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Co-artistic director Colleen Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, made a formidable Madge, only gradually revealing her malevolent powers. Home / News / New Item Best of 2007 Listings December 16, 2007 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Co-artistic director Colleen Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, made a formidable Madge, only gradually revealing her malevolent powers. It was easy to laugh at her mumbo-jumbo antics with her four witch friends around the black cauldron at the start of Act 2. But nobody was laughing at the end of the ballet. DOWNLOAD PDF

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. Home / News / New Item Swan feathers float down on local stages March 14, 2012 LA Observed by Donna Perlmutter 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. Why? Why would brand-name husband/wife directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary be confident enough to mount this behemoth of a ballet? This vast spectacle designed for the likes of kingly companies with multi-millions -- the Bolshoi, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Covent Garden, Royal Danish? Answer: They have the chops now, that is, the dancers, together with their deep, artistic savvy. And they know it. All I did was tip-toe into Royce Hall - the first stop in a city-wide tour of major Southland venues that continues through March 31 - only to discover a production of the Petipa-Ivanov-Tchaikovsky ballet that approximated world-class standards. The capstone of all this cheering came in the second act - you know, the famed lakeside scene, that moonlit mirage with the snowy white swan corps floating about and Prince Siegfried sensing the imminent appearance of his fateful inamorata Odette, aka the Swan Queen, turned from maiden into an avian creature by an evil sorcerer. And when she alit onstage, in the person of Allynne Noelle, the effect was dazzling -- as that first sighting was meant to be. Tall, with perfect proportions and gorgeously tapering long limbs, this Swan Queen had both bird-like spark and human pathos, her hand articulation spelling out regal elegance. She danced with alacrity and definition and fluid musicality. It was as though she’d been in training at Vaganova since adolescence - not a girl from Huntington Beach - although she’d done stints at redoubtable dance oases (National Ballet of Canada, Villella’s Miami City Ballet and not least, Vicky Koenig’s Inland Pacific Ballet). So...with Noelle and a host of others now just in their second season with LAB, Christensen and Neary knew this was their moment. In fact, the bench is deep enough to alternate the lead role, as well as others. But that’s not all. These high-pedigree directors (he a Royal Dane, she a Balanchine Trustee), who have both formerly danced the “Swan Lake” lead roles for years, boast wide contacts for bringing resources to the company -- the dancers, for instance -- and this production, originally designed for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Besides Noelle, who joined LAB only 18 months ago, is Alyssa Bross, the alternate lead. I glimpsed her rehearsing Odile (the Black Swan), and saw richly expressive qualities - she used every enticement to undermine the Prince’s oath to Odette and was a dewy seductress, not the hard, haughty type who would laugh at her easy conquest. And when she danced Odette, it was with aching vulnerability - which belies her photograph on the program book cover, a misleadingly placid look. No wonder Christensen went forward with “Swan Lake.” He knew he’d recruited the talent - many had trained at prestigious schools and had danced with top companies. As Noelle’s and Bross’s partners, both Kenta Shimizu and Christopher Revels acquitted themselves nobly, if not exactly at the danseur level. Guest artist Akimitsu Yahata did his thrilling bravura stuff as the Jester. But down to the last coryphée, the coaching was scrupulous. Everyone had clear focus and a sense of unanimity, even the mimed gestures were natural. What’s more, the muted, old-world sets and costumes looked lovely on the Royce Hall stage, as if made for it. Considering that taped music allows for no moment-to-moment variation, the company coped well. DONNA PERLMUTTER is an ASCAP-Award winning music/dance critic and journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and many other publications. She is also the author of “Shadowplay: The Life of Antony Tudor.” Email her at donna.perlmutter@gmail.com . DOWNLOAD PDF

Guests came from the worlds of entertainment, finance, healthcare and other industries to a gala at the Bel-Air home of Stephanie Murray in support of Los Angeles Ballet. Home / News / New Item Supporting Los Angeles Ballet October 1, 2009 Company News from the Staff at LAB Guests came from the worlds of entertainment, finance, healthcare and other industries to a gala at the Bel-Air home of Stephanie Murray in support of Los Angeles Ballet. Guests enjoyed dinner in the garden and a performance of "The Evangelist," originally created for Neary and Christensen, and selections from the great choreographer George Balanchine.

