World Premiere of BalletNow Set for Music Center

Heightening its role as a powerful commissioning force, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center - The Music Center's acclaimed dance series - is introducing an exciting new chapter in dance with the world premiere of BalletNow, an original three-performance program for which American Ballet Theatre Principals Roberto Bolle and Herman Cornejo are serving as artistic directors. Bolle and Cornejo have formed an international ensemble of 18 major dancers from 12 foreign countries for three distinctive performances, with many of the dancers performing at The Music Center and in Southern California for the first time.

The first night of the July 10-12, 2015 engagement at The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion will feature stars of Europe, curated by Roberto Bolle; while the second night will feature stars of Latin America, curated by Herman Cornejo. The third and final performance of the engagement will be a combination of the two. The Music Center is co-producing the European stars program and final performance with Arts Producer Plus LLC (Richard Kielar, principal) and Artedanza s.r.l. (Emanuela Bolle, principal), and the Latin American stars program with Arts Producer Plus LLC.

BalletNow will feature a combination of classic solos and pas de deux, as well as cutting-edge contemporary ballet, and will include world, U.S., and west coast premieres. Bolle's program will be a mix of pure classical, neo-classical and modern works. He will dance in the west coast premiere of Prototype, with choreography by Massimiliano Volpini, original music by Piero Salvatori, and stunning digital effects by Xchanges Visual effects. Bolle, who is Étoile at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, will also dance in the U.S. premiere of Passage, with choreography by Marco Pelle to music and video by Fabrizio Ferri. Passage was first presented at the Venice Film Festival in Italy in 2014.

Cornejo's program will have a distinct Latin flair, including his performance in the west coast premiere of his Tango y Yo, which premiered with Ballet Hispanico in New York in 2010. In addition, this program will feature the pas de deux and variations from Cornejo's version of Don Quixote Suite. As part of Cornejo's program, Colombian-born Carlos Molina is creating a world-premiere Carmen pas de deux, and will present the west coast premiere of his Spartacus pas de deux. American Ballet Theatre Principal Paloma Herrera, who is giving her west coast farewell performance on July 11, 2015, will dance the pas de deux, Verano Porteño, from Cuatro Estaciones de Buenos Aires, choreographed by Mauricio Wainrot, as well as a pas de deux, Nuestros Valses, choreographed by Vicente Nebrada.

Renae Williams Niles, vice president of programming for The Music Center, said, "BalletNow celebrates the hybridity apparent in so much of the dance world today, along with the interpretive forces and diversity of ideas that surface when dancers guest with other companies and artists. Ballet lovers will especially appreciate the extraordinary talent featured in BalletNow as the artists, many of whom are partnering across geographies for the first time, push the boundaries of technique and interpretation as they perform more contemporary works alongside the traditional."

About the BalletNow Repertoire*

Friday, July 10, 2015, 7:30 p.m./Featuring Ballet Stars of Europe
Cast:
Roberto Bolle, Étoile Teatro alla Scala, Milan & principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York (from Italy)
Petra Conti, principal dancer, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Italy)
Marlon Dino, principal dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich (from Albania)
Maria Eichwald, guest artist, former principal with Suttgart Ballet, Germany (from Kazakhstan)
Maria Kochetkova, principal dancer, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco (from Russia)
Lucia Lacarra, principal dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich (from Spain)
Marijn Rademaker, principal dancer, Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam (from The Netherlands)
Henry Sidford, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco (from the United States)
Dinu Tamazlacaru, principal dancer, Staatsballett Berlin, Berlin (from Moldavia)

Program/Part I:
Excelsior pas de deux
Choreography: Ugo Dell'Ara after Luigi Manzotti
Music: Romualdo Marenco
Dancers: Petra Conti, Roberto Bolle

Trois Gnossiennes
Choreography: Hans Van Manen
Music: Erik Satie
Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Marijn Rademaker

The Lady of the Camellias pas de deux from act III
Choreography: John Neumeier
Music: Frédéric Chopin
Dancers: Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino

Tchaikovsky pas de deux
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Maria Kochektova, Dinu Tamazlacaru

Passage (U.S. premiere)
Choreography: Marco Pelle
Music and Video: Fabrizio Ferri
Dancer: Roberto Bolle

