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

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

LA Observed End-of-Year 2016 Review December 27, 2016 Call them a team. Some team. They are, arguably, the greatest living theater artist and the greatest living dancing actor, in magical cahoots with each other. Namely, Robert Wilson and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Two years ago they brought us "The Old Woman," a revelatory piece that instead of being a fluke with rich resources was just the first combustion of a duo bound for the poetic cosmos. But return they did to UCLA's Royce Hall (and it couldn't happen for more appreciative hosts) -- this time with "Letter to a Man," otherwise known as their Nijinsky piece, based on the legendary dancer's madman journal writings to his nemesis, Sergei Diaghilev, that haute impresario of the early Parisian 1900's, who sponsored and bedded him, then sent him into exile; this, after his misdeed of marriage to aristocrat Romola de Pulszky. Did you miss it? Well, you missed a stunning event. What kind? The kind that makes you crave to see the 60-minute show again. To jump on a plane to Paris next week, where it plays for 8 days. And what makes it so? The moment-to-moment montage, a kaleidoscope that frames the ever-magnetic Misha in a myriad of physical portrayals, his voice projections of the Russian lines set down by Vaslav Nijinsky in the Zurich sanatorium. It's where he lived in otherwise silence for the subsequent 30 years to his life's end. What Wilson does is drop each vignette into a stage picture, developed through ingenious lighting and set pieces that form a captivating tableau. There's the stark shock value of Misha in white face, with tux shirt and black bow tie, strobe-lit in a freeze of madness, the stage fronted by a row of yellow bulbs. But that's just to start. Soon the sardonic good times get going. A little song and dance, Bausch-style, with the nostalgia of '30s pop tunes, Misha still doing a fluidly integrated turn or step that advertises his authoritative wit and showmanship. But elsewhere this Nijinsky's expression goes dark and his downcast eyes gaze into the same abyss seen on an LP jacket picturing the dancer as a tragic Petrouchka. If we're lucky UCLA's Royce Hall will stage an encore. Meanwhile there's another Russian supernova commanding our attention: Daniil Trifonov, the 25-year-old pianist whose name often brings up talk of Vladimir Horowitz -- although this current virtuoso comes without personal peculiarities. He's simply an extraordinary artist. So when the Disney Hall crowd, packed wall-to-wall, heard him with Gustavo Dudamel leading his LA Philharmonic, it was blown away. Naturally. They ventured that beast of the literature, Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. A knuckle-buster if there ever was one, it became the world Trifonov inhabits, wholly absorbing, intense in its intricacies and rapacious demands, its live-or-die heat, all of it stitched together in unrelenting concentration. Unlike many others, he even took on the lush romantic theme with an elegant, classical approach -- no swoosh and swoon and swell, no quarter with easy, over-indulgence, but just a modicum of restraint for contrast with the surrounding finger fury. To be sure, Dudamel kept his band stepping along in unflagging sympathy with the soloist. But there were moments when they swamped him -- so that Rachmaninoff's advanced harmonics (1st movement), as heard when Trifonov played under the Verbier Festival's Yuri Temirkanov, got swallowed up here. No check on orchestral power came in the remaining program. Dudamel gave his forces their head and then some for Prokofiev's mystical Scythian Suite, followed by Scriabian's "Poem of Ecstasy." For those who have yet to hear the Philharmonic in all its sonic brilliance, this has to be a resolute goal. But those seeking a massive visual component to music had only to catch LA Opera's production of Philip Glass's "Akhnaten" -- you know, that supposedly androgynous pharaoh, made more so in this re-telling of Egyptian history by the title character's gradual gender change before our very eyes. Extraneous commotion abounded here, and not just for the staging and majestically static score, momentous music of mounting drama (a Glass specialty). First, there was the Music Center Pavilion's protest rally by "Black History Matters" questioning that the company did not cast an African-American as the lead counter-tenor, despite its color blind composition of numerous others, including Queen Nefertiti. And then there was Akhnaten (himself/herself), sung by Anthony Roth Costanzo in a somewhat scratchy, appropriately high voice, who appeared nude at one lengthy ceremonial point, head and body shaven, only to be dressed in this glacially slow production by attendants. (One wag was heard saying "what a way to put your pants on!" referring to the choreographed lifting of the whole body and slow guiding of his legs into their coverings). Later, under sheer garments, he appeared with a semblance of breasts. You could call the entire show a processional, with much sung declaiming, a contingent of jugglers and some stunning scenic triumphs -- all of it underpinned by a score with ongoing arpeggios, led perfunctorily here by Matthew Aucoin (a talked-about composer named to three years as the company's artist-in-residence). But coming after Glass's "Einstein on the Beach," staged three years ago, it doesn't nearly match the power of that celebrated piece. As a breather LA Opera gave us Leonard Bernstein's charming, upbeat "Wonderful Town" -- and didn't even insist on an operatic conversion, except for baritone Marc Kudisch, the only self-consciously formal voice here, who sang off-pitch much of the time. So, yes, the Broadway musical has a place here, especially if you believe that music drama can be inclusive. Quality counts, not genre. And although its orchestration fully acknowledges terrific tunes and musical comedy rhythms, Bernstein's interior scoring also lets us in on his compositional kernels for "On the Waterfront" and even "West Side Story." Grant Gershon led the whole shebang lovingly and energetically (revealing his early roots) -- with the orchestra onstage behind the performing cast. Faith Prince made a comically jaded Ruth with Nikki James her deliciously starry-eyed sister Eileen. Roger Bart, that utterly versatile impersonator, changed voices, accents and characters in the flick of an eye. Steven Sondheim joined the Broadway focus when Beverly Hills' Wallis Theater put on the composer's still problematic "Merrily We Roll Along." Despite the staging's over-the-top, unintended caricature (an SNL skit?) and George Furth's now fatuously melodramatic book, Sondheim's marvelous songs and lyrics make the effort well worth our while. Can anyone ever resist the chance to hear "Not a Day Goes By"? Even when up against this show's politically correct diversity casting that makes not a whit of sense? Of course, if you close your eyes and just listen. Among notable locals there was the best of them, LA Ballet, an enterprise that keeps on amazing us with its often sterling programs.The latest, in a string of successes, led off with signature Balanchine, the "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" and let me say here that the piece is always startling; it is its choreographer's neo-classical genre emblem. Pull it out of the box, amid many diverse ballet formats, and it will outshine everything else. Of course, that's assuming the dancers, their coach and the general staging can match the demands. No question this time. The soloists made the most eloquent complement to Stravinsky's quirky, convoluted and melancholy score. And the ensemble was not far behind. The other grateful entry on the bill was Aszure Barton's "Untouched," a clever cowboy's lament set in a dance hall (brothel?) that uses Graham expressionism in an original, characterful way. Again, the dancers rose to the high level of national companies with big budgets. Establishment Los Angeles and its private benefactors must do more to secure this gem of a dance troupe. LA Observed by Donna Perlmutter READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > 2017/2018 The Nutcracker 2017 Mackenzie Moser LAB Ensemble Petra Conti LAB Ensemble Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Tigran Sargsyan Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble Mackenzie Moser LAB Ensemble Petra Conti LAB Ensemble Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Tigran Sargsyan Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble Mackenzie Moser LAB Ensemble Petra Conti LAB Ensemble Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Tigran Sargsyan Mackenzie Moser & LAB Ensemble Prodigal Son – Balanchine / Prokofiev Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