Los Angeles Ballet's Gala 2015 will honor philanthropist Ghada Irani. Home / News / New Item Ghada Irani to be Honored at LAB Gala 2015 January 1, 2015 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet's Gala 2015 will honor philanthropist Ghada Irani. In her capacity as a member of the Los Angeles Ballet Board of Directors, Mrs. Irani has been a generous supporter of not only its ballet programs, but also its outreach programs for children, families, low-income seniors, veterans and disabled persons. In addition, she she served as Co-Chair for the Los Angeles Ballet Gala in 2012 and has been a member of the Event Planning Committee for LAB Galas since their inception in 2011. The Los Angeles Ballet Gala 2015 will take place May 7, 2015 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and is chaired by Dina Leeds and Jeanette Trepp. The evening will include cocktails, dining, and a preview performance of master choreographer Jírí Kylián’s Sechs Tänze (Six Dances)

Giselle 2016 Christensen and Neary after Coralli, Perrot, Petipa/Adam Ulrik Birkkjaer Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Alyssa Bross, Chelsea Paige Johnston & Zheng Hua Li Alyssa Bross, Chelsea Paige Johnston & LAB Ensemble Alyssa Bross Julia Clinquemani & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & LAB Ensemble Julia Clinquemani & Dustin True Julia Clinquemani & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & LAB Ensemble Ulrik Birkkjaer Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Kenta Shimizu, Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & Ulrik Birkkjaer Julia Cinquemani & Ulrik Birkkjaer Ulrik Birkkjaer Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Alyssa Bross, Chelsea Paige Johnston & Zheng Hua Li Alyssa Bross, Chelsea Paige Johnston & LAB Ensemble Alyssa Bross Julia Clinquemani & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & LAB Ensemble Julia Clinquemani & Dustin True Julia Clinquemani & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & LAB Ensemble Ulrik Birkkjaer Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross, Kenta Shimizu, Kate Highstrete & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani Allyssa Bross, Ulrik Birkkjaer & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & Ulrik Birkkjaer Julia Cinquemani & Ulrik Birkkjaer Previous Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation. Next Gallery

The mission of LABG is to provide a vital link between Los Angeles Ballet, its artistic and executive leadership, its board of directors, and the Southern California community. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet announces the formation of the Los Angeles Ballet Guild September 1, 2009 Company News from the Staff at LAB The mission of LABG is to provide a vital link between Los Angeles Ballet, its artistic and executive leadership, its board of directors, and the Southern California community. It exists to support the mission of Los Angeles Ballet and provide the necessary assistance to organize all performances. Through its activities and fundraising, the Guild is by nature philanthropic, creative, entrepreneurial, and industrious. LABG is the major support group of LAB.

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 Home / News / New Item Colleen Neary Stages Balanchine at The Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg June 1, 2011 Company News from the Staff at LAB 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, now known as The Mariinsky Ballet, in June 2011. She worked with the company for 2 weeks on Balanchine's Ballet Imperial and Symphony in C which she staged for them in 2004 and 2008. The works were performed in the annual White Nights Festival, and on tour in London. This is Colleen's third trip to Saint Petersburg to work with the Mariinsky Ballet.

