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Review: Missteps aside, Los Angeles Ballet brings new life to 'Giselle' October 4, 2015 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Los Angeles Ballet first danced “Giselle” in its fifth season. Now, at the start of Season 10, it has returned to the full-length Romantic tragedy with great freshness and authority. At the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, the level of classical dancing remained praiseworthy, but the big news involved the attempt to bolster the work’s dramatic credibility in Act 1. The unfamiliar Desmond Heeley scenery and costumes (borrowed from the National Ballet of Canada) and the unusually detailed and convincing portrayal of the jealous Hilarion by Alexander Castillo showed that this traditional staging of “Giselle” was being reconsidered or improved. In the title role, longtime principal Allyssa Bross again displayed a touching sweetness and vulnerability in her early scenes, but the superb fierceness and fury of her mad scene proved a welcome innovation. As Albrecht, Kenta Shimizu always partnered her skillfully, but the passion in his performance flowered in Act 2, where his high Romantic fervor exceeded anything I’ve seen in Shimizu’s seven seasons with the company. Julia Cinquemani and Dustin True brought a sense of occasion and honed technical abilities to the Peasant Pas de Deux, along with a brilliant knack for recovering perfectly from slips -- she at the beginning of a solo, he at the end. Indeed, True’s improvisation could well become an original virtuoso step-combination, if he can repeat it. A few small problems remained in Act 1: Berthe’s incomprehensible pantomime-speech, for example -- not how it was executed by company co-artistic director Colleen Neary, but the mime-text itself. In Act 2 the company’s refined classicism couldn’t offset major dramatic lapses. Kate Highstrete’s technically flawless but small-scaled dancing and mime as Myrtha never dominated the stage, the corps or the men intended to be her victims. The role needed a diva, and it didn’t help that everyone stood around doing nothing in particular when Myrtha’s evil power should have faltered in the face of true love -- or the magic of the cross in some stagings. What’s more (spoiler alert), the dawn of Albrecht’s salvation became merely a music cue in this version, without the change in lighting or corps attack that can and should be thrilling. One final disappointment: our last look at Albrecht. When you’re walking away from love beyond the grave, dignity is no substitute for heartbreak. That left Act 2 all about footwork: satisfying work by the corps, even better when the deep rapport between Bross and Shimizu informed their dancing. Some of Adolphe Adam’s music (on tape) seemed a mite slow for this spirited Giselle. It would be exciting to find her exploiting sudden tempo shifts. But her floating pointe-work and Shimizu’s climactic batterie set the seal on an evening that sent Los Angeles Ballet into an ambitious season of full-length classics, boldly and confidently. ---------- “Giselle” Who: Los Angeles Ballet Where: Program repeats at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, and at 2 p.m. Nov. 1 at Royce Hall at UCLA Tickets: $31-$99 Info: (310) 998-7782, losangelesballet.org READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

Best of 2007 Listings December 16, 2007 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Co-artistic director Colleen Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, made a formidable Madge, only gradually revealing her malevolent powers. It was easy to laugh at her mumbo-jumbo antics with her four witch friends around the black cauldron at the start of Act 2. But nobody was laughing at the end of the ballet. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Don Quixote 2016 Adam Lunders with Abby Callahan & Andrea Fabbri Adam Lunders as Don Quixote Julia Cinquemani, Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani Julia Cinquemani Erik Thordal-Christenssen & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross Jeongkon Kim, Andrea Fabbri Julua Cinquemani Zheng Hua Li & LAB Ensemble Adam Lunders, David Renaud & LAB Ensemble David Renaud & LAB Ensemble Elizabeth Claire Walker Elizabeth Claire Walker & Adam Lunders Ashley Millar, Kate Highstrete & Elizabeth Claire Walker Julia Cinquemani & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & LAB Ensemble Erik Thordal-Christensen Chelsea Paige Johnston & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Bianca Bulle Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani Christensen and Neary after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorky /Minkus Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

