Author Archives: Ballet Tucson

  1. Ballet Tucson Announces Its reFRESH Winter Concert 2022

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    BALLET TUCSON ANNOUNCES ITS reFRESH Winter Concert 2022
    – In partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival –
    A Celebration of Women in Song and Dance
    Featuring Broadway Legend Ann Hampton Callaway
    January 28th – 30th
    TCC Leo Rich Theater

    (Tucson, Arizona). Ballet Tucson’s reFRESH Winter Concert 2022 is a celebration of women in song and dance. The reFRESH Winter Concert is presented in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival. Ballet Tucson has been a festival partner since its inception. The company’s artistic team have created a triple bill of three distinctive and entertaining works that fit perfectly with this year’s festival theme. Broadway legend Ann Hampton Callaway is the featured Guest Artist. 

    Opening the program is perhaps the quintessential classical ballet scene of all time – “Swan Lake Act II”, featuring Odette – ballet’s most definitive heroine. Experience the Swan Queen’s odyssey in this iconic masterpiece set to the unforgettable Tchaikovsky score. This ballet, originally choreographed by Lev Ivanov and Marcius Petipa, made its debut on February 20, 1877 at the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow. It has since been performanced continuously throughout the world and may be the best-known classical ballet of all time. Ballet Tucson Prima Ballerina Jenna Johnson dances the role of Odette supported by Ballet Tucson’s beautiful ensemble of ballerinas. 

    Next on the program is the world premiere of an original work by nationally recognized, on-the-rise choreographer Amanda Morgan of Pacific Northwest Ballet. Ms. Morgan’s creation, “Unraveling Seams”, promises to capture the spirit of female creativity, diversity, and resilience. Featuring original music, this joyful yet sentimental new work explores what motivates us below the surface. As the piece unfolds, the dancers deconstruct their poised facades to reveal rich and complex feelings of elation.

    Finally, the featured centerpiece of the program is a brand new collaborative work with the incomparable Ann Hampton Callaway and Ballet Tucson. Associate Artistic Director, Chieko Imada’s always fresh and innovative choreography will bring Callaway’s original compositions – sung live by the composer – to life! “Ballet the Callo-way” is the Company’s contribution to the 2022 Tucson Desert Song Festival, not only in providing the finalé to our stellar winter concert, but also offering a unique program for all music and dance audiences to enjoy.

    Ann Hampton Callaway Biography

    Ann Hampton Callaway is one of the leading champions of the great American Songbook, having made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer. Voted recently by Broadwayworld.com as “Performer of the Year” Ann is born entertainer. Her unique singing style that blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters and jazz clubs as well as in the recording studio, on television, and in film. She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series The Nanny. Callaway is a Platinum Award winning writer whose songs are featured on seven of Barbra Streisand’s recent CD’s. The only composer to have collaborated with Cole Porter, she has also written songs with Carole King, Rolf Lovland and Barbara Carroll to name a few.

    Callaway’s live performances showcase her warmth, spontaneous wit and passionate delivery of standards, jazz classics and originals. She is one of America’s most gifted improvisers, taking words and phrases from her audiences and creating songs on the spot, whether alone at a piano or with a symphony orchestra. Ann has been a special guest performer with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood and is featured at many of the Carnegie Hall tributes. She has sung with more than thirty of the world’s top orchestras and big bands, and has performed for President Clinton in Washington, D.C. and at President Gorbachev’s Youth Peace Summit in Moscow. Callaway performed with her sister, Broadway star Liz Callaway, in their award-winning show Sibling Revelry at London’s Donmar Warehouse. Their act “Boom!,” a critically acclaimed celebration of the baby boomer hits of the 60’s and 70’s, was recorded on PS Classics which debuted in the top 25 on Billboard Jazz. Ann was featured in the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade telecast watched by 6 million people singing Emmy Award winning song “Yes, Virginia.” She took the symphony world by storm with her latest show “The Streisand Songbook” which she premiered with The Boston Pops and continues to tour with top orchestras across the country. Said Randall Fleischer after conducting the show with The San Francisco Symphony, “Ann’s tribute to Streisand is a glorious evening of great songs, brilliantly orchestrated and sung magnificently.” After performing the show at 54 Below, she garnered two Broadwayworld.com Awards and the 2013 MAC Award for Show of the Year.

    Ann’s latest recordings have both met great critical acclaim – The Sarah Vaughan Project: Live at Dizzy’s in 2014 and The Hope of Christmas in 2015. She is featured on her sister Liz Callaway’s holiday EP Merry and Bright as well as Arbor’s Records CD Johnny Mandel: the Man and His Music. Her recent solo CD’s At Last, Blues in the Night, Slowand Signature have received rave reviews as well. She has recorded two popular holiday CD’s – Holiday Pops! With Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, and her solo CD, This Christmas. Ann’s other recordings include Easy Living, To Ella with Love, After Ours, Bring Back Romance, Ann Hampton Callaway, and the award-winning live recording Sibling Revelry. Callaway has also been a guest performer on more than forty CD’s including Kenny Barron’s latest CD The Traveler.

