Company News

An elite group of artists called “repetiteurs “ carry on the works of one of the greatest choreographic masters of all time, George Balanchine. For 30 years since his death on April 30, 1983, these human “style guides” for the Balanchine aesthetic have served as guardians of his expansive repertoire of nearly 400 works, and storytellers of his legacy.

Dancing under the stars in Grand Park, Los Angeles Ballet performed George Balanchine's Agon and Rubies, both to the music of Igor Stravinsky, on July 6th in its first partnership with The Music Center.

Colleen Neary will never forget the day when George Balanchine articulated the blueprint for her life’s work. She was in her early 20s, then a respected New York City Ballet dancer.

Los Angeles Ballet's The Nutcracker was attended by a record estimated 15,700 people over 12 performances in 2013, adding to the holiday traditions of audience members throughout Southern California.

The creators of MSN Video's Dance Nation series followed Los Angeles Ballet Soloist Chelsea Paige Johnston for a day to discover what a typical work day is like for her.

On November 5, 2013 Los Angeles Ballet dancers were featured on the Season 5 finale of Face Off, Syfy's special effects make-up competition series.

Los Angeles Ballet will perform at Grand Park on July 6, 2013 as part of The Music Center's L.A.'s Rite: Stravinsky, Innovation, and Dance, a festival honoring the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring).

Unlike certain 20th-century artists who found themselves miserable in Hollywood — F. Scott Fitzgerald comes to mind — George Balanchine was fond of the place in the 1930s.

Los Angeles Ballet dancer Christopher McDaniel has added published author to his long list of accomplishments.

Ten Los Angeles Ballet dancers were profiled recently on Refinery29.com.

On February 27, 2013 LAB Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary announced the promotions of 5 dancers.

Los Angeles Ballet co-artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are excited to unveil the ballets selected for LAB’s eighth season, including classics from the 19th and 20th centuries, new works from 21st century choreographers, and Southern California’s holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.

Los Angeles Ballet’s Swan Lake Gala 2012, which netted over $350,000 for LAB, was held on March 25th at the Montage Beverly Hills.

Bird-watchers flocked to UCLA’s Royce Hall over the weekend as Los Angeles Ballet, now in its sixth season, continued to prove its pointe shoe prowess with the premiere of “Swan Lake.” And while everything was not always picture-perfect Saturday, husband-and-wife directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, who choreographed the four-act work after Petipa and Ivanov, continue to confound balletic naysayers with their little company that could.

Los Angeles Ballet Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are pleased to present the company’s fifth full-length production, Swan Lake, to an expanded line-up of venues.

Los Angeles Ballet Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary will tour its acclaimed rendition of the beloved classic The Nutcracker to five venues for the very first time.

LAB Artistic Director, Colleen Neary will work with The Norwegian National Ballet in October 2012 and early January 2013 to stage Balanchine's Symphony in C and Ballet Imperial.

Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are pleased to present three stunning works by George Balanchine this spring.

Something rare is afoot in Los Angeles. To put it simply, “Swan Lake.” Yes, that icon of classical exactitude and style is popping up on stages all over. And the producer turns out to be not some long-standing, well-endowed enterprise on tour here, but the LA Ballet, which is a mere six years old.

Highly pedigreed? You bet. Well-known in the dance world? No question. But Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have also passed the acid test: As directors of the Los Angeles Ballet, now in its sixth season, they can take a collective bow for their thoroughly sterling production of “Swan Lake.”

The final bill of Los Angeles Ballet's sixth season, “NextWave LA” is the company's annual new works program (known previously as “New Wave LA”), featuring area choreographers.

Featuring Internationally Acclaimed Southern California Choreographers Kitty McNamee, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey and Josie Walsh

Kudos to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the LA Board of Supervisors, for supporting Los Angeles Ballet’s completely credible “Swan Lake” in five venues around LA County. The Arts Commission’s major funding of the production acknowledges our city’s worthiness of LAB’s continuing presence as LA’s own world-class ballet company.

Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen have been honored with the McCallum Theatre Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award.

A few weeks ago, as I sat in Walt Disney Concert Hall for a concert by the New York Philharmonic, I mused to my companion that – in our 60s – we were some of the youngest people there. That isn’t news. But this is: the much-lamented “graying” of the audience for classical music, opera and dance seems to have missed Los Angeles Ballet.

