Friedemann Vogel and Xander Parish Will Be Guest Artists at The Sarasota Ballet This Season

The Sarasota Ballet's Director Iain Webb announces today that Friedemann Vogel, Principal dancer with Germany's Stuttgart Ballet; and Xander Parish, Principal dancer with Russia's Mariinsky Ballet, will be performing with the Company as Principal Guest Artists.

Vogel, who performed alongside Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg and The Sarasota Ballet, in Sir Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand at the 2016 Fall for Dance festival at the New York City Center, will join the Company for their March production of Dreams of Nature where he will perform the lead role of Oberon in Sir Frederick Ashton's The Dream.

Xander Parish, who recently became first English Principal Dancer with the Mariinsky Ballet after he was promoted on stage at Covent Garden during the company's London Season, will join The Sarasota Ballet for their April production, Great Masters of Dance, where he will perform the lead role of Armand in Sir Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand.

"To have these two incredible dancers working alongside our Company is beyond thrilling," enthuses Iain Webb. "Both Xander and Friedemann are exceptional dancers with an immense passion for the art form and for the works of Sir Frederick Ashton. I know that they will inspire our dancers and our audiences alike."

For Ashton's The Dream, Vogel will be coached by former Royal Ballet Director Sir Anthony Dowell-on whom Ashton created the role of Oberon-and will work with repetiteur Christopher Carr, as well as with Director Iain Webb and Assistant Director of The Sarasota Ballet Margaret Barbieri.

"I'm very excited to be performing in Sarasota for the first time, and very much looking forward to working with Iain and The Sarasota Ballet again, after performing with them in Ashton's Marguerite & Armand at the Fall for Dance Festival in New York," says Vogel. "It's not everyday that you get to meet your childhood hero, so I'm also truly delighted and honored to have the opportunity to work with Sir Anthony Dowell - one of the greatest danseur nobles of the 20th Century. As a matter of fact, I grew up watching videos of his performances, so this is quite a dream come true to be learning the role of Oberon from this amazing artist."

Marguerite and Armand will see Parish working with repetiteur and choreologist Grant Coyle, in a program dedicated to three of the great masters of dance. "For a while now I've heard about The Sarasota Ballet's rich repertoire of Ashton ballets and I jumped at the opportunity to come to perform Marguerite & Armand with the Company. It is a huge honor for me and very exciting!" explains Parish. "This ballet is one of my personal favorites and one I always love to dance, because the character of Armand has such depth. To perform with a company where Ashton's work is so highly honored is a great privilege and one I am very much looking forward to."

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IF YOU GO:

DREAMS OF NATURE | 2 - 3 March 2018 | Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Featuring Sir Frederick Ashton's The Dream and David Bintley's 'Still Life' at the Penguin Café.
Friday, 2 March 2018 at 7:30 PM - Friedemann Vogel and Danielle Brown in The Dream
Saturday, 3 March 2018 at 2:00 PM - Ricardo Rhodes and Victoria Hulland The Dream
Saturday, 3 March 2018 at 7:30 PM - Friedemann Vogel and Danielle Brown in The Dream

GREAT MASTERS OF DANCE | 27 - 28 April 2017 | Sarasota Opera House
Featuring Antony Tudor's The Leaves are Fading, George Balanchine's Bugaku and Sir Frederick Ashton's Marguerite and Armand.
Friday, 27 April 2018 at 7:30 PM - Xander Parish and Victoria Hulland in Marguerite and Armand
Saturday, 28 April 2018 at 2:00 PM - Ricardo Graziano and Danielle Brown in Marguerite and Armand
Saturday, 28 April 2018 at 7:30 PM - Xander Parish and Victoria Hulland in Marguerite and Armand

Individual tickets for The Sarasota Ballet's 2016-2017 Season, starting at $30, are on sale now at www.SarasotaBallet.org or by calling 941.359.0099.

Subscription packages to The Sarasota Ballet's 2017 - 2018 Season are still on sale and range from $100 - $734. For information, visit www.SarasotaBallet.org or call the box office at 941.359.0099 Monday through Friday, 10am to 4pm.

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Since 1990, the mission of The Sarasota Ballet has been enriching lives, captivating emotions and strengthening the community through the art of dance. Under the leadership of Director Iain Webb and Executive Director Joseph Volpe, the Company's expanded repertoire includes works by world-renowned choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Matthew Bourne, Dame Ninette de Valois, Michel Fokine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor and Christopher Wheeldon. The Sarasota Ballet has received national and international recognition for its diverse repertoire of rarely performed ballets, as well as the integrity and artistry of its performances. In the last five years, The Sarasota Ballet has been invited to perform twice at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, as well as week-long residencies at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and The Joyce Theater in New York. The Company performed in May 2017 at the inaugural National Choreographic Festival in Salt Lake City.

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