Los Angeles Ballet first danced “Giselle” in its fifth season. Now, at the start of Season 10, it has returned to the full-length Romantic tragedy with great freshness and authority. Home / News / New Item Review: Missteps aside, Los Angeles Ballet brings new life to 'Giselle' October 4, 2015 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Los Angeles Ballet first danced “Giselle” in its fifth season. Now, at the start of Season 10, it has returned to the full-length Romantic tragedy with great freshness and authority. At the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, the level of classical dancing remained praiseworthy, but the big news involved the attempt to bolster the work’s dramatic credibility in Act 1. The unfamiliar Desmond Heeley scenery and costumes (borrowed from the National Ballet of Canada) and the unusually detailed and convincing portrayal of the jealous Hilarion by Alexander Castillo showed that this traditional staging of “Giselle” was being reconsidered or improved. In the title role, longtime principal Allyssa Bross again displayed a touching sweetness and vulnerability in her early scenes, but the superb fierceness and fury of her mad scene proved a welcome innovation. As Albrecht, Kenta Shimizu always partnered her skillfully, but the passion in his performance flowered in Act 2, where his high Romantic fervor exceeded anything I’ve seen in Shimizu’s seven seasons with the company. Julia Cinquemani and Dustin True brought a sense of occasion and honed technical abilities to the Peasant Pas de Deux, along with a brilliant knack for recovering perfectly from slips -- she at the beginning of a solo, he at the end. Indeed, True’s improvisation could well become an original virtuoso step-combination, if he can repeat it. A few small problems remained in Act 1: Berthe’s incomprehensible pantomime-speech, for example -- not how it was executed by company co-artistic director Colleen Neary, but the mime-text itself. In Act 2 the company’s refined classicism couldn’t offset major dramatic lapses. Kate Highstrete’s technically flawless but small-scaled dancing and mime as Myrtha never dominated the stage, the corps or the men intended to be her victims. The role needed a diva, and it didn’t help that everyone stood around doing nothing in particular when Myrtha’s evil power should have faltered in the face of true love -- or the magic of the cross in some stagings. What’s more (spoiler alert), the dawn of Albrecht’s salvation became merely a music cue in this version, without the change in lighting or corps attack that can and should be thrilling. One final disappointment: our last look at Albrecht. When you’re walking away from love beyond the grave, dignity is no substitute for heartbreak. That left Act 2 all about footwork: satisfying work by the corps, even better when the deep rapport between Bross and Shimizu informed their dancing. Some of Adolphe Adam’s music (on tape) seemed a mite slow for this spirited Giselle. It would be exciting to find her exploiting sudden tempo shifts. But her floating pointe-work and Shimizu’s climactic batterie set the seal on an evening that sent Los Angeles Ballet into an ambitious season of full-length classics, boldly and confidently. ---------- “Giselle” Who: Los Angeles Ballet Where: Program repeats at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 1 at Royce Hall at UCLA Tickets: $31-$99 Info: (310) 998-7782, losangelesballet.org READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

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Symphony in C, which will re-premiere in October. Ms. Neary originally set this piece on the company in 2003. Home / News / New Item Colleen Neary is invited to Korea and Norway September 1, 2006 Company News from the Staff at LAB Symphony in C, which will re-premiere in October. Ms. Neary originally set this piece on the company in 2003. In October Ms. Neary will be working with the Norwegian National Ballet, also rehearsing Symphony in C, which will have its re-premiere in November, 2006. This will be the first time Ms.Neary has worked with the Norwegian National Ballet.

Los Angeles Ballet presents a company of outstanding dancers from local communities and around the world. LAB dance artists master classical as well as contemporary techniques. Ashley Chung Hometown Orange County, CA Seasons with LAB 1 Season with LAB Ashley began her training in Seoul, South Korea, attending Sunhwa Arts School and continued her training at San Francisco Ballet School under scholarship and Southland Ballet Academy with Patrick Armand, Larissa Ponomarenko, and Salwa Rizkalla. Ashley received 1st Place at the YAGP Los Angeles Regional Competition and was a finalist in 2021 and 2022. She was also recognized with an Honorable Mention in Music Center Spotlight in 2022 with scholarship. A few of Ashley favorite roles are Christopher Wheeldon’s “Within the Golden Hour” at USC Kaufman, “Frescoes” at San Francisco Ballet School, principal roles in “The Nutcracker” and “Paquita” as a guest artist with Westside School of Ballet and Clara, Dew Drop, and Snow Queen in Festival Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker ”. Ashley is currently pursuing a BFA at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Ashley joined LAB as a Trainee in 2025, and was promoted into the Company in 2026.