Season 2010-2011 Balanchine Monica Pelfrey in Balanchine's 'Raymonda Variations' Monica Pelfrey & Ensemble in Balanchine's 'Raymonda Variations' Isabel Vondermuhll in Balanchine's 'Raymonda Variations' Sonya Tayeh Grace McLoughlin & Chehon Wespi-Tschopp in Sonya Tayeh's 'My Greatest Fear' Grace McLoughlin & Chehon Wespi-Tschopp in Sonya Tayeh's 'My Greatest Fear' Sonya Tayeh Sonya Tayeh George Balanchine Allyssa Bross and Ensemble in Balanchine's 'Western Symphony' Allyssa Bross and Ensemble in Balanchine's 'Western Symphony' Allyssa Bross in 'Giselle' Allyssa Bross & Ensemble in 'Giselle' Zheng Hua Li and Allynne Noelle in 'Giselle' Alyssa Bross & Christopher Revels in 'Giselle' The Willis in 'Giselle' Kate Highstrete & Ensemble in 'Giselle' Allynne Noelle & Ensemble in 'Giselle' Allyssa Bross & Christopher Revels in 'Giselle' Chehon Wespi-Tschopp in 'Giselle' Allyssa Bross & Christopher Revels, and Ensemble in 'Giselle' Christopher Revels and Ensemble in 'Giselle' Chelsea Paige Johnston & Kenta Shimizu in 'Giselle' Christensen/Neary Previous Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation. Next Gallery

Los Angeles Ballet co-artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are excited to unveil the ballets selected for LAB’s upcoming mixed program, QUARTET. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet Announces Quartet February 1, 2014 LAB Public Relations Performances to include: World premieres from Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Stowell Commissioned score from Noah Agruss LAB premiere of Jiří Kylián’s Return to a Strange Land LAB premiere of George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes Los Angeles Ballet co-artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are excited to unveil the ballets selected for LAB’s upcoming mixed program, QUARTET. This production adheres strongly to a main component of LAB’s mission: to passionately pursue innovation and creativity in performances by preserving the best choreographic work of the past and to become the impetus for the best choreography yet to come. Also continuing LAB’s mission to bring great, professional ballet to greater LA, each program will be performed at LAB’s four home venues: UCLA’s Royce Hall, The Alex Theatre in Glendale, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge. From March 1 to 22, 2014, QUARTET combines masterworks from George Balanchine and Jiří Kylián with new works from rising choreographers Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Stowell. Known for her work on television’s So You Think You Can Dance as well as on several celebrity concert tours and Broadway touring productions, Beneath One’s Dignity will mark Tayeh’s fourth commission for Los Angeles Ballet. Her ferocious, emotional style, blended with ballet, has brought audiences and critics to their feet. Former Artistic Director of Oregon Ballet Theater and noted choreographer Christopher Stowell will be working with LAB dancers for the first time, creating Cipher specifically for the company. This piece also marks the first commissioned composition for LAB, titled Modules by local composer Noah Agruss. QUARTET will also include the company premiere of Return to a Strange Land, from master choreographer Jiří Kylián to music by Leoš Janáček, and Stars and Stripes by George Balanchine set to the rousing marches of John Philip Sousa. “The dancers always look forward to working with Sonya. And having seen Christopher’s work in Oregon, we are excited to see what he will be creating on our dancers”, Mr. Christensen explained. “We think works from these two young dancemakers will fit well with Jiří Kylián’s beautiful, elegiac