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Los Angeles Ballet Rubies Gala April 1, 2013 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet's Rubies Gala 2013, chaired by Kirsten Sarkisian and Lori Milken, was held on April 20, 2013 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and was a stunning success. Attended by more than 350 guests, the black tie event honored Linda Duttenhaver and Nigel Lythgoe. Ms. Duttenhaver received the inaugural Angel Award, while Mr. Lythgoe was honored with the inaugural Global Impact Award. The evening ended with guests dancing to the music of JT and California Dreamin'. The event raised more than $600,000 for Los Angeles Ballet. LEARN MORE Home / News / New Item

Celebrating Season 10 July 1, 2015 ​ LAB Public Relations 2015-2016 Season Opens on October 3, 2015 Los Angeles, xx, 2015 - Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary celebrate the Great Romantics for LAB’s tenth season. The 2015-2016 season includes four full-length story ballets - Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. The season will include new productions of Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet and the return of the company’s critically-acclaimed productions of Giselle and The Nutcracker. With the exception of Romeo and Juliet, all are choreographed by Artistic Directors Christensen and Neary. Christensen and Neary have chosen Frederick Ashton’s Romeo and Juliet, which will be a Los Angeles premiere. Continuing LAB’s mission to offer world-class professional ballet to greater Los Angeles, its programs are performed at LAB’s home theaters: UCLA’s Royce Hall, Glendale’s Alex Theatre, Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, and the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. “As we embark upon our tenth season and to celebrate this milestone, we thought that this was the perfect time to share the Romantics with the city,” said Christensen, LAB’s co-artistic director. “Thanks to the support of our patrons, the company has seen thrilling growth over the last nine years. Our dancers have grown artistically and technically, and our audience has grown across the city,” said Neary, LAB’s co-artistic director. LAB opens the season with Giselle (October/November 2015). Premiered by Los Angeles Ballet in 2011, this ethereal and haunting masterwork is the embodiment of the Romantic ideal. The holidays welcome back LAB’s popular The Nutcracker set in 1913 Los Angeles (December 2015), with additional matinees offering more opportunities to see this family favorite and enjoy Tchaikovsky’s beloved music. Don Quixote, based on Cervantes' iconic Spanish novel and choreographed by Los Angeles Ballet's Christensen and Neary (after Petipa), weaves a splendid tapestry of love, illusion, daring and adventure. Gypsies, matadors, and windmills result in a profusion of excitement, humor, and family fun. To close the season, Los Angeles Ballet makes history as the first American company to present the great choreographer Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet. "We are thrilled to be the first American company to perform this tremendous piece, a work of classical genius," says Christensen. Shakespeare's timeless tragedy of star-crossed lovers is unforgettably expressed in dance, drama, and Prokofiev's timeless score. 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 nine seasons, presenting 28 productions encompassing 50 works, including 15 commissioned world premieres. Los Angeles Ballet ‘tours’ throughout LA County, regularly appearing at four venues. 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 Thordal Christensen Among Thordal Christensen’s many credentials are an impressive performing career, successful leadership of one of the world's major ballet companies, critically applauded original choreography, and a proven commitment to dance education. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Christensen received his ballet training at The Royal Danish Ballet School and at the School of American Ballet in New York City before a performance career that included the Royal Danish Ballet, New York City Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Christensen then returned to Denmark where he was Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet. This blend of Bournonville and Balanchine tradition is one of the defining themes of his career, and has shaped the unique artistic vision that Christensen, along with his wife Colleen Neary, bring to Los Angeles Ballet. In 2002, he was made Knight of the Dannebrog by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. About Colleen Neary Colleen Neary brings to Los Angeles Ballet the benefits of her vast experience as one of George Balanchine's quintessential ballerinas. In her experience as a dancer, teacher, and ballet mistress, she also worked closely with other luminaries of 20th century dance, including Rudolf Nureyev, Maurice Béjart, and Jiří Kylián. Born in Miami, Florida and trained at The School of American Ballet, Neary danced in New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine, then for Maurice Béjart's Ballet du XXième Siecle, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Neary was personally selected by Balanchine to teach his choreography to major companies all over the world as a repetiteur for The George Balanchine Trust. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

