New Orleans Ballet Association Announces 2019-20 Season Celebrating 50 Years Of Bringing Dance To Life

The New Orleans Ballet Association announces its 2019-2020 dance season packed with stellar performances at the Mahalia Jackson Theater by four brilliant and world-renowned dance companies, including Trinity Irish Dance Company, Pilobolus in Shadowland-The New Adventure, Houston Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, plus a special Evening of Stars that continues the celebration of NOBA's 50th anniversary season.

On October 19, Chicago's Trinity Irish Dance Company will return to New Orleans for the first time since 2002 and premiere a brand new show that will then tour the world. Since its founding in 1990, Trinity has been hailed as the birthplace of the progressive Irish dance movement, blending the virtuosity and rapid-fire rhythms of traditional Irish dance with contemporary American innovations that paved the way for commercial productions like Riverdance. Continuing to push boundaries and sell out performances around the world, this awe-inspiring company of champion dancers and musicians dazzles and entertains with percussive power, lightning-fast agility and aerial grace that is simply irresistible and the "real deal" (Chicago Tribune).

On November 22, the always inventive and inspiring Pilobolus returns with a delightful new show. For over 45 years, Pilobolus has tickled the imagination and entertained the world with its breathtaking physicality that defies what is humanly possible. Named after a sun-loving fungus, this playful ensemble of gravity-defying, shape-shifting dancers presents with the Louisiana premiere of the full-evening Shadowland-The New Adventure. Using mixed media, animation, dance and shadow theater, this charming, madcap adventure to save a magical bird is full of visual surprises that will enchant audiences of all ages!

NOBA continues its golden anniversary celebration of Bringing Dance to Life in New Orleans with a second star-studded evening of dance with 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars on January 25. 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. Evening of Stars is not part of a season ticket package. 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.)

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Houston Ballet returns on March 28 for the first time in over a decade with a beautiful performance that spotlights the company's legacy as "a leading force in the dance world" (Pointe Magazine). Looking to the future and honoring the past, this exquisite company of elite artists presents an evening of ballets that have all been created especially for Houston Ballet, including spectacular revivals and new premieres.

The season finale on April 18 is "the funniest night you will ever have at the ballet," (The Sunday Times, UK) with the long-awaited return of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in a hilarious new program. Affectionately called The Trocks, this lovable all-male ballet company performs delightful parodies of great ballet classics from Swan Lake, Giselle and the Dying Swan to the dances of George Balanchine and Martha Graham. This company of technically proficient male ballerinas on pointe and in tutus is a worldwide dance phenomenon and "one of the great comic creations of the American stage" (San Francisco Chronicle).

NOBA season ticket subscribers save up to 20 percent off the single ticket price by purchasing a season ticket package. The Grand Series package of all four performances ranges from $136 to $520. 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.

Season packages are currently on sale, and single tickets for Trinity Irish Dance Company, Pilobolus, Houston Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will go on sale later this summer. 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 2019-20 SEASON AT A GLANCE:

• Trinity Irish Dance Company - Saturday, October 19, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• Pilobolus in Shadowland-The New Adventure - Friday, November 22, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• 50th Anniversary Evening of Stars - Saturday, January 25 (time TBD) at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• Houston Ballet - Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater
• Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo - Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m. at the Mahalia Jackson Theater

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 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.

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