Brooklyn College Premieres The Ballet DON JUAN 3/22

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College welcomes Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada, performing the New York City premiere of their full-length contemporary ballet, Don Juan, on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 2pm. Set to the music of George Gershwin and featuring costumes by Denis Lavoie (who created Mick Jagger's wardrobe for the Voodoo Lounge tour), the piece takes a fresh and playful look at the legend of history's most infamous lover.

"Ballet art can and should encompass theatre with high spiritual and emotive potential," says Artistic Director Igor Dobrovolskiy. "The focus is not the display of technique by the use of technique - sometimes simple, sometimes complex - for the purpose of narration, of revealing a character. I want dancers who are willing to involve their heart, mind and soul in the process." About Don Juan, Mr. Dobrovolskiy commented "It's a Broadway-flavored ballet, very bright, very dynamic, full of fantasy, improbably characters and situations and wild nightmares. I wanted a lightness and freedom of movement and sense of fun for this production, and (Gershwin's) work fit perfectly."

Founded in 2002 by Susan Chalmers-Gauvin, CEO, and Artistic Director Igor Dobrovolskiy, Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada presents a diverse collection of original full-length narrative ballets and short works which explore contemporary themes within the classical genre. Each work is conceived and choreographed by Mr. Dobrovolskiy. Based in Moncton, New Brunswick, the Company premieres a new original full-length production each season, with titles including King Lear, Don Juan, Amadeus, Phantom of the Opera, Les Portes Tournantes, Merlin, and Figaro.

Ballet-théâtre atlantique du Canada is Atlantic Canada's only professional ballet company, and the artists of the Company are classically-trained soloists from Canada and around the world. The Company serves the four eastern provinces of Canada: New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador and also tour nationally and internationally, serving as cultural ambassador for its home region.

Igor Dobrovolskiy (Founding Artistic Director/Choreographer) is a graduate of the Kiev State Ballet Academy and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in pedagogy of ballet dance and choreography from the Kiev National University of the Arts. He began his professional dance career with the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet for Children and Youth in Kiev, Ukraine. His vocation has taken him across Europe, to Ecuador and finally to Atlantic Canada where he co-founded Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada with Susan Chalmers-Gauvin in 2001.

The artistic team for Don Juan includes Igor Dobrovolskiy (choreography), Denis Lavoie (costume design), Pierre Lavoie (lighting design), and Sharon Pollock (dramaturgy), with music by George Gershwin.

Don Juan is the final of four international dance performances that make up Brooklyn Center's 2008-09 World of Dance series.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving schoolchildren from over 225 schools annually.

Don Juan at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 2pm; Tickets: $30, $20

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1PM - 6PM
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 22

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2008-09 World of Dance series is sponsored by The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2008-2009 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Independence Community Foundation; Con Edison; National Grid; Citi Foundation; Macy's; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; the TD Charitable Foundation; Air Jamaica; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by the Best Western Gregory Hotel, Courier-Life Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and The Brooklyn Paper.

Brooklyn Center gratefully acknowledges the support of the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Assembly: Assemblymembers William F. Boyland, William Colton, Steven Cymbrowitz, Diane Gordon, Janele Hyer-Spencer, Rhoda Jacobs, Alan Maisel, Joan Millman, Felix Ortiz, N. Nick Perry, Sheldon Silver, Darryl C. Towns, Helene E. Weinstein; and members of the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Senate: Senators Eric Adams, Martin Golden, Kevin Parker and John L. Sampson. Brooklyn Center thanks the New York City Council: Councilmembers Simcha Felder, Domenic M. Recchia Jr., Kendall B. Stewart, and Albert Vann, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin.

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