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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