Program/Part II:
Three Preludes
Choreography: Ben Stevenson
Music: Sergei Rachmaninov
Dancers: Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino

Mono Lisa
Choreography: Itzik Galili
Music: Thomas Höfs
Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Roberto Bolle

Affi
Choreography: Marco Goecke
Music: Johnny Cash
Dancer: Marijn Rademaker

Borderlands pas de deux
Choreography: Wayne McGregor
Music: Joel Cadbury and Paul Stoney
Dancers: Maria Kochektova, Henry Sidford

Les Bourgeois
Choreography: Ben Van Cauwenbergh
Music: Jacques Brel
Dancer: Dinu Tamazlâcaru

Prototype (west coast premiere)
Concept and choreography: Massimiliano Volpini
Original music: Piero Salvatori
Costume Designer: Roberta Guidi di Bagno
Visual effects e video editing: Xchanges Visual effects
Dancer: Roberto Bolle

Saturday, July 11, 2015/7:30 p.m., Featuring Latin American Ballet Stars
Cast:
Herman Cornejo, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York (from Argentina)
Paulo Arrais, principal dancer, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Brazil)
Mary Carmen Catoya, guest artist, former principal, Miami City Ballet, Miami (from Venezuela)
Erica Cornejo, principal dancer, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Argentina)
Paloma Herrera, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York (from Argentina)
Juan Pablo Ledo, principal dancer, Theatro Colon Ballet, Buenos Aires (from Argentina)
Carlos Molina, guest artist; former principal, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Colombia)
Luciana Paris, American Ballet Theatre Corps de Ballet, New York (from Argentina)
Kleber Rebello, principal dancer, Miami City Ballet, Miami (from Brazil)
Viengsay Valdes, principal dancer, Cuban National Ballet, Havana (from Cuba)

Program/Part 1:
Tango y Yo (west coast premiere)
Choreography: Herman Cornejo
Music: "Fuga y Misterio" by Astor Piazzolla
Dancer: Herman Cornejo

Verano Porteño
Choreography: Mauricio Wainrot
Music: Astor Piazzolla
Dancers: Paloma Herrera, Juan Pablo Ledo

Sleeping Beauty wedding pas de deux
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Mary Carmen Catoya, Paulo Arrais

The Talisman
Choreography: Marius Petipa
Music: Riccardo Drigo
Dancers: Luciana Paris, Kleber Rebello

Spartacus (west coast premiere)
Choreography: Carlos Molina
Music: Aram Khachaturian
Dancers: Erica Cornejo, Carlos Molina

Le Corsaire pas de trois
Choreography: Konstantin Sergeyev after Petipa
Music: Riccardo Drigo
Dancers: Viengsay Valdes, Herman Cornejo, Paulo Arrais

Program/Part II:

Carmen (world premiere)
Choreography: Carlos Molina
Music: Georges Bizet
Dancers: Erica Cornejo, Carlos Molina

Tchaikovsky pas de deux
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Mary Carmen Catoya, Kleber Rebello

Nuestros Valses
Choreography: Vicente Nebrada
Music: Teresa Carreno
Dancers: Paloma Herrera, Juan Pablo Ledo

Don Quixote Suite
Choreography: after Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Dancers: Viengsay Valdes, Herman Cornejo
Erica Cornejo, Juan Pablo Ledo, Luciana Paris, Kleber Rebello, Paulo Arrais, Mary Carmen Catoya, Carlos Molina

Sunday, July 12, 2015/2:00 p.m./Featuring a Combination of the Two Rosters
Cast:

Roberto Bolle, Étoile Teatro alla Scala, Milan; principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York (from Italy)
Herman Cornejo, principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre, New York (from Argentina)
Mary Carmen Catoya, guest artist, former principal with Miami City Ballet, Miami (from Venezuela)
Petra Conti, principal dancer, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Italy)
Erica Cornejo, principal dancer, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Argentina)
Marlon Dino, principal dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich (from Albania)
Maria Eichwald, guest artist, former principal with Suttgart Ballet, Germany (from Kazakhstan)
Lucia Lacarra, principal dancer, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich (from Spain)
Carlos Molina, guest artist; former principal, Boston Ballet, Boston (from Colombia)
Marijn Rademaker, principal dancer, Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam (from the Netherlands)
Kleber Rebello, principal dancer, Miami City Ballet, Miami (from Brazil)
Viengsay Valdes, principal dancer, Cuban National Ballet, Havana (from Cuba)