ballet and Balanchine’s stirring valentine to his adopted country.” Los Angeles Ballet’s production of QUARTET promises four extraordinary pieces, with something for every audience member. About Los Angeles Ballet Founded in 2004 by Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, and Executive Director Julie Whittaker, Los Angeles Ballet is known for its superb stagings of the Balanchine repertory, stylistically meticulous classical ballets, and its commitment to new works. LAB has become recognized as a world-class ballet company, in eight seasons presenting 24 productions encompassing 50 works, including 15 commissioned world premieres. Los Angeles Ballet ‘tours’ throughout LA County, regularly appearing at four venues. This past summer the Los Angeles Music Center presented Los Angeles Ballet at Grand Park, with more than 3,000 attending the outdoor performance. Since its inception in 2006, LAB’s Power of Performance (POP!) program has provided thousands of free tickets to underserved or disadvantaged children, seniors, veterans, and their families. LAB's A Chance to Dance Community Days outreach program was launched in October 2012. About Jiří Kylián Jiří Kylián is a Czechoslovakian dancer and choreographer who began his career in Stuttgart Ballet in 1968. After creating numerous new ballets at Stuttgart, he became the Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater where he served until 1999 and continued to choreograph for the company until 2009. His work Return to a Strange Land is an LAB premiere. About Christopher Stowell Christopher Stowell led a distinguished 16-year career as a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet before becoming Oregon Ballet Theatre’s second Artistic Director from 2003 to 2012, where he significantly expanded the company’s repertoire. Cipher is his first commissioned work for Los Angeles Ballet. About Sonya Tayeh Sonya Tayeh was born in Detroit, Michigan and received a B.S. in Dance from Wayne State University. She has extensive stage credits and has choreographed for Miley Cyrus, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, and Madonna. She is a recurring choreographer and judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Beneath One’s Dignity will be her fourth commissioned work for Los Angeles Ballet. About George Balanchine Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Balanchine came to the United States in late 1933 following an early European career that included the Ballets Russes. Balanchine co-founded the School of American Ballet, and New York City Ballet where he served as the ballet master from its inception in 1948 until his death in 1983. To this day, Balanchine is regarded as world’s foremost contemporary ballet choreographer. Stars and Stripes is an LAB premiere. About Noah Agruss Noah Agruss is a Los Angeles based Composer who studied composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston and was mentored by Pulitzer Prize composer Wayne Peterson at San Francisco State University. Noah co-founded San Francisco's composer consortium, New Release Alliance, and served as Composer-in-Residence and Music Director on more than 20 productions for Sacramento's B Street Theatre. His edgy string quartet arrangements for Vitamin Records have garnered millions of hits on YouTube and have been chosen by choreographer Mia Michaels for her work on So You Think You Can Dance. His Film and Television credits include the Lionsgate's feature Five Fingers and NBC's broadcast of the Beiijing Olympics. Noah is honored to have been chosen to collaborate with Christopher Stowell in creating "Modules" for Los Angeles Ballet. DOWNLOAD PDF

