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LAB is excited to announce that in December of 2014 it will present four performances of The Nutcracker at its newest venue - the prestigious Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. LAB to Perform The Nutcracker at Dolby Theatre June 1, 2014 Company News from the Staff at LAB LAB is excited to announce that in December of 2014 it will present four performances of The Nutcracker at its newest venue - the prestigious Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The addition of this venue continues LAB’s mission to offer world-class professional ballet to greater LA. Home / News / New Item

Los Angeles Ballet presents a company of outstanding dancers from local communities and around the world. LAB dance artists master classical as well as contemporary techniques. Jimmy & Debbie Lustig Principal Dancer Petra Conti Hometown Frosinone, Italy Schools National Academy of Dance, Rome Companies La Scala Ballet, Boston Ballet Los Angeles Ballet 6th Season

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. 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 Home / News / New Item

4b5457fd-90e1-4bec-8706-9e8f86d0494e 2024-2025 Season / Ticket Information / In-Person Ticket Sales In-Person Ticket Sales Tickets may be purchased in advance at Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Central Ticket Office at UCLA for Royce Hall, the Wallis in Beverly Hills, and Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Ticket information for Destination Crenshaw’s Sankofa Park performances will be available soon. Please visit venue websites directly for box office hours. The LAB Box Office at all venues will be open 90 minutes before the performance. No in-person purchases at LAB Offices at this time. 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

An elite group of artists called “repetiteurs “ carry on the works of one of the greatest choreographic masters of all time, George Balanchine. For 30 years since his death on April 30, 1983, these human “style guides” for the Balanchine aesthetic have served as guardians of his expansive repertoire of nearly 400 works, and storytellers of his legacy. Passing the Balanchine Baton May 15, 2013 KCET by AC Remler An elite group of artists called “repetiteurs “ carry on the works of one of the greatest choreographic masters of all time, George Balanchine. For 30 years since his death on April 30, 1983, these human “style guides” for the Balanchine aesthetic have served as guardians of his expansive repertoire of nearly 400 works, and storytellers of his legacy. Many have danced the roles themselves under his tutelage, such as Colleen Neary, co-artistic director of Los Angeles Ballet. She, along with about 30 other New York City Ballet disciples -- the acclaimed ballet company that he founded in 1948 -- have the stamp of approval from the Balanchine Trust to stage the choreographer’s works. As such, they travel the world ensuring that professional ballet companies who present Balanchine on their playbill, perform it, just so. “There was always a style and way of dancing the role that was very important to him,” Neary says. “He gave you the freedom to do what you wanted but not to the extreme where it took the piece another direction. And we grew up around that style - we saw what he wanted. We all respect each other but we all have differences in the years we danced with Balanchine and for versions we danced in. When I danced “Rubies” and “Symphony in C” in the same roles as my sister, [Patricia Neary for whom many roles were created by Balanchine], she was a decade before me, and he may have changed it for me, or changed his mind on certain timings. He changed as he went along. We always say ‘Before Death.’ Those are the years we look at. And after he died, things kept changing, so we try to keep it as tight as we can,” she says. Noelle “Rubies” Neary danced as a soloist from 1969 to 1979 in The New York City Ballet under the direction of Balanchine. Like her sister, she also had numerous roles created for her by Balanchine, as well as by other acclaimed choreographers such as Peter Martins, Jacques d’Amboise and others, throughout her career. Now Neary is poised to pass the Balanchine baton to a new generation of dancers at her own company, which she founded nine years ago with husband and former Royal Danish Ballet and New York City Ballet dancer Thordal Christensen. To commemorate Mr. B’s death (as he’s called fondly) and to celebrate his work, Los Angeles Ballet recently launched a Balanchine Festival 2013. Having just wrapped “Balanchine Gold” in March and April, Los Angeles Ballet recently launched part two of the series, “Balanchine Red” across Southern California that runs through June 9. Balanchine Red features his works, “Agon,” “La Valse,” and “Rubies.” The next performance takes place Saturday, May 18 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, followed by a night at the Valley Performing Arts Center May 25, an afternoon at the Alex Theatre May 26 and ending at Royce Hall June 9. Each performance is accompanied by lectures prior to curtain by experts in Balanchine’s work, including Kent Stowell, Francia Russell, Lewis Segal, Victoria Loos leaf, and of course, Neary herself. One of Los Angeles Ballet’s principal dancers is Southern California native Allynne Noelle. A tall, lithe figure who crackles on stage, Noelle has been with the company since 2011, coming from Miami City Ballet where she also performed Balanchine under the direction of Eddie Villella, another former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Kenta, Noelle, “TchaiPas” “I like ‘Rubies’ ‘Tall Girl.’ LOVE Jewels as a whole ballet. Oh, and ‘Tchai Pas’ is fun (that’s ballet slang for 1960’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux),” she says, ticking off her favorite Balanchine ballets similar to how someone of a different milieu might rattle off pop music hits. “I really like “Apollo” too, but I’ve never performed it.” In Los Angeles Ballet’s “Balanchine Festival Red,” Noelle will dance the Pas de Deux in the notoriously challenging Agon (1957) an abstract masterpiece in which nary a note is lost on movement; and she will revisit “Tall Girl” in Rubies (1967). The fact that Neary has coached her in a masterpiece that Neary herself has danced for the master is clearly not lost on her. “I was a little scared at first because I know [Neary] has done the role,” she says. “Colleen gives me the freedom to do what I want with the role as an artist, but if there’s a step that isn’t right she lets me know. Even though it’s crazy hard technically, it’s artistically freeing.” Neary is quick to dispel any notion that she expects a cookie cutter interpretation of how she performed the part. “It’s perfect for Allynne. I give her feedback as to how I did it, but I don’t like to say: ‘This is MY role!’; even though you might feel like it’s your role. I want to train the next generation who are dancing the Balanchine ballets and dancing them well so eventually The Balanchine Trust might approve them to stage the ballets. The Balanchine Trust is very tight with [its] mechanism, and typically, they come from New York City Ballet. But I think it’s important for those of us who are with other companies to train the next generation to be able to rehearse his work,” she says. Mr. B, Pat, Colleen. Meanwhile Neary’s next repetiteur “gig” will be with the Paris Opera Ballet staging the original “Symphony in C” called “Palais de Cristal.” Neary also invites other repetiteurs to Los Angeles to stage Balanchine on Los Angeles Ballet dancers. “It’s good for the dancers to work with someone different. Although sometimes it’s hard for me to keep my mouth shut,” she laughs. Noelle, a self-proclaimed repetiteur in waiting, is one of six dancers with Los Angeles Ballet from Southern California. Noelle grew up in Huntington Beach and began classical ballet training at age 5. She remembers limited exposure to professional productions beyond seeing New York-based companies like New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and “the occasional Russian company” breeze through to perform. “The cultural growth (in Southern California) has been exponential since then,” Noelle says. “I’m so happy to be back here dancing in a company that offers the opportunity to perform such great ballets. Last time I was on stage performing ‘Tchai Pas’ I thought, ‘Wow, this is my job. Should I really be having this much fun?’” DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Read at the Los Angeles Times 'The Nutcracker' from Los Angeles Ballet As Los Angeles Ballet matures, so too does its first full-length production... December 7, 2009 Los Angeles Times by Laura Bleiburg Read at the Los Angeles Times DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Guide for the Arts, the national online resource for complete annual schedules for opera, symphony, ballet, theatres and museums, has named LAB Co-Artistic Director Thordal Christensen the Arts Ambassador... Thordal Christensen Named Los Angeles Ambassador to the Arts February 1, 2014 Guide for the Arts, the national online resource for complete annual schedules for opera, symphony, ballet, theatres and museums, has named LAB Co-Artistic Director Thordal Christensen the Arts Ambassador for 2014-2015. Past Ambassadors have included Eli Broad, 2012-2013, and Marvin Hamlish, 2011-2012. READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

