RICHMOND BALLET Ends Run at To The Joyce Theater 4/11

The Richmond Ballet, the acclaimed company under the artistic direction of Stoner Winslett, will end its run April 11, 2010 at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street).

Riding the wave of critical and popular acclaim for its previous performances, the company will return exactly five years after their NYC debut. Celebrated for its diverse repertory and extremely versatile dancers, Richmond Ballet will present their most popular commissioned works, all pieces will be making their Manhattan debut. The two mixed programs will feature three ballets each and vary from night to night (schedule tba).

The 2 programs (schedule tba) will consists of ANCIENT AIRS AND DANCES by Stoner Winslett, music Italian and French lute songs orchestrated by Respighi (1986); MISA CRIOLLA by William Soleau, music by Ariel Ramirez (2008); TO FAMILIAR SPACES IN DREAM by Jessica Lang, music of Philip Glass, John Cage and Craig Armstrong (2007); VESTIGES by Colin Connor, music by Michael Nyman (2000); VIOLIN by Val Caniparoli, music by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (2006); VOYAGES by Mauricio Wainrot, set to a variety of ethnic and folkloric music (2008).

Richmond Ballet was founded in 1957 by local dance enthusiasts as a performance outlet for students in local dance programs. It existed as a small, civic company until 1975 when the School of Richmond Ballet was created. Ms. Stoner Winslett became the founding artistic director in 1980 and she continues to lead and manage the organization 28 years later. In 1984, Richmond Ballet became the first professional Ballet company in Virginia and was designated the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990. They moved in 2000 into a newly renovated state-of-the-art Facility downtown. Richmond Ballet's mission is to awaken and uplift the human spirit, both for audiences and dancers. It is dedicated to the promotion, preservation and continuing evolution of the art form of ballet. Richmond Ballet strives to keep meaningful works of dance alive and to produce and foster new works that remain true to these values. The company has commissioned 50 new works from choreographers from around the world. www.richmondballet.com.

Stoner Winslett will soon be celebrating her 30th anniversary as artistic director of Richmond Ballet. In that time she has built Richmond Ballet from a fine student performance group to the State Ballet of Virginia and one of the major regional professional dance companies in America today. She attended American Ballet Theatre School and North Carolina School of the Arts on scholarship. After knee injuries curtailed her performing career, she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1980 from Smith College. Ms. Winslett has served as a panelist and site visitor for several state arts commissions and for the National Endowment for the Arts. She was a vice-chair of DanceUSA and is currently serving as president of the John Butler Foundation.