    Ann’s dream of working in film, TV and radio has been realized in several recent projects. She made her feature film debut opposite Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon in the Robert De Niro film “THE GOOD SHEPHERD”, performing the standard “Come Rain or Come Shine”. She recorded “Isn’t It Romantic?” and “The Nearness of You” in Wayne Wong’s “LAST HOLIDAY”, starring Queen Latifah. Ann wrote songs for the upcoming movie musical “STATE OF AFFAIRS”, to be directed by Philip McKinley. And, as a part of her mission to keep the American Songbook thriving, she has produced and hosted two TV specials Called “Singer’s Spotlight With Ann Hampton Callaway” with guests Liza Minnelli and Christine Ebersole for WTTW National which dovetailed into her critically acclaimed radio series “This is Cabaret” which debuted in 2016.

    Ann devotes much of her time to philanthropic causes, both as a singer performing in numerous benefits, and as a songwriter composing songs in times of need. In September 2005, Ann performed her original composition “Let the Saints Come Marching”, written to honor Hurricane Katrina victims, on a national TV broadcast on the Fox News Channel. Her song “Who Can See the Blue the Same Again?” was released earlier in 2005 as a single, paying tribute to the tsunami survivors and raising much needed money for The Tsunami Fund of The PRASAD Project. In the aftermath of September 11th, Ann composed the stirring anthem, “I Believe in America”, which she performed on Larry King Live and released as a CD single. Just days after the tragedy, Ann heard an 8,000 year old prayer from the Rig Veda and composed the world renowned “Let Us Be United”. Ann recorded the song with Kenny Werner, The Siddha Yoga International Choir and five-year-old Sonali Beaven, who sang in honor of her father who lost his life on Flight 93. It was released on CD and DVD and its proceeds continue to benefit Save the Children and The PRASAD Project.

    Her new CD, Jazz Goes To The Movies, was released on Shanachie Entertainment and debuted at #12 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.

    In response to COVID – 19 shutting down our concert venues Ann has introduced her monthly live stream series “The Callaway Hideaway” which takes place the last Sunday of every month on the Zoom platform.

    Ann’s father was Chicago’s legendary TV and radio journalist, John Callaway. Her mother, Shirley Callaway, was a superb singer, pianist and one of New York’s most in-demand vocal coaches.

    Ann lives by the creed best expressed in the Andre Gide quote: “Art is the collaboration between God and the artist and the less the artist does, the better.”

    Ann Hampton Callaway Awards:
    Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical – Swing!
    Theatre World Award for “Outstanding Broadway Debut”
    Platinum award selling songwriter with seven Barbra Streisand cuts
    2013 “The Streisand Songbook” won two Broadway World Awards and the MAC Award for Show of the Year
    2014 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award for “Performer of the Year”
    2016 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award “Best Jazz Vocalist”
    2017 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award “Best Jazz Vocalist”
    2017 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award “Best Tribute Show” for the Ella Century

    2019 Broadway World New York Cabaret Award for “Commercial Recording Of The Year” for Jazz Goes To The Movies
    She has received fifteen MAC Awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs

     

    Ann Hampton Callaway Press Quotes:
    “For sheer vocal beauty, no contemporary singer matches Ms. Callaway.” –Stephen Holden, The New York Times
    “Callaway establishes herself as one of the best equipped jazz vocalists swinging today.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
    “Astonishing.” – LA Weekly
    “…superbly intelligent, singularly creative pop-jazz stylist who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Streisand, Ronstadt, Shirley Horn and Dianne Reeves…” – Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
    “Great is one of the most over-used words in the dictionary but just as Ella Fitzgerald was the greatest jazz singer of her era, so too is the magnificent Ann Hampton Callaway of hers.” – Musical Theatre Review

     

    Photo by: Bill Westmoreland

    Amanda Morgan Biography

    Amanda Morgan is an on-the-rise dancer and choreographer based in Seattle, Washington. Ms. Morgan joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2016 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2017. Amanda has choreographed several works for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Next Step program and in 2020, she choreographed and directed “This Space Left Intentionally Blank” for PNB’s digital season. In 2019, she was selected to be a choreographer in the Seattle International Dance Festival and also won a residency at Northwest Film Forum and Velocity Dance Center, giving her the opportunity to create her own show at Northwest Film Forum. Later in 2019, she launched “The Seattle Project”, which is a group of collaborative artists led by Amanda, that create new works aimed to break down accessibility barriers in the community. In February of 2020, she premiered her piece “The How of It Sped” at Northwest Film Forum, and in July of 2020 she created and premiered her piece “Musings” for Seattle Dance Collective’s Continuum Program.

    Amanda has been featured by Pointe Magazine, Dance Magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts Podcast, Crosscut, Dance Spirit Magazine, KUOW, NPR, and the Seattle Times. In 2021 she was nominated for a prestigious Princess Grace Foundation USA Fellowship Award in two categories: Dance and Choreography.

    Amanda is from Tacoma, Washington and studied at Dance Theatre Northwest and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She attended summer courses at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Boston Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet. She has participated in the PNB School’s exchange with the Palucca University of Dance in Dresden, where she also performed with Dresden Semperoper Ballett.

    Amanda is creating a world premiere work for Ballet Tucson’s Winter Concert 2022 in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival, in honor of their festival theme celebrating women in song and dance.

