The Asheville Ballet announces its 2016-17 season

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ASHEVILLE BALLET:

The Asheville Ballet proudly announces its 2016-17 Season, kicking off with “Fall into Dance: An Artistic Harvest 2.” The production will be held September 23 and 24 at 7:30, outdoors in downtown Asheville on the stage of the Roger McGuire Park in front of the City-County Buildings and Splash Park. As part of the company’s Community Outreach program, the concert is free. Donations will be gratefully accepted. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy an hour of dance and live music in our beautiful mountain city, under the stars. For information on the event or on North Carolina’s oldest non-profit, adult, professional ballet company, call Artistic Director, Ann Dunn, at 828-215-3728 or visit www.ashevilleballet.com.

Eight resident choreographers have spent the summer creating a potpourri of dance for your delight. Ranging in styles from classical ballet to contemporary, and in moods from humorous to thought-provoking, the artists have put together a visual and aural feast not to be matched.

Dunn presents two original works set to live music, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and an original rock/jazz percussion solo. “Walking the Streets” expresses the joy and compulsion of simply moving through urban landscapes, with no particular destination or goal other than being present and watching. “Four Sisters” is a character study in classical ballet of the figures in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” and of her parents’ four, now aging, girl children, of whom she is the oldest. Dunn’s work features Megan Jones Medford, soloist, who has recently rejoined her old company after moving back to Asheville from a prestigious career in New York City. (see image)

Fleming Lomax, Ballet Mistress, has created a new work entitled “I Wish…” which explores the life-long evolution of wishing.

Tricia Renshaw’s two new pieces depict characteristics of Autumn light, energy, and personal focus, and the lighthearted fun of dancing to your heart’s content as if no-one is watching.

Jessica Hodgins asks, in “Natural Woman,” what makes ‘pretty’ apparently synonymous with femininity, and why does ‘pretty’ matter at all?

Gypsy Adams has fashioned a contemporary pointe piece with a saucy, girl about town vibe.

Sandi Weinberg’s “The Chase” is a study of the pursuit of contact and humanity.

Rebecca O’Quinn’s dance is a visceral experience depicting the beauty of the nature surrounding us. The mountains are singing to us, but how rarely we sit and listen quietly to be able hear it. This piece portrays the moments of spiritual clarity and awe that occurs when one fully takes in the magnitude of the cycle of life surrounding us.

Regular favorite, Lyle Laney, Associate Artistic Director, will also present new work.

The season will continue with “The Nutcracker” at Diana Wortham Theatre December 8-11, for which we will hold open auditions on October 1 at 2:30pm, and “Spring into Dance: A Movement Bouquet” at Diana Wortham Theatre May 26-27. Tickets for those productions are available at the box office.

“Asheville is so fortunate to have a resident ballet company of this caliber,” says Ann Dunn, Artistic Director. “The community has, essentially, a year-long resident repertoire company. Seasoned ballet fans and novices alike have the opportunity to watch consummate professionals perform a wide variety of roles, from classical to contemporary.”

Asheville Ballet has built a reputation on the belief that dance plays a vital role in the education and culture of the community. As a key component of its Educational Outreach Program, The Asheville Ballet performs its entire production of the holiday classic The Nutcracker for school children every year, brings dance to senior residences and inner-city and rural schools, and performs a free outdoor concert every Fall in downtown Asheville.

Asheville Ballet is North Carolina’s oldest non-profit ballet company. First incorporated in 1963, the company has created and presented work in Asheville every year since. In an average season, formal and educational outreach programming affects a culturally diverse audience of approximately 23,000 people. An active advisory panel and a strong, well-organized volunteer base assist a committed board.

Asheville Ballet has produced residencies by historical choreographers (Anna Sokolow, Douglas Dunn, Lori Bellilove), hosted master classes and workshops by international dance stars (Sean Curran, Mark Dendy, Chuck Davis, David Dorfman), produced the three-week Fall Into Dance festival, and commissioned both classical and contemporary choreography.

Asheville Ballet productions reflect the region’s varied interests. In addition to an ongoing relationship The Biltmore Estate, work has been produced for fund-raisers (The Health Adventure, The Arts Council), civic events (Martin Luther King Day, Bele Chere Festival), and commercial events (The Miss Asheville pageant, opening for the Pointer Sisters).

Since its inception, Asheville Ballet has produced both cutting edge interdisciplinary work and full-length major work. The company has collaborated with other local art agencies (the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Bravo Concerts, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville Lyric Opera), and has worked live with the area’s major musical, poetic, and visual artists.

In addition to promoting new work and a professional ballet company for our region, Asheville Ballet offers an annual lecture series on dance appreciation, in co-ordination with other local dance presenters, and generates educational articles on dance history and appreciation for national and local publications. The company has built a full library of dance-related materials.

Asheville Ballet’s commitment to supporting its professional adult members is evidenced by its challenging and stimulating performances, choreography, and teaching opportunities. The company also continues to nurture the careers of advanced youth members. Dancers who have worked with the ballet have performed with Alvin Ailey, Kirov Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Forth Worth Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Geneva Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Company dancers have appeared in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and have won titles all the way up to Miss and Mrs. America. They have also been accepted at the schools of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Juilliard, Boston Ballet, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Robert Joffrey, and The Dance Conservatory at Purchase.

Asheville Ballet has created and found funding for scholarships for advanced dancers to pursue professional work in New York and Europe, and for underprivileged children to study dance in Asheville. The company has worked with Project Steam, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Helpmate, Elida Home, Presbyterian Home for Children, and local churches to locate and encourage new dancers and dance-appreciators. The Tix for Tots program makes hundreds of tickets available to introduce young people to the wonders of dance.

For more information call Ann Dunn at (828) 215-3728 or The Asheville Academy of Ballet at (828) 252-4761.