American Repertory Ballet to Perform at NJPAC's Jersey MOVES! Festival of Dance, 4/27

American Repertory Ballet will perform in New Jersey Performing Arts Center's second annual Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance. The performance will be on April 27, 2013 at 7:30pm at NJPAC's Victoria Theater. ARB will be performing Gerald Arpino's Viva Vivaldi. This charming, virtuosic work in the classical ballet vocabulary will share the stage with Irish dance presented by Timothy Kochka and The Davis Academy, Indian dance by Bani Ray and her dancers, tap by New Jersey Tap Ensemble, and contemporary dance by Dance Tactics and Nimbus Dance Works.

ARB also participated in NJPAC's inaugural Jersey Moves! Festival of Dance in 2012. It is a celebration of dance in New Jersey; a diverse program that showcases works from companies throughout the state and across dance genres. This year, Jersey Moves! was presented in two installments - a performance in February and this one on April 27. The performance will close with a question and answer session with the Artistic Directors and choreographers, including ARB's Artistic Director Douglas Martin and former ARB dancer Samuel Potts, Artistic Director of Nimbus Dance Works.

"We are excited to be a part of this great dance festival again this year at this beautiful venue," says Martin. "Arpino's Viva Vivaldi is a real crowd-pleaser, and we're looking forward to performing it for a new audience at NJPAC."

American Repertory Ballet's mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the newly launched On Pointe series. The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. The company's rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields and Melissa Barak; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. ARB was voted People's Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008, 2011, and 2012.

Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Princeton Ballet School currently enrolls approximately 1500 students annually from age three through adult and is directed by Mary Pat Robertson. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton which are equipped with shock-absorbent floors, non- slip dance surfaces and pianos for live accompaniment. Many of Princeton Ballet School's faculty members have performed professionally; others have attained graduate degrees in dance education and have won awards for their teaching. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as the American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, STREB, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Momix.

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