Hottest Ticket: On Their Toes Los Angeles Ballet...Pirouetting its Way to Top Honors December 1, 2011 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. LA Confidential by Emili Vesilind DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

Dancing into Spring with Three Glorious Balanchine Pieces January 12, 2010 See the Music, Hear the Dance January 12, 2010 -- Los Angeles Ballet [LAB] Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are pleased to present three stunning works by George Balanchine this spring. LAB’s spring program See the Music, Hear the Dance from George Balanchine includes the Los Angeles Ballet premieres of Kammermusik No. 2 and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 , and the return of Serenade . Kammermusik No. 2 is a conceptual work of vast liveliness, momentum and accuracy. The complex eight-man ensemble dances to the composition of the orchestra, while two couples move to the passages of the piano in the counterpart. Balanchine created a role for LAB’s Artistic Director, Colleen Neary in the original cast of Kammermusik No. 2. Principal casting includes Melissa Barak, Grace McLoughlin, Andrew Brader and Drew Grant. Another poignant and dramatic Balanchine piece Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 is an existing tribute to Petipa, 'the father of classical ballet,” as well as to Tchaikovsky, Balanchine’s “greatest composer." This piece transmits the strength and splendor of majestic St. Petersburg, and exhibits the classical style and romanticism of Balanchine's early Russian training. Monica Pelfrey and Zheng Hua Li are the principal cast. Serenade is Balanchine’s first original ballet created in America. Originally intended as a stage technique lesson, Balanchine incorporated unanticipated rehearsal events into the work. This beloved ballet articulates the abundant and mystifying score of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C. Principal casting for Serenade will be varied. ​ LAB Public Relations DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