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

The Nutcracker 2018 SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Zheng Hua Li & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Elizabeth Claire Walker, Joshua Brown & Marc LaPierre SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble Marc LaPierre & Mangus Christoffersen Madeline Houk & Chelsea Paige Johnston Misa Kuranaga & Kenta Shimizu Elizabeth Claire Walker & Joshua Brown Bianca Bulle LAB Ensemble Petra Conti Tigran Sargsyan LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Zheng Hua Li & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Elizabeth Claire Walker, Joshua Brown & Marc LaPierre SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble Marc LaPierre & Mangus Christoffersen Madeline Houk & Chelsea Paige Johnston Misa Kuranaga & Kenta Shimizu Elizabeth Claire Walker & Joshua Brown Bianca Bulle LAB Ensemble Petra Conti Tigran Sargsyan LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Zheng Hua Li & LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel, Elizabeth Claire Walker, Joshua Brown & Marc LaPierre SarahAnne Perel & LAB Ensemble Marc LaPierre & Mangus Christoffersen Madeline Houk & Chelsea Paige Johnston Misa Kuranaga & Kenta Shimizu Elizabeth Claire Walker & Joshua Brown Bianca Bulle LAB Ensemble Petra Conti Tigran Sargsyan LAB Ensemble Christensen and Neary / Tchaikovsky Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

Romeo and Juliet 2016 Alyssa Bross LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Colleen Neary & Thordal Christensen LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & Luke Schaufuss Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Joshua Brown, Alyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Kenta Shimizu & Zheng Hua Li Zheng Hua Li Colleen Neary & Thordal Christensen Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross Joshua Brown & Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross, Erik Thordal-Christensen & Thordal Christensen LAB Ensemble Colleen Neary & Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Alyssa Bross LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Colleen Neary & Thordal Christensen LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & Luke Schaufuss Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Joshua Brown, Alyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Kenta Shimizu & Zheng Hua Li Zheng Hua Li Colleen Neary & Thordal Christensen Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross Joshua Brown & Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross, Erik Thordal-Christensen & Thordal Christensen LAB Ensemble Colleen Neary & Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Sir Frederick Ashton/Prokofiev Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

