Richmond Ballet Announces 2010-11 Season, Rich in New Works and Audience Favorites

RICHMOND- Richmond Ballet expands its ever-growing repertory next season with five new commissions from contemporary ballet choreographers who have become favorites with Richmond audiences. Val Caniparoli, Colin Connor and Gina Patterson, all of whom have already choreographed much-acclaimed works for the company, will create new works in 2010-11. In addition, Ershter Vals from the 2009 New Works Festival and A Tribute from the 2008 New Works Festival will be extended, completed, premiered and added to the Richmond Ballet repertory. All of these compelling new works will be shown in the Ballet’s downtown Studio Theatre on Canal Street during the 2010-11 Studio Series performances, which will expand to two-week runs, with opening nights moving from Tuesday to Thursday evenings.

Studio 1, September 30 – October 17, 2010, offers two poignant works about the versatility of the human spirit: Clowns and Others choreographed by Salvatore Aiello and Ershter Vals by Tulsa Ballet Principal Dancer and Resident Choreographer Ma Kong. Set to the animated piano score of Sergei Prokofiev’s Visions Fugitives, Opus 22, Aiello’s Clowns and Others is a series of vignettes addressing all the different facets of human nature, and is sure to delight as each character humorously overcomes life’s never-ending obstacles. Ershter Vals, a completed version of Kong’s contribution to the Richmond Ballet 2009 New Works Festival, rounds out Studio 1. This moving ballet features music originating in the Jewish ghettos during World War II, and focuses on the light people find in relationships and communities, even in the darkest of times.

Studio 2, November 4 – 14, 2010, Richmond Ballet revives one of the most beloved works by John Butler, After Eden. Providing a glimpse into the Garden of Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve, After Eden is an evocatively sensual study of the original man and woman, and features Butler’s innovative choreographic combination of ballet and modern dance technique. At its core a story about love and forgiveness, Butler’s message is as relevant today as it was when the ballet was first performed in 1966. This audience favorite is paired with the George Balanchine classic Valse Fantaisie. Rich in the Balanchine tradition with trademark nuances and accents, this piece is a whirlwind of continuous movement, all set to a joyful waltz composed by Mikhail Glinka. Studio 2 also includes a World Premiere ballet by Colin Connor, choreographer of Streets and Legends as well as Vestiges, which were included in Richmond Ballet's 2005 and 2010 New York City engagements at The Joyce Theater. Connor's new work promises to be equally as striking.

Studio 3, March 24 – April 3, 2011, is rich in brand new work that Richmond Ballet audiences won’t want to miss. Join us to delight in A Tribute, a light-hearted and comedic nod to celebrated French mime Marcel Marceau choreographed by Richmond Ballet Artistic Associate and Ballet Master Malcolm Burn. Joyful in every way, A Tribute is the premiere of the workshop piece Burn originally presented in the 2008 New Works Festival, and will be expanded for the 2010-11 Studio Series. The program also includes the premiere of a new ballet by Gina Patterson, choreographer of Silence, 2009. Known for her stirring and unique, yet timeless movement, Patterson’s new work is sure to make an impression on artists and audiences alike.

Studio 4, April 28 – May 8, 2011, welcomes back Val Caniparoli and with him, the world premiere of a fifth work commissioned by Richmond Ballet. Choreographer of two ballets chosen for performance at The Joyce Theater (Bow Out in 2005 and Violin in 2010), Caniparoli's highly physical, vibrant and powerful style is sure to be reflected in this new work. Joining Caniparoli on the program is the revival of Jessica Lang's Women and the Sea: A Tribute to Will Barnet. This ballet brings to life three paintings by the celebrated New York visual artist and is noted for its poignancy, dramatic set, costumes and lighting, and for the way the choreography allows the dancers to step right into Barnet's paintings, effectively becoming beautifully moving works of art.

In all, Studio Series audiences will be treated to the talents of nine different choreographers next season.

The Nutcracker, December 10 – 23, 2010, arrives just in time for the holidays as Richmond Ballet invites families to join Clara for her journey through a dream! Our production of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic winter fantasy is sure to sweep you away with the twirling snowflakes, high-flying sleigh, adorable marzipan lambs, dancing 50-foot Chinese dragon, the audience-favorite dancing bear, and the beautiful Sugar Plum Fairy in her magical Land of Sweets. Choreographed by Richmond Ballet Artistic Director Stoner Winslett and presented in grand splendor at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage, with Tchaikovsky’s score performed live by Richmond Symphony, Central Virginia’s longest-running holiday tradition is sure to enchant the whole family, and awaken the holiday spirit in us all.

Giselle, February 11 – 13, 2011, is a valentine to our audiences delivered by Richmond Ballet for Valentine’s Day weekend! Experience the depths of redemptive love in the hauntingly beautiful tale of Giselle. Share in the young village girl’s heartbreak as she is betrayed by her beloved, and destined in death to join the ranks of the Wilis, maiden spirits intent on dancing their former lovers to death. Only the devotion in Giselle’s heart can save her love from meeting his end. This romantic fairy-tale comes alive with the elegant technical sophistication of classical ballet in the much acclaimed choreography of Frederic Franklin. Accompanied by the rich music of Adolphe Adam performed live by Richmond Symphony, and presented in the grand Carpenter Theater at Richmond CenterStage, Giselle will delight and move audiences as it tests the bounds of true love, even after death.

The 2010-11 Season will line up as follows:

Studio 1: September 30-October 3, October 13-17, 2010

World Premiere of completed Ershter Vals by Ma Kong

Clowns and Others by Salvatore Aiello

Studio 2: November 4 – 7, 10 – 14, 2010

World Premiere by Colin Connor (Title TBA)

Valse Fantaisie by George Balanchine

After Eden by John Butler

The Nutcracker : December 10 – 12, 17 – 19, and 22 – 23, 2010

Choreography - Stoner Winslett, Music – Peter Tchaikovsky

Giselle: February 11-13, 2011

Choreography – Frederic Franklin, Music – Adolphe Adam

Studio 3: March 24 – 27, 30 – April 3, 2011

World Premiere by Gina Patterson (Title TBA)

World Premiere of completed A Tribute by Malcolm Burn

Studio 4: April 28 – May 1, 4 – 8, 2011

World Premiere by Val Caniparoli (Title TBA)

Women and the Sea: A Tribute to Will Barnet by Jessica Lang

"Richmond Ballet, The State Ballet of Virginia, is dedicated to the education, promotion, preservation and continuing evolution of the art form of ballet. Richmond Ballet strives to keep meaningful works of dance alive and to produce and foster new works that remain true to these values. Now in its 27th professional season, Richmond Ballet's mission is to “awaken and uplift the human spirit, both for audiences and artists.”