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KANSAS CITY, MO (February 8, 2007) – Five decades of dance. The 2007-2008 season marks the 50th anniversary of Kansas City Ballet. In honor of this major milestone, Kansas City Ballet announces an entire season of work never before performed by the Kansas City Ballet. In addition to the choreographic masters Antony Tudor (Dark Elegies), Paul Taylor (Company B), George Balanchine (Mozartiana), Twyla Tharp (Brahms Paganini) and Donald McKayle (a world premiere), the company will present a world premiere by Artistic Director William Whitener. Crowning the 50th anniversary season will be the evening-length ballet Romeo and Juliet, with music by Sergei Prokofiev. One of the most popular ballets in the world, this magnificent production choreographed by Ib Anderson, Artistic Director of Ballet Arizona, will run over two weekends at the fully refurbished Kansas City Music Hall. The season is filled with festive surprises in special events to be announced at a later date.
The current 2006-2007 season has already set two significant sales records for the history of the company. The hugely successful production of The Nutcracker at the Music Hall sold a record $1,150,131 in ticket sales. Furthermore, subscriptions are on the rise. The 2005-2006 season the ballet saw a record 3,571 subscribers, but the 2006-2007 season has already surpassed that with subscribers, a 63 percent increase, and is still climbing.
“To commemorate the Kansas City Ballet’s fiftieth anniversary, we are pleased to present repertory that includes masterpieces, premieres and a full-evening dramatic work. The company will enlarge our repertory of Balanchine, Tharp and Tudor ballets while introducing Paul Taylor and Donald McKayle’s works to our audiences,” said Artistic Director William Whitener. “The addition of Ib Anderson’s Romeo and Juliet is particularly exciting for both the company artists and audiences and furthers our mission to present a full spectrum of dance.”
“Those remarkable early trailblazers who influenced the development of our company would be so pleased to see their labor of love has thrived,” remarked Jeffrey Bentley, Kansas City Ballet Executive Director. “The 50th anniversary…half a century…for any cultural institution is a remarkable moment in time. More than anything, it speaks to community…the institution’s love of it and its love of the institution. Our obligation is to ensure that the quality is maintained and the road paved for those who follow us.”
Fall Performance, October 11-14, 2007
The 50th Season will kick off on October 11-14, 2007, at the Lyric Theatre with three Kansas City PREMIERES: Balanchine’s Mozartiana with music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, Dark Elegies, choreographed by Antony Tudor to the music of Gustav Mahler and Paul Taylor’s Company B, with music sung by The Andrew Sisters.
Mozartiana, which premiered in 1981 at the Tchaikovsky Festival, was Balanchine’s homage to Mozart and is one of the last works he choreographed before his death in 1983. The work is classical in nature, set to Tchaikovsky’s tribute to Mozart – his Suite No. 4, also subtitled “Mozartiana”. The combination of Tchaikovsky’s music and Balanchine’s choreography create a sense of reverence and wonder.
Dark Elegies has long been considered by balletomanes as Antony Tudor’s masterpiece and is thought to be the greatest tragic ballet in the English repertoire. Set to the music of Gustav Mahler, this ballet, without a specific narrative, is accompanied by a vocal rendering of Mahler’s song cycle Kindertotenlieder. The set of dances reflect the anguish of bereavement and the ultimate acceptance.
Company B, choreographed by the American genius Paul Taylor and set to songs sung by The Andrews Sisters, was a smash hit when it premiered in 1991. Yet this subtle piece is not just a lovely trip down memory lane. It provides a distillation of 1940’s Americana, tempered by the shadows of GI’s dying during World War II.
The Nutcracker, December 1- December 23, 2007
From December 1 through December 23, 2007, Kansas City Ballet will present The Nutcracker, at the renovated Music Hall with new seats.
Kansas City Ballet is proud to present this holiday classic that will warm the hearts of all ages. The Nutcracker, featuring the music of Peter I. Tchaikovsky and choreography of Todd Bolender, returns for 17 public performances and three matinees for schools. This full-length ballet continues to astound audiences with its magnificent sets, costumes and special effects. The Kansas City Ballet dancers, plus more than 200 local youngsters ages 7 to 17 selected from Kansas City Ballet School, tell E. T. A. Hoffman’s story. Tickets will go on sale to the public on October 22, 2007.
THE NUTCRACKER AT THE MUSIC HALL IN DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY
301 West 13th St.
Kansas City, MO 64105
Saturday, December 1 - Sugar Plum Fairy Luncheon
Saturday, December 1 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 2 - 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 8 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 9 - 1:00 p.m.
Friday, December 14 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 15 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 16 - 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, December 19 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 20 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, December 21 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 22 - 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 23 - 1:00 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Winter Performance, February 21-24, 2008
The 50th Season will continue with the Winter Program’s presentation of two WORLD PREMIERES and one KANSAS CITY PREMIERE.
Donald McKayle has choreographed pieces for ballet, modern dance companies and Broadway in the United States, Europe, Asia, Israel and South America. The recipient of the 1963 Capezio Award, he recently set his work Games on students of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Mr. McKayle has been commissioned by Kansas City Ballet to create a new work based upon the stories and music of the golden age of jazz in Kansas City 1917-1930.
Brahms’ Paganini, choreographed by Twyla Tharp, is the fifth Tharp addition to the repertory in recent years and as such, will be the newest Tharp Kansas City PREMIERE. Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener was a featured male soloist when the piece premiered in 1981 to ecstatic reviews. Mr. Whitener, whose career as a performer was largely tied to the Twyla Tharp Company following eight years with the Joffrey Ballet, will stage the work for Kansas City Ballet along with Shelley Freydont who performed the ballet as a member of the original cast. Other recent Tharp productions that Kansas City Ballet has performed include Nine Sinatra Songs, As Time Goes By, The Catherine Wheel Suite and Deuce Coupe. Closing the season will be a new work by artistic director Whitener with details to be announced later this year.
Spring Performance, April 25-27 and May 1-3, 2008
The completion of our 50th anniversary mainstage program will be the Kansas City PREMIERE of the full-length ballet, Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Ib Andersen with the stunningly beautiful music of Sergei Prokofiev. Due to the anticipated popularity of this program, this lavish production with live accompaniment by the Kansas City Symphony Ballet Orchestra will have an extensive engagement over two weekends at the newly refurbished art deco Music Hall.
One of the most popular ballets in the world, the story of star-crossed lovers told in Shakespeare’s popular Romeo and Juliet has inspired music and dance for over 400 years. Ib Andersen, artistic director of Ballet Arizona, choreographed this emotional ballet about young love and conflict. “Romeo and Juliet is about passion and the power of young love. It’s about an emotion so powerful it can take your breath away,” says Mr. Andersen.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SEASON SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION
To make ballet affordable for everyone, the Series Subscription Package includes major savings and benefits for the Fall, Winter, and Spring Repertory Programs including: ticket discounts, savings on single ticket prices, priority seating, free ticket exchange and the chance to purchase discounted tickets for The Nutcracker before they go on sale to the general public. Season tickets range in price from $45 to $150. For ticket information, please call Kansas City Ballet ticket box office at 816.931.2232 x375 or visit our website at www.kcballet.org.
STUDENT AND SENIOR DISCOUNTS
Students and Seniors arrive at the Lyric box office one to two hours prior to Fall, Winter or Spring Repertory Performances, and get a seat for just $10 with a valid I.D. Rush prices are not valid at any of The Nutcrackerperformances.
BARRE: Kansas City Ballet’s Young Friends Group
Kansas City Ballet BARRE is a subscription group for ballet enthusiasts, age 21-40. They invite you to share a dynamic season with other young professionals who support the arts. Kansas City Ballet BARRE members enjoy a Friday night season ticket with pre-show happy hours, a 1950s party with the Bohemians (Lyric Opera’s young friends group), discounted Nutcracker tickets combined with a post-performance party, backstage tours, meeting the dancers and mingling with other members at special events–all while supporting Kansas City Ballet. This group is setting its schedule for 2007-2008 and will release it later this summer. For more information, please contact Karen at 816.931.2232 x304, email barre@kcballet.org, or visit the new website at www.kcbbarre.org.
Kansas City Ballet
50th Anniversary, “A Brilliant Past, A Dazzling Future”
2007-2008 Calendar of Events
Fall Program
October 11-14, 2007
Lyric Theatre
Mozartiana George Balanchine/Peter I. Tchaikovsky
Dark Elegies Antony Tudor/Gustav Mahler
Company B Paul Taylor/songs sung by The Andrew Sisters
The Nutcracker
Todd Bolender/Peter I. Tchaikovsky
December 1-December 23
Music Hall
Winter Program
February 21-24, 2008
Lyric Theatre
Brahms’ Paganini Twyla Tharp/Johannes Brahms
TBD William Whitener/TBD
TBD Donald McKayle/TBD
Spring Program
April 25-27 and May 1-3, 2008
Music Hall
Romeo and Juliet Ib Andersen/Sergei Prokofiev
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Please direct all media inquiries to: Ellen McDonald at 816.444.0052.
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