    Photo by: Lindsay Thomas

    Performance Date/Time

    Friday, January 28 – 7:00 pm
    Saturday, January 29 – 2:00 pm
    Sunday, January 30 – 2:00 pm

    Location

    Leo Rich Theater
    260 S. Church Ave. 

    Tickets

    For tickets, please call the TCC Box Office at (520)791-4101.

    General $50*
    Seniors/Students/Military $45*
    Groups $40*
    Phone: 800.745.3000
    www.ticketmaster.com
    www.ballettucson.org 

    About Ballet Tucson

    Now in its 36th season and 18th year as the only professional dance company in Tucson and Southern Arizona, Ballet Tucson presents the highest quality dance productions with a full range of historic classics and contemporary works. 

    The company has been hailed as “a treasure in our community” by the Arizona Daily Star. Chuck Graham (Tucson arts writer) exclaims that the company “proudly maintains its place as the keeper of the flame of classical ballet in the Old Pueblo.”

    For more information, visit www.ballettucson.org

    Contact: Margaret Mullin, Media Director and Associate Artistic Director
    Address: 200 S. Tucson Blvd.
      Tucson, AZ 85716
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    Email: margaretmullin@ballettucson.org 

     

  2. Ballet Tucson Presents The Nutcracker

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    BALLET TUCSON PRESENTS THE NUTCRACKER
    Tucson’s Own Holiday Classic
    December 23, 24, and 26th
    Tucson Music Hall

    (Tucson, Arizona). Tucson’s own resident professional ballet company presents its beloved, traditional Victorian production of The Nutcracker at the Tucson Music Hall for 4 performances only on December 23, 24, and 26th 2021. 

    Ballet Tucson’s production has become an annual holiday tradition. Complete with spectacular sets, colorful costumes, dazzling choreography and exceptional dancing, this production truly stands out from the rest! Ballet Tucson’s The Nutcracker is the perfect event to take loved ones to during Christmas week. Put tickets under your tree for the whole family and cap off the season in a delightful way. 

    Experience Clara’s journey as she encounters giant toy soldiers, swirling snowflakes and sweet confections from every corner of the globe. The ominous Mouse King and the heroic Nutcracker battle it out and just when all hope is lost, Clara hits the Mouse King with her ballet shoe. The Mouse King is distracted and the Nutcracker is saved from his demise. Out of a dream, Clara’s Nutcracker Prince magically appears to escort her into a fantasyland of delights, journeying through the Land of Snow and Kingdom of the Sweets. 

    Based on the famous E.T.A. Hoffman story and paired with the glorious Tchaikovsky score, Ballet Tucson’s professional dancers transport you to a wondrous realm. A cast of 50 local children appear in supporting roles and will warm the hearts of all attending this most festive production 

    Prima Ballerina Jenna Johnson leads the cast of 100 performers as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Her Cavalier is Principal Danseur Vasily Boldin. Principal Dancer Danielle Cesanek also performs as the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

    Taylor Johnson dances the role of the Snow Queen and new company member Skylar Burson appears as her Snow King. 

    Ballet Master Daniel Precup is Herr Drosselmeyer, the pivotal character who orchestrates all the magic. 

    Ballet Tucson student Trainees Abigail Lee and Allisyn Lloyd will alternate as Clara.

    About the Cast

    Prima Ballerina Jenna Johnson (Sugar Plum Fairy) is a founding member of Ballet Tucson joining the company at its inception in 2004. Previously, she danced with the Oakland Ballet and the Romanian National Ballet. Her repertoire includes leading roles in Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Carmen to name a few. 

    Danielle Cesanek (Sugar Plum Fairy) is in her 3rd season with Ballet Tucson. She graduated from the prestigious Indiana university dance program and joined the company as an apprentice in the 2018-2019 season. Quickly rising through the ranks, she has danced principal roles in Donizetti Variations, Serenade, Balachine’s Walpurgisnacht ballet and Concerto Barocco. She will make her debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy this season.

    Vasily Boldin (Sugar Plum Cavalier) is a Principal Danseur and Season Guest Artist for Ballet Tucson. He trained in St. Petersburg and has danced and guested with companies in Russia and the United States. His repertoire includes principal roles in Carmen, Jekyll & Hyde, Serenade and Donizetti Variations amongst others.

    Taylor Johnson (Snow Queen) previously danced with the Tulsa Ballet before joining Ballet Tucson. She can be seen in leading roles in Jekyll & Hyde, In The Mood, Serenade and Balachine’s Walpurgisnacht ballet. 

    Skylar Burson (Snow King) is in his 1st season with Ballet Tucson. He previously was a member of the Utah Regional Ballet and Oakland Ballet. Skylar can be seen in principal roles this season in The Nutcracker, Masquerade and Who Cares?.

    Performance Date/Time

    Thursday, December 23 – 7:00 pm
    Friday, December 24 – 3:00 pm
    Sunday, December 26 – 1:00 pm
    Sunday, December 26 – 5:00 pm

    Location

    Tucson Music Hall
    260 S. Church Ave. 

    Tickets

    General: $37 – $65*
    Seniors/Students/Military: $30 – $46*
    Groups (of 10 or more): $25 – $35*
    Phone: 800.745.3000
    www.ticketmaster.com
    www.ballettucson.org 

    About Ballet Tucson

    Now in its 36th season and 18th year as the only professional dance company in Tucson and Southern Arizona, Ballet Tucson presents the highest quality dance productions with a full range of historic classics and contemporary works. 