LA County’s resident classical ballet company, Los Angeles Ballet opens a sixth season with Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary’s original staging of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.”

Continuing to establish itself as a spirited and sophisticated -- if itinerant -- ballet company, Los Angeles Ballet opened its 2011-12 season over the weekend at the Alex Theatre in Glendale with a memorable cast for its distinctive, inspired “The Nutcracker.”

In her capacity as a Répétiteur for The George Balanchine Trust, Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Director, Colleen Neary traveled to Saint Petersburg, Russia to rehearse with The Kirov

Download PDF to read article.

Until now, that is. The Los Angeles Ballet (LAB), which kicks off its sixth season Decemeber 3 with The Nutcracker, has slowly evolved into LA's official resident company, renowned for its high-caliber dancers and next-generation repertoire- a mix of old chestnuts and original works by innovative young choreographers.

Los Angeles Ballet stepped into its sixth season with a delightful holiday performance of The Nutcracker at The Alex Theatre in Glendale last weekend. LAB alternately charmed and thrilled its audience with dancing that conveyed emotional depth, and bravura displays that combined strength and grace.

Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are pleased to present Giselle, the timeless story of a young peasant girl who, betrayed by her lover, dies of a broken heart.

Read the full article

Together, along with Julie Whittaker, another ballet-world veteran and executive director of LAB, they created a board of directors. Two years of business planning followed before the company gave its very first performance, The Nutcracker, to favorable reviews in 2006.

Los Angeles’ own professional ballet company will premiere Swan Lake, choreographed by the Artistic Directors, after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.

Ballet in Los Angeles has had a rocky history. Marred by countless false starts, the city's classical dance scene has historically had trouble supporting a to-tier professional troupe-promoting iconic director/choreographer George Balanchine to famously proclaim there was "no hope" for ballet in L.A.

For all the opening-night jitters and imperfections, Los Angeles Ballet gave a credible, even moving, performance of “Giselle” on Saturday at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The essential Giselle experience remained intact: Love survives the grave, bestows forgiveness on an unworthy bad boy and transforms him into a decent human being.

Co-Artistic Director Thordal Christensen announced the promotion of Ms. Noelle to LAB Principal Dancer at the curtain call of the December 17th 1 pm performance of The Nutcracker at Royce Hall, UCLA.

For dance-world insiders, it may not come as a surprise that the company is flourishing. LAB's husband-and-wife artistic directors and cofounders, Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, are both former principal dancers and veteran balet instructors (and, in Christensen's case, artistic director) with decades of experience at some of the most venerated ballet companies in the world.

Three couples are negotiating a series of head-to-head moves, rapid-fi re turns and daring leaps to cranked-up tango music of Astor Piazzolla. At fi rst glance they could be contestants in a postmodern dance marathon.

The choice to feature choreographers outside of the classical dance arena is indicative of the couple's dedication to cultivating the next generation of ballet enthusiasts in LA.

Still, it seemed some local dance fans remained wary of the new company, which had adopted the same moniker as so many other upstarts that showed promise, but quickly fizzled out.

Next up on the Ballet's schedule is Swan Lake, which Christensen calls "fabulous, because it has glorious music. Whether you like hip-hop or classical, there is no way you will not be moved by what's going on."

Despite a rocky arts landscape, Los Angeles Ballet has managed to not only survive but also prosper. What’s needed now is more attention from the local community to this admirable, and creative, company.

Finally, the company will reprise its provocative NextWaveLA series, which features world premire works created by local choreographers specifically for dancers in LAB.

In an era of catastrophic personal belt tightening and calamitous corporate downsizing, too many promising arts organizations have fallen face-first into the chasm of disappearing dollars. When even an established, respected old organization like the Pasadena Playhouse had to close its doors for a time, it is beyond astonishing that a new classical ballet troupe not only survives, but thrives.

Los Angeles Ballet Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are pleased to announce the company’s fifth season as Los Angeles’ own professional ballet company.

LAB has had its share of turnover among its dancers since its inception, which is to be expected in a young company, but currently boasts around 30 dancers who work an annual 24- to 28-week season.

I love ballet. I love the grace, the magic, the sheer beauty of it all. But, once in a while, ballet isn’t merely attractive young dancers in white tutus, assembling in lovely tableaus to strains of Mozart and Delibes.

Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are thrilled to present New Wave LA which involves four contemporary World Premieres from guest choreographers.