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 Enchants with Nutcracker Tradition December 28, 2022 LA Dance Chronicle Grace Courvoisier After seeing Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker this past Thursday during a 2pm matinee at The Dolby Theatre , I am convinced it’s the only time of day to see the ballet. All the excited children sat anxiously in their seats, bows in, ties on, and buzzing with holiday fever. During the entire course of the production, the children would laugh at the Rat King, or verbally shout “behind you!” to Uncle Drosselmeyer in Act I, and I was suddenly reminded how inviting and magical this production is and continues to be each Christmas season. Besides its traditional staging value, it continues to be an interactive ballet, perhaps the only one that can reach the hearts and dreams of children and adults alike. LAB truly delivered a spectacular creation under its new Artistic Director Melissa Barak who noted in the program, “Los Angeles is a city brimming with talent, resources, and creativity. There is nothing that can stop Los Angeles Ballet from becoming a major dance force on the world stage.” After seeing tiny little tweaks that elevated this enchanting ballet, I began to believe every word Barak wrote. Keeping with tradition, Act I, scene one with the arrival of the guests remained fairly traditional with Clara and Fritz eagerly anticipating the gifts of their Uncle, and the festivities of the Stahlbaum Family Christmas party. In Act I, scene two is where we see a slight reimagination of events, as Uncle Drosselmeyer, played by Eris Nezha, gives Clara a life size Nutcracker instead of a small toy version. Another variance is Fritz, played by Spencer Collins, who ends up being knocked over by the life size Nutcracker, when traditionally speaking Fritz would accidentally break the beloved toy version of the Nutcracker sending Clara into tears. Clara also had more challenging choreography, being played by company member Poppy Coleman , instead of a member of the youth ballet. From the audience’s perspective, she was believable as Clara, an adolescent girl with a hyper imagination and zest for big dreams and seemed to have been more loved by the adults than the children. Coleman, who played Clara slightly older, was able to tap into that beautiful moment in life when you are wanting more freedom and ready to break out. Still needing the comforts of home, Mr. and Mrs. Stahlbaum, played by Jacob Ray and Julianne Kinasiewicz , tuck Clara into bed before entering Act I, scene three when Clara dreams. The dreamland production value did not disappoint, as Clara’s brass bed, with a lacy white quilt and bed skirt moved clear across the stage, and the already large Christmas tree, placed upstage, began to grow taller and taller and taller. These are the traditional elements of the ballet world that keep surprising you no matter how old you get. With physical props, and larger than life costumes, we enter the epic battle scene between the Mouse King, played by Ryo Araki , and The Nutcracker, played by Santiago Paniagua . In Nutcracker’s past, I have gotten through this scene without much attention or remembrance, but LAB made this incredibly memorable with its costuming and humor. The mice came out with enormous heads and tails, making the scene surreal and larger than life. The mouse king, and all his little followers, were high-spirited and theatrical with each movement. Not only dancing for the first few rows but being just outlandish enough that the back row of the theater would understand each emotion. Not to mention the children’s excitement with each lunge of the sword, and each march of the nutcracker. It’s the tale of good vs evil, of right vs wrong, that stands the test of time. The exceptional choreography, with all its hazards of heads and tails flinging about, was well executed and enjoyable to watch. After the Mouse King is killed, and whisked away off stage, Clara and her Nutcracker are taken to the beautiful land of snow in a moving golden sleigh pushed by Uncle Drosselmeyer. The effect of snow falling from the rafters was the extra touch during the snowflake dance that made you feel like you’ve entered another world. And the Los Angeles Ballet, with set design by Catherine Kanner , continued this whimsy with dramatic icicle head pieces and long iridescent skirts that sparkled in the light. The dance of the snowflakes, a milestone casting for any aspiring ballerina, remains quite simple in its execution by challenging the body in its duration and