Free Simulcast Announced For Sold-Out REUNITED IN DANCE This Month

Due to overwhelming demand for tickets, the one-night-only special ballet performance, Reunited in Dance, will be simulcast for free on Segerstrom Center's Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Reunited in Dance brings together dancers impacted by the war in Ukraine on the stage of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall November 12 at 8pm.

Many of the international dancers formerly danced with Russia's preeminent companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, and Stanislavsky Theatre and left Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The program, under the artistic direction of British dancer Xander Parish, former principal dancer at the Mariinsky, is made possible by Elizabeth Segerstrom and the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation and presented in association with Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

"We are overwhelmed at the incredibly positive response to this performance, which exemplifies how the arts can help unite us all," said Elizabeth Segerstrom. "We are delighted to open this sold-out performance beyond the Concert Hall with this free simulcast on the Argyros Plaza so that a greater audience can experience the artistry of these incredible talents."

Casey Reitz, President of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, said "Making the arts accessible has always been at the heart of Segerstrom Center, and we are pleased to welcome the community to our Julianne and George Argyros Plaza for this unique ballet performance. These phenomenal dancers, many of whom have appeared in the Center's international dancer series over the years, are looking forward to this special performance, which will now, with this simulcast, be an even bigger and more memorable event."

Reunited in Dance features new choreography as well as beloved classics, including:

• The world premiere of The Ballet Class, a new ballet choreographed by Parish to Tchaikovsky's Children's Album performed by special guest artist pianist Behzod Abduraimov, who appears in collaboration with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County
• Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain, Eric Gauthier's Ballet 101 and Ilya Jivoy's BA//CH
• Selections from Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Paquita, The Flames of Paris, Don Quixote and more

Simulcast attendees should plan to bring their own folding chairs or blankets; set up is first come, first served beginning at 5:30 pm. Attendees are advised to please bring warm clothing, jacket or blanket to ensure maximum comfort during the performance, as the Plaza can get chilly at night.

Food & beverages will be available to purchase from George's Café and a selection of food trucks. Attendees are welcome to bring their own refreshments, however outside alcohol, glass containers, tables, barbecues, and food preparation will not be permitted on the plaza.

Reunited in Dance features Xander Parish, (United Kingdom, formerly with the Mariinsky), Jacopo Tissi (Italy, formerly with the Bolshoi), Svetlana Bednenko (Ukraine, formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Christine Shevchenko (Ukraine, currently with ABT), Andrea Laššáková (Slovak Republic, formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Adrian Blake Mitchell (U.S., formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Boris Zhurilov (Russia, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre), Ilya Jivoy (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Lizi Avsajanishvili (Georgia, formerly with the Mariinsky), David Motta Soares (Brazil, formerly with the Bolshoi), Jasmine Sophie Henry (Australia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Vsevolod Maevsky (Ukraine, formerly with the Mariinsky), Anastasia Demidova (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Katia Raj (U.S., formerly with the Saint Petersburg State Academic Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre), Veronika Selivanova (U.S., formerly with the Mariinsky), Alexis Tutunnique (Ukraine, formerly with National Opera of Ukraine and currently with The United Ukrainian Ballet), Joy Womack (U.S., formerly with Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre), and Laura Fernandez Gromova (Switzerland and Ukraine, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre).

Many of the dancers who will perform in Reunited in Dance have appeared over the years at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. This extraordinary performance is in part a tribute to Judy Morr, the Executive Vice President behind the longstanding tradition of world-class ballet programming at Segerstrom Center.

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