Leading Ballet Stars Come Together For Debut Of World Ballet Festival

Producers Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick have announced full programming details for the debut of World Ballet Festival, coming to Minneapolis, Spokane, Detroit, and San Diego this June. In each city, three performances will offer audiences a sample of all that ballet has to offer, from beloved classics, excerpts from story ballets, and contemporary works.

Among the performers scheduled to appear are Tiler Peck and Roman Meija of New York City Ballet; Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside of American Ballet Theatre; Aaron Robison and Sasha De Sola of San Francisco Ballet; Aviva Gefler-Mundl, Marcos Hernandez, and Kate Inoue of Los Angeles Ballet; Rasmus Ahlgren of Boston Ballet; Adji Cissoko and Shuaib Elhassan from Alonzo King LINES Ballet; Fabrice Calmels, formerly with The Joffrey Ballet; and Ekaterina Malkovich, Constantine Geronik, and Andrea Lassakova of World Ballet Company. Performances in every city will also feature local ballet companies bringing together local and international ballet stars.

Opening Night in each city will showcase a diverse array of crowd-pleasing works in a gala program that includes George Balanchine's Tarantella, excerpts from Don Quixote and Flames of Paris, Alonzo King's Suite Etta, set to the music of Etta James, William Forsythe's Blake Works set to the music of James Blake, and much more.

The second night is dedicated to Ballet Blockbusters, allowing audiences to thrill to some of the most iconic works in ballet all in one night. Highlights from Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and more give audiences an entertaining overview of some of ballet's greatest works.

The festival culminates with an eclectic and wide-ranging program that includes scenes from August Bournonville's La Sylphide, Marius Petipa's Esmerelda, Roland Petit's Thaïs, and the virtuosic showstopper Gopak choreographed by Nicolas Petrov.

“World Ballet Company hopes to thrill audiences across the country with the virtuosity, dynamism, and variety of all that ballet has to offer,” said producers Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick. “As global spheres of cultural influence continue to expand, we hope to shine a light on cities throughout the US and to welcome new and returning audiences to ballet through its sheer power of entertainment.”

Special guest artist Tiler Peck said “Dance is a universal language that can reach and touch many. Movement is a natural instinct in life, and I think we all dance throughout life whether we know it or not. For me, ballet is just a more refined extension of movement, and if you allow the music to completely move you, there is a sense of freedom you will feel. That is a feeling I want and hope everyone has the opportunity to experience!”

For its debut year, World Ballet Festival will be presented in four cities:

• Minneapolis, MN at the Pantages Theatre, June 7 – 9
• Spokane, WA at First Interstate Center for the Arts, June 14 – 16
• Detroit, MI at the Music Hall, June 21 – 23
• San Diego, CA at Civic Center, June 28 – 30

World Ballet Festival will be presented in new cities each year with a goal to bring ballet to every corner of the country.

World Ballet Festival is produced by Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick, with programming director Adrian Blake Mitchell, a graduate of the Vaganova Academy and former member of the Mikhailovsky Ballet Company. 

Tickets are on sale now at WorldBalletFestival.com.

Artists and programs are subject to change.

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Opening Gala Performance

Act 1

Tarantella (1964)
Kate Inoue & Marcos Ramirez
Choreographed by George Balanchine 
© The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, reconstructed and orchestrated by Hershy Kay

Suite Etta (1997)
Adji Cissoko & Shuaib Elhassan 
Choreographed by Alonzo King 
Music by Etta James
(Spokane and San Diego)

Gypsy Dance from Don Quixote (1900)
Angelina Zgurskaya and dancers from World Ballet Company
Choreographed by Alexander Gorsky 
Music by Ludwig Minkus

Pas de deux from Flames of Paris (1932)
Ekaterina Malkovich & Constantin Geronik Choreographed by Vasily Vainonen 
Music by Boris Asafyev

Pas de Deux from The Talisman (1889)
Aviva Gelfer-Mundl & Rasmus Alghren 
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music by Riccardo Drigo

Diamonds Pas de Deux (1967)
Sasha De Sola & Aaron Robison
Choreography by George Balanchine 
© The George Balanchine Trust
Music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Act 2
Ballet Minnesota / Classical Ballet Academy Spotlight

El Choclo (2000)
Constantin Geronik
Choreographed by Yuri Lapsha
Music by Angel Villoldo

The Dying Swan (1905)
Andrea Lassakova
Choreographed by Mikhail Fokine 
Music by Camille Saint-Saëns

Carmen Suite (1967)
Aviva Gelfer-Mundl & Rasmus Alghren
Choreographed by Alberto Alonzo
Music by Rodion Shchedrin after Georges Bizet

Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux (1935)
Kate Inoue & Marcos Ramirez
Choreographed by Agrippina Vaganova 
Music by Césare Pugni

Blake Works (2016)
Sasha De Sola & Aaron Robison
Choreography by William Forsythe
Music by James Blake