First Seattle Tour May 1, 2014 La Sylphide plus George Balanchine’s Serenade June 27, 2014 McCaw Hall, Seattle Center Performances to include: The full-length romantic story ballet La Sylphide, choreographed by Thordal Christensen after August Bournonville George Balanchine’s SerenadeLos Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are excited to announce that the company will be touring out of California for the first time, presenting La Sylphide and Serenade to Seattle, Washington audiences June 27, 2014, at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. This will immediately follow LAB’s tour of the same production throughout Los Angeles County.Christensen and Neary are thrilled to be bringing their first touring production to Seattle, as it is where their partnership was created – both onstage and off. Christensen and Neary were Principal Dancers for Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) from 1986 through 1992, dancing in ballets by Kent Stowell, Clark Tippett, Glen Tetley, George Balanchine, Lynn Taylor Corbett, José Limón, and Lar Lubovitch, as well as classics like Swan Lake. Christensen and Neary married in 1987, with PNB Founding Artistic Directors Kent Stowell and Francia Russell as their witnesses. Stowell and Russell provided Christensen and Neary with critical inspiration to eventually launch Los Angeles Ballet. “We danced at PNB in an enormous growth period for that company, during a creative time when it began to tour to Hawaii, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and other major cities,” says Neary. It was this creative spark and strong partnership between Christensen and Neary that led to the formation of Los Angeles Ballet, and their connection to PNB that makes Seattle the ideal choice for LAB’s first out-of-state tour. LAB’s La Sylphide was debuted in 2009 with choreography by Christensen after the original 19th century ballet by Danish choreographer August Bournonville. “Los Angeles Ballet’s performances in 2009 were exemplary, among the finest achievements in the company’s history,” said Lewis Segal in his recent LA Times article, ‘Faces to Watch 2014.’ At McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, the two-act story ballet La Sylphide will be paired with George Balanchine’s romantic Serenade. La Sylphide, sometimes described as the Danish Giselle, recounts the tale of a Scotsman enamored of an entrancing woodland sprite (a sylph) and the poisonous interference of a witch, with tragic results. Serenade is unquestionably one of Balanchine’s most popular and beloved ballets. Set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, the ballet evokes a moonlit world of romantic attraction and betrayal. Colleen Neary says, “La Sylphide and Serenade are two of the most romantic and, some say, most tragic ballets choreographed – the former with a story and the other without a literal one. There is a deep spiritualism to both.” About Los Angeles Ballet Founded in 2004 by Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, and Executive Director Julie Whittaker, Los Angeles Ballet is known for its superb stagings of the Balanchine repertory, stylistically meticulous classical ballets, and its commitment to new works. LAB has become recognized as a world-class ballet company, in eight seasons presenting 24 productions encompassing 50 works, including 15 commissioned world premieres. Los Angeles Ballet ‘tours’ throughout LA County, regularly appearing at four venues. This past summer the Los Angeles Music Center presented Los Angeles Ballet at Grand Park, with more than 3,000 attending the outdoor performance. Since its inception in 2006, LAB’s Power of Performance (POP!) program has provided thousands of free tickets to underserved or disadvantaged children, seniors, veterans, and their families. LAB's A Chance to Dance Community Days outreach program was launched in October 2012. About 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. ​ LAB Public Relations DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Lori & Michael Milken Principal Dancer Kenta Shimizu Hometown Gifu Prefecture, Japan Schools Soda Ballet School Osaka, Royal Ballet School Companies K-Ballet, Miami City Ballet Los Angeles Ballet 13th Season Next Dancer Previous Dancer

