American Repertory Ballet to Present SIGNATURE DUETS at Union County Performing Arts Center, 3/21-22

In his review of ARB's Fall 2013 repertory program at Hamilton Stage, Patrick Kennedy of Broadway World praised the company's dancing and the mixed-bill programming: "Performed at New Jersey's own Hamilton Stage-a small but sophisticated theatrical space-the ARB's new offerings are neatly fitted to a scaled-down format. Small format, but broad emotional resonance. For the most part, these are dances that give off reassuring warmth, let you get comfortable-then, when you least expect it, burst into fantastic heat and light."

Trinette Singleton is a former premier dancer of the Joffrey Ballet and choreographer of ARB repertory favorite Capriccios, which the company premiered in 2012. For her new piece, Singleton was inspired by Pierre Bohemond's piece of music "Dreams Interrupted" and by the place between dreams and reality. "Everyone dreams," she says, "and some dreams are nightmares. There is often only a fine line between reality and dreams." She expresses these ideas through what she describes as a "movement style based in my years with Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino," the co-founders of The Joffrey Ballet.

ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton comes from a similar background, also having worked with Joffrey and Arpino during her years as a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet. In her review of the world premiere of Barton's Fantasy Baroque, Marina Kennedy of Broadway World characterized the piece as "light and lovely" and "fresh and fanciful." Barton's work is known for its narrative inclinations and innovative movement combinations.

Kirk Peterson created Tears of the Moon for ARB dancers, and the work premiered in October 2013. Set to music by Beethoven, Tears of the Moon is "alternatively tense, sensitive, and joyous," Marina Kennedy describes the piece in her review for Broadway World. "Three couples [dance] romantic liaisons with complete passion."

Gerald Arpino's Confetti is a virtuoso ballet for three couples. Confetti's premiere was danced by The Joffrey Ballet on February 28, 1968. ARB revived the work in 2012. Robert Johnson praised ARB's original performance of Confetti. "Trying to resist 'Confetti's' charms ultimately proves futile," he writes. "The dancers' courage is exhilarating, and Arpino, its under-appreciated choreographer, wins a belated round of applause."