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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. Allynne Noelle Appointed Los Angeles Ballet Principal Dancer December 1, 2011 Company News from the Staff at LAB 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. Home / News / New Item

The press releases screamed, “Los Angeles Ballet Soars into 3rd Season with World-Class Production of ‘The Nutcracker.’" Soars. World-Class. I forgave the publicist’s hyperbole. LAB Nutcracker – Sweet! December 23, 2008 FineArtsLA.com by Penny Orloff The press releases screamed, “Los Angeles Ballet Soars into 3rd Season with World-Class Production of ‘The Nutcracker.’" Soars. World-Class. I forgave the publicist’s hyperbole. Having seen two LAB dance programs during the fledgling company’s 2nd season, I expected a credible, competent, wellrehearsed performance by promising young dancers, enhanced by the presence of a few Guest Artists. Jaded and disappointed by decades of failed attempts at establishing a real ballet company in Los Angeles, nothing had prepared me for the Christmas miracle on the stage of Royce Hall Sunday night. (http://www.losangelesballet.org ) It’s difficult to select outstanding elements from so uniformly excellent a production. First and foremost, however, is this company’s corps de ballet. Guest artists and flashy soloists are available to any company with the shekels to hire them. What makes or breaks a ballet company is the group precision and perfection on display in LAB’s Dance of the Snowflakes. Just as I was getting all teary-eyed with joy, the five-year-old on her mom’s lap behind me whispered, “Mommy, I love this!” Even more extraordinary is the fact that ballet mistress Colleen Neary was rehearsing two new dancers into this very piece fifteen minutes before curtain. Executive Director Julie Whittaker tells me that, after the matinee, one of the corps was taken seriously ill and rushed to the hospital, while a second dancer nursed a badly swollen ankle. Among a plethora of highlights: Prodigy ballerina Lilit Hogtanian, as Clara, whose every gesture is a poem. At sixteen, she exhibits an arresting Star Quality. One can’t begin to guess what she will be in ten years. Melissa Barak performs the role of Marie (Sugarplum Fairy in other productions) with cool elegance and precision, marvelous balance and clarity of line. Her partner, Peter Snow, dazzles with gorgeous jetees, pirouettes, and lifts, after an off-center landing of a difficult aerial turn early in Act 2. Guest artist Sergey Kheylik astonishes with impossible leaps and turns. Kheylik and company dancers Li Chen and Tian Tan elicit startled gasps and prolonged cheering in the Act 2 Russian Dance. The exquisite Corinna Gill, ably partnered by new LAB soloist Drew Grant, offers a molten, sinuous Arabian Dance. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KdqPmQziQw) Her breathtaking extensions and lyrical ports des bras sear every phrase into memory. Soaring and world-class, indeed. Kudos to Jonathan Sharp as Drosselmeyer, Craig Hall and Annia Hildalgo as Harlequin and Columbine Dolls, Andrew Brader as the Mouse King, and to the well-rehearsed children’s corps. The Colleen Neary-Thordal Christensen choreography brings a theatrical freshness to the oft-told story of a little girl who dreams that her Christmas toys come alive. Their Christmas Party scene opening the ballet, for example, is the most engrossing and fun among dozens of ‘Nutcrackers’ I’ve seen during my long life. A show curtain painted in colorful Mexican style with two angels (City of the Angels – get it?) greets the audience, rising to reveal lovely storybook sets by LA designer Catherine Kanner. Opulent costumes by Danish designer Mikael Melbye reinforce the fantasy. My companion of the evening – a classical ballet-hater, whose sole enticement for agreeing to be dragged to this performance was the prospect of ogling exceptionally fit young women cavorting in revealing costumes – turned to me at intermission to say, “I’m beyond impressed - I’m entertained.” LA area residents have three more chances to enjoy this magical production, at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec. 27 at 2 and 7:30, and Dec. 28 at 2. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

On November 1, 2014, LAB Co-Artistic Director Thordal Christensen announced Julia Cinquemani's promotion from Soloist to Principal Dancer. Julia Cinquemani Promoted to Principal Dancer November 1, 2014 Company News from the Staff at LAB On November 1, 2014, LAB Co-Artistic Director Thordal Christensen announced Julia Cinquemani's promotion from Soloist to Principal Dancer. The announcement came minutes after the curtain went down on Julia's debut as Odette/Odile in Los Angeles Ballet's Swan Lake. Julia joined Los Angeles Ballet in 2010 and was promoted to Soloist in March 2013. Home / News / New Item

