Paul Vasterling News

Fresh off their in-person performances at Ascend Amphitheater as the first performing arts organization in Nashville to return to live events, Nashville Ballet has announced their 2021-22 season, featuring a sensational lineup of in-theater performances and new digital releases that will appeal to a variety of audiences.

Nashville Ballet will make their triumphant return to in-person performances this spring. May 14 and 15, Nashville Ballet company dancers will perform live and outdoors at Nashville’s acclaimed Ascend Amphitheater.

Nashville Ballet will be concluding their latest virtual series this weekend with Attitude Part II. Aimed to highlight the wealth of talent native to Music City by bringing back fan-favorites by local artists, Attitude Part II will feature the virtual premiere of Artistic Director Paul Vasterling's Seasons.

Following the success of the televised premiere of Nashville's Nutcracker, Nashville Ballet presents its next installment of virtual content with Attitude, a two-part series set to release digitally March 5 through 7 and April 2 through 4.

Nashville Ballet and the Tennessee Titans will be partnering to present a televised performance of Nashville's Nutcracker on NewsChannel 5. The full-length, televised performance will replace the previously scheduled in-theater production at TPAC's Jackson Hall out of an abundance of caution amid COVID-19.

Nashville Ballet will open its 2020-21 performance season with a virtual production of Community Nov. 20-22. Celebrating the spirit of the city, Nashville Ballet's mixed repertory program will include Artistic Director Paul Vasterling's celebrated Appalachian Spring set to the beloved score by Aaron Copland. Additionally, Community will feature works by three artists whose careers blossomed at Nashville Ballet. 

Nashville Ballet, in partnership with Nashville's CBS affiliate NewsChannel 5, will present a televised premiere of Nashville's Nutcracker Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.

Studio Tenn's weekly talk show, 'Studio Tenn Talks: Theater Conversations with Patrick Cassidy' has released its July - August lineup, featuring nationally acclaimed performing artists. Jason Alexander, the Tony and Grammy Award winner and Emmy nominee best known for playing George Costanza in 'Seinfeld,' will be one of the featured guests.

Nashville Ballet's Artistic Director, Paul Vasterling, approached the company's annual Attitude series - Other Voices - with questions on gender: what does it mean to be a man, what does it mean to be a woman, what does it mean to be both, and what does it mean to be neither? Vasterling commissioned Jennifer Archibald, Erin Kouwe, Matthew Neenan, and Carlos Pons Guerra, in collaboration with Nashville-based musicians, Christina Spinei and Louis York, to create works from those prompts. Company artists appeared energized with work made on them; however, the four-piece program seemed grueling for dancers in terms of movement and content at the 7:30pm performance on Saturday, February 15 at Tennessee Performing Art Center's Polk Theater.

Dubbed a?oea Nashville miraclea?? by the New York Times, Tennessee's premiere ballet company returns for the 2020a?"2021 season with a spectacular repertoire of fantastic favorites and electrifying new works. With a continued commitment to presenting powerful and transformative art, Nashville Ballet's next season is meant to uplift, inspire, and engage audiences with impeccable storytelling, athleticism, and artistry.

Nashville Ballet Company Dancer Kayla Rowser, who has performed with the organization since 2007, announced she will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 performance season. Rowser will dance in her final main stage production during the Ballet's Modern Masters series for a three-day run April 24-26 at TPAC's Jackson Hall.

With the success of last season's critically-acclaimed production, Lucy Negro Redux, in mind, Nashville Ballet's annual February series continues the trend of using the artform to address relevant social and cultural topics. Other Voices, this year's Attitude production, will premiere four new works exploring the topic of gender identity from a few of the world's hottest new choreographersa?'Jennifer Archibald, Erin Kouwe, Matthew Neenan, and Carlos Pons Guerra.

Artistic Director Paul Vasterling has set Nashville's Nutcracker with the Nashville Symphony at the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Here, Drosselmeyer introduces Clara to the magical imagination and diversity of Nashville. In the ballet's opening, Clara sees a Nutcracker doll made by a German Toy Maker. Following the expo at Centennial Park, Vasterling creates a snowy scene of figure skating at Shelby Bottoms as partygoers head towards the Stahlbaum home. Among other Nashville nuances, Vasterling expands the battle scene to include American Infantry, Native American Soldiers, and Frontier Soldiers, all working together to defeat the Mouse King. The Sugar Plum Fairy holds court in the Parthenon Garden as a final homage to Nashville's branding as the “Athens of the South.'

Nashville Ballet will give away 2,500 tickets to Artistic Director Paul Vasterling's production of Nashville's Nutcracker through the Ballet's Holiday Magic initiative for a thirtieth consecutive year.

Nashville Ballet is excited to bring world-renowned Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and London-based Director Nancy Meckler's beguiling performance of A Streetcar Named Desire to the heart of the South in November 2019.

Nashville Ballet is excited to bring world-renowned Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and London-based Director Nancy Meckler's beguiling performance of A Streetcar Named Desire to the heart of the South in November 2019.

Nashville Ballet invites community youth ages eight and up to open auditions for the 2019-2020 season production of Nashville's Nutcracker. Auditions are on August 18, August 25, and September 8 at Nashville Ballet's Sylvan Park facility, 3630 Redmon Street, Nashville, Tennessee.

I last saw Duo Concertant in 2017, for former New York City Ballet dancer Robbie Fairchild's retirement. Seeing Balanchine's work away from his home excitingly challenged this company. Nashville Ballet dancers are grounded, pliable, almost earthy at times in their approach. Here, they embraced the speed, lightness, and attack required by Balanchine, tag-teamed with the complexity of Stravinsky's score.

The return of the iconic Shakespearean tragedy Romeo & Juliet, as well as Nashville premieres of Christopher Bruce's Rolling Stones-inspired ballet Rooster and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire are among the highlights of Nashville Ballet's 2019-20 season, announced today.

Exploring themes of otherness, equality and self-worth, Nashville Ballet will premiere Artistic Director Paul Vasterling's boundary-pushing ballet, Lucy Negro Redux, at TPAC's Polk Theater, February 8-10.