Program/Part 1:

Three Preludes (European)
Choreography: Ben Stevenson
Music: Sergei Rachmaninov
Dancers: Lucia Lacarra, Marlon Dino

Tchaikovsky pas de deux (Latin)
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Mary Carmen Catoya, Kleber Rebello

Excelsior pas de deux (European)
Choreography: Ugo Dell'Ara after Luigi Manzotti
Music: Romualdo Marenco
Dancers: Petra Conti, Roberto Bolle

Carmen (world premiere) (Latin)
Choreography: Carlos Molina
Music: Georges Bizet
Dancers: Erica Cornejo, Carlos Molina

Trois Gnossiennes (European)
Choreography: Hans Van Manen
Music: Erik Satie
Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Marijn Rademaker

Don Quixote pas de deux (Latin)
Choreography: after Marius Petipa
Music: Ludwig Minkus
Dancers: Viengsay Valdes, Herman Cornejo

Program/Part II:

Le Corsaire pas de deux (Latin)
Choreography: Konstantin Sergeyev after Petipa
Music: Riccardo Drigo
Dancers: Mary Carmen Catoya, Kleber Rebello

Mono Lisa (European)
Choreography: Itzik Galili
Music: Thomas Höfs
Dancers: Maria Eichwald, Roberto Bolle

Spartacus (west coast premiere) (Latin)
Choreography: Carlos Molina
Music: Aram Khachaturian
Dancers: Erica Cornejo, Carlos Molina

Tango y Yo (west coast premiere) (Latin)
Choreography: Herman Cornejo
Music: "Fuga y Misterio" by Astor Piazzolla
Dancer: Herman Cornejo

Prototype (west coast premiere) (European)
Concept and choreography: Massimiliano Volpini
Original music: Piero Salvatori
Costume Designer: Roberta Guidi di Bagno
Visual effects e video editing: Xchanges Visual effects
Dancer: Roberto Bolle

*Program and artists subject to change.

Tickets for BalletNow start at $28 and are available at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90012. Tickets are also available by calling (213) 972-0711 and online at musiccenter.org/balletnow . For groups of 10 or more, call (213) 972-8555 or email mcgroupsales@musiccenter.org.

Ticket holders can get a behind-the-scenes perspective by joining Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center for DANCETALKS, featuring discussions moderated by dance writer/historian Elizabeth Kaye, one hour before curtain. Audiences will hear from Herman Cornejo on Friday, July 10, 2015, and Roberto Bolle on Saturday, July 11, 2015, with the Sunday, July 12, 2015 pre-talk participants to be announced.

About Roberto Bolle
When he was extremely young, Roberto Bolle entered La Scala Theater Ballet School. Rudolf Nureyev was the first to notice Bolle's talent when Bolle was only 15. In 1996, he was promoted to principal with La Scala Ballet Company. His repertory includes leading classical roles and works by the most famous choreographers, such as Balanchine, Forsythe, Petit and Neumeier.

Bolle has performed extensively in many countries by invitations of world-famous ballet companies, such as Paris Opera, English National Ballet, Royal Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, the Berlin State Opera, the Mariinsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet. He has danced with such partners as Darcey Bussell, Alessandra Ferri, Sylvie Guillem, Lucia Lacarra, Tamara Rojo, Polina Semionova and Svetlana Zakharova.

Derek Deane, the English National Ballet director, created two productions for Bolle: Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet; both of them were performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

In October 2000, Bolle opened the season at Covent Garden Opera House in London performing Swan Lake, Anthony Dowell's choreography, and, in November of that year, he was invited to Bolshoi to celebrate Maja Plisetskaja's 75th anniversary in the presence of President Putin.

In June 2002, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee, he danced at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen. The event was broadcast live by BBC and transmitted to all the Commonwealth countries. During the 2003-2004 season, he was promoted to Étoile of La Scala Theatre. On April 1, 2004, he danced in front of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square to celebrate Young People's Day.