James and the Sylph soon meet their destruction, however, James has deeply though mindlessly offended the witch Madge earlier during the wedding day. Shelling Out Dividends, Los Angeles Ballet's Version of The Nutcracker is a bright season opener... December 15, 2008 Los Angeles Times by Victoria Looseleaf James and the Sylph soon meet their destruction, however, James has deeply though mindlessly offended the witch Madge earlier during the wedding day. Now, seeking to bring his ideal Sylph into his arms, he drapes a veil he doesn’t know has been poisoned by Madge over the Sylph’s shoulders and winds it around her arms. The Sylph immediately loses her wings, comes to earth and quickly dies. James is stunned and collapses in grief. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet dancer Christopher McDaniel has added published author to his long list of accomplishments. LAB Dancer Christopher McDaniel Gets Published August 2, 2013 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet dancer Christopher McDaniel has added published author to his long list of accomplishments. His story, "A Dance with Destiny," was included in the recently published Chicken Soup for the Soul: From Lemons to Lemonade. Purchase the book now to read Christopher's inspiring story. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary watch dancers rehearse "The Evangelist," which the company will be begin performing later this month. Los Angeles Ballet meets “The Evangelist” April 1, 2008 Los Angeles Times by Lynne Heffley Los Angeles Ballet artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary watch dancers rehearse "The Evangelist," which the company will be begin performing later this month. The 2-year-old company readies a program that includes a piece first danced by its artistic directors and inspired by the life of Aimee Semple McPherson. In a warehouse space on a no-frills Westside industrial street, Thordal Christensen, co-artistic director of Los Angeles Ballet, points to a rickety little table. "Welcome to my office," he jokes. "We've been in here four months, so it's still a work in progress." The unfinished but spacious digs are another step forward for 2-year-old LAB, the city's latest hope for home-based premier classical ballet. Half of the interior is a jumble of racks of costumes, stacks of Marley flooring -- a special sprung surface carted to venues for the dancers' use -- and utilitarian furniture. But in the expansive, mirrored studio space on the other side of a partition, with loading dock doors rolled open for ventilation, several of the company's 26 young dancers are warming up in motley practice gear. Christensen and Colleen Neary, his wife and fellow artistic director, are about to revisit a work that was choreographed for them 16 years ago: "The Evangelist," a spiritual duet inspired by 1920s charismatic preacher Aimee Semple McPherson, set to the music of Charles Ives. It will tour to four venues in April and May, beginning Friday and Saturday at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, as part of a varied program that includes "he said/she said," a world premiere by Jennifer Backhaus of the Orange County-based Backhausdance; George Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante"; and August Bournonville's "Napoli/Pas de Six" and "Tarantella." Balanchine's "Who Cares?" will replace the Bournonville pieces for the company's Irvine Barclay Theatre performance May 17. Appearing with the company as guest artist will be Orlando Ballet’s Eddy Tovar. 'The Evangelist' Created by choreographer Lar Lubovitch when Christensen and Neary were principals with Pacific Northwest Ballet, "The Evangelist" was the critical highlight of Lubovitch's ballet "American Gesture" at its 1992 Kennedy Center premiere. A meld of classical form and Grahamesque force, it depicts a male penitent's struggle toward redemption, guided by a powerful female figure. "It's always nice to work on something that you've done yourself," Christensen says. "At the same time, you have to make sure it becomes the dancer's piece, because it's really about getting them to find . . . " "Themselves in it," interjects Neary. "And the spirit of the piece," Christensen finishes. For the next 30 minutes, the couple, dancer-fit themselves, take to the floor by turns to demonstrate a lift or position, coaching the pairs who will alternate in the work (and wear Christensen and Neary's original costumes): Peter Snow and Melissa Barak, and Andrew Brader and Kelly Ann Sloan. The intensity of emotion the dancers must express in