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. Home / News / New Item LAB Swan Lake Gala 2012 May 1, 2012 Company News from the Staff at LAB 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. With event design by Billy Bushkavitz, the Marquesa Ballroom transformed into a black and white celebration of Swan Lake, enhanced by guests who, by invitation request, had dressed in matching attire. The evening included an intimate performance of excerpts from Swan Lake, on a stage specially constructed for the event. The LAB dancers were later welcomed into the ballroom with a standing ovation and joined in a gourmet dinner of filet mignon and herb crusted halibut, with wines provided by Hafner Vineyard and Malibu Milk Vineyards. Celebrated sportscaster Jim Gray conducted a live auction for the Dancer Sponsorship and Pointe Shoe Funds. Each guest received a Jay Strongwater picture frame, graciously provided by Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills.

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. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet's Season5 Gala Celebration | Broad Stage Santa Monica May 1, 2011 Giselle is a village girl courted by a prince disguised as a peasant. She falls in love with him, but when she finds out his identity -- and that he’s engaged to someone else -- she loses her mind and dies. End of ballet? Not by a long shot. In Act 2, she appears as a spirit newly enrolled in the ranks of the Wilis, night creatures that wreak vengeance on perjured suitors. Giselle resists her new duties and saves her prince. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

LAB’s signature holiday fundraiser in support of our Outreach and Education Programs is an afternoon tea party experience for guests of all ages, culminating in a special presentation of scenes from The Nutcracker. 2026/2027 Season / Nutcracker Tea 2026 / Saturday, November 21, 2026 | 1:00 pm / Nutcracker Tea Seating Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:00 pm

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. Home / News / New Item LA Ballet Opens Fifth Season with Exuberant 'Nutcracker' December 16, 2010 Culturespot LA by Penny Orloff 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. Since the debut of its original production of “The Nutcracker” in November 2006, the Los Angeles Ballet has been met with critical and commercial success, nearly doubling its budget over five seasons without a penny of government support. “Considering the colossal events of the last five years – Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia, the financial collapse and subsequent recession, the Haiti earthquake – LAB’s steady growth from $900,000 to $1,624,000 is nothing short of a miracle,” says Julie Whittaker, the company’s executive director. The central ingredient in LAB’s success is the consistent high quality of the product. Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are clearly the stars of this enterprise. Their uncanny selection and inspired mentoring of some of America’s finest young dancers have resulted in a world-class corps de ballet and several important break-out soloists. Their vision and tireless dedication to the work have produced a large and reliable fan base, and ever-increasing ticket sales. LAB’s “Nutcracker” – playing in venues around LA County this month – is proof of the company’s stature as a game-changing force in the realm of international ballet. The original choreography by Christensen and Neary is fresh and exhilarating, demonstrating the technical skill, individual virtuosity, and razor-sharp precision ensemble work that distinguish this young company. After several reports, I am running out of superlatives to describe the exemplary work of the women’s corps de ballet in the Dance of the Snowflakes and the Waltz of the Flowers, two highlights of the production. Other highlights of this season’s LAB “Nutcracker” include the annual appearance of guest artist Sergey Kheylik as the Cossack Doll. The ecstatic cheers greeting his Act I entrance escalated to a roar as he flung himself into impossible leaps and turns. He was joined in Act II by LAB newcomers Aaron Bahadursingh and Christopher Revels, who matched Kheylik vault for astonishing vault. The off-the-charts athleticism of this Russian Dance whipped the audience into a prolonged, ear-splitting demonstration, literally stopping the show. Returning as Marie (Sugarplum Fairy), Monica Pelfrey remained serene and confident through the long and demanding pas de deux. Her dancing showed off clean stepwork, lovely ports des bras, and marvelous balance. She was partnered by Zheng Hua Li, her cavalier in last season’s Balanchine “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2.” Li’s emotional physicality contrasts beautifully with Pelfrey’s cool elegance, creating a wonderful chemistry. The audience rewarded his big, floating jetees and effortless lifts with ample appreciation. Making her LAB debut in the Arabian Dance, Julia Cinquemani’s jaw-dropping beauty managed to stun a fairly demonstrative crowd into pin-drop silence. Wrapping her supple, snakelike torso in coils around her partner, newcomer Alexander Castillo, she mesmerized adults and children alike. The breathless silence was broken by an extended, vociferous ovation. Also new this season is Allyssa Bross as the Rose in the Waltz of the Flowers. This young ballerina clearly won over the crowd, her incandescent smile radiating throughout her performance. Thirteen-year-old Helena Thordal-Christensen plays Clara with fragile beauty and dramatic intensity. Having danced the role for the first time last season, this year she exhibits complete confidence and authority. Her long, slender legs extend forever, making an event of each arabesque. She has an arresting innocence about her, a lack of artifice which made her nightmare scene all the more harrowing as she darted, terrified, around the vast stage of Glendale’s Alex Theatre. Perhaps the most moving moment in the performance, for me, came when Clara’s mother – played by Thordal Christensen’s real-life mother, the great Balanchine ballerina, Colleen Neary – kissed the little girl before walking off the stage, a symbolic passing of the torch from the past to the future. Clara’s Nutcracker-turned-Prince is 18-year-old Jordan Veit of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Professional Division. Dancing with strength and ease, and resembling a young Leonardo Di Caprio, this young man exudes charm. The long line of infatuated little girls waiting to meet him after the performance may be the harbinger of good things to come for Veit. Fans in search of guaranteed holiday magic have several chances remaining for performances of LAB’s “Nutcracker” in venues around LA: UCLA’s Royce Hall, Dec. 18 at 1 and 5 p.m., and Dec. 19 at 1 and 5 p.m.; and at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec. 24 at 2 pm., and Dec. 26 at 1 and 5 p.m.. Tickets and information are available at (310) 998-7782, or at www.LosAngelesBallet.org . DOWNLOAD PDF

