Read the full article. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Times Includes LAB in it’s Best of 2007 Listings December 1, 2007 Los Angeles Times The corps, including the children, danced strongly. Melissa Barak, the First Sylph, gave notice of incipient major Sylph duties. The ballet, staged by co-artistic director Thordal Christensen, a former principal with the Royal Danish Ballet, was danced to pre-recorded music. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

On Wednesday the Los Angeles Ballet announced that its Board of Directors has appointed dancer and choreographer Melissa Barak as the company’s artistic director. Home / News / New Item For the first time, Los Angeles Ballet will have one artistic director: Melissa Barak August 24, 2022 Los Angeles Times Jessica Gelt READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

a0c541d1-3639-43a2-aa26-7d7f30c48bd3 2026-2027 Season / Ticket Information / COVID-19 Ticketing Policy COVID-19 Ticketing Policy Covid-19 public health guidance and regulations continue to change periodically in California and Los Angeles County. As our commitment to you, we have adjusted our ticketing policies. Here are changes we made during the pandemic crisis: If you are unable to attend a performance due to illness or health and safety concerns, LAB will be as flexible as possible to accommodate your request for a ticket exchange, a credit, or a refund. In the event that a performance is postponed or canceled, LAB will contact you as soon as possible so you may choose a ticket exchange, a credit, donate your tickets, or request a refund. LAB will continue to follow all health and safety guidelines as well as collaborate with management at all theaters where we perform to ensure audiences, dancers, musicians, and staff remain safe. We hope our commitment to your safety and well-being will make it possible for you to enjoy the transformative experience of seeing great ballet live in the theater. For questions and support, please contact the Box Office at (310) 998-7782 to purchase by phone, Monday through Friday, 12:00pm to 5:00pm. In-person Ticket Sales Group Sales Venues Accessibility Gift Certificates Tax-Deductibe Donations Terms & Conditions of Sales In-house Policies Privacy Policy

The new troupe learns from 'Nutcracker' and forges bravely ahead with Balanchine and Bournonville in March. By Lewis Segal Read the full article Home / News / New Item L.A. Ballet - after the Christmas dream January 1, 2007 Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Ballet gave its final performance of "Nutcracker" on Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale: a rite of passage, for the next time we see this brand-new company it won't be dancing a homemade version of the Christmas kiddie classic but rather grown-up masterworks from the international repertory. That's a big step — one that dozens of Southland companies that present annual "Nutcracker" performances never take. It was brave of artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary to launch LAB with a ballet presented by virtually every classical school or troupe in the whole region plus visiting ensembles from Russia and Korea. And it's braver still to schedule serious Balanchine and buoyant Bournonville for the company's first 2007 performances in March. There's no place to hide in that kind of rep, and though guest artists will again ensure high standards in principal roles, the challenge will be to develop a company style beyond the well-drilled but essentially faceless corps dancing that "Nutcracker" provided. If that statement sounds cruel, consider that American Ballet Theatre — our nation's classical behemoth — seldom achieves anything beyond well-drilled and faceless corps dancing nowadays. But ABT doesn't dance Balanchine's super-refined "Concerto Barocco," and maybe that's just as well. "Nutcracker" looked better organized on Saturday than it had early in December, though the party scene again proved confused and there seemed no sense of purpose — dramatic or choreographic — in the battle between the toy soldiers and the mice. The important scenic and character transformations on view lacked magic. And it would have helped if the Nutcracker (Erik Thordal-Christensen, son of the artistic directors) actually looked like a nutcracker and not just another toy soldier. Act 2 confirmed the classical prowess and personal star power of Oleg Gorboulev and Corina Gill in the Arabian dance, provided a flashy showpiece for the 14-year-old wunderkind Lilit Hogtanian as Clara and allowed Maria Kowroski and Stephen Hanna (guests from New York City Ballet) to display formidable mastery in supported adagio intricacies. You could regret that their solos were moved earlier than Tchaikovsky intended and that the Mirlitons divertissement was cut, but the score was again given loving care by conductor Eimear Noone and her musicians. And, happily, the Alex Theatre offered more space for Catherine Kanner's scenic vistas than the cramped Wilshire Theatre stage allowed when this "Nutcracker" premiered. That's one lesson LAB learned in 2006 — that Southern California has many midsize theaters that look great from the seats but, because they are converted movie houses, have no room on the stage for elaborate scenery or large-scale choreographies. Another lesson — that the ballet public isn't interested in 5 p.m. shows — helped cause a cutback from 12 "Nutcracker" performances to nine. "We will consider everything we've discovered from this first run," the directors said in a statement, "and make necessary adjustments for our upcoming season." Necessary adjustments may be one key to LAB's survival in a ballet landscape haunted by memories of companies that started strongly and even flourished, for a time, without enlisting the longterm support of the public that flocks to touring attractions. There are always plenty of people who say they want someone to start a local ballet company with major artistic ambitions — but too many really mean they want ABT to relocate. Los Angeles Ballet estimates that it danced for more than 6,000 ticket-holders in December. That's a start, but not nearly a large enough audience base to sustain a year-round professional institution. If Christensen and Neary can't rely on the balletomanes in our community who yammer about homegrown classicism but don't show up at the ticket window, developing a new, loyal audience is the key to their future. And that will take more energy and imagination than everything they've done so far. DOWNLOAD ARTICLE (PDF)