arching bends and high lifts, extreme gestures and moments of muscular rigidity is clear when they take a break, panting and dripping with sweat. Christensen and Neary next take five couples through Balanchine's demanding and lyrical "Allegro Brillante," set to Tchaikovsky, correcting a step here, a line there. "We call it a dancer's ballet," Neary says later, "because dancers love to do it. It's a full-length ballet in 17 minutes -- there are that many steps." "Is it fun, or is it death?" Neary asks the breathless company when rehearsal ends. The consensus: "It's fun." Taking the next step With their international careers as dancers behind them, Christensen, former artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet, and Neary, a New York City Ballet alumna and authoritative Balanchine choreographer, say they don't mind being out of the spotlight. "When you're onstage, it's such an incredible feeling, but being offstage and seeing somebody else do what you're giving them is even more fulfilling," Neary says. Dancing is a short-lived career, Christensen adds, "and we're fortunate to have the opportunity to give it to the next generation." New work is key to the growth of Los Angeles Ballet, he says. The company launched with a familiar repertoire that included Balanchine masterworks and its own "Nutcracker" in order to "excite the audience and create a company style. Now it's important to bring in outside choreographers to show the dancers' range." "In the end, that's going to define who we are," says Neary, noting that the piece commissioned from Backhaus, a Lester Horton Award-winning, cutting-edge contemporary choreographer, is "extremely different" from anything the dancers have done. In the work, created for the full ensemble, "there's more gravity, more weight, more things that are off-balance," Backhaus explains later by phone. "I was toying with the idea of making the dance on pointe, but I wanted to challenge their dynamic sensibility a bit. They're a great group of dancers, and they've been really open to trying new things." Backhaus is enthusiastic about LAB's chances for success in a city where others on the same mission have failed. "They're on the right track," she says. "I think this is the best shot we've had." lynne.heffley@latimes.com DOWNLOAD ARTICLE (PDF) Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet is excited to unveil LAB’s 2014/2015 season, which includes the Tchaikovsky Trilogy, with three full-length ballets featuring the music of Peter Tchaikovsky, plus a mixed bill program of contemporary masterworks. 2014/2015 Season Announced June 1, 2014 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet is excited to unveil LAB’s 2014/2015 season, which includes the Tchaikovsky Trilogy, with three full-length ballets featuring the music of Peter Tchaikovsky, plus a mixed bill program of contemporary masterworks. Swan Lake will open the season in October 2014, followed by LAB's acclaimed production of The Nutcracker. Closing out the Tchaikovsky Trilogy in February/March 2015 will be The Sleeping Beauty, a World Premiere choreographed by LAB Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary. In May/June 2015, Christensen and Neary will present Directors' Choice, contemporary and classical pieces to challenge and delight dancers and audience alike, including Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2. Home / News / New Item

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.” Los Angeles Ballet polishes 'The Nutcracker" December 5, 2011 Los Angeles Times by Jean Lenihan 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.” As helmed by artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, Los Angeles Ballet’s “Nutcracker” delivers an admirable depth and intelligence of design combined with a light-handed approach to the ballet’s traditional Christmas-party characterizations and plot line. Catherine Kanner’s luscious Act 1 setting is 1912 Los Angeles, an interior drawing room so plush and timbered that even with its electric lights it still feels redolent of Tchaikovsky’s time. Inhabiting this velvety parlor, the pale, winsome Clara (Mia Katz) and her incandescent Uncle Drosselmeyer (Nicolas de la Vega) make a poetic pair, and it’s easy to root for their partnership. Usually an aged, menacing creature, Drosselmeyer is drawn here as blessedly young and gregarious. De la Vega’s sweeping gestures and scampering feet swell to light the whole stage. In lovely contrast, young Katz’s pale, long limbs move tentatively toward full expression, finally unleashing a full rush of joy when she receives her enchanting, full-sized Nutcracker doll (Nathaniel Solis). All the ensuing Act I scenes -- mice battles, tree expansion, blizzard