American Repertory Ballet Returns To Live Performances At The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, October 23-24.

American Repertory Ballet makes its highly anticipated return to its home venue, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, with performances of Emergence, on Saturday, October 23 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, October 24 at 2:00 pm.

These performances mark the first program curated under ARB's new Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, one of the world's most acclaimed ballet dancers, having reached principal status at both New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre.

"ARB is thrilled to welcome our guests back to the theater and have the opportunity to reaffirm the value and power that live performances have in uplifting our spirits and communities," says Stiefel.

The program features four separate pieces, each with its own mood, style, and flair. Opening the performance is Stiefel's Wood Work, a piece that was created for The Washington Ballet in 2019. Set to music by the Danish String Quartet, Wood Work inspires a sense of joy and healing through seeking unique and individual paths, while feeling connected to one another.

The program continues with Amy Seiwert's World, Interrupted, with music by Swedish composer David Wenngren and featuring cellist Julia Kent. This piece explores resiliency, hope, exhaustion, disruption - all shared experiences related to the ongoing pandemic. Due to travel advisories and related safety protocols, Seiwert created the piece entirely via Zoom and it is a testament of how artistic collaboration can thrive through creativity and perseverance.

Saudade marks the first commission by ARB's own Ryoko Tanaka, set to an original score by former ARB2 dancer Haley Wright. This collaboration also reflects ARB's commitment to nurturing emerging artists and providing a platform to showcase their diverse talents. Saudade is an intimate piece that draws inspiration from the Portuguese word's inherent meaning of "nostalgia" and with a sense of "hopefulness."

In a recent interview, Wright notes: "With the pandemic over the past year, the word saudade seemed an appropriate title for our time. We all have hope our society will eventually return to some version of normal."

In Mexican Music, choreographer David Fernandez celebrates acclaimed Mexican composers, including Juventino Rosas, Ricardo Castro, and Jose Pablo Moncayo. The piece opens with Rosas' waltz "Sobre las Olas" (or "Over the Waves") which remains one of the most famous works worldwide by any Latin American composer.

The costumes for the piece marks a unique collaboration between Mexican-inspired designs of Pineda Covalin and costume designer Janessa Cornell Urwin. The vibrant prints of Pineda Covalin celebrate the cultural richness of Mexico through colors, patterns and forms, which allude to Huichol prints, the Monarch Butterfly, Day of the Dead and other traditions.

Emergence will be the first time that all of these pieces are performed live by American Repertory Ballet - a "must see" program for audiences of all ages.

"Our dancers are ready to get back on stage and do what they love: perform to a live audience," says Stiefel. "For both the performer and the audience, there's nothing like the connection and the energy that live performances inspire."

Tickets starting at $25; student tickets are $10. For tickets, visit arballet.org or call the NBPAC ticket office at 732.745.8000.

The health and safety of audience members, artists, and staff are of the utmost importance. Patrons attending a performance at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center must show proof of vaccination via a vaccine card, or through NJ's Docket App. If not fully vaccinated, patrons must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance date.

All patrons are required to wear masks at all times while inside the venue. This includes children older than 2 who have not been vaccinated. For more information about these guidelines, please visit https://nbpac.org/covid-health-safety/.

To learn more, visit arballet.org.

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