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

Season 2011-2012 Laura Anne Wallace, Chelsea Paige Johnston & Bianca Bulle in 'Colony' by Kitty McNamee Kitty McNamee Allyssa Bross & Zheng Hua Li in 'Duets in the Act of help' by Sonya Tayeh Julia Cinquemani & Vincent S. Adams in 'Duets in the Act of help' by Sonya Tayeh Molly Flippen & Nicholas de la Vega in 'Duets in the Act of help' by Sonya Tayeh Allynne Noelle & Alexander Castillo in 'Duets in the Act of help' by Sonya Tayeh Josie Walsh Sirens'ge Johnston in 'Sirens' by Josie Walsh Allynne Noelle, Alexander Castillo, Benjamin Winegar & Zheng Hua Li in 'Be Still' by Stacey Tookey Stacey Tookey Allyssa Bross in 'Be Still' by Stacey Tookey Allynne Noelle & Kenta Shimizu in 'Swan Lake' Christopher Revels in 'Swan Lake' Sophie Silna, Bianca Bulle, Ariel Derby & Julia Cinquemani in 'Swan Lake' Allyssa Bross & Ensemble in 'Swan Lake' 'Swan Lake" Katherine Coqgill & Zheng Hua Li in 'Swan Lake' Julia Cinquemani in 'Swan Lake' Kate Highstrete in 'Swan Lake'; Photo Allyssa Bross & Christopher Revels, with Nicholas de la Vega in 'Swan Lake' Allynne Noelle & Kenta Shimizu in 'Swan Lake' Kenta Shimizu in 'Swan Lake' Allynne Noelle & Kenta Shimizu in 'Swan Lake' Allynne Noelle & Kenta Shimizu in 'Swan Lake' Previous Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation. Next Gallery