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Commentary: Los Angeles Ballet on upswing in its fifth year December 5, 2010 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Despite a rocky arts landscape, Los Angeles Ballet has managed to not only survive but also prosper. What’s needed now is more attention from the local community to this admirable, and creative, company. Congratulations are in order — and maybe a sigh of relief. With its “Nutcracker” performances this weekend at the Alex Theatre in Glendale (plus repeats through the month in two other Southland venues), Los Angeles Ballet entered its fifth season as a resident professional company. Season 5 and counting: not exactly a golden anniversary but definitely a hard-won benchmark. It’s been a turbulent demi-decade for all arts organizations, one in which long-established companies such as Orange County’s Ballet Pacifica vanished from the landscape. And that was before the recession took its toll in radically diminished institutional and governmental funding for the arts. But Los Angeles Ballet hasn’t merely survived for five seasons; it’s increased the operating budget some 80%, from $900,000 in 2006-07 to $1,624,000 in 2010-11. And there are other signs of growth: increased ticket sales (up 12% last season), a new school and company center in West Los Angeles, a reconstituted board of directors, expanded support staff and audience development activities. So celebration is justified, but not complacency. After all, John Clifford’s attempt at a company of the same name in the 1970s existed for more than 10 years before it folded: a casualty of consistently under-rehearsed dancing, relentlessly mediocre home-grown choreography and the erosion of its support base. In contrast, the dancing in the new, millennial Los Angeles Ballet has always been meticulously professional and the new choreography varied and often exciting — though you can’t really measure the quality of any company from its “Nutcracker.” Clifford, however, had a knack for making his troupe seem omnipresent, a major player in local dance, while the excellences of the new company have achieved little impact or even visibility on the L.A. arts scene. Yes, it appeared as a guest on the popular “So You Think You Can Dance” reality show. And it publicized its “Nutcracker” by offering tickets on the Groupon discount site. But such innovations produced no buzz in the local community. And if you looked at the winners of the annual Lester Horton Dance Awards — an index of peer-group recognition in Southland dance — you’d scarcely know Los Angeles Ballet existed. Yet season after season, the company gives admirable performances of challenging neoclassical masterworks by George Balanchine, staged by co-artistic director Colleen Neary. The rep this March includes two highly accessible Balanchine staples: “Raymonda Variations” and “Western Symphony,” the first a tribute to the choreographer’s imperial Russian heritage, the second an expression of his enjoyment of the cowboy culture in his adopted homeland. But Balanchine isn’t the company’s sole choreographic asset. Indeed, co-artistic director Thordal Christensen’s 2009 staging of August Bournonville’s full-length “La Sylphide” easily outclassed the badly deteriorated American Ballet Theatre version and the crude approximation by the Bolshoi Ballet. The company’s first attempt at a genuine 19th century story ballet, it proved conclusively that Los Angeles Ballet can switch styles with no loss of authority. On the schedule for May: “Giselle,” another foray into the Romantic era, which Christensen previously staged for the Royal Danish Ballet. Creative partners A husband-and-wife team, Christensen and Neary danced, respectively, in Bournonville’s and Balanchine’s home companies along with other national and international ensembles. Besides their expertise on stage and in the studio, they have explored business strategies that initially seemed promising but sometimes proved counterproductive. Wisely, they quickly abandoned the notion of making Los Angeles Ballet a backup ensemble for guest stars, a practice that sells tickets but generates no company loyalty. However, their very brief repertory seasons (typically four performances) leave dancers little time to develop a personal spin on roles — to own them by an individual interpretation. So the performances often look strongly cast, coached and executed but not indelible. Worse, the directors have divided those seasons into weekend engagements in Westwood, Glendale, Redondo Beach and sometimes Santa Monica, which requires everyone to remain rehearsed at maximum firepower for nearly a month with only a performance or two in each venue as payoff. The concept of touring greater L.A. is sound in terms of audience development, for virtually every poll says that the public doesn’t want to travel more than half an hour to cultural events. But the strain on the dancers has caused Los Angeles Ballet to lose some of its most distinctive soloists to companies with longer seasons. And high-profile principals are a major reason that people keep coming back to ballet. Christensen and Neary have also had to contend with the very daunting conditions of sustaining art in Southern California — a place famed for welcoming every kind of creative expression without supporting anything for long. As far as ballet is concerned, the Los Angeles audience is highly isolated, almost never seeing the reigning international stars and classical companies that appear regularly down the 405 on the well-subsidized dance series at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. As a result, American Ballet Theatre has become the sole standard-bearer for the ballet audience in L.A., though, ironically, the company’s reputation in New York largely depends on those very same international stars who are seldom booked for its engagements at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. As the insular, old-guard ballet audience here ages and shrinks, only ABT and ABT offshoots turn up regularly on the Music Center’s classical lineup — and then only for split weeks — while widely acclaimed (and arguably better) companies such as San Francisco Ballet are increasingly unseen or undersold. So where does that leave the newbies? With a clean slate, that’s where. To survive, Christensen and Neary must build an audience from scratch — not just for Los Angeles Ballet but for the art in general — an audience that knows what it’s seeing and will still be around by the time the company celebrates its next five-year benchmark. In the works In February, the directors are scheduled to present a plan for the future to their board. A draft of that plan reveals projected budget increases that should reach $2,460,848 by the 2015-16 season. “Swan Lake” is penciled in for Season 6 or 7, and the recently inaugurated Choreographic Workshop — in which local dance-makers created works for the company — will become an annual event. A season of five productions instead of the current three will expand the dancers’ 24-week period of employment. Additional venues (Pasadena? Northridge? Orange County?) are also under consideration. But live music is not on the horizon, according to executive director Julie Whittaker (much too costly), and all this hoped-for growth will take place in an economy that experts warn may languish through the company’s 10th anniversary and beyond. Caution is warranted, but so is pride. A company founded with the highest possible standards at the worst possible time is not only news, it’s inspiring. Christensen and Neary took a chance on Los Angeles and produced the kind of art that helps us get through times like these. Isn’t it high time that Los Angeles stops ignoring the evidence and takes a chance on them? Formerly the dance critic at The Times, Segal is a freelance arts writer based in Hollywood and Barcelona. calendar@latimes.com Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

'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

LAB Dancers Featured on Refinery29.com February 1, 2013 Company News from the Staff at LAB Ten Los Angeles Ballet dancers were profiled recently on Refinery29.com. The feature includes 20 photographs taken of the dancers at LAB's studio and a variety of insights about their experiences, pre-performance habits, and activities outside of ballet. Home / News / New Item

LAB Announces 2013/2014 Season August 1, 2013 Company News from the Staff at LAB Los Angeles Ballet Co-Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are excited to unveil the ballets selected for LAB's eighth season. The season opens with Los Angeles Ballet's original production of The Nutcracker. In March 2014, Quartet presents Return to a Strange Land, by Jiří Kylián; World Premieres by Christopher Stowell and Sonya Tayeh; and Stars and Stripes, by George Balanchine. The season concludes in May/June 2014 with the two-act story ballet La Sylphide, paired with Balanchine's romantic Serenad Home / News / New Item

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