Wiles & Askegard's Ballet Next Launches Exhibition Series at MMAC

Ballet Next, New York's elite independent ballet company founded by international ballet stars Michele Wiles and Charles Askegard, is launching a series of intimate choreographic exhibitions featuring new and classical works in final stages of rehearsal with interactive audience discussions at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in New York City on March 1, March 28 & April 25 at 8:00 pm. Participants will include choreographers Margo Sappington and Brian Reeder, and dancers Misty Copeland, Drew Jacoby, Yuriko Kajiya, Georgina Pazcoguin, Michele Wiles, Charles Askegard, and JarEd Matthews.

Starting on March 28, the Ballet Next Exhibitions Series will be broadcast live via web-simulcast on balletnext.com. The series format will feature interactive question and answer sessions from in-theater and on-line audiences, commentary and candid discussions between dancers, choreographers and musicians broadcast live. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions directly of the artists and participate in discussions covering a range of topics including staging production, dance technique, choreography, musical score, partnering and interpretation.

On March 1st, audiences will view new works in progress by Margo Sappington, who has created a new solo for Michele Wiles and a trio for Georgina Pazcoguin, Yuriko Kajiya, and JarEd Matthews to accompany the critically acclaimed pas de deux, Entwined. The program also includes La Follia, a duet created for Ballet Next in 2011 by renowned Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, featuring Michele Wiles and Drew Jacoby, set to music by Vivaldi, and Ballet Next reductionist classical works from George Balanchine and Marius Petipa including White Swan Suite and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Original scoring and live music will be performed by the Ballet Next Ensemble led by Ballet Next Musical Director Elad Kabillio.

"The Exhibition Series format provides a high level of interactivity and discussion as we work to create new ballets," said co-artistic director Michele Wiles. "Friends, supporters, students, teachers and artists will have the chance to participate throughout this intense process in an intimate setting and share their thoughts directly with the artists."

"As a young independent company competing in a mature market space during a recovering economy, Ballet Next has a mandate to take risks and create programming in innovative formats," added co-artistic director Charles Askegard. "The Exhibition Series puts the top tier artistic talent that Ballet Next attracts on the global stage to a broad audience without large overhead costs. We can do this on a recurring basis as we generate new choreography."

Ballet Next Exhibitions will take place on March 1, March 28, and April 25th at 8pm at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center located near Lincoln Center at 248 West 60th Street. Tickets are $30 and are available at http://www.manhattanmovement.com/event/ballet-next/or by calling 212.787.1178. A select number of VIP tickets (with additional benefits) are available exclusively through balletnext.com.

Web simulcasts on March 28 and April 25 will be available for free via the Company's web site balletnext.com through a simple, log-in procedure. Dance teachers with groups of students logging in on-line should contact Ballet Next directly ahead of each Exhibition at info@balletnext.com.

About Ballet Next
Ballet Next is distinguishing its position in the dance world by bringing best-in-class dancers, choreographers, and musicians together in an entrepreneurial environment that encourages risk taking, interactivity with audiences and innovative programming. Ballet Next continues to benefit from a diverse mixture of leading dancers performing both enduring classical works from Petipa to Balanchine, and new works from top collaborating choreographers. balletnext.com