It’s all shiny and assured good news for Los Angeles Ballet — as well as the evolving character of Princess Aurora — in the lean, deftly satisfying production of “The Sleeping Beauty” that L.A. Ballet founders Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have been debuting this winter in four different SoCal theaters. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet’s Notable “The Sleeping Beauty” March 2, 2015 artsjournal.com by Jean Lenihan It’s all shiny and assured good news for Los Angeles Ballet — as well as the evolving character of Princess Aurora — in the lean, deftly satisfying production of “The Sleeping Beauty” that L.A. Ballet founders Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have been debuting this winter in four different SoCal theaters. The third concert in L.A.B.’s year-long Tchaikovsky Trilogy — “Swan Lake” and “Nutcracker” preceded it — this convincing after-Petipa “Sleeping Beauty” is both a great ticket and a heartwarming achievement in a city that is currently a century late in securing a lasting indigenous ballet company. Under Christensen and Neary, the 9-year-old Los Angeles Ballet operates on a crafty, 21st-century model — a sleek company of 37 or so travels with taped music bringing great Balanchine repertory and full-blown story ballets to audiences in their neighborhood theaters. The nomadism is certainly building unshakeable and sophisticated dancers as the years go by, as well as developing convivial, cozy audiences. Last weekend at the handsome Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, the 2nd of four “Sleeping Beauty” tour stops, L.A.B.’s company principals comfortably nailed the deviously exposing Petipa feats — multiple turns, brutal balances, leaping jumps, fish dives, et al — while the audience’s relaxed energy organically grew to high enthusiasm. Together, it seemed, mutual energies heated over the 3-act ballet — exactly what should be happening for a young hometown team that’s proving to be a winner. Matching Tchaikovsky’s dreamy score with strong production values goes a long way to cue this fairy tale, and the opulent sets and costumes by David Walker, originally created for a 1977 Royal Ballet production, provide the right note of layered enchantment. Marbled halls and sylvan depths are unfurled, inhabited by a royal court plumed in white wigs and bejeweled velvets, celebrating the arrival of the royal princess. The fairies arrive to the christening in perfect dinner-plate tutus, quirky and courtly spell casters in an ever pleasing array of florals. Though there’s no sustained darkness in this production — the ensuing fights with evil, overlooked Carabosse (Colleen Neary) are settled quickly — the inventive flying-monkey henchman that support the angered fairy, along with Neary’s steely cursing pantomime, provides a successfully sharp and pointed dynamic (not unlike the later, fateful pinprick). After five or more seasons with the troupe, the core of featured principals on Saturday night — Allyssa Bross (Aurora), Allynne Noelle (Lilac Fairy) and Kenta Shimizu (Prince Désiré) — delivered a nucleus of dancing rigor that grounded and carried nearly-three-hours worth of ballet. Without the technical prowess and emotive fire of the two women, in particular, L.A.B’s cheery, streamlined version of the Sleeping Princess story might have looked thin. With their confident skills — Brosse playing up the fancy in a flicked wrist; Noelle using slow port de bras to convey healing benevolence — the simple scenarios were rendered as smart and elegant. The new little touches that Christensen and Neary built into the choreography, like a blind’s man bluff game elaborated with riding crops, are enjoyable, but it’s surely the bountiful evocation of traditional phrases that Neary and Christensen coached from both the principals and the terrific young ensemble dancers that linger in the memory. On Saturday, Brosse’s lilting Aurora hit every pivotal mark: gathering four blooms from her suitors in the famed Rose Adagio with perfect balance, as if we were watching all the blessings she’d received in infancy take flower inside of her. Raising her back leg more and more firmly in attitude as she went on, she was so elevated with power and success by the end that the fast little beat she delivered to her ankle before freezing into her final pose of the scene was like a hat toss in the air. At the next two theaters, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA’s Royce Hall, Alleynne Noelle and Julia Cinquemani will each take a turn as Aurora, and Brosse will perform as the Lilac Fairy. Shimizu is the only scheduled Prince. After watching this Tchaikovsky Trilogy year — a season of memorable, home-run principal performances in big ballets — audiences will surely, undoubtedly, start to cheer their favorite L.A.B. lead dancers loudly, right out the gate, by next year. The caliber of musicality and interpretation in this evolving company is so good, its starting to throw its taped musical accompaniment into sharp relief. What to tell the young German college student, paying his first-ever visit to Los Angeles, who walked beside me, sharing appreciative smiles for the show as we exited, who said: “This was very good — but excuse me for my question.” He paused with a quizzical expression. “Is there always taped music for this ballet?” “The Sleeping Beauty” continues at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on Saturday March 21 and Royce Hall, UCLA, on Saturday and Sunday March 28-29. For information and tickets:http://losangelesballet.org/. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

Los Angeles Ballet’s Jasmine Perry on her effortlessly cool looks in an out of the studio. Home / News / New Item Point Magazine features LAB Dancer Jasmine Perry February 27, 2018 Point Magazine by Candice Thompson Los Angeles Ballet’s Jasmine Perry on her effortlessly cool looks in an out of the studio. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE

Sech Tanze 2015 Kylián / Mozart Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Julie Cinquemani & Christopher McDaniel Julie Cinquemani & Britta Lazenga with Christopher McDaniel and Zachary Guthier Britta Lazenga & Zachary Guthier LAB Ensemble Previous Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation. Next Gallery

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. Home / News / New Item Over 3,500 Attend LAB's Performance in Grand Park July 1, 2013 Los Angeles Magazine 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. The free performance was part of The Music Center's LA's Rite: Stravinsky, Innovation and Dance. An enthusiastic audience of more than 3,500 were in attendance.