Los Angeles Ballet photo gallery presents a complete suite of season performance photos beginning with LAB’s inaugural season in 2005. Los Angeles Ballet performance photographer: Reed Hutchinson Media Gallery / 2019/2020 Photo Gallery / 2019/2020 Photo Gallery The Nutcracker Balanchine Black & White

A sparkling jewel of the classical repertory, Coppélia enchants with humor, romance, and dazzling virtuosity. Set to Léo Delibes’s radiant score, this beloved ballet follows Swanilda, a spirited young woman determined to uncover the mystery behind Dr. Coppélius and his astonishingly lifelike doll. What begins as harmless curiosity quickly unfolds into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, playful mischief, and comic chaos. Coppélia LAB's ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Melissa Barak Melissa Barak Barak is a former leading dancer with Los Angeles Ballet where she performed for five seasons commencing in 2006 and choreographed Lost In Transition in 2008. Her career also includes New York City Ballet (NYCB), where she performed in numerous works by George Balanchine, as well as originating roles in new ballets by Christopher Wheeldon, Elliot Feld and Robert Garland, among others. LEARN MORE LOS ANGELES BALLET History Read the history of the company from the premiere performances of LAB’s original production of The Nutcracker in 2006. Learn about LAB’s Leadership, Mission, Outreach initiatives, commissions of original works and more. LAB HISTORY 2026/2027 Season / Coppélia / June 10–13, 2027 Coppélia Hynd after Saint-Léon / Petipa | Delibes A sparkling jewel of the classical repertory, Coppélia enchants with humor, romance, and dazzling virtuosity. Set to Léo Delibes’s radiant score, this beloved ballet follows Swanilda, a spirited young woman determined to uncover the mystery behind Dr. Coppélius and his astonishingly lifelike doll. What begins as harmless curiosity quickly unfolds into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, playful mischief, and comic chaos. Bursting with vibrant character dances, exquisite classical technique, and richly theatrical storytelling, Coppélia has charmed audiences for generations with its warmth, wit, and irresistible spirit. Beneath the comedy lies a heartfelt celebration of imagination, love, and the joy of being human. Perfect for audiences of all ages, this timeless classic remains one of ballet’s most delightful and enduring treasures—an exuberant experience filled with elegance, laughter, and pure theatrical magic. Choreography Choreography by Ronald Hynd after Arthur Saint-Léon who created the original choreography for its 1870 premiere in Paris. Coppélia later inspired a celebrated revival by Marius Petipa in 1884 that became the foundation for most productions performed today. Score Coppélia (1870): Léo Delibes Run Time Available shortly. SUBSCRIBE Perfomance Schedule Dolby Theatre Thursday, June 10 | 7:30 pm Friday, June 11 | 7:30 pm Saturday, June 12 | 2:00 pm Saturday, June 12 | 7:30 pm Sunday, June 13 | 2:00 pm

Los Angeles Ballet Continues to Celebrate the Great Romantics in its Tenth Season with a Captivating New Production of Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet ContinuesTenth Season with a Captivating New Production of Don Quixote February 1, 2016 LAB Public Relations Performances February 20th, 27th & March 26th, 2016 Los Angeles, xx, 2016 – Miguel de Cervante's imaginative hero Don Quixote is brought to life in this vibrant world premiere production by Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary for Los Angeles Ballet, after Marius Pepita's classic staging. The stage glistens with exuberance and celebration in this ballet set in 17th century Spain. Don Quixote is a joyous ballet filled with the dreams of the Don, the love between Kitri and Basil, and the fantastical quests that inhabit this epic tale. Christensen and Neary’s Don Quixote is a special version for Los Angeles Ballet, true to its history, utilizing the talent and virtuosity of LAB’s dancers. It is a wondrous “pièce de résistance” with something for everyone: humor, romance, adventure and beauty. Following the success Giselle and The Nutcracker , the highly anticipated Don Quixote is LAB’s latest production in a hugely successful 10th season featuring creative retellings of classic favorites. Romeo and Juliet will be the final production of the season. According to Neary, when asked why the Great Romantics theme was chosen: “Celebrating ten years calls for big, beautiful ballets, and what else can that mean but love, passion, and relationships? On a literal note, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Romeo and Juliet are very different stories, but of course share the universal theme of love.” Continuing LAB’s mission to offer world-class professional ballet to greater Los Angeles, Don Quixote will be performed at LAB’s home theaters: UCLA’s Royce Hall, Glendale’s Alex Theatre, and the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. DOWNLOAD PDF

Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary’s, wonderfully refreshing Los Angeles Ballet opened their 2018/19 season at the Alex Theatre on Saturday, October 6, with the prolific and brilliant Aszure Barton’s Les Chambres des Jacques. Home / News / New Item A Wonderfully Refreshing Los Angeles Ballet Performs at The Alex Theatre October 10, 2018 LA Dance Chronicle by Joanne DiVito Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary’s, wonderfully refreshing Los Angeles Ballet opened their 2018/19 season at the Alex Theatre on Saturday, October 6, with the prolific and brilliant Aszure Barton’s Les Chambres des Jacques . Barton is an eclectic inventive artist and choreographic activist, who in this piece combines Québécois folk rhythms and voice of Gilles Vigneault, and Les Yeux Noire, which were then soothed with the lush beauty of Vivaldi, and the humanity of the Cracow Klezmer Band. The cadences and pulse-like heartbeat, so beautifully executed by the now seasoned dancers of Los Angeles Ballet, was not only splendidly performed but enchanting to experience. The intelligent and courageous leadership of Christensen and Neary, L.A. Ballet’s Artistic Directors, and Julie Whittaker, Executive Director, is insistent that Los Angeles have their own ballet company…and succeed they have, as was revealed on Saturday. Tobin Del Cuore staged Barton’s signature choreography with devotional zeal, making sure, as Barton would, that every part of the body was addressed down to the eyes, face, mouth, and fingers. The breadth of the work was eloquently executed by the dancers Joshua Brown, Laura Chachich, Magnus Christoffersen, Dallas Finley, Madeline Houk, Leah McCall, Costache Mihai, Jasmine Perry; with special mention of Clay Murray’s surprising, wonderfully loose and rhythmic opening that mesmerized the audience with dance which came deeply from inside him. Another highlight was the wonderful pas de quatre, danced by Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan, Bianca Bulle, and Kenta Shimizu which delighted us with their unusual playfulness that moved shoulders, hips and bodies rolling together and apart with unanticipated changes. And with that, an amazing, subtle and soulful solo by Sargsyan to the Cracow Klezmer Band which harkened back to the shtetles of Eastern Europe as though it was clear to him the feeling of a heritage long gone. As if this were not dessert enough for us all, we were then treated to Alejandro Cerrudo’s sensual stand out piece, Lickety-split, which examined the dynamics of three couples, their interplay between each other and the group as a whole. Jasmine Perry, so beautifully partnered by Dallas Finley, was exquisite in her seamless interplay, her smooth transitions, and effortless soulful relationship with her partner done to the quiet sometimes raspy tones of Devendra Banhart, Equally langorous, was the smooth movements, as if on ice, drawn by the facile partnership of Tigran Sargsyan, and Bianca Bulle, Joshua Brown and Leah McCall. A kind of Greek chorus on the floor followed the scintillating Dallas Finley’s expressive and impassioned solo. Both the Barton and Cerrudo pieces alone would be a gift of creativity and brilliance, yet the last thank you by the entire company doing Balanchine, the Western Symphony, happily ended our joyous evening. This piece requires strength, endurance, charm, technique and…fun! It appears quaint and classic, yet a gift of another time, when cowboys and dancing girls were an accepted part of the American West in the mind of Mr. B. Restaged by Colleen Neary, who clearly understands the work of George Balanchine, having worked closely with this Master during some of his most prolific years. It is through Neary we get the essence of his work and his legacy. The corps did a fine job of creating superb energy as towns-folk, all the way to the rousing finale. In the first coupling we’re delighted by strong and lyrical Laura Chachich. She shares the stage with the talented, technically marvelous dancer, Eris Nesha, who charmed the audience with his sense of play, his strong presence and engaging charm, which was quite reminiscent of the young Edward Villella. In the second movement, the wonderful Petra Conti, and Tigran Sargsyan, took the lead in their engaging, pas de deux, with Bianca Bulle and Kenta Shimizu’s sparkling and flirtatious third movement. Bianca Bulle leads us through the iconic diagonal in competition with her partner to lead the entire company into the iconic pirouettes from fifth as the curtain goes down on the continuing dance which appears to go on forever. My hope is that it will go on forever with the grand legacy of the growing and thriving Los Angeles Ballet. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE