NOBA Unveils 2018-2019 Season And Celebrates 50 Years Of Bringing Dance To Life

The New Orleans Ballet Association announces its 2018-2019 dance season packed with stellar performances by four brilliant and world-renowned dance companies, including Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and BODYTRAFFIC, and a special 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars that will kick off NOBA's golden season (1969-2019).

The season begins at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on September 22 with fearless performers of Diavolo | Architecture in Motion. As top 10 finalists last summer on the NBC hit TV show, "America's Got Talent," Diavolo wowed millions of viewers by pushing the limits of dance as extreme sport and defying gravity with awe-inspiring, daredevil movement on a playground of oversized architectural structures. Since becoming a TV sensation, the company has been selling out live performances and entertaining legions of new fans. Led by Paris-born maverick, Jacques Heim, these intrepid dancer-athletes perform a new action-theater show that is a thrilling spectacle for the entire family.

On October 20, the thrilling Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to the Mahalia Jackson Theater for an encore performance following a sold-out evening in fall 2015. Continuing its half-century legacy of breaking boundaries and transforming lives through ballet, the classically American and globally renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem puts power on pointe with gorgeous works by George Balanchine, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Christopher Wheeldon. The evening's spectacular finale will be the triumphant restaging of the seminal 1974 ballet, Dougla, by Trinidad-born visual artist, actor, dance and choreographer, Geoffrey Holder. Colorfully depicting the exotic pageantry of a Trinidadian wedding ceremony, Dougla has been lovingly reconstructed by Holder's wife, the legendary dancer Carmen de Lavallade, son Leo and iconic DTH artists, including Pan American Life Insurance Group Master Artist, Donald Williams. This season, New Orleans is just one of the four US tour cities, including New York, Miami and Washington D.C., to produce this inspiring work. The expanded cast of dancers will also feature four guest artists from NOBA's Center for Dance, a nationally award-winning youth development program that provides over 5,000 tuition-free classes and activities annually.

Celebrating five decades of Bringing Dance to Life in New Orleans, the 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars will kick off NOBA's golden anniversary year with a star-studded special event at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on January 26. This glittering event features performances by some of the world's most distinguished artists from companies such as American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet and will honor community visionaries who have supported and championed NOBA's mission for many years. (The 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars artists and program will be announced at a later date. Subscribers will be the first to receive detailed information about this event and may purchase tickets at a special subscriber discounted ticket price before they go on sale to the general public.)

Returning on March 22 and 23 to the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the first time in almost a decade are the "irresistible dancers" (The New Yorker) of the iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The company celebrates 60 years as one of America's most distinguished and famous companies bringing the African American experience and dance traditions to the world's stages. Directed by the charismatic choreographer Robert Battle, these powerhouse "dancers will set the stage on fire" (Chicago Sun-Times) with two different programs of stunning new works and classics, including Ailey's masterpiece, Revelations, performed on Friday night.

On April 5 and 6, NOBA and The NOCCA Institute co-present BODYTRAFFIC for three performances in NOCCA's intimate Freda Lupin Memorial Hall. In just a decade, Los Angeles-based BODYTRAFFIC, led by directors Lillian Barbeito & Tina Finkelman Berkett, has blazed onto the international dance scene as one of the hottest contemporary dance companies in the US. Hailed as one of Dance Magazine's "25 to watch" and "the company of the future" by The Joyce Theater in New York, this 10-member ensemble has earned a stellar reputation for its high-energy, thought-provoking, humorous, jazzy and boldly theatrical performances. Featuring work by today's most distinctive dance makers and hand-picked for the company's New Orleans debut, the program spotlights an incredible range of styles with works by Hofesh Shechtor, Matthew Neenan and Richard Siegal and music by Peggy Lee, Clark Terry, Oscar Peterson and Count Basie.

TICKET INFORMATION:
NOBA season ticket subscribers save up to 20 percent off the single ticket price by purchasing a season ticket package. The Grand Plus Series package of all five events, including both Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performances, ranges from $181 to $545. The Grand Series package of four performances, including one performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, ranges from $147 to $420. The flexible Build-a-Series package allows season ticket holders to design their own season package and starts at $108. Discounts are also available for students with a valid student ID.

The 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars is a special event and is not included in any of the season ticket packages. Tickets for this event will go on sale at a later date to be announced and season subscribers will get priority notice to purchase tickets in advance of the general public.

Single ticket prices for Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater begin at $35. The single ticket price for BODYTRAFFIC is $50.

Season packages are currently on sale, and single tickets go on sale August 14. Single tickets for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater go on sale in November. For more information on the upcoming season or to purchase season tickets, call NOBA at 504-522-0996, Ext. 201, or visit www.nobadance.com. Single tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 1-800-745-3000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.

NOBA'S 2018-19 SEASON AT A GLANCE

• Diavolo | Architecture in Motion - Saturday, September 22, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• Dance Theatre of Harlem - Saturday, October 20, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars - Saturday, January 26 (time TBD) at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater - Friday, March 22 and Saturday March 23, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• BODYTRAFFIC - Friday, April 5, 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. at NOCCA's Freda Lupin Memorial Hall (Co-presented with The NOCCA Institute)

About the New Orleans Ballet Association: NOBA is the Central Gulf region's premier presenting and service organization dedicated solely to the art of dance. NOBA's dynamic Main Stage season annually features a diverse array of world-class companies and artists. Each year NOBA provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 30,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, NOBA's nationally recognized, award-winning education programs provide the youth of our community access to quality arts programs with over 5,000 free dance classes and workshops annually at ten sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area.

NOBA is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA); a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the NEA, a Federal agency; a Community Arts Grant made possible by the City of New Orleans and administered by the Arts Council New Orleans (ACNO); and a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered through ACNO. Dance Theatre of Harlem is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the NEA and the Louisiana Division of the Arts.

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