Verb Ballet Celebrates A Diverse Program Including The Work of Gerald Arpino, February 18

Verb, "Ohio Contemporary Ballet" returns to the Breen Center for the Performing Arts on February 18, 2023, at 7:30pm. The program will highlight a range of talent with the restaging of former Joffrey Ballet Co-Artistic Director Gerald Arpino's, Celebration, and a new commission by Levi Marsman, formerly of Ailey II.

The company is honored to participate in the Centennial Celebration of the 100th birthday of one of the 20th century's most influential artists, the late choreographer, Gerald Arpino. Marsman will create a new ballet utilizing his expressive unique style. The evening will also showcase Verb's Associate Artistic Director, Richard Dickinson's, Four Last Songs from 2013. This well-crafted contemporary ballet depicts the sorrow of loss to the beautiful sound of a mezzo-soprano singing the lush poetry of Hermann Hesse and Joseph von Eichendorff.

Throughout his 50-year career, Arpino created nearly 50 ballets for Joffrey Ballet. Verb, "Ohio Contemporary Ballet" was selected alongside other national companies including Ballet West, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet and others in a multi-year Centennial Celebration of the late choreographer's life and works. Celebration is a high voltage bravura ballet set to a dynamic Shostakovich score. The ballet is a showcase for each of the five couples and contains an array of solos, pas de deux, and a multitude of dazzling ensemble work. Premiering in Chicago, which later became Joffrey Ballet's home, Celebration was initially created for Joffrey Ballet's 25th Anniversary National Tour and was revived for Joffrey Ballet's 50th Anniversary Season in Chicago. Repetiteur Cameron Basden will be staging the work in studio January 23, 2023 through February 3, 2023. She was a muse for Gerald Arpino, performing in several of his ballets as well as those of many other choreographers. She joined Joffrey Ballet in 1993 and moved to Chicago with the company in 1995. Basden became ballet master and served as co-associate director until her departure in 2008. Verb, "Ohio Contemporary Ballet" is the first company to ever license the work.

Marsman is a freelance dancer and emerging choreographer in addition to working as a teacher an instructor. He has worked extensively with his mentor, Christopher Huggins as co-choreographer and collaborator for dance companies and schools including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and The Juilliard School. He initially worked with the company in 2021 as Assistant to the Choreographer for Christopher Huggins. Levi was awarded a place in the Scholarship Program at The Ailey School. He later enrolled in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, which lead to an invitation to join Ailey II by former director, Sylvia Waters before graduation. Levi's performance credits include the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Movements Dance Company, OrigiNation, Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Reed Dance and PHILADANCO!. Choreographer Marsman will be in the studio January 16, 2023 through January 20, 2023.

Verb, "Ohio Contemporary Ballet," performs on February 18, 2023 at 7:30pm at the Breen Center for the Performing Arts located at 2008 W. 30th St. in Cleveland. Tickets are $10-$35. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite at verbballets.org/celebrations23. For more information, visit www.verbballets.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.