longevity. The dance of the snowflakes mimicked the fall of snow, having moments of lull and coasting through the air, until a gust blows and swirls a snowflake into a frenzy of exciting leaps and bounds. It’s with this mimicry that we begin to understand the dreamland, and this is made more apparent by Los Angeles Ballet upon the introduction of Marie, played by Kate Inoue . Each ballet across the world seems to have a different imagination of The Palace of the Dolls, and the Dolby Theater stage was transformed into a Palace by the Sea for the grand entrance of all of Clara’s dolls come to life. Marie, or traditionally known as The Sugar Plum Fairy, directly reflected Clara’s costuming in a simple off white gown with red satin details. Marie, likewise, wore an off white tutu with three large red satin bows down her torso. The simple decision of costuming, by Mikael Melbye, really honed in on the idea that Clara is dreaming by reflecting her costuming. In Act II, Scene One we are introduced to the Spanish, Arabian, Russian, Harlequin and Columbine, and the Sunflower dances. By far, the crowd pleaser of the evening was the Russian dancers, played by Cesar Ramirez Castellano , Ryo Araki , and Jacob Soltero . The three men defied gravity all together, while the audience broke out into a rhythmic clap of celebration! Feeling the power of community through dance, is perhaps the only true attribute of a ballet to begin with. And while we had a sense of awe with the Arabian dancers, and a sense of play with the Harlequin dancers, it’s that interactive choreography that breaks the wall between audience and dancer, between what is a dream and what is reality. In the dance of the Sunflowers, we were introduced by another show stopper, the Rose played by Petra Conti , who remains LAB’s only female principal artist. The Sunflowers and Rose were another showstopper in the Palace of the Dolls by engaging us with their stamina and ease rather than complicated footwork and quick staging. The long petaled skirts and bonnets were muted in earth colors and tones rather than the usual bright flashy costumes of the past. It all became so easy on the eyes, and incredibly calming and enjoyable to sit back, take it all in, and watch. And as Act II, scene two opens with Clara on the floor, her parents come in to see that she’s fallen asleep. Upon lifting her back into her own bed, the drums desist, and Clara quickly sits up, eyes wide, mouth gaping, and we wonder if it was in fact a dream or real. The Nutcracker has continued to defy audiences since its premier in 1892, and has been revisited, reconceptualized, and remains relevant to the spirit of Christmas and the holidays today. Los Angeles Ballet was able to tweak and modify the original story in a playful and simple way that continued to delight and surprise. If this is anything like what we have to look forward to under Melissa Barak’s direction, then audiences are in for a real treat this 2023 season. For more information about Los Angeles Ballet, please visit their website . Written by Grace Courvoisier for LA Dance Chronicle. Featured image: Los Angeles Ballet – Kate Inoue and Santiago Paniaqua in The Nutcracker – Photo by Reed Hutchinson READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 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 Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet Presents 3 by Balanchine February 22, 2010 Culturespot LA by Penny Orloff With “See the Music, Hear the Dance,” an evening of three challenging choreographies by George Balanchine at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, the Los Angeles Ballet has reaffirmed its ascendance as the ballet company for which Los Angeles has waited decades. Chosen from the vast catalogue of works from the Balanchine’s prodigiously long career, the LAB premieres of “Kammermusik No. 2” and “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2,” and reprise of “Serenade” from Season 1, give local audiences a glimpse into the limitless creativity of the greatest of 20th century choreographers. As usual, Co-Artistic Directors Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen greeted the packed auditorium. After a brief description of the dances and a couple of anecdotes about Neary’s work with Balanchine, the couple stepped offstage, and the curtain rose on “Serenade” - the first of the Balanchine’s creations after arriving in America in 1933. The perfection of the pale blue tableau of LAB’s women’s corps de ballet elicited spontaneous applause from the audience. With its kaleidoscope patterns of razor-straight lines melting into liquid curves, the piece showcases what has been perceived as LAB’s greatest strength - the flawless precision of the women’s ensemble. With “Kammermusik No. 2,” the company has taken another huge step forward. The dance features two couples backed by an eight-man ensemble. In last year’s Prodigal Son, though the men’s corps showed their technical proficiency and strength, they had