    The company has been hailed as “a treasure in our community” by the Arizona Daily Star. Chuck Graham (Tucson arts writer) exclaims that the company “proudly maintains its place as the keeper of the flame of classical ballet in the Old Pueblo.”

    For more information, visit www.ballettucson.org

    Contact: Margaret Mullin, Media Director and Associate Artistic Director
    Address: 200 S. Tucson Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85716
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    Email: margaretmullin@ballettucson.org 

  3. Q&A with the Footprints at the Fox Choreographers

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    By: Mallory Cash

    Get to know our Footprints at the Fox choreographers (in the order their pieces will appear onstage) in this Q&A by Ballet Tucson Brady Fellow Mallory Cash!

    Skylar Burson
    Piece Title: Eloquence

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Graceful, Strong, and Enjoyable.
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: The opportunity, the music, and my passion for the artform inspired me to create this piece.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The choreographic and rehearsal processes have been good learning experiences that have taught me to allow for flexibility within my concepts and choreography.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I hope the audience feels a sense of joy while watching dancers do what they love on stage.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: My favorite part of choreographing is being able to express ideas, concepts or feelings through movement.

     

    Audrey McGonagle
    Piece Title: Ostinato in Blue

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Busy, spontaneous, and periodic
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: The piece is inspired by the use of repetition in the music. Every dancer is assigned to one of the unique rhythmic phrases that are introduced throughout the piece.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The choreographic process has been an incredible learning experience! My dancers are extremely hard working individuals and I have really loved working with such passionate artists.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I admire art that welcomes and encourages the development of multiple viewpoints. I hope audience members will feel a unique connection to this piece and create their own perspective of what it means to them.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: I really love collaborating with my dancers and watching the piece evolve as we move along. It’s been a really fun experience watching my dancers translate my ideas into movements and build off from the initial structure.

     

    Kelsey Minzenmayer
    Piece Title: Never Be Without

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: ethereal, connective, and ambient
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: My inspiration for this piece was greatly influenced by the music as well as how the world has been impacted since Covid-19. After not being able to dance for over a year, I was beyond excited to create something that would be so joyous to dance and I’m thrilled to get to share that experience with the dancers and the audience.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The choreographic and rehearsal process has all around been so positive. As every artist does, I definitely had a few challenges I faced with creating my piece. Along with experiencing some mental block, I had 2 weeks of crucial creative time taken away at the beginning of the process since I couldn’t be there due to being sick. Overall the dancers, music, and movement all worked together in the end and I think the piece was created how it was meant to be.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: Since I was inspired to create the piece by the music, my main goal was for the audience to see the music through dance. I hope they can take away the music’s serene, meditative textures through the movement.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: The best part of choreographing has been working with the dancers in the studio and being able to create movement together that looked effortless by using their natural movement.

     


    Kendra Clyde
    Piece Title: Phases

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: childhood, rebellion, trials
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: A lot of things inspired this piece, but it’s a lot of experiences I’ve had in my own life and what I’ve analyzed in other people’s lives. My piece is about growing up and how some of the experiences people have cause them to go through a rebellious phase. I think a lot of people go through those stages in life at different points and I’m trying to capture that in dance.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: I have to say it’s been so fun. It’s so amazing that this is our job, to create and I do a lot of experimenting in my rehearsals. I do a lot of improv because I like to see how my dancers move and I also want to incorporate their feelings and emotions to the movement.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I want them to reflect on their own life. I want them to remember what they did as a kid and I want the audience to remember, “oh yeah, when I went through my Rebellion phase this is what I did or or oh yes, I did go through some trials, but I’m okay now.”
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: The dancers and getting to know them. We even discuss some of the experiences we’ve had in our own life to incorporate into the movement. I feel honored that they tell me about their lives and they work so hard. It wouldn’t be the same dance without them.

     

    Casey Johnson
    Piece Title: Intrepid

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Sensual, dimensional, ornate
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: My piece was inspired by a sunset one evening as I was listening to this music, and I looked up and kind of had this idea of the moon and sun having this intimate moment together.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The choreographic and rehearsal process has been a whirlwind this year, but the end result from the process ended up being something really satisfying.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I hope they take away a sense of excitement and passion after seeing this work.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: My favorite part of choreographing is getting to see the finished product, and watching the dancers tell a story with it.

     

    Tim Kolman
    Piece Title: Heracles

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Nostalgic. Epic. Fantasy.
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: I wanted to see what I was capable of. I did it to see if I could rise to the challenge of using complicated music and give off the correct feelings of the piece to the audience.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The process has been very fast and encouraging for both me and the dancers. Each rehearsal, the piece has made enormous progress and therefore our confidence grew.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: Just to be taken away from their realities and become a part of a nostalgic experience. Just for a moment.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: Seeing myself create something on the spot that works well with the music and watching the dancers create their own characters in the piece to make it all come alive.
    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Nostalgic. Epic. Fantasy.
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: I wanted to see what I was capable of. I did it to see if I could rise to the challenge of using complicated music and give off the correct feelings of the piece to the audience.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: The process has been very fast and encouraging for both me and the dancers. Each rehearsal, the piece has made enormous progress and therefore our confidence grew.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: Just to be taken away from their realities and become a part of a nostalgic experience. Just for a moment.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: Seeing myself create something on the spot that works well with the music and watching the dancers create their own characters in the piece to make it all come alive.

