dance Stars with an up-close-and-personal special sneak peak of a Gala Stars rehearsal. Skybox to the Stars includes refreshments and a tour of ballet tech cincinnati’s world headquarters located at 6543 Montgomery Road. This one-of-a-kind event provides current and future friends of ballet tech cincinnati an unique opportunity to witness the amazing athleticism and artistry of our gala dancers and a chance to see the wonderful work the company is doing in the community.
TICKETS
Tickets are available now $42-$62; to purchase, call 513.621.ARTS (2787) or go to http://www.ballettechcincinnati.org or http://www.cincinnatiarts.org . Enjoy the Arts/START, Senior and Group Discounts available. Eat, meet and mingle at the Gala Global Fare Pre Show Reception with International Buffet, Silent Auction, Live Jazz Music by the Hank Stephens Experience, and cash bar. $15 For more information call 513.841.2822.
SPONSORS
Macy’s is performance sponsor. The Millennium Hotel Cincinnati is Hotel Sponsor. WGUC 90.9 FM and The Cincinnati Herald are Media sponsors for 2007-2008 Season Series. This production is made possible, in part by the support of the Aronoff Center Rental Subsidy Grant of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, the Fine Arts Fund, Duke Energy, Ohio Arts Council and The Robert H. Reakirt Foundation, PNC Bank Trustee. The Leaping for Literacy project is sponsored by The Stillson Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee. Raising the Barre Capital Campaign Sponsors include Carl Lindner and The City of Cincinnati.
For more information, call ballet tech cincinnati at (513)841.2822, email [email protected] or visit our website at http://www.ballettechcincinnati.org
