California's Peninsula Ballet Theatre Streams Six World Premiere Ballets for World Ballet Day Today

In celebration of the 6th annual World Ballet Day, Peninsula Ballet Theatre today announced the launch of The Chrysalis Project and the premiere of six new ballets featuring principal dancers Léna Alvino, Aline Carili and Robert Burns Lowman. Company Artistic Director Gregory Amato choreographed five of the new works and Company artist Aline Carili created a solo dance. Each one of the new dances is approximately five minutes in duration and is either a solo work or a pas de deux - reflecting appropriate social distancing.

The world premiere of all six ballets will be available for free public streaming starting today at 12 Noon PT on the Company's website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

The ambitious collection of new repertory includes a special video conversation with Amato and Peninsula Ballet Theatre Executive Director/CEO Christine Leslie, recorded onstage at the Company's home venue, the Fox Theatre in Redwood City. "For the past 53 years, Peninsula Ballet Theatre has been creating art for the Bay Area community," said Leslie. "While coping with the reality of not being able to perform live due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we began looking for meaningful opportunities to reconnect with our audience. After all, dancers need to dance; choreographers need to create; and our school faculty need to teach. With the launch of this initiative, we've moved in a positive and exciting direction."

Amato commented, "We started this Chrysalis Project with solos because we've all been in isolation, alone, but going through this together. It was a challenge, but once we were able to get into the studio it was a rebirth of our artistic souls. We could carefully interact with each other in a human way, which turned out to be quite wonderful. As a result, we've created six new works of contrasting styles all reflecting our experiences with the pandemic. I'm so proud to share this new repertory with the global ballet community on World Ballet Day."

Company Artistic Assistant and dancer Robert Burns Lowman added, "The Chrysalis project is hopeful with promises of a brighter tomorrow and focuses on the transformation that happens in solitude."

The six new works are: Robert, a solo for Robert Burns Lowman choreographed by Gregory Amato set to music by Frédéric Chopin; Léna, a solo dance for Léna Alvino choreographed by Gregory Amato set to music by Abel Korzeniowski; Fading Away, a solo work created and performed by Aline Carili set to music by Big Scary; It Takes Two, a pas de deux for Léna Alvino and Robert Burns Lowman set to choreography by Gregory Amato with music by Ryuichi Sakamoto; Aline, a solo dance for Aline Carili set to choreography by Gregory Amato with music by Kovacs; and Amorphous, a pas de deux for Léna Alvino and Robert Burns Lowman set to choreography by Gregory Amato with music by Erik Satie.

The Chrysalis video project was directed by Michael Davis and Lucas Dudley was the director of photography and editor. The dances were all filmed on location in San Mateo County including the Fox Theatre in Redwood City; the Crystal Springs Golf Course in Burlingame; and at a private estate courtesy of the Buljan Group at Compass of Burlingame.

For more information about Peninsula Ballet Theatre, visit www.peninsulaballet.org.

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