     

    Francesca Poznanski
    Piece Title: Grey Matter

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Intentional, slightly chaotic, and corresponding
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: I listened to the music and I pictured different people and the way they communicate with one another and translate information. The formation of what happens in the brain and how you have different motor skills that translate information. Those pieces of your brain are actually called grey matter.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: It’s the first time I’ve choreographed a piece so it’s definitely new and different from setting a piece. To have to come up with everything and not only set it on people, but also figure out by myself how to create different things with specific timing.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I hope it shows different relationships and how they influence you in different aspects of your life, along with how important each and every person is, even if some things don’t suit your personality perfectly.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: Getting to be a part of something I’ve never done before and working in such a professional environment, creating something that comes straight from me and is molded on the dancers.

     

    Brik Middlekauff
    Piece Title: Assemble

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Demanding, exuberant, dynamic
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: The music inspired my piece.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: I really enjoyed the choreographic and rehearsal process. I learned a lot about myself as a first time choreographer and appreciated my cast being so adaptable.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I hope the audience feels joyful throughout my piece.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: I loved being in the studio with the dancers and seeing them bring my vision to life.

     

     

    DeVonte’ Tasker
    Piece Title: Don’t Wait For Me

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: Very chill ballet
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: I was working with music from a friend of mine and the songs talk about a complicated relationship, and I wanted to tell an even more complicated story than what was already in the songs. I thought I would try telling a story of four people liking the same person, so it’s a complex love story.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: It’s been super easy honestly. I choreographed 5 of the minutes beforehand so I had half of it done prior to coming into the studio, and the other parts were easy to set since we had ideas to work with already. The dancers are also super easy to work with.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: Honestly, creating a 10 minute piece has been the most challenging, but also the most fun. We had to have a time limit, so meeting that but making sure it’s something that I am comfortable with has been interesting (since I’ve never choreographed a piece longer than five minutes), so I’m excited about it.

     

    Danielle Cesanek
    Piece Title: Noir

    Q: If you had to describe your piece in three words, what would they be?
          A: feminine, dark, and slow
    Q: What inspired you to create your piece?
          A: I was inspired by the low, emotional sounds of the cello to create a piece around women and their strength and sorrows.
    Q. How has the choreographic and rehearsal process been?
          A: This rehearsal process was actually a bit more challenging than the past few Choreolab experiences. I was trying to challenge myself by choreographing something out of my comfort zone. I wanted to go for a slower, darker, more grounded piece instead of my usual bright, fast, happy choreography.
    Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from your piece?
          A: I hope the audience can feel the beauty of the music through the dancers.
    Q: What has been your favorite part about choreographing?
          A: The best part about choreographing is the ability to change things that might not work as you initially envisioned them to. I love that I can come into the studio and switch something that I didn’t love or alter a step to really showcase a dancer’s strengths.

  4. Ballet Tucson Announces the Return of Sugar Plum Tea 2021

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    On Sunday, December 5th, at 1:00 pm, Ballet Tucson will host its 20th Annual Sugar Plum Tea. There are few things more rewarding than experiencing the joy of tradition during the festive season, and the Sugar Plum Tea has become a Holiday tradition for Tucson families.

    Confections of every kind will transform the ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel Tucson – Reid Park into a magical setting for this hallmark event. Join Ballet Tucson artists along with the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara and other characters from The Nutcracker ballet in celebrating the sights and sounds of the season. Festivities will also include a Ballet Tucson performance, holiday boutique and marketplace and a silent auction of gifts and treasures. Enjoy high tea, holiday shopping and outstanding performances. 

    Entertainment headliners to provide live holiday music will be harpist CHRISTINE VIVONA and the 4TH AVENUE STRINGS led by Rose Todaro. All proceeds benefit Ballet Tucson (Tucson’s professional ballet company).

    Date/Time

    Sunday, December 5 – 1:00 pm

    Location

    DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tucson – Reid Park
    445 S Alvernon Way

    Reservations

    Online: https://www.ballettucson.org/special-events
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    $75.00 per person

    About Ballet Tucson

    Now in its 36th season and 18th year as the only professional dance company in Tucson and Southern Arizona, Ballet Tucson presents the highest quality dance productions with a full range of historic classics and contemporary works. 

    The company has been hailed as “a treasure in our community” by the Arizona Daily Star. Chuck Graham (Tucson arts writer) exclaims that the company “proudly maintains its place as the keeper of the flame of classical ballet in the Old Pueblo.”

    About Christine Vivona

    Dr. Christine Vivona, Harpist, dazzles with her masterful elegance and spectacular style. She received her Master of Music degree from the University of Arizona. She has performed with True Concord (Grammy Award Winner), Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Chandler Jazz festival, and with legendary artists including Leonard Bernstein, Bernadette Peters, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, The Moody Blues, Christopher Cross, Roberta Flack, Al Jarreau, Trisha Yearwood and Linda Ronstadt.

