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For More Information:

Eileen Ansel Conery

Eileenac@comcast.net

713-856-8780/832-816-8780

Houston Repertoire Ballet Presents the ClassicCinderella

Reserve Your Date to the Ball Now on April 28 &29

   WHO:​Houston Repertoire Ballet (HRB), featuring guestartist David Armendariz as the prince, while Claire White and Amaris Sharratt will alternate the role of Cinderella.

 WHAT:​The pre-professional ballet company in Northwest Houston proudly presents the Tomball premiere of its new full-length production of Cinderella in three acts.Award-winning choreographer Victoria Vittum brings the classic fairy tale to life with her interpretation of this “happily ever after” ballet set to the timeless score of Sergei Prokofiev.

WHEN/WHERE:​Saturday, April 28 at 4 pm

Sunday, April 29 at 2 pm

Tomball High School Auditorium

30330 Quinn Road

Tomball, Texas 77375

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   TICKETS:​For ticket information, call 281-940-HRB1 (4721) orvisit www.hrbdance.org.

OUTREACH:​The dancers of HRB perform excerpts from each production and make costumed appearances at various nursing homes, group events and at Arts & Education performances. Also, HRB will perform for the TomballISD fourth grade students, fulfilling the arts component of their curriculum. To schedule an outreach event for your organization, call 281-940-HRB1 (4721).

WHAT ELSE: ​The Cinderella sets were designed by Kathy and Frank Newsom, board members and volunteers, and were completely constructed by HRB volunteers. While Victoria Vittum choreographed the production, Barbara Le Gault will be doing much of the coaching and rehearsing. Cinderella costumes were designed and built by volunteers with just a few borrowed from Twin City Ballet in Monroe, LA. 

ABOUT HRB: ​The Houston Repertoire Ballet (HRB) is a non-profit 501(c)(3), founded by Victoria Vittum and Gilbert Rome, both nationally acclaimed teachers and choreographers who served as its co-artistic directors.Today, Ms. Vittum oversees training and programming with an equal eye to serving the needs of the community. Although Mr. Rome is now retired, he maintains his interest and affiliation with HRB, performing as Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker and as a guest teacher.

Since 1994, HRB has contributed to the cultural fabric of Harris and Montgomery Counties by providing excellent dance training to the area’s young ballet stars and dance educators of tomorrow, while also presenting two high-quality productions annually at affordable prices. The Nutcracker and its Spring Program, this year Cinderella,introduce area children and their families to the world of classical and contemporary ballet. Today, HRB is considered to be the premiere pre-professional ballet company in the Houston region, and is recognized for sharing its gifts with the community and beyond.  

The program attracts and develops some of the finest young dancers in the greater Houston area, with many of the dancers advancing to professional ballet companies throughout the country. HRB graduates can be seen with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet,Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and other prestigious companies.HRB has three graduating seniors this year and each will continue with dance at the university level. For more information, please visit: www.hrbdance.org.

MISSION:​HRB’s mission is dedicated to providing the finest classical ballet instruction, education and performance experience to local gifted students, and to preparing them for a professional career in the world of dance. HRB also is committed to serving the suburban Houston region with high-quality theatre productions that educate, engage and entertain residents of all ages and perpetuate their appreciation of dance as an art form.  

Major funding for Houston Repertoire Ballet provided by Houston Endowment, Inc and ConocoPhillips. Cinderella is funded in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts through the Houston Arts Alliance.

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CY-FAIR RESIDENTS TO PERFORM IN HOUSTON REPERTOIRE BALLET’S SPRING CONCERT, ALONG SIDE AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE STARS JARED MATTHEWS AND YURIKO KAJIYA

Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya of the American Ballet Theatre

HOUSTON REPERTOIRE BALLET (HRB) BRINGS COLLECTION OF DIVERSE
REPERTOIRE TO THE BERRY CENTER IN “A CELEBRATION OF DANCE”

