February 14–16, 2025
Leo Rich Theater
BALLET TUCSON PREMIERE
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Igor Stravinsky
The Ballet Tucson premiere of George Balanchine's Rubies is generously sponsored by Jeannette Segel
Rubies is one of legendary choreographer George Balanchine’s most iconic works. Featuring dynamic music by Igor Stravinsky, this vivacious ballet demonstrates Balanchine’s great love of America, the fast pace of life in New York City and The Jazz Age.
Choreography by Margaret Mullin
Music by Sergei Prokofiev
“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.” — Juliet.
The balcony scene from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is brought to life through an exquisite pas de deux choreographed by Artistic Director Margaret Mullin.
Choreography by Chieko Imada
Music by Lalo Guerrero performed live onstage in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival and Tucson Guitar Society
In celebration of Tucson’s 250th birthday, Associate Artistic Director Chieko Imada creates another exciting world premiere in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival and Tucson Guitar Society. This vibrant new ballet features the music of legendary Tucsonan Lalo Guerrero, Father of Chicano music, performed live onstage with our dancers.
Ballet Tucson's performance of Rubies is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® service standards established and provided by The Trust.
Clear Bags no larger than 14″ x 16″ or a clutch no larger than 8″ x 5″. Large bags, briefcases, backpacks, luggage and convertible backpack purses are strictly prohibited. Tucson Convention Center does not provide storage for any confiscated baggage or safeguard any personal belongings and also prohibits Ballet Tucson Staff from doing so.
Friday, February 14, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 2:00 pm
All programming is subject to change
Single Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster and the Tucson Convention Center Box Office. Call 800.653.8000, visit the Tucson Convention Center Box Office at 260 S Church Ave, or click the button below to purchase online:
Become a Ballet Tucson Season Subscriber to receive 20% off tickets & other exclusive benefits.
TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER POLICIES AND INFORMATION
(Subject to change)
BOX OFFICE:
If your tickets are reserved at the Box Office/Will Call, you will need to show ID to verify your identity. You can pick up your tickets after going through the security check.
TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER BAG POLICY:
Tucson Arena, Tucson Music Hall and Leo Rich Theater has enhanced venue environmental, health and safety protocols to include the type of bag guests are allowed to bring into these facilities. In additional to health and safety issues, our new protocol will help expediate entry to games and events. Clear Bags no larger than 14″ x 16″ or a clutch no larger than 8″ x 5″. Large bags, briefcases, backpacks, luggage and convertible backpack purses are strictly prohibited. Guests entering any facility in the Tucson Convention Center are subject to search at the discretion of management. Tucson Convention Center does not provide storage for any confiscated baggageor safeguard any personal belongings and also prohibits Ballet Tucson Staff from doing so.
SECURITY CHECK:
Security checks are required before entry. The Tucson Convention Center recommends that patrons should plan to arrive earlier than normal to allow for this enhanced security process. Tucson Convention Center reserves the right to refuse items which may cause a danger or disruption to an event or other guest. Any guest who declines to be searched or is in possession of a prohibited item may be denied entry or ejected from the facility.
FIREARMS:
The only person(s) allowed to bring firearms into the Tucson Convention Center are credentialed local, state, and federal law enforcement officers with proper identification.
PARKING:
Parking is available in Parking Lot A Garage which is located off Church Ave. Parking in Lot B is accessible via Granada, and Lot C which is accessible off or Granada. Please do not park in surrounding neighborhoods.
FOOD & BEVERAGE:
Guests of the Tucson Convention Center are not permitted to bring food or beverages into the premises. To purchase alcoholic beverages, a patron must present a valid US driver’s license, Passport, US liquor ID, or Military ID, which indicates the patron to be at least 21 years of age. (Duplicate licenses, expired licenses, damaged licenses and/or identifications will not be accepted). The TCC will not serve any guest whom they believe to be intoxicated.
RE-ENTRY:
Guests will not be allowed to exit and re-enter the Tucson Convention Center during an event.
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY
All photography and videography with any type of recording equipment including smartphones is strictly prohibited in the theater during performances. Any individual violating this policy may be asked to leave the theater.
PROHIBITED ITEMS:
GIFTS: Wrapped gifts are not allowed inside the facilities. There have been some exceptions, please contact the Tucson Convention Center for more information at 520.791.4101. ACCESSIBLE FACILITIES: Tucson Convention Center and all of thier venues offer convenient facilities and features for persons with disabilities. Please call 520.791.4101 during business hours or see a Guest Service representative for assistance during events. For guests with disabilities, the TCC recommends accessible parking in Lot A off Church Ave. between Congress and Cushing if you are attending an event in the Tucson Arena, Leo Rich Theater or Meeting Rooms. They recommend accessible parking in Lot C off Granada between Cushing and Congress if you are attending an event in the Tucson Music Hall. SMOKING: The Tucson Convention Center is a smoke-free facility. Smoking is prohibited and violations will result in ejection from the Tucson Convention Center without a refund. Smoking is allowed outside of the Tucson Convention Center in designated areas. Guests attending a Tucson Arena event will have availability to smoke in a designated area outside of Section 2018 doors. All guests must have their tickets in order to exit and reenter the building. STROLLERS: Strollers are not allowed in the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall or Leo Rich Theater. Strollers must be checked in at either Guest Services or in the theater lobbies. Guest Services is located on the concourse level behind the Ticket Office off Church Ave. For more information about Tucson Convention Center policies, visit: https://theater.tucsonconventioncenter.com/venue-info/faq/
The Father of American Ballet
Choreographer of Rubies
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Balanchine (1904–1983) is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. He came to the United States in late 1933, at the age of 29, accepting the invitation of the young American arts patron Lincoln Kirstein (1907-96), whose great passions included the dream of creating a ballet company in America. At Balanchine’s behest, Kirstein was also prepared to support the formation of an American academy of ballet that would eventually rival the long-established schools of Europe. This was the School of American Ballet, founded in 1934.