    About Rose Todaro/4th Avenue Strings

    Rose Todaro, Director of the 4th Avenue Strings, holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music Degree from Bowling Green State University. She has played in the Broadway touring productions of “Guys & Dolls”, “The Producers” and “The Sound of Music”, and with numerous orchestras and popular entertainers from Wayne Newton to Luciano Pavarotti. Rose appears on Merle Haggard’s CD “Unforgettable” and on the soundtrack of the award-winning Cate Blanchett film “I’m Not There”. 

    The 4th Avenue Strings have been delighted to bring the joy of chamber music to the Tucson area since 2005.

    For more information, visit www.ballettucson.org

    Contact: Margaret Mullin, Media Director and Associate Artistic Director
    Address: 200 S. Tucson Blvd.
      Tucson, AZ 85716
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    Email: margaretmullin@ballettucson.org 

  5. Ballet Tucson Presents Footprints at the Fox

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    For the 4th year, Ballet Tucson presents Footprints at the Fox, featuring new works created by ten young choreographers in an exciting, one performance only event at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre. 

    Founding Artistic Director Mary Beth Cabana has established “ChoreoLab”, a choreography laboratory for emerging choreographers. This program fosters the development of new, young voices in dance choreography. It also exposes participants to skills needed for future careers as Artistic Directors, Ballet Masters, Lighting Designers, Sound Designers, and Costume Designers. Ballet Tucson’s eight apprentices lead the cast in ten pieces with company members added to support the performance. 

    The overall concept is not only to foster and develop the next generation of choreographers, but also to offer an opportunity for audiences to be exposed to new, youthful voices in dance. In particular, an outreach component has been created by Ballet Tucson and Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation to distribute tickets to children and families who might otherwise not be able to attend this performance and experience the beauty and importance of art in everyone’s lives. 

    Experience contemporary dance, classical ballet,and everything in between. The audience will be treated to an array of unique creations and will vote for their favorite piece at the conclusion of the performance. Cash awards will be presented to the top 3 choreographers and announced on Ballet Tucson’s Facebook page. 

    Footprints at the Fox has become an extremely popular show for Ballet Tucson patrons. The interactive element of voting adds a fun and unique dimension to this event. 

    This year’s emerging  choreographers for Footprints at the Fox:

        • Brik MiddleKauff – Guest Company Teacher
        • Danielle Cesanek – Company Dancer
        • Casey Johnson – Company Dancer
        • Skylar Burson – Company Dancer
        • Kendra Clyde – Company Dancer
        • Francesca Poznanski – Company Dancer
        • Tim Kolman – Company Dancer
        • Kelsey Minsenmayer – Company Dancer
        • Devonte‵ Tasker – Company Dancer
        • Audrey McGonagle – Brady Fellow Trainee

    Performance Date/Time

    Sunday, November 14 – 2:00 pm

    Location

    Fox Tucson Theatre
    17 W. Congress St.

    Tickets

    General: $30 (festival seating)
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    www.eventbrite.com
    tickets@ballettucson.org

    About Ballet Tucson

    Now in its 36th season and 18th year as the only professional dance company in Tucson and Southern Arizona, Ballet Tucson presents the highest quality dance productions with a full range of historic classics and contemporary works. 

    The company has been hailed as “a treasure in our community” by the Arizona Daily Star. Chuck Graham (Tucson arts writer) exclaims that the company “proudly maintains its place as the keeper of the flame of classical ballet in the Old Pueblo.”

    For more information, visit www.ballettucson.org

    Contact: Margaret Mullin, Media Director and Associate Artistic Director
    Address: 200 S. Tucson Blvd.
      Tucson, AZ 85716
    Phone: 520.903.1445
    Email: margaretmullin@ballettucson.org

  6. A Conversation with Balanchine Repetiteur, Zippora Karz

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    By: Caitlin Calligan-Chasser 

    I sat down with Balanchine repetiteur Zippora Karz this past week, to talk to her about her life and staging process in the studio. Here are some select highlights from our talk:


    How do you decide what part of the ballet to dissect and teach first? Do you always start at the very beginning or sometimes tackle a more difficult part first?

    Just in general, as a stager, what I usually like to do is I have to cast the hardest part first. The first thing, for Serenade, I need to do is cast the Russian girl, because somebody might be perfect for the Waltz girl, but if no body can do the steps of the Russian girl then… I like to cast the most technical, challenging part first because in Balanchine ballets you’re going to have artistic moments- it’s not like there’s one artistic part and one part is just technical. Even the technical part is going to require artistry. So it’s not like somebody’s losing out, we just have to find out who can technically do the challenges of certain parts that maybe have more turns or jumps, because people will be a better jumper or turner. So what I like to do of all of the people who are a potential of a certain part, I teach them all, and then I like to see and look. They might not be perfect in that moment, but you can tell who has the potential and can work on it. As far as the group corps, usually you start in the beginning, and then as you go along you see if you put people in the right stop, and maybe early on you want to shift positions before you’ve taught too

    Is it easier to teach the corps group sections or a difficult principal part?

