Ballet Russes Reinvented, THE NUTCRACKER and More Set for Festival Ballet Providence's 2015-16 Season

Festival Ballet Providence's (FBP) 2015-2016 Season, which was formally announced in June, opens in October 2015 with electrifying choreography, stunning staging, live music, and thrilling premieres. The company's thirty-eighth season of contemporary and classical dance includes Ballet Russes Reinvented, Up Close on Hope series, The Nutcracker, Hansel and Gretel, and Swan Lake.

This will be the final season for Mindaugas Bauzys, beloved by audiences and respected by colleagues around the world. Bauzys has captivated audiences with his commanding technique and passionate artistry ever since 2007 when he left the Boston Ballet to join FBP. Additionally, major collaborations with Community Music Works and The Steel Yard will enrich the company's fall productions with live music and original sets. Djuric said "We are committed to working with local artists and arts organizations as often as possible to create a richer experience for our audiences and our dancers."

Ballets Russes Reinvented launches the season on October 23-25 at The Vets in Providence. The triple-bill pays homage to the trailblazing 20th Century troupe The Ballets Russes; the program features reimaginings of three of the troupe's seminal works. Choreographer Dominic Walsh's Afternoon of a Faun (music: Claude Debussy) and Le Spectre de la Rose (music: Carl-Maria von Weber) will offer contemporary choreography and daring new perspectives. Walsh's works have recently been featured at the Joyce Theatre in New York; this will be the Rhode Island premiere of Walsh's choreography.

Reinvented closes with Djuric's The Firebird. At once haunting and poignant, the ballet is set to the timeless, epic score by Igor Stravinsky. Artist and sculptor Isabel Mattia, from Providence's innovative collaborative The Steel Yard, is creating a dynamic centerpiece for FBP's production of The Firebird, which will tower above the stage at 20-feet tall. "The Ballets Russes were famous for bringing together artists like Picasso, Bakst and others to design scenery for their productions," Djuric said. "We hope to pay homage to that legacy by bringing in Isabel and The Steel Yard, who are leaders in the thriving art and design community here in Providence."

Up Close on Hope returns November 13-22 with a program unlike any other in the series' history. From the intimacy of the 85-seat Black Box Theatre, audiences will have a chance to experience George Balanchine's oldest and most sought-after ballet, Apollo. The ballet depicts the young god, danced by Bausyz, as he is inspired into adulthood by the muses of poetry, mime and dance. "When I asked Mindaugas what role he would like to dance before he retires, he told me without question it would be Apollo," Djuric said. Up Close will also feature live music by Community Music Works in a brand new collaboration fusing contemporary movement and classical music. Bach Suites will be accompanied live by CMW cellist Adrienne Taylor and violinist Hannah Ross and will feature works by Misha Djuric, Andrea Dawn Shelley, and Ty Parmenter.

FPB's spectacular holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, will take place at Providence Performing Arts Center on December 18-20, 2015. The audience favorite features breathtaking sets and elegant choreography in a cherished a holiday tradition beloved by generations around the world.

In 2016, audiences can look forward to exciting performances on stages large and small. The company's chatterBOXtheatre series features a new adaptation of the Grimm's fairy tale Hansel and Gretel (January 30-Feb. 7). Up Close on Hope's second program (March 4-13) features two world-premiere story ballets: House of Bernarda Alba (choreography: Viktor Plotnikov) and Lady of Camellias (choreography: Gianni Di Marco) both of which will be created alongside new, commissioned scores. The season concludes with Swan Lake at The Vets (April 29-May1), perhaps the most famous and best loved of all classical ballet. "There's really nothing that can compare to Swan Lake," Djuric said. "It's one of those experiences that stay with you forever - the music, the dancing - it's all unforgettable."

All told, the season includes 30 performances, including four school-time shows for local students. Subscriptions and single tickets for all programs are on sale now.

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FESTIVAL BALLET PROVIDENCE
38TH SEASON (2015-2016)

BALLETS RUSSES REINVENTED

Venue: The Vets (One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903)

Program:

Le Spectre de la Rose † (choreography: Dominic Walsh; music: Carl Maria von Weber)

Afternoon of a Faun † (choreography: Dominic Walsh; music: Claude Debussy)

The Firebird (choreography: Mihailo Djuric, music: Igor Stravinsky)

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 10:00am (School performance, Firebird only)

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 8:00pm - 38th Season Opening Night

Saturday, October 24, 2015 - 7:30pm

Sunday, October 25, 2015 - 2:00pm

UP CLOSE ON HOPE (PROGRAM 1)

Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre (825 Hope St., Providence, RI 02906)

Program: George Balanchine's Apollo, Bach Suites collaboration with Community Music Works

Friday, November 13, 2015 - 8:00pm

Saturday, November 14, 2015 - 7:30pm

Friday, November 20, 2015 - 8:00pm

Saturday, November 21, 2015 - 7:30pm

Sunday, November 22, 2015 - 6:00pm

THE NUTCRACKER

Venue: PPAC (220 Weybosset St., Providence, RI 02903)

Choreography: Mihailo Djuric

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Thursday, December 17, 10:00am (School performance)

Friday, December 18, 10:00am (School performance)

Friday, December 18, 2015 - 8:00pm

Saturday, December 19, 2015 - 2:00pm, 7:00pm

Sunday, December 20, 2015 - 1:30pm

chatterBOXtheatre

Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre (825 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906)

Program: Hansel and Gretel * (choreography: Ilya Kozadayev)

Saturday, January 30, 2016 - 4:00pm

Sunday, January 31, 2016 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm

Saturday, February 6, 2016 - 4:00pm

Sunday, February 7, 2016 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm

UP CLOSE ON HOPE (PROGRAM 2)

Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre (825 Hope St., Providence, RI 02906)

Program:

House of Bernarda Alba * (choreography: Viktor Plotnikov; music: xx)

Lady of the Camellias (choreography: Gianni Di Marco; music: xx)

Friday, March 4, 2016 - 8:00pm

Saturday, March 5, 2016 - 7:30pm

Friday, March 11, 2016 - 8:00pm

Saturday, March 12, 2016 - 7:30pm

Sunday, March 13, 2016 - 6:00pm

SWAN LAKE

Venue: The Vets (One Avenue of the Arts, Providence, RI 02903)

Choreography: Mihailo Djuric, Milica Bijelic, after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Friday, April 29, 2016 - 10:00am (School performance)

Friday, April 29, 2016 - 8:00pm

Saturday, April 30, 2016 - 7:30pm

Sunday, May 1, 2016 - 2:00pm - 38th Season Closing Night

† Denotes Company Premiere; * Denotes World Premiere

Festival Ballet Providence makes its home at 825 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906. For more information, visit festivalballetprovidence.org, call 401-353-1129 or email info@festivalballetprovidence.org.

Pictured: Vilia Putrius (left) and Mindaugas Bauzys (right). Photo by Gene Schiavone. Apollo choreography by George Balanchine. © The George Balanchine Trust.

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