of human snowflakes -- seem to extend from and amplify Clara’s core excitement over this special gift. Set in the amorphous “Palace of the Dolls,” Act 2 fails to sustain the momentum of Act 1, but that’s no shock. Few “Nutcrackers” figure out how to unify this hodgepodge of revved-up divertissements. Christensen and Neary attend to the structural flaw with some lovely touches (members of the different sections interact frequently on the sidelines; Clara comes from her viewing perch to hug the fairies before they depart), yet there’s room to improve their thematic grouping here. The divertissements -- a mix of Land of Sweets and Exotics (Arabian coffee, Spanish, Russian, Mother Gingerbread) combined with a reprisal of the commedia dell’arte dolls (in place of Chinese) and no Mirlitones section -- really become a smorgasbord of free-floating fairy-tale dreams. As Marie and her Cavalier, newly named company principals Allyssa Bross and Christopher Revels hit all the fouettés and fish dives, though Bross looks somewhat defrocked in Mikael Meybye’s short, simple tutu with three vertical red bows. Vivid power shone from standout soloists Chehon Wespi-Tschopp (Cossack doll) and Allynne Noelle (the Rose), while the crowd went mad for the repeat partnership of Julia Cinquemani and Alexander Castillo (Arabian). While Los Angeles Ballet certainly deserves its own theater, the troupe is a mightily impressive touring company. The quality of the recorded music, from musical director Michael Andreas, boosts this further. Los Angeles Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles. 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18. Also: Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redond DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

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 to Debut Swan Lake February 1, 2012 LAB Public Relations (Los Angeles, CA) – Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] 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. New venues include Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach and Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge in addition to Royce Hall at UCLA, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and Alex Theatre in Glendale. Choreographed by Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary after the traditional revival credited to Petipa and Ivanov, LAB’s Swan Lake will feature Principal dancers Allynne Noelle and Allyssa Bross in the dual role of Odette/Odile at alternate performances. LAB Principal dancers Christopher Revels and Kenta Shimizu will dance the role of Prince Siegfried, also at alternate performances. Guest dancer Akimitsu Yahata, principal dancer with the New National Ballet of Japan, will dance the role of the Jester at select performances. Additionally, the ballet will feature the full company, as well as students from Los Angeles Ballet School. “With its magnificent Tchaikovsky score, Swan Lake enjoys a rich history and is considered one of the quintessential full length ballets.” says Christensen. “Swan Lake provides a wonderful showcase for our entire company, particularly our Principal Dancers Allynne Noelle and Allyssa Bross,” adds Neary. We are bringing this masterpiece a poetic quality that will tell this love story with tenderness and passion, through the music and our choreography,” says Neary, adding, “[Thordal and I] have a deep relationship with this ballet, from our experience of dancing the leading roles together, which was an important part in our performing careers.” The story of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse, Swan Lake was not well received when it originally premiered. It was not until the Petipa/Ivanov revival which has served as the basis for most subsequent interpretations that it became so popular, most recently serving as the basis for the film Black Swan. LAB is currently in its sixth season. This May, LAB will be back with its much-anticipated and innovative Next WaveLA, featuring four World Premieres by distinguished California based choreographers Kitty McNamee, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey and Josie Walsh. LAB continues to build a repertoire that underscores the creative leadership of its artistic directors, presenting timeless classics as well as innovative choreography from today’s contemporary artists. