Works & Process At The Guggenheim Presents The Washington Ballet: NEXTsteps

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents The Washington Ballet: NEXTsteps with Jessica Lang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and John Heginbotham Sunday, October 6, 2019 at 3pm and 7:30pm.

Globally acclaimed ballerina and Artistic Director of The Washington BalletJulie Kent discusses new works commissioned for The WashingtonBallet by globally recognized choreographers Jessica Lang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and John Heginbotham.Audiences will have the exclusive opportunity to experience performance excerpts and watch a live rehearsal prior to the October 23 world premiere in Washington, DC.

TICKETS & VENUE $45, $40 Guggenheim Members and Friends of Works & Process Box Office (212) 423-3575 or worksandprocess.org

The Washington Ballet (TWB) was founded in 1944 as The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB) by legendary dance pioneer, Mary Day. The school was so successful, the Company was established and incorporated in 1976 with Ms. Day's singular vision clearly illuminated: to create a stellar institution of teaching, creating, and enlightenment through dance. Now celebrating 75 years of providing exceptional dance training and education to thousands of students, the school and the Company continue to grow under the leadership of Artistic Director Julie Kent, who has been at the helm of TWB since July 2016.

Kent enjoyed a stellar 30-year career at American Ballet Theatre and remains the longest serving ballerina in the company's 80-year history. She began her dance training with Hortensia Fonseca at the Academy of the Maryland Youth Ballet in Bethesda, MD and attended summer sessions at American Ballet Theatre II and the School of American Ballet before joining American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 1985. In that same year, Kent won first place in the regional finals of the National Society of Arts and Letters at the Kennedy Center. In 1986, she was the only American to win a medal at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition, and she became a member of American Ballet Theatre's corps de ballet. Her extensive roles encompass the breadth of the ballet repertoire and as a muse to numerous choreographers who created works on her. Her devotion to serving the art form, to promoting arts education and to using her experience to nurture, train, and develop the next generation of dancers are the tenets by which she will continue to elevate The Washington Ballet, the Company, School, and community engagement programs and initiatives.

The Washington Ballet and Mary Day were pioneers of diversity in dance, nurturing dancers of varied backgrounds including Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem. This tradition continues to lead the dialogue and actions of the larger dance community incorporating dancers from diverse backgrounds into their companies. TWB has served as an exemplary company in welcoming dancers of color and their families through an integrated faculty and company. Former TWB Artistic
Director Septime Webre initiated TWB@THEARC, developing community engagement programs at the Townhall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in southeast Washington, DC. The programs include The Washington School of Ballet's Southeast Campus, the DanceDC program and EXCEL! Merit Scholarships. These programs have served over 70,000 children and thousands of adults since their inception in 1999.

he company continues to build on a combination of classic ballet repertoire as well as exciting new works which represent today's choreographic voices and move dance into the 21st Century. The Washington Ballet is deeply committed to the development of the dancer and the art form and continues to grow the next generation of dancers by providing exceptional training through the school and professional training programs at The Washington School of Ballet. Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Described by The New York Times as "an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process," for 35 years, New Yorkers have been able to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed artists in the world, in an intimate setting unlike any other. Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to generations of leading creators and performers. Most performances take place in the Guggenheim's intimate Frank Lloyd Wright-designed 273-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. In 2017, Works & Process established a new residency and commissioning program, inviting artists to create new works, made in and for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. worksandprocess.org.

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