BWW Review: LA Ballet Shares THE NUTCRACKER with Hometown Audiences for the Holidays
LA Ballet returns the essential holiday tradition of THE NUTCRACKER ballet to hometown audiences during the month of December, including venues in Glendale, Hollywood, Westwood and Redondo Beach. This production is the perfect introduction to classic ballet for the whole family as there are many children of all ages in the cast, all students of Los Angeles Ballet School. And given the number of touring companies bringing productions to Los Angeles, it's nice to be able to support a hometown ballet company where many of the featured dancers were born in our area.
FIRST LOOK: LA Ballet Announces its 2016/2017 Season
LA Ballet's upcoming 2016/2017 Season launches their second decade and embraces the full-length classical ballets, the Balanchine repertoire that so revolutionized the dance world, and the commitment to identify, nurture and present both emerging and world-renowned choreographers. Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have announced the next season includes two full-length story ballets, the family-friendly comic ballet "Coppelia" and the holiday favorite "The Nutcracker" and two mixed bill programs, "Modernists /Directors' Choice" and "Balanchine/Master of the Dance." The upcoming season will also reintroduce pre-performance discussions, hosted by Christensen and Neary and their guests (at select performances).
BWW Review: GISELLE Opens LA Ballet's 10th Season Celebrating the Great Romantics
Premiered by Los Angeles Ballet in 2011, GISELLE is a haunting and ethereal masterwork; the perfect embodiment of the Romantic ideal to kick off its tenth season. Continuing its mission to offer world-class professional ballet to greater Los Angeles, the season will include four full-length story ballets including new productions of Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet and the return of the company's critically-acclaimed productions of Giselle and The Nutcracker.
BWW Reviews: LA Ballet Premieres a Spectacular THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY ballet with glorious music by Tchaikovsky premiered in Moscow in 1890. With original choreography by Marius Petipa, it is considered one of the greatest story ballets of all time and the epitome of classical ballet. The story represents much more than just the fairy tale, showing us that even when poisoned by the forces of evil, the power of love can surmount any roadblock and triumph. Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have adapted the ballet with their own original choreography, based after Petipa. Their World Premiere LA Ballet presentation proved to be a spectacular work of artistic excellence thanks to the remarkable LA Ballet dancers.
BWW Reviews: Los Angeles Ballet Presents SWAN LAKE to Open its 2014/2015 Season
Set to Tchaikovsky's sweeping score, the success of SWAN LAKE depends on its Odette/Odile, the sweetly vulnerable white swan/cunningly malevolent black swan. On the Los Angeles Ballet's 2014/2015 season opening night, the miraculous Allynne Noelle captivated with fragile, fluttering arms and superb footwork of the white swan to perfection. Ulrik Birkkjaer's Prince Siegfried lifts appeared so fluid, you would think Noelle was as light as a feather.
BWW Reviews: Los Angeles Ballet Presents LA SYLPHIDE plus George Balanchine's SERENADE
With performances through June 21 in Los Angeles, the two-act story ballet LA SYLPHIDE will be paired with George Balanchine's romantic SERENADE at four of Los Angeles Ballet's home venues: UCLA's Royce Hall, The Alex Theatre in Glendale, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge. Los Angeles Ballet will be touring out of California for the first time, presenting the same production in Seattle, Washington on June 27, 2014, at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center.