Grand Finale

Ballet Blockbusters

Act 1
Jester Intro from Swan Lake (1895)
Constantin Geronik
Choreographed Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov 
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Russian Dance from Swan Lake (2019)
Katya Lukianova, Angelina Zgurskaya & Tatiana Suliak
Choreographed by Nadezhda Kalinina
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

BLACK SWAN Pas de Deux (1895)
Aviva Gelfer-Mundl & Rasmus Alghren 
Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov 
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pas de Deux from Flower Festival in Genzano (1858)
Kate Inoue & Marcos Ramirez
Choreographed by August Bournonville 
Music by Edvard Helsted and Holger Simon Paulli

Cinderella Suite (2023)
World Ballet Company
Choreographed by Marina Kesler 
Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Act 2
Local Ballet Showcase

After the Rain (2005)
Andrea Lassakova & Fabrice Calmels 
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Music by Arvo Pärt

Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker (1892)
Ekaterina Malkovich & Constantin Geronik Choreographed by Vasily Vainonen 
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Arabian Dance from The Nutcracker (YEAR)
Angelina Zgurskaya and Maxim Vlas
Choreographed by Nadezhda Kalinina 
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

White Swan Suite (1895)
Andrea Lassakova & Fabrice Calmels
with Ekaterina Malkovich, Ekaterina Lukianova, Haruka Komura, and Tatiana Suliak 
Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov 
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Balcony Pas de Deux from Romeo & Juliet (1965)
Isabella Boylston & James Whiteside 
Choreography by Sir Kenneth McMillan
Music by Sergei Prokofiev
(Minneapolis)

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (1960)
Tiler Peck & Roman Mejia
Choreographed by George Balanchine 
© The George Balanchine Trust
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(Detroit, Spokane, and San Diego)

Grand Finale

Closing Gala

Act 1
Le Bourgeois (2003)
Marcos Ramirez
Choreographed by Ben Van Cauwenbergh 
Music by Jacques Brel

Grand Pas Classique (1949)
Aviva Gelfer Mundl & Rasmus Ahlgren 
Choreographed by Victor Gsovsky 
Music by Daniel-Francois Auber

Thaïs Meditation Pas (1986)
Andrea Lassakova & Fabrice Calmels 
Choreographed by Roland Petit 
Music by Jules Massenet

The Tango (1986)
Katya Malkovich & Maksim Vlas 
Choreographed by Konstantin Xlebnikov 
Music by Orquesta Tipica Andriega

Pas de Deux La Sylphide (1836)
Ekaterina Lukianova & Constantin Geronik Choreographed by August Bournonville 
Music by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer

Act 2
Local Ballet Showcase

Light Rain (1981)
Andrea Lassakova & Fabrice Calmels 
Choreography by Gerald Arpino 
Music by Douglas Adamz and Russ Gauthier 

Esmerelda Pas de Deux (1886)
Aviva Gelfer-Mundle & Rasmus Ahlgren Choreographed by Marius Petipa 
Music by Césare Pugni

Gopak (1941)
Constantin Geronik 
Choreographed by Rostislav Zakharov 
Music by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi

Pas de Deux from Don Quixote (1900)
Kate Inoue & Marcos Ramirez
with Ekaterina Malkovich, Ekaterina Lukianova, Haruka Komura, and Tatiana Suliak 
Choreographed by Alexander Gorsky 
Music by Ludwig Minkus

The Animated Frescoes from The Little Humpbacked Horse (1864)
Katya Lukianova, Katya Malkovich, Haruka Komura, and Tatiana Suliak
Choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon 
Music by Césare Pugni

Pas de Deux from The Seasons (2019)
Isabella Boylston & James Whiteside
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Alexander Glazunov
(Minneapolis)

Pas de Deux from Stars & Stripes (1858)
Tiler Peck & Roman Mejia
Choreographed by George Balanchine 
Music by John Philip Sousa, orchestrated by Hershy Kay
(Detroit, Spokane, and San Diego)

Grand Finale

About World Ballet Company

World Ballet Company is driven by the belief that ballet is for everyone. In addition to World Ballet Festival, the Company presents World Ballet Series and offers “Ballet for All” Masterclasses with the aim of developing the ballet audiences of tomorrow and ensuring nationwide access to the art form.

Based in Los Angeles, and led by Sasha Gorskaya and Gulya Hartwick, World Ballet Company leverages decades of combined entertainment expertise to create, produce, and tour original productions that appeal to newcomers and seasoned ballet goers alike. By presenting in cities with less access to ballet, the company introduces the art form to new audiences while offering established ballet fans an annual occasion to look forward to. 

The company's signature program, World Ballet Series presents the most beloved and iconic ballets of our time in cities across the country. The company attracts many International Artists and is composed of renowned professional dancers representing over ten countries. The family-friendly productions feature timeless scores, rich storytelling, vivid hand-painted sets, and stunning hand-crafted costumes. To date, World Ballet Series has travelled to more than 280 cities reaching an audience of more than 250,000, many of whom are first time attendees to a ballet.

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