"...A native of New York City, [Elisabeth Claire Walker] studied at American Ballet Theatre’s elite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School as a teenager. Home / News / New Item LAB Dancer Elizabeth Claire Walker featured in Harvard Magazine June 1, 2016 Harvard Magazine by Maggie Shipstead "...A native of New York City, [Elisabeth Claire Walker] studied at American Ballet Theatre’s elite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School as a teenager. Her senior year of high school—even after she’d been accepted to Harvard—was spent attending massive cattle-call auditions for professional companies. Just when she was about to give up, she spotted a notice for Los Angeles Ballet, a new company with impressively pedigreed artistic directors. The audition happened on a rainy day, she remembers; her mother encouraged her to go. “She said I’d regret it if I didn’t. I was sewing pointe shoes in the car.” A week later, she got the call..." READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

Los Angeles Ballet ended its benchmark 10th season in June as the first American company to dance Frederick Ashton’s distinctively intimate and poetic “Romeo and Juliet.” Unfortunately, that season left the company fiscally overextended, so the 11th season, which opened Saturday, has cutbacks in the roster and the repertory. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet At the Top of its Form October 20, 2016 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Los Angeles Ballet ended its benchmark 10th season in June as the first American company to dance Frederick Ashton’s distinctively intimate and poetic “Romeo and Juliet.” Unfortunately, that season left the company fiscally overextended, so the 11th season, which opened Saturday, has cutbacks in the roster and the repertory. That’s disappointing, of course, but the situation forced artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary to capitalize on their bedrock artistic strengths in an invigorating program at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. From Christensen’s Danish birthright came August Bournonville’s antique Pas de Six and Tarantella from “Napoli.” From Neary’s career at New York City Ballet came an authoritative staging of George Balanchine’s wondrous “Stravinsky Violin Concerto.” The directors’ longstanding commitment to new work brought Canadian modernist Aszure Barton’s quirky, challenging “Untouched” to the program too. The celebratory Bournonville divertissement began with a classical abstraction of folklore and then unleashed a nonstop barrage of bouncy, heel-and-toe folk steps. Technical strain from the women and hard landings from the men marred the opening section. But those shortcomings soon yielded to spot-on contributions from the excellent Julia Cinquemani and Kenta Shimizu, as well as Javier Moya Romero and Madeline Houk (replacing the injured Allyssa Bross), plus a stellar newcomer, Tigran Sargsyan, able to project Bournonville style effortlessly at opera house scale. The “Napoli” excerpt also confirmed the growing importance of Dustin True, a versatile soloist previously seen in subsidiary roles but given major assignments in all three works Saturday. In the Bournonville and Barton pieces, you could admire his skill and spirit without feeling he’d outclassed his colleagues. But in the “Stravinsky Violin Concerto,” opposite Elizabeth Claire Walker (replacing Bross), the almost contemptuous force and sensuality of his dancing made it impossible to watch anyone else — even Shimizu and Cinquemani, efficient if subdued in their duet. In a tribute to his friendship with the composer, Balanchine initially reshuffled soloists and small ensembles, then explored two moody, intricate duets before launching a folk-accented finale requiring extraordinary precision from the whole cast. It is one of the prime neoclassic creations of the 20th century and, discounting a few lapses in stamina, the Los Angeles Ballet performance delivered its greatness impressively. Crammed with musical and movement eccentricity, Barton’s 2010 “Untouched” looked at the tensions between group identity and individual expression. For much of the work’s length, the title proved prophetic: Everyone danced in juxtaposition but with no contact. And even when fleeting interactions occurred, the participants remained untouched in a fundamental sense: locked in their own pain and processes. With everyone wearing Fritz Masten’s floral prints, the piece evoked an upscale party at which everyone expected relationships to form but nobody really connected. Along the way, newcomer Leah McCall dominated the stage in a dramatic solo, and Bianca Bulle endured partnering assaults stoically, but everyone in the 12-member cast took to Barton’s twisty, wiggly, off-kilter style as if ballet dancing always incorporated such oddities. Nicole Pearce designed the claustrophobic set (borrowed from Hubbard Street Dance Chicago). Obviously, few would rejoice at Los Angeles Ballet’s cutbacks. But the company’s value stayed resplendent Saturday with no need for more of anything — expect possibly live music. Indeed, this is why we need these dancers in Los Angeles, not for hand-me-down stagings of Russian warhorses but for sustaining the living legacy of modernism (even 19th-century modernism) that has distinguished it for the last decade. The L.A. Ballet program will visit other Southland venues in weeks to come; no doubt, other audiences will see what the Alex audience witnessed: an invaluable community resource suffering growing pains, perhaps, but still near the top of its game. ------------ Los Angeles Ballet In Redondo Beach: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd. In Westwood: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at Royce Hall, UCLA Tickets: $29.50-$104 Info: (310) 998-7782, www.losangelesballet.org Follow The Times’ arts team @culturemonster. ALSO An ode to an avant-garde Japanese dance legend USC celebrates the opening of a $46-million building for dance 40 years of Martin Scorsese movies, mashed up as a concert-musical READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

Attorney Jennifer Bellah Maguire was elected Chair of LAB Board of Directors on November 18, 2021. She joined the Los Angeles Ballet Board as a founding member in 2005, and has been a passionate advocate for building and sustaining the company. Home / News / New Item Jennifer Bellah Maguire Elected Chair of Los Angeles Ballet Board of Directors December 2, 2021 Company News from Brandon Lussier, LAB Executive Director On November 18, 2021 Jennifer Bellah Maguire was elected Chair of the Los Angeles Ballet Board of Directors. Jennifer Bellah Maguire’s life-long engagement with dance began with classical ballet training as a child. She continued by performing with the Princeton Ballet Society, Oakland Ballet and in contemporary dance at Bryn Mawr College. Ms. Bellah Maguire joined the Board of Los Angeles Ballet in 2005 as a founding member and has been a passionate advocate for building and sustaining a ballet company with the dimension and diversity of Los Angeles. Ms Bellah Maguire is a corporate Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she has practiced throughout her career. She holds a bachelor of arts from Bryn Mawr College and was awarded a Watson Foundation Fellowship. Her law degree is from UC Berkeley. She also serves as a Trustee of Otis College of Art and Design and is a member of The Blue Ribbon. DOWNLOAD PDF