Review: LA Ballet season opens with adventurous and flirtatious ‘Modern Moves’ October 7, 2018 Like adventurous pioneers, Los Angeles Ballet stepped into uncharted territory Saturday for its season opener, “Modern Moves,” which introduced Aszure Barton’s “Les Chambres des Jacques” and Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Lickety-Split” into the company’s repertory at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. George Balanchine’s 1954 classic “Western Symphony” capped off an evening devoted to contemporary and neoclassical works that were flecked with folksy charm. Throughout, Los Angeles Ballet proved not only fluent in the three choreographers’ styles but also in the wide-ranging love language of their dances. Longing and desire emanated from almost every move in Barton’s lusty “Les Chambres,” set to a fusion of Quebecois folk music, klezmer and Vivaldi. Men approached women clad in corsets with sensual sniffs; others attempted to hug the empty air around them. Agape mouths in the shape of silent screams looked like lips yearning to be kissed. And principal dancer Tigran Sargsyan’s desperate crawl after the woman he pines for sends a stab straight to the heart. If “Les Chambres” is an intimate study of unrequited love, then “Lickety-Split” gives us a look into love unbound. In one vignette, principal Bianca Bulle and Sargsyan initially play hard to get. He then offers his hand, and she squeezes out some invisible elixir — an aphrodisiac perhaps — that sends them into a joyous jaunt across the stage. As Devendra Barhart’s raspy voice creaks over the speakers like a well-worn rocker, you can’t help but feel as if you’re on a front porch, watching lovers dance by the light of fireflies. The duet culminates with Bulle ecstatically shaking her hand between her partner’s legs and Sargsyan playfully banging his head upon her rear. While an odd image, it’s immensely satisfying — reminiscent of the comfort that comes from knowing another intimately — and avant-garde like a piece of absurdist theater. Against such an edgy program, Balanchine’s “Western Symphony” felt a tad dated — its corps of clean-cut cowboys gallantly strumming air guitars and feather-hatted saloon gals do-si-do-ing primly a far cry from Cerrudo and Barton’s sensuous styles. Even Hershy Kay’s classic orchestrations of American folk songs felt a touch Disney-fied. But there were plenty of enchanting moments. The versatile Sargsyan pulled off a delightful adagio with principal Petra Conti, and the dance’s iconic finale — endless pirouettes as the curtain falls — was a strong reminder of how modern this piece once was. Like the depths of a boundless love, it insisted on having no end. LA Times by Christina Compodonico READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

LAB Dancer Christopher McDaniel Gets Published August 2, 2013 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. Company News from the Staff at LAB READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > 2014/2015 Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 2015 Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani with Kate Highstrete and Laura Chachich LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle & Christopher Revels LAB Ensemble Balanchine / Tchaikovsky Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > Season 2012-2013 Christensen/Neary Mia Katz & Nicolas de la Vega in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Bianca Bulle in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Zheng Hua Li in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Snowflakes Ensemble in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Helena Thordal-Christensen, David Block & Nicholas de la Vega in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Julia Cinquemani & Alexander Castillo in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Allynne Noelle & Ulrik Birkkjaer in 'The Nutcracker' by Christensen/Neary Allynne Noelle & Zheng Hua Li and Ensemble in George Balanchine's 'La Sonnambula' Allynne Noelle & Zheng Hua Li in George Balanchine's 'La Sonnambula' Chelsea Paige Johnstin & Zheng Hua Li in George Balanchine's 'La Sonnambula' Chelsea Paige Johnstin & Zheng Hua Li in George Balanchine's 'La Sonnambula' Julia Cinquemani & Alyssa Bross and Ensemble in George Balanchine's 'Concerto Barocco' Julia Cinquemani & Alexander Castillo and Ensemble in George Balanchine's 'Concerto Barocco' Allynne Noelle & Kenta Shimizu in George Balanchine's 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux' Allyssa Bross & Ulrik Birkkjaer in George Balanchine's 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux' Ulrik Birkkjaer in George Balanchine's 'Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux' Kenta Shimizu & Ensemble in George Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments' Allyssa Bross & Christopher Revels in George Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments' Kenta Shimizu & Ensemble in George Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments' Kate Highstrete & Christopher Revels in George Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments' Chelsea Paige Johnston & Alexander Castillo and Ensemble in 'La Valse' Allyssa Bross & Zheng Hua Li in 'La Valse' Allyssa Bross & Zheng Hua Li in 'La Valse' Allyssa Bross & Zheng Hua Li in 'La Valse' Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.