The Detroit Opera House is pleased to announce the details of a dance lineup with something for everyone – ballet, modern dance, and the classics – in a 2009-10 season that includes two exciting debuts and two returning favorites. The 2009-10 dance season includes the Detroit Opera House debut of Pilobolus (October 31-November 1, 2009), the return of the Cincinnati Ballet for The Nutcracker (December 3-6, 2009), Ballet Hispanico (February 13-14, 2010), and the debut of the Tchaikovsky Ballet in Sleeping Beauty (March 26-28, 2010).
PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
October 31-November 1, 2009
Pilobolus Dance Theatre makes their Detroit Opera House debut in October 2009, bringing their athletic and innovative modern dance repertoire to the magnificent Detroit Opera House stage. The internationally-renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre began in 1971 and quickly became known for their imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. Pilobolus Dance Theatre will perform at the Detroit Opera House October 30-31, 2009. Repertoire for the performances will be announced fall 2009.
In the nearly 40 years since its founding, Pilobolus has evolved into a pioneering American arts organization of the 21st century. The 2009 season will mark Pilobolus’ 39th year of growth, expansion, and refinement of its unusual collaborative methods to produce a body of over 100 choreographic works. Based in Washington Depot, Connecticut, the company performs for stage and television audiences all over the world. Pilobolus Dance Theatre performances have been characterized by the strong element of physical interaction between company members and contortions of the human body often similar to gymnastics. Company works appear in the repertoires of many major dance companies, including the Joffrey, Feld, Ohio, Arizona and Aspen/Santa Fe Ballets in the U.S., the Ballet National de Nancy et de Lorraine and the Ballet Rhin in France, and Italy’s Verona Ballet.
Pilobolus regularly appears on broadcast media and advertising. Recently the company was featured on the 2007 Academy Awards show, the Oprah Winfrey Show, and most recently, on the Late Show with Conan O’Brien. The company has also appeared in television spots for Mobil, Ford, Toyota, Opel and Hyundai.
THE CINCINNATI BALLET: The Nutcracker
December 3-6, 2009
In December 2009, the Detroit Opera House will once again usher in the holiday season with the Cincinnati Ballet’s captivating production of The Nutcracker, appearing at the Detroit Opera House for the first time since 2003. One of Detroit’s most beloved holiday traditions held annually at the Detroit Opera House, this magical tale will enthrall audiences with Tchaikovsky’s incredible score, performed live by the Michigan Opera Theatre orchestra. The Cincinnati Ballet Nutcracker will entrance Detroit audiences in six performances, December 3-6, 2009.
This enormously popular full-scale production choreographed by Val Caniparoli is an annual tradition for many Detroit families. Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker is rich in glitter, adventure and charm, and features magnificent sets (including a tree that grows 56 feet!), 180 lavish costumes, over 100 local children and mesmerizing special effects full of dazzling surprises including the return of the beloved Mother Ginger. The production’s broad appeal to adults and children alike make it a classic and a holiday tradition for all.
The Nutcracker, presented in 2 acts, is the classic tale of Clara and her Nutcracker Doll as together, they visit the land of fantasies and sugar plums, toy soldiers and Christmas mice all set to the dazzling costumes and sparkling sets of the Cincinnati Ballet. Sets and costumes designed by award-winning children’s book illustrator Alain Vaes and constructed at the Kirov Studios in St. Petersburg, Russia, will delight the young and the young at heart.
The 2009 Nutcracker festivities will again feature special family matinee activities, including box lunches, face painting, photos with Santa and the Nutcracker, and the Sugar Plum Parade – a special opportunity to meet Nutcracker dancers on the stage of the Detroit Opera House.
BALLET HISPANICO
February 13-14, 2010
Ballet Hispanico returns to the Detroit Opera House in February 2010 for the first time since making their Detroit Opera House debut in 1999. Founded in 1970 by Artistic Director Tina Ramirez, Ballet Hispanico is the foremost dance representative of Hispanic culture in the United States, with a professional company which tours nationally and internationally. Ballet Hispanico will perform at the Detroit Opera House February 13-14, 2010. Program repertory will be announced in early 2010.
Acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, the Ballet Hispanico Company has performed for over two million people throughout eleven countries, on 3 continents, appearing in such major venues as The John F. Kennedy Center, Houston's Wortham Center, the Auditorium Theater in Chicago, UCLA's Royce Hall, the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, Wolf Trap, Jacob's Pillow, Boston's Celebrity Series and The Joyce Theater. The company's national television appearances include CBS Sunday Morning and, on NBC, Hispanics Today, Latin Access and the 1999 Hispanic Heritage Awards.
Today, Ballet Hispanico performs works by the foremost Latino choreographers as well as emerging artists, including Talley Beatty, William Whitener, Anne Reinking, Graciela Daniele, Sergio Triujillo, and Pedro Ruiz. The Company's innovative repertory fuses ballet, modern and Latin dance forms into a spirited image of the contemporary Hispanic world. Nearly 80 new works have been commissioned by Tina Ramirez from choreographers of international stature such as Alberto Alonso, Talley Beatty, Graciela Daniele, George Faison, Vicente Nebrada and Ann Reinking, and such dynamic young artists as Susan Marshall, Ramón Oller, David Roussève, Pedro Ruiz and William Whitener.
Alumni of the Ballet Hispanico school have gone on to careers in theater (Nancy Ticotin), film (Jennifer Lopez, Leelee Sobieski and Rachel Ticotin) and television (Michael DeLorenzo), as well as with other leading dance companies.
TCHAIKOVSKY BALLET: Sleeping Beauty
March 26 – 28, 2010
Also debuting at the Detroit Opera House is the Tchaikovsky Ballet, one of Russia’s most distinguished artistic companies, with their critically acclaimed production of Sleeping Beauty. With Tchaikovsky’s famous and whimsical score performed live by the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, and Marius Petipa’s glorious choreography as the foundation for this enduring ballet classic, Sleeping Beauty, will be performed March 26-28, 2010.
Somewhere in an imaginary land, the Princess Aurora is born, and the king calls for a grand christening celebration in which all the fairies of the kingdom are invited to welcome the newborn child. The ceremony is interrupted by an evil-doer who curses the princess and says she will one day prick her finger and die. Luckily, a fairy gives a present to the princess and says that the princess will not die when she pricks her finger, but instead will fall into a deep sleep and will be awoken by a prince after 100 years. On the princess’s 18th birthday, she pricks her finger and sleeps for 100 years until her prince charming awakens her with a kiss.
Since the premiere of their first ballet season in 1926, The Tchaikovsky Ballet Theatre of Perm, Russia, has produced a growing number of classical and contemporary works, with an emphasis on the operas and ballets of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The magic of several Kirov artists profoundly influenced the ballet company, which shares in the standards and styles of the Kirov school. The company is unique in that it draws all of its dancers from its own school, one of the most prestigious training institutions for ballet in Russia. The Tchaikovsky Ballet’s artists have distinguished themselves in national and international ballet competitions and festivals, and have won international fame. They are now known throughout the world from numerous foreign tours and appearances at international arts festivals in Viena, Bregentz, Spoleto, Seget, Dubrovnik, and Servantino in Mexico.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
2009-2010 Dance Season Announced!
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