The Washington Ballet Presents Three World Premieres

The Washington Ballet (TWB) is proud to present Three World Premieres by choreographers Clifton Brown, Gemma Bond and Marcelo Gomes at the Harman Center, March 14-18, 2018. All three choreographers have had formidable dance careers with internationally recognized ballet companies. This triptych of exquisite new works by the emerging choreographers of our time reflects their own history and experiences as dancers. TWB reaffirms its commitment to advancing dance in the 21st century in this program of commissioned works that support both the evolution of ballet and the dancer.

The program opens with Clifton Brown's first commission for a major ballet company, and set to music by Gioachino Rossini, Cello and Bass Duet which will be performed live. His piece includes ten dancers; 6 men and 4 women. Clifton Brown is Assistant Rehearsal Director and Dancer at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Brown began his professional career when he joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1999. While dancing with the company received a "Bessie" Award; was nominated in the U.K. for a Critics Circle National Dance Award for best male dancer; and was the recipient of a Black Theater Arts Award in recognition of his work with the company. He has also danced with Earl Mosley's Diversity of Dance, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, and was a founding member and rehearsal director for Jessica Lang Dance. As a guest artist he has performed with Miami City Ballet, Rome Opera Ballet, Nevada Ballet and Parsons Dance Company. As a répétiteur, he has set the work of Alvin Ailey, Earl Mosley and Jessica Lang on various companies around the world. His television appearances include performing as a guest artist on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With the Stars. He has had the privilege of performing at the White House, and for President Obama.

Gemma Bond has created MYRIAD, a ballet to showcase the many roles women play in their lives. Set to Sonatas and Songs by Henry Purcell (all of which were inspired by a female patron) Bond weaves six dancers through the music reflecting their persona as the Confidant, the Poet, the Muse, the Madonna, the Mother and the Leader. She is in the Corps de Ballet at American Ballet Theater. Born in Bedfordshire, England, she began her ballet training with Sylvia Bebbs, then trained at the Royal Ballet School and joined The Royal Ballet rising to the rank of first artist. Since joining ABT in 2008 she has danced works ranging from Ashton to Balanchine, Morris to Tharp, and created featured roles in works by Ratmansky and Liam Scarlett, among others. Her first taste of choreography was at 13 when she competed in the Royal Ballet's Sir Kenneth MacMillan Choreographic Competition.

From 2010 to the present, she has created three ballets for ABT's Choreographic Institute as well as works for Atlanta Ballet, New York Theater Ballet, Intermezzo Ballet Company and the Hartt School. Her choreography has been performed at the prestigious Eric Bruhn Competition, the Youth America Grand Prix Gala, the 92nd Street Y, and she has worked on commercial projects with 1stAveMachine. In 2014 she was awarded the fellowship grant from the New York Choreographic Institute (an affiliate of New York City Ballet) which she used to create The Giving. Her upcoming projects include an engagement at the Joyce and a world premiere commission at Ballet Sun Valley. Ms. Bond is a 2017-2018 New York City Center Choreography Fellow, the recipient of a 2017 Princess Grace Foundation - USA Choreography Fellowship, and the 2018 winner of the Clive Barnes Foundation Award for dance.

Marcelo Gomes has selected the "American Quartet" (String Quartet No. 12 in F Major) written by Antonin Leopold Dvo?ák in 1893 as the backdrop for his story ballet with ten dancers and live music accompaniment. When Dvo?ák was on vacation in Iowa he stayed in a small town that was home to a vibrant immigrant Czech community. Gomes uses this inspiration to capture the warm feeling of community between people from a very small American town. He reveals the story of a man who becomes interested in what lies outside the contented if not monotonous life of the village. On his wedding day, he must decide whether to stay and live as he has been or leave his friends and family and explore the world beyond his home. Gomes is a principal guest artist and choreographer. Born in Manaus Brazil, he began his dance studies at the age of 5 at the Helena Lobato and Dalal Achcar ballet schools in Rio de Janeiro. Upon winning the Revelation Prize at the Festival of Dance in Joinville in 1993, he traveled to the United States to continue his training at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, as well as at the schools of the Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Cuballet, where he studied under Alicia Alonso.

Mr. Gomes was awarded second place at the National Society of Arts and Letters in 1994, and was the recipient of the Hope Prize at Lausanne in 1996, after which he spent a year at the school of the Paris Opera Ballet. Mr. Gomes also received the prestigious Benois de la Danse award in Moscow. Mr. Gomes joined American Ballet Theatre in 1997 as a member of the Corps de Ballet, being promoted to Soloist in 2000 and Principal Dancer in 2002 until 2017. He performed in virtually every full-length classical ballet in the company's repertoire. Mr. Gomes' performances have been seen throughout the world. He has appeared at many international dance festivals, and has been a guest artist with the Mariinsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Houston Ballet, Teatro Colon, Teatro Municipal Do Rio de Janeiro, Universal Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures and New York City Ballet. As a choreographer, Mr. Gomes has created ballets for American Ballet Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, The Kings Of the Dance, ABT's Studio Company , Teatro Municipal Do Rio de Janeiro and Sarasota Ballet.

Artistic Director Julie Kent is "thrilled to support the work of these emerging choreographers who bring a unique perspective to their work as dancers. TWB continues to invest in new works that will advance both ballet and the dancer, and we look forward to the annual commissioning of repertoire that we can share with the DC metropolitan area. We are enthusiastic for the community to embrace these new works and their choreographers."

Tickets start at $25 and are available for purchase at www.washingtonballet.org, http://www.shakespearetheatre.org and by phone at the Harman Center/Shakespeare Theatre at 202.547.1122 from Monday through Sunday from Noon to 6pm .

Harman Center, 601 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004; located on F Street NW between 6th and 7th Streets.

Please note: All programs, artists, dates and times are subject to change without notice.

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