not quite homogenized their collective ears to Prokofiev’s score, such that they could dance together with absolute precision. But what a difference a year makes. The Hindemith piano/chamber ensemble opus is very difficult – but the group’s solid, cohesive musicianship, allowed them to move as one through the avant garde combinations. Andrew Brader, Melissa Barak, Drew Grant and Grace McLoughlin in Kammermusik No. 2; Photo: Reed Hutchinson Unleashing powerful, lightning-fast athleticism coupled with uncanny fluidity, Melissa Barak commands the stage. There is, apparently, nothing she can’t do. She is surely in her element in this piece. Her partner, the long-limbed and majestic Andrew Brader, is a perfect foil for Barak’s abandon. His stunning lifts break laws of gravity. Shadowing Barak is exuberant gamin Grace McLoughlin, who danced an endearing Effie in last year’s “La Sylphide.” Her diminutive size belies a large personality, and she expertly “works the room” for laughs during a series of Charleston-on-steroids maneuvers. Rounding out the quartet of soloists, veteran LAB principal dancer Drew Grant’s guides his compact frame through the blazing pace with confidence and discipline. The final work, “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2,” is Balanchine’s 1973 revision of his “Ballet Imperial” from 1941, and utilizes every resource available to dazzle and astonish. Monica Pelfrey shines in this very classical Balanchine homage to Petipa. Grand breadth of gesture and superb balance distinguish her dancing. New to LAB as the Rose in the recent “Nutcracker,” one is confident that she will adapt her ‘English Royal Ballet’ style as she relaxes into this very ‘American’ company. Also new to the company, Zheng Hua Li is a surprise as the romantic cavalier, after his witty Mouse King in “Nutcracker.” His beautiful, expressive face is no small asset, and his feet are about as perfect as feet get. The audience rewarded his clean execution of double tours-en-l’air and big, floating jetee’s with enthusiastic applause. As expected, the ensemble finale was spectacular, corps and soloists wonderfully coordinated. The prolonged ovation necessitated multiple curtain calls. Don’t miss two more chances to see this program. “Balanchine – ‘See the Music, Hear the Dance,’ ” Los Angeles Ballet, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Ave., Glendale; 7:30 p.m., March 6, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach, tickets: $15-$95, contact: www.losangelesballet.org or (310) 998-7782. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Paige Wilkey Hometown Los Angeles, CA Seasons with LAB 2023/2024 Paige Wilkey began her training at J. Swider Dance Studios in Los Angeles. She attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, and Boston Ballet. At the age of 16, Paige was invited to enroll in Boston Ballet School’s pre-professional program. After two years of training in Boston, Paige was hired by Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland, where she spent 5 seasons. She has also danced with American Contemporary Ballet prior to joining Los Angeles Ballet. Some of Paige’s featured roles with OBT and ACB include Dak Angel in Serenade , Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker , 2nd Violin in Balanchine's c Concerto Barocco , and the principal pas de deux in Balanchine’s Agon . Paige also performed with Barak Ballet in the summer of 2021. She was so inspired by her experience working with Melissa Barak, that it is a dream for her to be dancing with Los Angeles Ballet under her artistic direction.

Spring Gala for Los Angeles Ballet April 1, 2007 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet's first Spring Gala, hosted by LAB Board member Vicki Neuman, was a bright, elegant and rewarding evening. The event included a silent auction, dinner, and performances of Napoli and Agon by Los Angeles Ballet dancers Corina Gill, Oleg Gorboulev, Erica Bandy, Kelly Ann Sloan, Erin Rivera-Brennand, and Peter Snow. Funds raised at this event support Los Angeles Ballet and its future performances. Home / News / New Item

'The Nutcracker' Opens LA Ballet Sixth Season December 15, 2011 CultureSpotLA by Penny Orloff LA County’s resident classical ballet company, Los Angeles Ballet opens a sixth season with Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary’s original staging of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.” This sweet holiday treat is currently making its annual three-week tour from Glendale’s landmark Alex Theatre to UCLA’s Royce Hall to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The ballet opens on sumptuous storybook sets designed by LA artist Catherine Kanner. As a festive Christmas party gets underway at the Steinbaum house, young Clara – danced by Mia Katz – and her friends play with their favorite dolls. New to the role last year, Katz shows a deepening dramatic and technical rtistry. Clara’s bratty brother, Franz, is played with devilish glee by