Festival Ballet Theatre's 11th Anniversary Gala Of The Stars Announced Today

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Orange County's premiere resident ballet company with an exciting gala performance where world-renowned ballet artists share their love and expertise of the craft with future, inspired young stars.

Festival Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla has confirmed performances by these guest artists:

Beckanne Sisk and Chase O'Connell of Ballet West,

Sarah Lamb of Royal Ballet and Matthew Golding formerly of The Royal Ballet,

Svetlana Lunkina and Evan McKie of National Ballet of Canada,

Yuan Yuan Tan and Vitor Luiz of San Francisco Ballet,

Skylar Brandt and Gabe Stone Shayer of American Ballet Theatre

Morgan Lugo and Juliano Nunes of Royal Ballet of Flanders

The "Gala" presents an unprecedented opportunity to see future stars and current stars connecting through the same language of dance. In the first act, young protégés will demonstrate their talent as a final step in their two weeks of intensive training with distinguished artistic directors: Christopher Powney of The Royal Ballet School, Larissa Saveliev of Youth America Grand Prix and Patrick Armand of San Francisco Ballet School. Two acts follow featuring the most prestigious stars of today. Orange County audiences will be treated to rarely seen repertoire from Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Juliano Nunes and more.

The often sold-out performance is a rare opportunity for Orange County audiences to see dancers from different companies in a combined program that celebrates the continue art and passion of ballet.

GALA OF THE STARS TICKETS

www.scfta.org or (714) 556-2787

Friday, August 17 at 6:00 PM
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

Prices: $55 - $95

POST GALA DINNER WITH THE STARS AT CAFÉ ROUGE
$250
Immediately following the "11th Annual Gala of the Stars" performance, patrons of Festival Ballet Theatre are invited to enjoy an exclusive dinner at Leatherby's Cafe Rouge. Dine with the dancers in this customized experience to celebrate the special occasion.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.festivalballet.org/gala-of-the-stars/.

WELCOME THE STARS DINNER CRUISE
Few places are as beautiful as the deck of a yacht at sunset. Experience the beauty of Orange County's coastline while dining with some of the distinguished stars performing in Festival Ballet Theatre's annual "Gala of the Stars." Set sail on the Icon, a Newport Beach luxury yacht, and cruise the Pacific Ocean with us in celebration of the "11th Annual Gala of the Stars" and Festival Ballet Theatre's 30th anniversary as a company.
Information is available by visiting www.festivalballet.org/gala-of-the-stars/.

Enjoy a Collection of Ballet Works in the Lobby by Richard MacDonald
Dawson Cole Fine Art is pleased to present a collection of ballet works by renowned sculptor Richard MacDonald. Throughout the evening, explore his ballet works in the concert hall lobby.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Festival Ballet Theatre welcomes the opportunity to work with local businesses/individuals as sponsors of the Gala of The Stars. Information regarding sponsorship is available by visiting www.festivalballet.org/gala-of-the-stars/.

*Guest artist and event information may be subject to change without notice.

About Festival Ballet Theatre

Festival Ballet Theatre is a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 by Salwa Rizkalla. Its mission is to enrich Orange County's artistic and economic vitality, to inspire love and appreciation for dance, and to invigorate ballet by:

• Presenting a season of exhilarating classical and contemporary performances,

• Providing a nurturing environment for dancers and choreographers,

• Offering stimulating educational outreach programs.

For more information, visit www.festivalballet.org.

About Salwa Rizkalla

Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla has served the Orange County community for over 30 years by presenting excellence in dance performance through Festival Ballet Theatre, and providing top-tier classical ballet training at Southland Ballet Academy.

During her professional dancing career, Ms. Rizkalla graced the stage in leading roles in well-known classical ballets as well as contemporary pieces. She had the privilege of working under the direction of world-renowned choreographers Leonid Lavrovsky and Serge Lifar. As a young dancer, Ms. Rizkalla trained in the Russian Vaganova method and studied with ballet masters of the Bolshoi and the Kirov. As the culmination of her training, Ms. Rizkalla completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ballet Pedagogy. She established Southland Ballet Academy in 1983 and debuted Festival Ballet Theatre in 1988. In addition to teaching and directing, Ms. Rizkalla was a faculty member of several local area institutions.

Ms. Rizkalla's contributions have been recognized by many local organizations. She was named Orange County Arts Educator of the Year Award for Secondary Dance (2003); Youth America Grand Prix awarded Ms. Rizkalla Outstanding Teacher accolades (2002, 2004, 2005, 2012 and 2017), and Arts Orange County also recognized Ms. Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Lifetime Achievement Cultural Legacy Award (2014). Ms. Rizkalla was named one of OC's 100 Most Influential in 2017 by the OC Register.

Ms. Rizkalla has been honored to impact the lives of hundreds of students and their families through her teaching. She is proud to be a dedicated educator, an energetic promoter of the arts, and an active participant in the cultural life of her community.

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