One-Night-Only 'Reunited in Dance' to Feature International Ballet Artists

On November 12, 2022, renowned ballet dancers from around the world will gather for an intimate one-night-only special ballet performance, Reunited in Dance, in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Reunited in Dance brings together dancers with ties to Ukraine and Russia. Many formerly danced with Russia's preeminent companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, Stanislavsky Theatre, and others 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.

Reunited in Dance will feature new choreography as well as beloved classics:

• The world premiere of 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
• A performance of Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain
• Selections from Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Paquita, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and more

"On this special evening, all these artists, wherever they came from, will become a single remarkable group, not just standing up for what we believe but dancing for it," Xander Parish said. "We are deeply grateful to Elizabeth Segerstrom for giving us this unprecedented opportunity to perform together and bring the light of our art to new audiences, despite the difficulties of the past months."

Elizabeth Segerstrom said "I know the arts have always had the power to bring people together. I am humbled to be able to play a role in bringing together these artists, who come from many different countries and backgrounds to bring unification to us all."

Participating dancers, in addition to Xander Parish, will be 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), Maxim Zenin (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), and Laura Fernandez (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.

"We are delighted to bring this new, special, one-night performance for our patrons and to honor Judy's contributions," said Casey Reitz, President of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. "Judy has been instrumental in growing and cultivating our dance and education programming with great ardor over the past decades. Judy gets it; dance connects us in numerous ways for various reasons, as is evident in the dance programming she has created for the Center for the past decades. Her understanding for the art of dance performance, her passion to bring talented performers and choreographers, and her commitment to bolstering and advancing the development of new works with international and national dance companies, season after season, is the driving force that continues to unite and bring people together at the Center."

Jane Fujishige Yada, Chairwoman of Segerstrom Center's Board of Directors, said "Judy has built a globally-respected dance audience at the Center over the years. Without her, our Center would not have the foundation or infrastructure to welcome these beautiful dancers to our side of the world and bring them back together in this most unexpected way. She dedicated her life to introducing patrons to new cultures and traditions through music and the art of physical dramatic movement that expresses cultural heritage and identity in a unique, storytelling way. Judy is always a step ahead, knowing what will entertain our audiences. We are excited to welcome this new performance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts that so meaningfully encapsulates Judy's lifetime work for the Center."

Gavriel Heine, formerly of the Mariinsky, is the music director. Christopher Minev, formerly an international tour producer for the Mariinsky, is the executive producer. The performance will feature digital scenic design created especially for the evening by The Hettema Group.

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