Manhattan Youth Ballet, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center to Present MADE IN AMERICA, 6/7

Manhattan Youth Ballet and Manhattan Movement & Arts Center present June Shows: Made in America, a tribute to choreography crafted in the USA on Friday, June 7 at 7pm; and Saturday, June 8 at 3pm & 7pm, at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, NYC (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues) in the Lincoln Center area. Advance tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. ($25/$20 for students at the door). Tickets can be purchased online at www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

The evening will include performances of George Balanchine's MasterpieceSERENADE; Larry Keigwin's GIRLS, and World Premiere's by Brian Reeder, Choreographer-in-Residence; Marina Stavitskaya, Head of Classical Repertoire; and Charlotte Stickles, MYB Graduating Senior. In addition, a bright new excerpt of Vivaldi's Four Seasons choreographed by Natalia Boesch and Karen Lacy will be presented by our younger performers.

The MYB Annual Fundraising Gala performance will be held on Sunday, June 9th at 5:30pm and will be followed by a catered reception at 7pm. Tickets are $100 and $50 for students. The MYB Gala Benefit will feature guest appearances by Artistic Advisor, Daniel Ulbricht, MYB alum and current ABT dancers, Nicole Graniero and Roman Zhurbin as well as other guests to be announced. The evening will benefit MYB's Scholarship & Performance Fund and will feature guest performances by New York City Ballet's Ashley Bouder, Lauren Lovette and Daniel Ulbricht, American Ballet Theatre's Nicole Graniero and Roman Zhurbin (Studio Maestro/MYB Alumni) and KEIGWIN + COMPANY's Ashley Browne.

June Performances will highlight the progress of each student in works choreographed based upon each level's curriculum for the year. Students will perform selections from classical masterpieces as well as new works specifically choreographed for Manhattan Youth Ballet. Repertoire includes excerpts from George Balanchine's Serenade, a World Premiere by Choreographer-in-Residence Brian Reeder, Larry Keigwin's Girls, and new works by faculty members Marina Stavitskaya, Natalia Boesch, and Karen Lacy, as well as a premiere by Manhattan Youth Ballet Student, Charlotte Stickles.

Modeled with an emphasis on European classical ballet, Manhattan Youth Ballet(MYB) offers world-class training in a nurturing environment focused on discipline, precision and artistry. MYB is the culmination of Ms. Rose Caiola's effort for the past seventeen years to create a viable, curriculum-based ballet academy in Manhattan in order to serve the needs of the multifaceted community. Principal members of the faculty have received their training in schools such as the The Kirov Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. The faculty strives to bring out the individual potential of each student with an emphasis on artistry as well as technique to create truly versatile dancers for the current dance world. Manhattan Youth Ballet has acquired a reputation for excellent teaching in an intimate and individually supportive environment. The school's graduates have danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet de España, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions.

Education is a top priority at Manhattan Youth Ballet and the school has numerous community outreach programs to promote dance education. Since moving to its new home at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in September 2008, over 2,500 New York City school children have participated in lecture demonstrations and/or been MYB's invited guests at full-length performances. For more information, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center was developed by Rose Caiola as the home of the Manhattan Youth Ballet. Ms. Caiola, a former dancer and actress, founded the academy in the fall of 1994 as Studio Maestro at 48 W. 68th Street, and today serves as the youth ballet's executive artistic director. As the ballet academy grew, the search for a larger space inspired in Ms. Caiola a highly personal vision of a studio and theater complex that would encompass all aspects of dance education and performance.

mmac opened its doors in June 2008, occupying a dramatic bi-level space within The Element, a luxury high-rise condominium. mmac's theater, has become a popular off-broadway venue for both sit down and limited run productions. mmac's studios host a variety of classes including open ballet and fitness, a full mmac kids curriculum, as well as a number of Broadway Workshops and rehearsals with stars such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, and Alec Baldwin.

For more information about mmac, visit www.manhattanmovement.com.