Modern Moves 2018 Les Chambres des Jacques – Barton / Vigneault, Vivaldi, Les Yeux Noirs, The Cracow Klezmer Band, Lickety Split – Cerrudo / Banhart, Western Symphony – Balanchine / American Songs Orchestrated by Kay Petra Conti & Clay Murray Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan, Leah McCall Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & LAB Ensemble Kenta Shimizu & LAB Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & Kenta Shimizu Clay Murray, Costache Mihai Clay Murray & LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown Leah McCall & Joshua Brown Jasmine Perry Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Clay Murray, Magnus Christoffersen & Jeongkon Kim LAB Ensemble Eris Nezhao: Reed Hutchinson Laura Chachich, Eris Nezha & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Eris Nezha Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Petra Conti & Eris Nezha inale, LAB Petra Conti & Clay Murray Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan, Leah McCall Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & LAB Ensemble Kenta Shimizu & LAB Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & Kenta Shimizu Clay Murray, Costache Mihai Clay Murray & LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown Leah McCall & Joshua Brown Jasmine Perry Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Clay Murray, Magnus Christoffersen & Jeongkon Kim LAB Ensemble Eris Nezhao: Reed Hutchinson Laura Chachich, Eris Nezha & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Eris Nezha Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Petra Conti & Eris Nezha inale, LAB Previous Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation. Next Gallery

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. Home / News / New Item Los Angeles Ballet opening weekend of ‘Swan Lake’ March 5, 2012 Los Angeles Times by Victoria Looseleaf 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. A classic bipolar drama of joy and tragedy set to Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score (heard here, alas, on tape), “Swan Lake” lives and dies -– literally –- by its Odette/Odile, the sweetly vulnerable white swan/cunningly malevolent black swan. (Additional performances with cast changes are on tap in four other venues). A sturdy, stylish corps is also a must. And though Allynne Noelle’s Odette captivated with fragile, fluttering arms and superb footwork (Allyssa Bross alternates in the role), the dancer’s Odile was more smiles than seduction, her Act III fouettés less a study in surety than traveling –- or was it fatigue? One hopes, over time, that Noelle will come to fully embody both avians. The well-drilled corps, though lovely in held poses, is short on emotionally expressive steps, a cygnet requirement for representing unadulterated femininity. In the challenging pas de quatre (Bianca Bulle, Julia Cinquemani, Ariel Derby and Sophie Silna), technique again trumped finesse, another sign of LAB’s youthful makeup. As every Swan Queen needs a noble Siegfried, Kenta Shimizu was not only a gallant partner but also a thrilling soloist. His Act III variations shimmered with airy-as-meringue leaps, his landings rock solid. Also notable: Guest artist Akimitsu Yahata’s Jester generated heat with splashy split kicks, Christopher Revels’ Benno made easy work of his jetés and Christopher McDaniel’s Neapolitan dance (with Isabel Vondermuhll) was sassy and precise. A requisitely nasty Von Rothbart, Nicolas de la Vega as the bare-chested, cape-swooshing sorcerer, boosted the drama, especially in his final death throes. Kudos, also, to Oregon Ballet Theatre’s scenery and costumes: Neo-opulent castle and moonlit forest backdrops accentuated plush royal garb and crisp, sparkly tutus. While this “Swan Lake” may feature a bit of fowl play, its heart is in the right place. Long may Los Angeles Ballet spread its wings. -- Victoria Looseleaf Los Angeles Ballet’s “Swan Lake,” Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. 7:30 p.m. March 10; Also: Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. 7:30 p.m. March 17; Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. 7:30 p.m., March 24; Valley Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. 7:30 p.m., March 31. $24-$95. (310) 998-7782. www.losangelesballet.org DOWNLOAD PDF