With a performance on October 11, 1948, the New York City Ballet was born. Balanchine served as its ballet master and principal choreographer from 1948 until his death in 1983, creating over 400 works. He also choreographed for films, operas, revues, and musicals.
A major artistic figure of the twentieth century, Balanchine revolutionized the look of classical ballet. With classicism as his base, he heightened, quickened, expanded, streamlined, and even inverted the fundamentals of the 400-year-old language of academic dance. This had an inestimable influence on the growth of dance in America. At first his style seemed particularly suited to the energy and speed of American dancers, but now his ballets are performed by all major classical ballet companies throughout the world.
The Father of Chicano Music
Lalo Guerrero was born in Tucson, Arizona on a cold Christmas Eve in 1916. An early love for music would take him far, learning to play the guitar when he was just nine years old. His mother was his first and only music teacher.
Guerrero became internationally recognized as the “Father of Chicano Music”
in a career that spanned generations. He was a great entertainer and he took his guitar and music everywhere – the White House, a neighbor’s house, a concert hall or a classroom. It was all the same to him. Lalo wanted to make people happy and his hermanos/brothers proud of their Mexican heritage.
His corridos told stories of the struggles and triumphs of Mexican-American heroes from Cesar Chavez to Ruben Salazar. His boleros/ballads brought tears and his comic songs, laughter. He often said, “I only wrote about what I saw.”
Doing just that, he became the musical historian of his beloved Chicano culture.
His honors were many including an NEA National Heritage Fellowship (1991), National Folk Treasure, Smithsonian Institution (1980), Tejano Music Hall of Fame (1992), California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President’s Award (1996), the Alma Award (1998) and invitations to the Jimmy Carter and George Bush White House. In 1997, President Bill Clinton presented the troubadour with the National Medal of Arts, the first Chicano ever to receive our nation’s highest arts award.
Guerrero continued to entertain to standing ovations only months before his guitar was silenced on March 17, 2005 at the age of eighty-eight.
Ballet Tucson Artistic Director
Choreographer of Romeo & Juliet Balcony Pas de Deux
Margaret Mullin is from Tucson, Arizona and trained at the School of Ballet Tucson on full scholarship. She was formerly a Soloist dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, where she danced for fourteen seasons. There she performed leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Justin Peck, Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Victor Quijada, and more. During her time at Pacific Northwest Ballet she had the opportunity toperform in Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles (Celebrate Forsythe festival), and Paris, in addition to performing numerous times at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Vail International Dance Festival. In 2011, she was the recipient of a prestigious Dance Fellowship Award from the Princess Grace Foundation USA, for her talent as a dancer and her potential to impact the field.
In 2021, she received her Nonprofit Leadership and Management certificate from the University of Arizona Eller Executive Education. Margaret is a graduate of Tucson Young Professionals’ Nonprofit Leadership Academy and the Dean Street Society Entrepreneur Mastermind program. She is a member of Tucson Young Professionals and serves on their Board of Directors.
Ms. Mullin has choreographed works for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Ballet Arts and Ballet Tucson. She has served as an instructor for Ballet in the City, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Evergreen City Ballet, Ballet Tucson, Ballet Arts, and Ballet Together. She has also been a stager of the choreographic works of Ian Horvath, Kiyon Ross, and Price Suddarth. Margaret is the director and producer of the documentary dance film No Dominion: The Ian Horvath Story and hosted the notable dance podcast Beyond the Barre on iTunes.
Ballet Tucson Associate Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer
Choreographer of World Premiere in partnership with the Tucson Desert Song Festival and Tucson Guitar Society
Chieko Imada is a native of Japan where she danced professionally as a Soloist with Inoue Ballet of Tokyo and also served as Ballet Mistress there. She has worked closely with many of the past and current noted figures of classical ballet, having performed in Europe, Korea, the Philippines, Australia and the South Pacific. Since coming to the United States, she has been a member of Arizona Dance Theatre, Ballet Arizona, and a former Principal Dancer for Ballet Tucson. She also appeared regularly with Orts Theatre of Dance and Tenth St. Danceworks modern troupes in Tucson.
Over the years, she has been responsible for staging many classical ballets and has also created numerous original contemporary works on Ballet Tucson, enriching the company’s repertoire. A talented choreographer, Ms. Imada has been nominated for the Buffalo Exchange Arts Award and the Governor’s Art Award. In 2021, she received the OnMedia Arts Hero Award for her impact on the arts in Tucson. She continues to be sought after as a guest teacher and choreographer. For the company’s 30th anniversary season, she created an original steampunk version of Jekyll & Hyde and in 2018 a world premiere Dia de Los Muertos ballet Spirit Garden in collaboration with renowned artist Lawrence Lee. In addition, she is the Director of Educational Outreach for Ballet Tucson implementing “Best Foot Forward” in Tucson Title 1 schools.