American Repertory Ballet Returns to Live Performances at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, October 23-24
American Repertory Ballet makes its highly anticipated return to its home venue, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, with performances of Emergence, on Saturday, October 23 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, October 24 at 2:00 pm.
These performances mark the first program curated under ARB’s new Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, one of the world’s most acclaimed ballet dancers, having reached principal status at both New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.
“ARB is thrilled to welcome our guests back to the theater and have the opportunity to reaffirm the value and power that live performances have in uplifting our spirits and communities,” says Stiefel.
A Stirring Mix of Movement and Music
The program features four separate pieces, each with its own mood, style, and flair. Opening the performance is Stiefel’s Wood Work, a piece that was created for The Washington Ballet in 2019. Set to music by the Danish String Quartet, Wood Work inspires a sense of joy and healing through seeking unique and individual paths, while feeling connected to one another.
The program continues with Amy Seiwert’s World, Interrupted, with music by Swedish composer David Wenngren and featuring cellist Julia Kent. This piece explores resiliency, hope, exhaustion, disruption – all shared experiences related to the ongoing pandemic. Due to travel advisories and related safety protocols, Seiwert created the piece entirely via Zoom and it is a testament of how artistic collaboration can thrive through creativity and perseverance.
Saudade marks the first commission by ARB’s own Ryoko Tanaka, set to an original score by former ARB2 dancer Haley Wright. This collaboration also reflects ARB’s commitment to nurturing emerging artists and providing a platform to showcase their diverse talents. Saudade is an intimate piece that draws inspiration from the Portuguese word’s inherent meaning of “nostalgia” and with a sense of “hopefulness.”
In a recent interview, Wright notes: “With the pandemic over the past year, the word saudade seemed an appropriate title for our time. We all have hope our society will eventually return to some version of normal.”
In Mexican Music, choreographer David Fernandez celebrates acclaimed Mexican composers, including Juventino Rosas, Ricardo Castro, and Jose Pablo Moncayo. The piece opens with Rosas’ waltz “Sobre las Olas” (or “Over the Waves”) which remains one of the most famous works worldwide by any Latin American composer.
The costumes for the piece marks a unique collaboration between Mexican-inspired designs of Pineda Covalin and costume designer Janessa Cornell Urwin. The vibrant prints of Pineda Covalin celebrate the cultural richness of Mexico through colors, patterns and forms, which allude to Huichol prints, the Monarch Butterfly, Day of the Dead and other traditions.
Emergence will be the first time that all of these pieces are performed live by American Repertory Ballet – a “must see” program for audiences of all ages.
“Our dancers are ready to get back on stage and do what they love: perform to a live audience,” says Stiefel. “For both the performer and the audience, there’s nothing like the connection and the energy that live performances inspire.”
Tickets starting at $25; student tickets are $10. For tickets, visit arballet.org or call the NBPAC ticket office at 732.745.8000.
COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures
The health and safety of our audience members, artists, and staff are of the utmost importance. Patrons attending a performance at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center must show proof of vaccination via a vaccine card, or through NJ’s Docket App. If not fully vaccinated, patrons must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance date.
All patrons are required to wear masks at all times while inside the venue. This includes children older than 2 who have not been vaccinated. For more information about these guidelines, please visit https://nbpac.org/covid-health-safety/.
About American Repertory Ballet
American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to students through artistic and educational programs. Founded as the Princeton Ballet Society in 1954, the organization now comprises: the preeminent professional ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the most established non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB’s Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program. In July 2021, ARB welcomed its new Artistic Director, Ethan Stiefel. To learn more, visit arballet.org.
ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
David Fernandez was born in Mexico City where he began his training at the Centro de art y Ballet. After receiving a scholarship to Giordano Jazz Dance in Chicago, he immigrated to the United States. While performing with the company, he began creating contemporary works for performance in art galleries and alternative spaces. During his dancing career he performed with Chicago’s Boitsov Classical Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ballet Theatre of Chicago, and he performed alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov in the play The Doctor and The Patient at the 2004 Lincoln Center Festival. David’s most acclaimed choreography, Five Variations on a Theme, was created for New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Joaquin De Luz. The work premiered as part of the acclaimed Kings of the Dance tour, and was performed to standing ovations in NYC, LA, London, Paris, Rome, Moscow, Kiev, and Odessa. His other commissions include the Kings of the Dance Tour, Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble, Youth America Grand Prix, Opera North, Staten Island Ballet, and the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School – NY and Some Dance Company. David is also an award-winning filmmaker: his latest dance-on-film accomplishments include the Lost Angeles Olympus Film Festival Award for Best Public Service Announcement.
Amy Seiwert enjoyed a nineteen-year performing career dancing with the Smuin, Los Angeles Chamber, and Sacramento Ballets. As a dancer with Smuin Ballet, she became involved with the “Protégé Program,” where her choreography was mentored by the late Michael Smuin. She was Choreographer in Residence there upon her retirement from dancing in 2008 until 2018. Named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, her first full evening of choreography was named one of the “Top 10” dance events of 2007 by the SF Chronicle. Seiwert’s ballets are in the repertory of Ballet Austin, BalletMet, Smuin, Washington, Atlanta, Oakland, Sacramento, Colorado, Louisville, Cincinnati, Carolina, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee and American Repertory Ballets as well as Imagery, Robert Moses KIN and AXIS Dance. Seiwert served as Artistic Director of Sacramento Ballet from 2018-2020.
Ethan Stiefel is an internationally renowned Dancer, Instructor, Coach, Director and Choreographer. Stiefel became American Repertory Ballet’s Artistic Director in July, 2021. In 1989, Stiefel began his professional career at age 16 with the New York City Ballet where he quickly rose to the rank of Principal Dancer. Stiefel was also a Principal Dancer with Ballett Zürich followed by being a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997-2012. Stiefel has served as Dean of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) as well as the Artistic Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. During his celebrated performing career, Stiefel danced leading roles in all the full-length classics and performed in an extensive range of shorter classical, contemporary and modern works. Guest appearances include dancing with The Royal Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Teatro Colon, The Australian Ballet and many others. He has appeared in numerous film, video and television productions including the feature film Center Stage and the documentary Born to be Wild. As a choreographer, he has created new works for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, The Washington Ballet, ABT Studio Company, Northern Ballet (UK), The Royal Ballet School, UNCSA, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the television series Flesh and Bone on the STARZ network. Stiefel has received a number of prestigious awards such as the Statue Award of the Princess Grace Foundation and the Dance Magazine Award.
Ryoko Tanaka was born and raised in Japan, where she began her training. In 2013, she was selected to be in the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II program, where she performed in Michael Pink’s Romeo and Juliet, and Nutcracker. In 2017, she joined the trainee program at American Repertory Ballet and soon moved up to the second company, ARB2. In 2018, she was promoted to the main company. Since joining ARB, Ryoko has performed the title role in Giselle; lead roles in Nutcracker; Overture by Ethan Stiefel; Airs by Paul Taylor; Blue Until June by Trey McIntyre; and other roles. Saudade marks her first commission for the Company.
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Article Courtesy of the American Repertory Ballet