    The 20 corps dancers, for example, if there are patterns involved and they’re all doing something different, that’s more challenging than teaching a really difficult technical stuff that’s one solo. Because that’s just one thing, where as if you have 20 people and they’re all doing something different, you have to learn everyones part. That’s actually the most challenging part of being a repetiteur, is that you have to learn everyone’s part. You can’t possibly be completely perfect with it but if you have an idea… and thank god we have video taps and we have notes. That’s why you want to notate things before you come. What I did is when I first started staging ballets is I liked to talk to other people who had been staging them a long time. One of the things about these ballets is that, Balanchine, in particular, would change the part for whoever was dancing it- most likely the principals, but sometimes the corps, over time, he would change. So what I like to do is I like to go back to the last year he was alive, 1983, and I like to use that version as opposed to in the 60s. So there are some repetiteurs that do it from when they were dancing in the 70s. I like to go to the last year he was alive, so the last version he did. That’s for the corps. For a principal role, I like to look at all the different possibilities of what it was and I like to look at what fits the dancer. And maybe I’ll teach the most recent but maybe if I see it doesn’t look so good I say ‘hey look at this, this is what’s been done before and maybe this is better on you.’ And then we look at it.

    One thing I remembered about you- you’ve very encouraging and positive to the dancers—whether it’s warranted or not— and I can only speculate, but I’m guessing the environment at NYCB when you were dancing there wasn’t as kind and as positive. The environment you create in the studio now- do you purposely do that to be the opposite of how it was when you were dancing?

    I had both. I danced for 16 years, so within a 16 year career you’re going to have positive experiences and really bad experiences too. I think being a dancer is difficult, whether you’re in a positive or negative environment. We work so hard and we are some of the greatest athletes and artists and we’re workers. We’re not treated like star celebrities, we don’t get paid like star celebrities and we don’t get treated like that either. One dancer in a company I taught- it was a really big compliment- he came up to me after a class I taught and he said, ‘you’re a dancer’s teacher.’ And I liked that compliment because I felt like a lot of people I saw that were dancers that became teachers, it’s almost like they forgot what it was like to be a dancer and they started treating people the way they didn’t like to be treated.

    I feel like I personally I struggled a lot with my health. I was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes my third year in the company, and so I lost a lot of the physical athleticism I once had. So even though I was still seen as a very artistic dancer I struggled, and because of that I was treated as somebody that didn’t have the talent in certain ways that I once did. I remember teachers saying, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you just do it?’ And it’s like, ‘ok come inside my body and feel what this feels like. It’s not that I’m not trying to do it.’ But I feel like sometimes dancers are treated like you don’t want to do it and therefore you’re not doing it. But no, we’re actually trying and because it’s such a physical art, you’re only as good as what your body can accomplish in that moment. I feel like maybe I have patience with the physical challenge of it. And still- as directing a ballet you have to make difficult choices, but what I like to do is communicate. And that’s something that I think is an issue and it’s not just in the dance world, it’s in the world at large. You talk to the person. People are afraid of confrontation, they avoid difficult conversations sometimes because they don’t want to hurt the person, but you’re going to hurt them in the end anyhow if you don’t talk to them. So what I like to do is say, ‘Look, I really like you and you’re dancing really really well and I see your potential. You’re just not ready at this moment, so we’re going to have to replace you…’. I like to explain something why. I think I have empathy in the challenges of it and I can see when somebody’s trying. So I appreciate the trying it just doesn’t always mean you can do it. But what I experienced is that support and encouragement and inspiration can take you further than where you think you can go. So before you give up on somebody, I like to give them a chance. And I like to say, ‘Here, try it and show me what you can do’ rather than just axing somebody before you gave them a chance to actually work on it. The truth is that sometime some people can do it right away and other people may need some time to go work on it. Their brains might take longer, their body might take longer and then once they work on it its like ‘You did it!’ So I like to work that way, where if somebody shows me the work that they can do, you get more out of dancers. I’m not Pollyanna in that way, but I do understand. When you don’t have the encouragement and you don’t have the belief and you get depressed, it really does change the way you go at your work and the way you dance. You can’t solve everything to have the encouragement, you know, you’re only as good as your muscles really are, but it does do something, it really does.like to be a dancer and they started treating people the way they didn’t like to be treated. I feel like I personally I struggled a lot with my healt

    Balanchine dancers are known for their speed and a certain ’sparkle.’ Even dancers at Royal Ballet don’t dance Tchaikovsky pas de deux the same as say, Tiler Peck. You only have a limited amount of time in the studio, is there anything you harp on to help dancers capture that essence?

    It’s really about opening up, I like to use the word being energetically generous. I like to teach the dancers how to be as expansive and generous as they can, both in their energy and their physical body. So that’s part of what the Balanchine technique is- the turnout, the legs might be a little more turned out, the leg in arabesque might be a little bit more rotated, the arms, instead of being square, the shoulders may just be a little more open and the chin just a little more up instead of pulled in. The explanation is in the technicality, so literally technically in the shoulder, but also in the energy of giving. I feel like as dancers, because we’re always next to somebody you can think that you’re doing a lot, and you can think you’re giving, but you can do more. And so you need some body to say, ’No, no you are giving, but you can do more.’ So you have to kind of push them because dance is so hard. It’s already hard, and you have to push them to do more and more and more. But I always find the more you give, the more you have to give. The more energy you give it’s like you hit that second wind, like a cyclist will find or something, hitting the momentum. So I just like to push them to give a little bit more, to open up, expand a little bit more physically and energetically I would say. Balanchine loved uninhibitedness in movement and in energy. His big saying was ‘What are you saving for?’

