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Seven choreographers from near and far bring new works to Richmond Ballet
1/15/2008
RICHMOND BALLET
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
January 15, 2008
Aaron Sutten
Director of Marketing and Communications
Richmond Ballet
(804) 344-0906 x244
asutten@richmondballet.com
Seven choreographers from near and far bring new works to
Richmond Ballet
RICHMOND
— Audiences won’t have to travel far to witness fresh ideas in dance
this spring. A wealth of burgeoning choreographic talent from as close
as Richmond to as far as Ukraine will give audiences the rare
opportunity to experience dance in the making right here in Richmond.
In April, six original works created by five individual choreographers
and one choreographic duo will be set on the dancers of Richmond Ballet
and presented as part of the company’s inaugural New Works Festival.
The program for the festival will vary over the course of nine
performances. Among the participating dance-makers are international
male performers-turned-choreographers, two Broadway veterans and a
ballerina choreographing in the midst of her dancing career.
Meet the Choreographers
Eloy Barragán is no stranger to Richmond Ballet. In 2006, dancers from the Ballet’s professional company performed Barragán’s En Tí, En Mí
when itwas selected to be presented at the 50th Anniversary of the
American Dance Guild in New York City. Born in Mexico City, Barragán
has performed as a dancer with numerous companies around the world,
including the Washington Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza and Joffrey
Ballet II, and he has been a principal dancer in companies including
Ballet de Monterey, Ballet Idaho and Eugene Ballet. A rising
choreographer, Barragán created commissioned works for Ballet Idaho,
Eugene Ballet, Utah Ballet, National Ballet of Puerto Rico and Beijing
Dance Academy.
Malcolm Burn,
Artistic Associate and Ballet Master for the Richmond Ballet, is a
native New Zealander in his 13th year on the artistic staff with the
company. During his 25-year dancing career, he danced leading roles in
standard classic repertory as well as numerous creations of
contemporary ballet. Prior to his coming to Richmond Ballet as a
principal dancer, Burn was co-director of Ballet Arizona. He has
performed with professional companies including the London Festival
Ballet, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, The National Ballet of Zimbabwe,
Ballet West and P.A.C.T. Ballet in South Africa, where he won the Ivan
Soloman Award for Best Male Dancer in 1973, 1976 and 1980. Burn's
choreographic achievements include A Christmas Carol, The Traveling Players, Walpurgis Night, Classical Symphony, Pas Glazunov, Romeo and Juliet, Complete Trust, Cinderella, and most recently, The Sleeping Beauty.
With numerous Broadway shows under her belt, Patti D’Beck
has significant performance and choreographic experience. Currently a
faculty member in VCU’s theatre department, D’Beck worked on Broadway
as an associate choreographer, dance captain and performer in 13 shows
ranging from Annie Get Your Gun to A Chorus Line.
Her experience spans Broadway, off-Broadway, regional theatre, summer
stock, industrials and TV. She has been a guest lecturer and taught
master classes and seminars in musical theatre choreography, jazz, tap
technique, audition technique and creative movement. D’Beck
choreographed and directed VCU’s production of the long-running
Broadway show “Smokey Joe’s Café,” which was a hit with Richmond
audiences last spring.
David Leong,
who serves as chairman, professor and producer of the Department of
Theatre at Virginia Commonwealth University, will collaborate with
D’Beck to create a piece for the New Works Festival. This is neither
the pair’s first collaboration nor their first time sharing their
talents with Richmond Ballet. In 2006, Minds In Motion
participants interpreted the story of “Liang and the Magic Paint
Brush,” an Asian folk tale, through choreography by Leong and D’Beck.
Prior to his appointment at VCU, Leong served on the faculty of the
Drama Division at the Juilliard School and was the resident movement
coach and fight director for Lincoln Center Theatres and The Public
Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival. Leong received the 2006
Distinguished Award of Excellence from the VCU Office of the Dean and
was recently named one of the most influential artists of the past 25
years by Richmond’s Style Weekly. As a professional in the theatre
industry, David's movement coaching and fight scenes have been seen in
many Broadway productions.
Hailed as a choreographer of “startling originality” by Back Stage magazine, Gina Patterson
has conceived new works for a notable list of dance companies including
Nashville Ballet, BalletMet, Ballet Austin and Ballet Florida. She
began her dance career with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre before joining
Ballet Austin in 1988, where she continues to perform leading roles in
productions such as Romeo and Juliet, Giselle and Swan Lake.
The recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Choo-San
Goh award for choreography, Patterson has presented four pieces at the
Ballet Builder’s Showcase in New York, a workshop that exposes both
emerging and established choreographers to a wide audience of artistic
directors and critics.
Viktor Plotnikov
began his dance training in Ukraine at the age of 11, eventually
becoming a soloist with Donetsk Ballet Company. He rose to the rank of
principal dancer in the U.S. when he joined the Mississippi Ballet and,
in 1993, became a principal dancer with Boston Ballet. His talents as
a choreographer have been showcased in works he created specifically
for Boston Ballet II and Festival Ballet Providence as well as in a
number of choreographic workshops held both in the U.S. and abroad.
With his dance company, Todd Rosenlieb Dance, based in Norfolk, Virginia, Todd Rosenlieb
represents local choreographic talent. After beginning a professional
dance career under Erick Hawkins, a former Martha Graham dancer and
creator of the famous Hawkins’ technique, Rosenlieb went on to explore
his own artistic capabilities as a choreographer, presenting pieces at
both Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and American Dance Festival.
Rosenlieb’s recent projects include work commissioned by James Madison
University, Coker College, the Indianapolis Symphony and the Virginia
Symphony.
The New Works Festival is just one example
of Richmond Ballet’s commitment to bringing world-class dance to the
Richmond community and to the dance world at large. In commissioning
new work, Richmond Ballet keeps the art form of dance alive and
evolving. Patrons will experience the New Works Festival in Richmond
Ballet’s intimate Studio Theater, which allows audiences to view dance
up-close in a relaxed setting. Tickets are available by calling
Ticketmaster at 804-262-8003 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
Fast Facts:
Who? Richmond Ballet, Stoner Winslett, Artistic Director. www.richmondballet.com
What? New Works Festival
Choreography by Eloy Barragán, Malcolm Burn, Patti D’Beck, David Leong,
Gina Patterson, Viktor Plotnikov and Todd Rosenlieb.
When? April 1 - 3 6:30 p.m.
April 4 - 5 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
April 6 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The New Works Festival program will vary for the scheduled performances.
Where? The Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre at 407 East Canal Street,
Richmond, VA 23219.
How much? Tickets are $28; seniors $24, students $18, children $15. Call Ticketmaster at (804) 262-8003 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
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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 24th professional season, Richmond Ballet's mission
is to "awaken and uplift the human spirit, both for audiences and
dancers."
***
For further press information contact:
Aaron Sutten, Director of Marketing and Communications
EMAIL: asutten@richmondballet.com; CALL: (804) 344-0906 x244