New Orleans Ballet Association's 2018-19 Season Opens With AMERICA'S GOT TALENT Finalist

The New Orleans Ballet Association kicks off its 2018-2019 dance season at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on September 22 at 8 p.m. with the awe-inspiring 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 breathtaking, daredevil movement on a huge playground of oversized architectural structures. Simon Cowell raved, "the set pieces are incredible and really, really clever. I am actually gob smacked. It is that good!" Since becoming a TV sensation, the company has been entertaining legions of new fans and selling out live performances.

Based in Los Angeles, these thrill-seeking, intrepid dancer-athletes are led by Paris-born maverick, Jacques Heim, hailed as "a superstar" by Cowell. Under Heim's visionary direction, the company celebrates its 25th anniversary and brings a new action-theater show that is a thrilling spectacle for the entire family.

With an "ultra-athletic, high octane" (The New York Times) physical style that encompasses dance, theater and "incredible feats of daring acrobatics" (Broadway World), DIAVOLO explores the relationship between the human body and its unique architectural environment. The two-act program includes the Louisiana premiere of Voyage, with three very different and ingenious sets and the company's signature work Trajectoire, featuring the brilliant and massive boat-like structure that was part of the company's epic performance on the finale of "America's Got Talent."

DIAVOLO tickets start at $35 and are available online at NOBAdance.com; by calling (504) 522-0996; in-person at NOBA's Box Office, 935 Gravier Street, Suite 800; or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more, students and seniors are also available. DIAVOLO is also included in season ticket packages. Ticket packages are currently on sale and subscribers save up to 20 percent off the single ticket price by purchasing a season ticket package. DIAVOLO is sponsored by The Hyatt Regency New Orleans.

A pre-performance talk with Artistic Director Jacques Heim will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Mezzanine Level M2 of the Mahalia Jackson Theater.

DIAVOLO IN THE COMMUNITY: On Thursday, September 20, DIAVOLO artists will conduct community workshops for youth with partner schools and a special movement workshop for veterans at the New Orleans VA Medical Center.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion uses dance to explore the relationship between the human body and its architectural environment. Artistic Director Jacques Heim steers DIAVOLO's diverse team of dancers, designers, choreographers and engineers to create visceral and awe-inspiring works that reveal how we are affected emotionally, physically and socially by the spaces we inhabit. Meticulously designed bespoke architectural structures serve as the central inspiration for each work, activated by the stylistically varied and intensely physical choreography which has become the hallmark of this truly original company throughout its rich 25-year history. Through The DIAVOLO Institute, the company also provides educational and outreach opportunities to people of all ages and abilities while touring and at home in Los Angeles, sharing the pioneering art form and the power of dance as a means of social impact.

JACQUES HEIM - FOUNDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Jacques Heim has been a transformative director for over 20 years, founding DIAVOLO in 1992, newly renamed DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion, and has directed the Company's work ever since.

Heim was born and raised in Paris, France. His earliest experiences with performance came from street performing. He attended Middlebury College (Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, dance and film), University of Surrey in England (Certificate for analysis and criticism of dance), and California Institute for the Arts (Master of Fine Arts, choreography). Heim is not a dancer or acrobat but calls himself an "architect of motion." He is like a drill sergeant or a football coach. He loves working with dancers - pushing them beyond their own physical and emotional limits to make them feel like they can conquer anything, to make them realize they are heroes.

Heim is named directly after his grandfather, the late and revolutionary fashion designer, who in 1946 launched the first ever two-piece bathing suit called Atome, later renamed The Bikini, and also invented le pret-a-porter, or 'Ready to Wear' clothing. Just as his grandfather broke ground in the fashion industry, Heim continues to challenge and break the mold of conventional wisdom surrounding dance, developing the unique and incomparable aesthetic of Architecture in Motion.

In addition to his work with DIAVOLO, Heim has worked extensively for other companies in dance, theater, television and special events worldwide. Heim created five new performances based on DIAVOLO creations for NBC's "America's Got Talent 2017." DIAVOLO appeared as one of the top ten contestants in AGT's finale at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. He also recently directed DIAVOLO for a special appearance on "Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde's New Year's Eve 2017," one of the most watched TV shows in France and Francophone countries. DIAVOLO also appeared on Helene Fischer's "2017 Christmas Spectacular."

In 2004, Heim choreographed KÀ for Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, a destination show featuring apparatuses inspired by DIAVOLO structures and architecture. In 2010, he was invited to be a creative director for the opening ceremony of The 16th Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China. Heim worked with Guy Caron and Michael Curry as consulting choreographer on Ice Age Live!, a "mammoth" arena show that had its world premiere at London's Wembley Stadium in November 2012 and is now touring Europe.

In addition to three USA Fellowship nominations and four Alpert Award nominations, Heim has received the Martha Hill Choreography Award of the American Dance Festival, Special Prize of the Jury at the 6th Saitama International Dance Festival, Brody Arts Fund fellowship, James Irvine Foundation Fellowship and is the 2016 Barney Creative Prize recipient.

Editor's Note: Diavolo hi-res press images are available from Dropbox by clicking here.

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.

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