    You were one of the last dancers Balanchine himself picked for the company and you were among greatness from an early age- Peter Boal, Jerome Robbins, Heather Watts just to name a few— what was it like to be around those pillars of the ballet world? Did you know it at the time how special of a time it was?

    Well, my story is I didn’t know you could be a ballet dancer for a career, it didn’t really register and I really only went to New York at 15 because my teacher’s enthusiasm and she pushed me and I didn’t have a good home life so I was happy to get out of the house anyhow. So I went to New York and I hadn’t really even seen a live performance. I was really scared. Being the in summer program was really scary because all the people had the dreams and everybody was so competitive and my personality was like, ‘Ok, you want it so bad, go ahead.’ I would hear people be like ‘Why is she in that level?’ I wasn’t a strong turner and I wasn’t a good jumper. I didn’t have any one thing you could pin point. I remember walking into SAB for the first time and there was this girl, 12 years old doing fouettés and I was probably 15 like, ‘I can’t do that.’ And I was really scared. So the summer program freaked me out and when I stayed for the winter program, what happened was Balanchine. Balanchine was there, and the dancers were taking class with us and Peter Martins was taking class with us, Suzanne Farrell was teaching me. I actually felt like I was having a spiritual religious experience. It’s corny to say, but I actually felt that way. I couldn’t sleep at night before going in to the studio. I mean, everyday was that (incredible). Balanchine was walking the halls, and he was coming in and watching us, and Peter Martins was taking class with us and all the company could take class with us. And Nurevey was there all the time and Baryshnikov was there all time, and he and Peter Martins would be competing with each other. And the truth is, anybody who was there, whether they ended up dancing or not, it still changed their life. I have friends from SAB who never even became dancers, and they all went on to do something great, something meaningful. Their lives were meaningful. This is what I feel. If your life is touched by genius and greatness, it changes you forever. You know what that is and you know what that felt like. It can be depressing if you don’t have it, because you know what that was, but it’s also why we’re here. You just know what it is to be part of life itself. I feel like I was lucky to feel that. When Balanchine died, it was devastating. And the grief of not having him for my career was devastating. And I remember feeling like, ‘What an awful time. Why did I get here at the very end?’ And now I look back and think ’thank god I got the end.’ After that, nobody got him at all. For me, it was tragic. I remember being with Peter Boal and hysterically crying. It was just so awful. But now, people can ask me questions now and I can be grateful now that it happened. I went to the funeral and I stood in the back, and Joe Duell, who was a principal in the company and kind of looked out for me, saw me and he took me by the hand and he brought me to the front. And Karin von Aroldingen was in the front, who was Balachine’s main person, and they held my hand in the funeral. I still get choked up by it, because I felt like they understood what this meant for the future generations. I was just so touched that they saw me as an important part of the lineage.

    You memorize names so quickly in rehearsal – any tips or tricks for the rest of us?

    Yeah, but I forget them so fast! That’s funny you say that! You know what I do, is when somebody tells me their name, I try to identify who they look like and who they remind me of!

    Caitlin Calligan-Chasser

    About Caitlin Calligan-Chasser:

    Caitlin Calligan-Chasser danced with Ballet Tucson for nine seasons, and is a current member of the Ballet Tucson Bravo League. She retired from professional dancing in 2019, and currently lives in Marana with her husband, Joe, and two little girls, Evelyn and Alice. She is ever inspired by the world of ballet and the dancers themselves, and hopes to open up a portion of their world through this blog.

  7. ‘Ballet Tucson prepares to return to the stage’

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    By Megan Meier (Story from kgun9.com)

    TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Ballet Tucson dancers are back in the studio to prepare for several upcoming live performances.

    “There’s no way to describe what it’s like to dance with your colleagues and to be able to share the space together. It really just amplifies the artistic experience,” said Ballet Tucson Company Artist, Jennifer Martin.

    For up to eight hours a day, six days a week, Martin and others are hard at work perfecting their technique.

    “This will be our second week of the season this year. We had some buildup classes beforehand to help us get in shape and make sure we are all ready for the season,” said Martin.

    Ballet Tucson, one of Southern Arizona’s only professional dance companies, has brought art to life for the last 36 years.

    “Dancers are used to performing all the time, training all the time and being on stage all the time. That has not happened in the last year and a half. COVID did not allow it at all,” said Ballet Tucson Associate Artistic Director, Margaret Mullin.

    Ballet Tucson plans to perform five shows from October to April. Mullin said they are excited to bring back the famous holiday classic, The Nutcracker.

    “There is really nothing that compares with the feeling of being on stage and giving the audience an experience. Our dancers live off of that. They thrive in that setting,” said Mullin.

    Company artist, Kendra Clyde, has trained in ballet since she was five years old. When she hits the stage, she will live out a lifelong dream along with many others.

    “It’s amazing. In this day in age, where COVID can make things unknown, we’re really grateful for this opportunity to dance again,” said Clyde.

    To view a full schedule of Ballet Tucson’s upcoming live performances, click here.

    View original article and video HERE.