The new troupe learns from 'Nutcracker' and forges bravely ahead with Balanchine and Bournonville in March. By Lewis Segal Read the full article 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) Home / News / New Item

Colleen Neary will never forget the day when George Balanchine articulated the blueprint for her life’s work. She was in her early 20s, then a respected New York City Ballet dancer. L.A. Ballet's Balanchine Festival follows in master's steps March 8, 2013 Los Angeles Times by Susan Josephs March 8, 2013 | By Susan Josephs Colleen Neary will never forget the day when George Balanchine articulated the blueprint for her life’s work. She was in her early 20s, then a respected New York City Ballet dancer. “He put me in to teach company class,” she says. “He said to me, ‘This is what you will do in the future.’ I said I wanted to dance, but he said, ‘You won’t dance forever. You will teach dancers my ballets.” Fast forward to 2013, to a rehearsal of Balanchine’s 1941 “Concerto Barocco” at the Westside headquarters of Los Angeles Ballet. Neary, now 60 and the company’s co-founder, surveys her dancers with microscopic scrutiny as they attempt to master the rigorously precise footwork, high-energy unison phrases and tricky group formations of the 18-minute dance. Both critical and encouraging, she invokes the words of her mentor during the section where three female dancers must weave around the sole male dancer in the work, interlocking hands and arms to create sculptural yet quickly dissolving tableaux. “Balanchine always used to say, ‘You should be walking around like Grecian goddesses,’ “ she tells the female dancers. “You’re missing this thing. In all his ballets, there’s this thing that’s more than the steps. It’s about feeling beautiful within yourself, and I can’t teach you that.” Neary, however, can remember how the famous choreographer known as Mr. B made his dancers feel beautiful, and it’s this firsthand experience that serves as the guiding force behind her company’s Balanchine Festival 2013. “Colleen has this great gift for challenging dancers to embody the Balanchine aesthetic,” says Ellen Sorrin, director of the George Balanchine Trust, which authorizes the staging of Balanchine’s ballets worldwide. “It’s an enormous responsibility to do what she’s doing, to disseminate Balanchine’s works as fully and wonderfully as possible.” DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

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. 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. Home / News / New Item

The Sleeping Beauty 2015 Allyssa Bross as Aurora Allynne Noelle as The Lilac Fairy Fairy Ensemble Colleen Neary as Carabosse Allyssa Bross with LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle Kenta Shimizu as Prince Desire & Allynne Noelle as The Lilac Fairy Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Bianca Bulle as The Diamond Julia Cinquemani as Princess Florine Julia Cinquemani as Princess Florine & Luke Schaufuss as The Bluebird Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross as Aurora Allynne Noelle as The Lilac Fairy Fairy Ensemble Colleen Neary as Carabosse Allyssa Bross with LAB Ensemble Allynne Noelle Kenta Shimizu as Prince Desire & Allynne Noelle as The Lilac Fairy Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Bianca Bulle as The Diamond Julia Cinquemani as Princess Florine Julia Cinquemani as Princess Florine & Luke Schaufuss as The Bluebird Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu LAB Ensemble Christensen and Neary after Petipa / Tchaikovsky Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

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.