In February 2006, Bolle danced at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Turin where he performed a solo created for him by Enzo Cosimi. The ceremony was broadcast worldwide and seen by 2.5 billion people. In 2007, he performed for the first time as a guest artist with American Ballet Theatre, on the occasion of Alessandra Ferri's farewell performance. Early in 2009, he was appointed principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. It was the first time that a male Italian dancer had joined the company as a principal. Since then he has performed every year in New York for the American Ballet Theatre's MET season. In 2009, the World Economic Forum awarded him "Young Global Leader." Since 1999, he has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. He has already visited Sudan (2006) and the Central African Republic (2010) to raise funds and awareness for children whose lives have been affected by violence. In 2010, he met and worked with two great movie directors. Peter Greenway, whose virtual image of Roberto Bolle dominated the Italian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010, and Bob Wilson, who created Perchance to Dream, a series of 30 video portraits featuring Roberto Bolle. The special installation was presented first in New York in December 2010.

In November 2012, Bolle was appointed "Cavaliere dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" by Giorgio Napolitano, the president of the Italian Republic, for Bolle's support of Italian culture. On April, 8, 2014, he received the prestigious "Médaille de l'Unesco de la Diversité culturellee" in Paris for the universal value of his art.

About Herman Cornejo
Herman Cornejo was born in Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina, and began his ballet studies at the age of eight at the Instituto Superior de Arte at Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. At age 14, he received a scholarship from the School of American Ballet, the dance school of New York City Ballet. On his return to Buenos Aires, he was invited to join Julio Bocca's Ballet Argentino.

At the age of 16, Cornejo was the Gold Medal winner of the VIII International Dance Competition in Moscow (1997), the youngest dancer ever in the history of the competition. Upon his return from Moscow, Cornejo was then promoted to principal dancer with Ballet Argentino, alternating with Bocca in all the principal roles in the repertoire during the company's worldwide tours. In 1999, he joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to soloist in August 2000 and to principal dancer in August 2003.

Cornejo has danced numerous principal roles as guest artist with major companies around the world, including New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, Cuban Contemporary Dance Company, Teatro Argentino de la Plata, Barcelona Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, and The National Ballet of Japan, and has appeared as a featured artist in many galas worldwide.

He has performed in charity events for several organizations. He participated in The Rainforest Fund Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall, where he performed with Sting and Alessandra Ferri, and in events raising funds to find a cure for cancer, Down syndrome and Poliomyelitis.

Cornejo has received multiple nominations, awards and distinctions since he was a young dancer. Among them: Peace Messenger by UNESCO; Dancer of the Year by The New York Times; Latin Idol by Hispanic magazine; in 2005, awarded Star of the 21st Century; in 2010 and 2013, awarded Mr.Expressivity prize at the Dance Open Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia; Argentinian Pride Award by the Argentinian Culture Center; winner of The Bessies prize presented by the NY Dance & Performance League in 2013; in 2014 awarded the "Premio Positano" in Italy; nominated in 2005 and awarded in 2014 the Prix Benois de la Danse as Outstanding Male Dancer of the year.

With American Ballet Theatre, his principal roles include Solor in La Bayadère; the Red Cowboy in Billy the Kid; Pyotr in The Bright Stream; the fourth movement in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1; Franz in Coppélia; Conrad, Ali, Lankendem and Birbanto in Le Corsaire; Basilio in Don Quixote; Puck in The Dream; the first sailor in Fancy Free; Alain in La Fille mal gardée; Ivan in Alexei Ratmansky's Firebird; the Peruvian in Gaîté Parisienne; Albrecht in Giselle; The Man in HereAfter (Heaven); the Joker in Jeu de Cartes; Lescaut in Manon; the Nutcracker-Prince and the Cavalier in Kevin McKenzie's The Nutcracker; the Nutcracker-Prince in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker; Cassio in Othello; Petrouchka in Petrouchka; the Son in Prodigal Son; Abderakman and Bernard in Raymonda; Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet; Prince Désiré and the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty; the Rose in Le Spectre de la Rose; Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake; James and Gurn in La Sylphide; Aminta and Eros in Sylvia; the third movement in Symphony in C; Sinatra Suite; Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; and Theme and Variations.
Cornejo created the role of Fortune in HereAfter, Rabbit in Rabbit and Rogue, and Caliban in The Tempest, and leading roles in The Brahms/Haydn Variations, C. to C. (Close to Chuck), Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Glow- Stop, Pretty Good Year, Seven Sonatas, Symphony #9, and I Dig Love in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.

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