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Maleficent isn’t the only witch in town. Madge, the evildoer in August Bournonville’s 1836 Romantic ballet “La Sylphide” also has been creating misery (and laughs). Review: Los Angeles Ballet floats with 'La Sylphide and Serenade' June 9, 2014 Los Angeles Times by Victoria Looseleaf Maleficent isn’t the only witch in town. Madge, the evildoer in August Bournonville’s 1836 Romantic ballet “La Sylphide” also has been creating misery (and laughs). As devilishly portrayed by Los Angeles Ballet’s co-artistic director Colleen Neary and choreographed by her co-director husband, Thordal Christensen (after Bournonville), this witch is only one element that gave “La Sylphide” its wings Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. The program, which also presented George Balanchine’s 1934 classic “Serenade,” featured about three dozen dancers breathing life into these difficult, alluring works. One performer in particular proved unstoppable. Allyssa Bross danced the lead in both numbers on little notice, replacing an ailing Allynne Noelle in “Sylphide.” The pair alternates in the role, so Bross knew her stuff; the question was stamina. But Bross brought insouciance, grace and technique to burn in a sumptuous production last presented by the troupe in 2009. What man wouldn’t fall for her? Set in Scotland to taped music by Herman Severin Løvenskjold, “La Sylphide” told the story of the kilt-clad James as he succumbed to this exquisite creature’s charms. Kenta Shimizu as James offered powerful leaps and turns — pesky sporran aside — as well as quicksilver, precise beats. Alas, he already was betrothed to Effy, articulately danced by Chelsea Paige Johnston, with their wedding scheduled that day. James’ cottage teemed with people, including best pal Gurn (a wonderful Zheng Hua Li), a semi-buffoon who winds up marrying Effy after James disappears, as well as a corps of tartaned-out friends, six children and a pair of bagpipers. But wedded bliss wasn’t meant to be. After James offended the witch, Madge was out for blood — or at least death by sylph wing-removal. Act II’s forest scene had Madge and four crones hexing it up around a caldron to make a poisoned scarf. Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, dove into Madge with glee, adding luster to this production that’s originally from the Royal Danish Ballet, a company Christensen once headed. The sylphs were also out in fairy force, with lovely, airy dancing by Bianca Bulle, Julia Cinquemani and Paige Johnston, a fine corps abetting them. But after James gifted the Sylph (Bross) that scarf, she began her death spiral. Yes, the ballet ends badly: James crumpled in grief; seeing his dead fairy float up to heaven, he’d lost everything. “Serenade,” set to taped Tchaikovsky and staged by Neary, could also be seen as a work about loss. A poetic vision of yearning, 17 women in diaphanous dresses filled the stage with intricate patterns and circlings. There were also off-balance arabesque lunges, legs scissoring in lifts and an impassioned waltz; hair streamed loose, and several men came and went. Bross was stunning as lead ballerina, sharing the stage at first with a capable Ulrik Birkkjaer, then the able Alexander Castillo, as well as a divine Cinquemani and a thin Kate Highstrete. And, of course, there was the corps, among whom crisp footwork and floating arms were paramount. The ballet had the love-disillusioned-by-destiny theme of Balanchine’s later neo-Romantic works, but its propulsive energy and beauty came from the pure movement patterns that continually introduced new motifs and variations. Los Angeles Ballet, on a roll, made the old new again. calendar@latimes.com ------------ Los Angeles Ballet What: “La Sylphide” and “Serenade” When and where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach; also 7:30 p.m. June 21 at Royce Hall, UCLA Tickets: $24-$95 Information: (310) 998-7782, losangelesballet.org READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen have been honored with the McCallum Theatre Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. LAB Co-Artistic Directors Receive Lifetime Achievement Award November 1, 2012 McCallum Theatre Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen have been honored with the McCallum Theatre Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous recipients of this award include Julie McDonald, of MSA Agency, Nigel Lythgoe, and Lula Washington. The award will be presented at the 15th Annual Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival on Saturday, November 10, 2012. To attend the Festival and learn more, visit McCallum Theatre's website. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet announces the opening of the Los Angeles Ballet Center, the new home of LAB and the Los Angeles Ballet School. Los Angeles Ballet Center Opens June 1, 2008 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet announces the opening of the Los Angeles Ballet Center, the new home of LAB and the Los Angeles Ballet School. Home / News / New Item