Aidan Merchel-Zoric. Sweeping into the party, the children’s Uncle Drosselmeyer brings mechanical dancing dolls to entertain the guests. Revealing himself as a fine dramatic dancer in last season’s Sonya Tayeh world premiere, the charismatic Nicolas de la Vega commands the stage in his first performances as the wizardly uncle. Sparkling Isabel Vondermuhll repeats last year’s spicy performance as the commedia dell’arte Columbine Doll, partnered by Angel Lopez in a bravura company debut as Harlequin. Following his electrifying performance as Hilarion in last year’s acclaimed “Giselle,” Chehon Wespi-Tschopp brings the audience to a screaming frenzy with the virtuoso leaps and turns of Drosselmeyer’s Cossack Doll. Eighteen-year-old Pacific Northwest Ballet guest artist Nathaniel Solis guides his compact frame through perfect double tours en l’air and grands jetés with flashing eyes and a brilliant smile. This handsome young man is clearly one to watch. The midnight battle between the brave toy soldiers and menacing mice is delightful, led by Zheng Hua Li as the high-leaping, hilarious Mouse King. As ever, the women’s corps de ballet presents a breathtaking Dance of the Snowflakes to end Act I. Act II begins in the Palace of the Dolls, all brought to life by magical Uncle Drosselmeyer. Allyssa Bross and Christopher Revels made auspicious LAB debuts as presiding dolls Marie and her Cavalier in last season’s “Nutcracker.” In the short year since – which included their partnering in both “Giselle” and Balanchine’s “Raymonda Variations” – Bross has developed a confident insouciance to go along with her perfect technique and superb balance, flirting shamelessly with her adoring audience during the fiendish variations of a long and arduous Pas de Deux. One year ago, Revels made an indelible impression with his ebullient, sky-high leaps and enormous strength and stamina. Now only 20 years old, he exhibits an authority and refinement rare in so young a premier danseur. The fortuitous partnership between these two young artists, carefully and wisely mentored by Christensen and Neary, brings out the best in both of them. Newly named company principals, they exude considerable star quality, which has created a national flurry of anticipation for their pairing in LAB’s upcoming “Swan Lake.” In alternate performances, the Cavalier is danced by returning guest artist Kenta Shimizu, who has parlayed his spectacular jumps, turns, and enormous lifts into a blossoming international career. Second-act highlights included a sizzling, Flamenco-flavored Spanish Dance, featuring passion and precision from soloists Kate Allynn Noelle as The Rose Photo: Reed Hutchinson Highstrete, Kelly Ann Sloan, Alexander Forck and Zheng Hua Li. Lithe and lovely Julia Cinquemani and majestic Alexander Castillo repeated their mesmerizing Arabian pas de deux from last year. Wespi-Tschopp vaulted through a show-stopping Russian Dance, joined by buoyant and acrobatic Christopher McDaniel and Tian Tan. Always enchanting, the Waltz of the Flowers is especially striking with Allynne Noelle as The Rose. Her strong debut as Queen of the Wilis in last season’s “Giselle” marked her as a brilliant addition to LAB’s impressive roster of soloists. This season Noelle and Bross share performances as Marie and The Rose. The children’s corps de ballet offers disciplined and precise step-work, and a rollicking sense of fun throughout the evening – no doubt inspiring the throng of young audience members, who can be seen whirling and leaping through the lobby after the show. For five years, LAB has presented every one of its productions in at least three locations. A recipient of large grants from LA County Arts Commission and the Schubert Foundation, the company has announced two additional performance venues – in Long Beach and Northridge – for its production of “Swan Lake” in March. “The Nutcracker” plays at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday, Dec. 17, and Sunday, Dec. 18, at 1 and 5 p.m.; and Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec. 23, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 24, at 1 p.m. For tickets and information, please visit www.losangelesballet.org . —Penny Orloff, Culture Spot LA DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Hottest Ticket: On Their Toes Los Angeles Ballet...Pirouetting its Way to Top Honors December 1, 2011 LA Confidential by Emili Vesilind Ballet in Los Angeles has had a rocky history. Marred by countless false starts, the City's classical dance scene has historically had trouble supporting a to-tier professional troupe-promoting iconic director/choreographer George Balachine to famously proclaim there was "no hope" for ballet in L.A. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

2024/2025 Season / Nutcracker Tea! 2024 / November 23, 2024, 1:30pm / Need Assistance? Email / (310) 998-7782 Login

Tickets 2023/2024 Season > The Nutcracker > Need Assistance? tickets@losangelesballet.org / (310) 998-7782 Login