HOUSTON—The Houston Repertoire Ballet is excited to announce their Spring Performance A Celebration of Dance, to be performed April 9-10 at the Berry Center in Cypress, TX. Featuring three original works and Act III of La Bayadere, A Celebration of Dance takes the audience through the evolution of dance beginning with classical ballet to contemporary ballet and modern dance. Along with exceptional dancing and beautiful costumes, audiences of all ages will enjoy the musical score to accompany the ballets, which consists of Gershwin, Ravel, Minkus and Phillip Glass. Houston Repertoire Ballet will give 2 full-length performances of A Celebration of Dance. There will be an educational session for children offered as part of our Arts & Education program that will take place 30 minutes prior to the show on April 10. To purchase tickets to HRB’s Spring Ballet or for more information on our Arts & Education program call 281-861-0199 or visit www.hrbdance.org. Ticket prices range from $15-$18.

A CELERATION OF DANCE
La Bayadere “Kingdom of the Shades”: This beautiful and classical ballet was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa in 1877 and was set in the legendary India. The Kingdom of the Shades scene from Act III relates hallucinatory dreams of a noble warrior being reunited with his lost love. The scene begins with 24 dancers in white costumes slowly making their way on to the stage creating a somber tone. In addition, audiences will enjoy guest artists Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya performing the lead roles in one of the most celebrated excerpts in classical ballet.

Rhapsody in Blue: Set to the popular Gershwin score, this contemporary ballet is a lighthearted and fun piece that features many different characters whose personalities are conveyed through the unique movement vocabulary. This new ballet was choreographed by Kristy Nilsson, a former member of HRB, who is now a dance instructor and choreographer in Atlanta, Georgia.

Il Duomo: Inspired by the beautiful stained-glass windows of the Il Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy, this modern ballet piece uses color and the music of Phillip Glass to create a peaceful tone and transports its viewers to the cathedrals of Italy. This piece was choreographed in 2005 by Houston Repertoire Ballet’s artistic director Victoria Vittum and will be recreated this year and performed by HRB’s Junior Company.

Romeo and Juliet: Guest artists Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya from the American Ballet Theatre will perform a romantic pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet. Matthews and Kajiya are soloists with the American Ballet Theatre and are rising stars in the world-renowned company. HRB is thrilled to bring back Matthews, a former member of the Houston Repertoire Ballet and Kajiya as guest artists to perform the pas de deux from two classical ballets.

Bolero: This exciting new ballet by Victoria Vittum was inspired by Maurice Ravel’s climactic score Bolero. Featuring bright costumes, this Spanish-style piece begins with 18 dancers on stage who perform one-by-one in succession. This contemporary ballet builds up anticipation throughout, creating a provocative tone that culminates in an exciting finish.

HRB Spring Concert showcases Cy-Fair’s rising young talent
This season’s Spring Concert will showcase 41 members of the HRB Company. These company members are all students of the Ballet Center of Houston and are residents of the Cy-Fair community. Among the 41 company dancers are four senior members who will perform lead roles in their last performance with HRB. Various ballet companies and universities have already shown interest in these talented seniors who will surely be added to HRB’s impressive group of alumni. In addition, the members of HRB have the wonderful opportunity to perform with American Ballet Theater professionals Jared Matthews and Yuriko Kajiya.

Tickets for A Celebration of Dance may be purchased on-line at www.hrbdance.org or by calling HRB at 281-861-0199. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors/students. Major funding for HRB is provided by the Houston Endowment inc. ConocoPhillips Company and Statoil. The HRB Spring Concert is funded in part by grants from Harris County and the Texas Commission on the Arts through the Houston Arts Alliance. Arts in Education School Outreach Programs are generously sponsored by Target.

HRB is a non-profit civic organization dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the art of classical ballet. HRB dancers have gone on to dance professionally with the New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Walt Disney World, Texas Ballet Theater, American Ballet Theater (ABT), and Dayton Ballet. Artistic director is Victoria Vittum, a nationally recognized teacher and choreographer. She has been a faculty member of the Houston Ballet Academy and served as Resident Choreographer for the Gwinnett Ballet Theater, in Atlanta. She is the recipient of a Choreography Fellowship awarded by the Cultural Arts Council of Houston and the Texas Commission for the Arts.

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