CLEVELAND, Oct. 9, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verb Ballets, Cleveland's National Repertory Dance Company, returns to PlayhouseSquare's Ohio Theatre for one night only, in collaboration with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) and Cincinnati Ballet. This "All Ohio All Stars!" themed evening takes place on Friday, October 24, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. The Board of Trustees, Artistic Director Hernando Cortez and Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson are pleased to announce one world premiere, one company premiere, the return of an audience favorite, and a piece each by collaborators DCDC and Cincinnati Ballet. Reserved seats are $18 - $25 and are available by calling 216.241.6000 or through www.playhousesquare.org. This performance is underwritten by the John P. Murphy Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
This PlayhouseSquare program is a special night for Verb Ballets, and not just because of the amazing collaboration with two of Ohio's best dance companies. The evening serves also as a gala benefit for Verb Ballets: patrons can purchase tickets that include dinner at Bricco restaurant (across the street from the complex on Euclid Ave.), the best seats in the house for the performance, and a post-show champagne and dessert reception with the dancers. Gala tickets are $100 and are available by contacting the Verb Ballets office at 216.397.3757. For patrons, this is a way to experience great art, help further the mission, and support Cleveland's National Repertory Dance Company.
Verb Ballets also understands that these are troubling economic times. The Board of Trustees, dancers and staff believe that patrons should not be restricted from enjoying a performance if they cannot afford to attend. With this in mind, the company introduces its "pay-what-you-can-afford" policy. For the 2008 - 2009 season at PlayhouseSquare in October, and the Museum of Natural History in January, Verb Ballets offers first-come-first-serve-tickets at whichever price patrons want to pay. And, if a patron feels that they can afford to pay more than the asking ticket price, they can also pay more and receive a tax deduction. For the PlayhouseSquare performance, pay-what-you-can tickets are available only in person at the box office.
The All Ohio All Stars! program includes the following:
Vespers. Company Premiere. Choreographed by Ulysses Dove. Restaged by Dawn Carter. Verb Ballets is proud to acquire this seminal contemporary dance piece. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater first performed Vespers in 1987. The following, from their website, details this powerful work: "Ulysses Dove's bold choreographic voice and daring athleticism are embodied.in Vespers, a dramatic work full of raw energy and profound grace. Mikel Rouse's percussive score matches the dancers' insistent drive as they propel themselves across the stage in this ballet that The Village Voice proclaimed "astonishing...an exemplary vehicle for six women, showing off their streamlined power and how coldly they can burn."
"Verb is honored to acquire this powerful work in the African-American canon," states Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson. "Dove's untimely death left a void in America as a force in contemporary dance. Dove's works are seen around the world, and we are particularly proud to celebrate this Ohio artist's life. That is why we've included 'Vespers' as part of our 2008-2009 'All Stars' season."
The work will be danced by company members Danielle Brickman, Ashley Cohen, Erin Conway, Katie Gnagy, Catherine Meredith and Anna Roberts. Costumes by Janet Bolick.
Afterimage. World Premiere. Choreographed by Hernando Cortez. Music by electronica composers. Created in memory of Paul Taylor dancer Jeff Wadlington, who died from complications of AIDS in 1994, Cortez's newest dance is a virtuoso showcase for Verb Ballets' male dancers Sidney Ignacio and Brian Murphy and DCDC dancer Deondre Horner. Costumes by Gino Ventura.
Chichester Psalms. Revival. Choreographed by Artistic Director Hernando Cortez in 2003, this piece is a full company work with sweeping passages of impassioned dancing. Chichester Psalms (music) was Leonard Bernstein's first composition after the Third Symphony, Kaddish (composed for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's seventy-fifth anniversary, though not completed until 1963, eight years after that event).
Unresolved. DCDC, 2002. Choreographed by Shonna Hickman-Matlock. "Unresolved" describes the struggles of two lovers trying to decide the future of their relationship. They must determine whether to remain lovers or go their separate ways. Ultimately the lovers' future remains 'unresolved.' Danced by Crystal Perkins and William McClellan.
Cincinnati Ballet. Verb Ballets' neighbor on the Ohio River is finalizing the rights to the great George Balanchine's pas de deux "Rubies," which will add a neo-classical component to this eclectic evening. The piece features Cincinnati Ballet dancers Zack Grubbs and Janessa Touchet.
Verb Ballets' company of dancers includes Danielle Brickman, Ashley Cohen, Erin Conway, Katie Gnagy, Sydney Ignacio, Catherine Meredith, Brian Murphy, and Anna Roberts.
PlayhouseSquare's Ohio Theatre is located at 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115. Reserved seats are $18-$25 and are available by calling 216.241.6000 or through www.playhousesquare.org.
Ulysses Dove was an independent choreographer who worked in both the modern dance and ballet idioms. After attending a Graham performance in 1967, Dove gave up his pre-med studies at Howard University to dance professionally with Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey, and Anna Sokolow. His first choreography, I See the Moon...and the Moon Sees Me (1979), was commissioned by Ailey. Although he never maintained a company of his own, Dove worked closely with Jeraldyne Blunden's Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and created works for American Ballet Theatre, Ballet France de Nancy, the Basel Ballet, Cullberg Ballet of Sweden, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, New York City Ballet, and the Swedish National Ballet, for which he created the transcendent Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven (1993). In 1980, he became the assistant director of the experimental Choreographic Research Group of the Paris Opera. A benefit titled For the Love of Dove, with proceeds dedicated to the Actor's Fund and its programs for dancers and other needy professionals, was produced just days after his death from complications of AIDS. Five major modern dance and ballet companies performed Dove's works on that program.
For 45 years, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the Cincinnati tri-state area, presenting a mix of full-length and mixed repertory ballets, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. The company has maintained an annual Nutcracker series since 1974. During 2008-09, Cincinnati Ballet celebrates the twelfth season of Artistic Director Victoria Morgan, who has choreographed extensively for the company, and attracted an intriguing mix of renowned choreographers to challenge her dancers in well-received world premieres. Under Morgan's guidance, Cincinnati Ballet has also established a national and international presence and enjoyed ground-breaking collaborations with multiple arts organizations in our community and also with other ballet companies around the country. In addition, the 2008-09 season marks the 40th anniversary of longtime Music Director Carmon DeLeone. The Otto M. Budig Academy, the official school of Cincinnati Ballet, is dedicated to developing dancers with a strong classical technique and unified style.
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is celebrating its 40th season. Rooted in the African American experience, DCDC's mission is to deliver contemporary dance of the highest quality to the broadest possible audience. DCDC reaches this audience with local performances, through national and international touring, and through the company's educational programs in the Miami Valley and on tour.
Verb's Playhouse Square performance is underwritten by the John P. Murphy Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Major sponsors of Verb Ballets include AHS Foundation; Akron Community Foundation; The Bascom Little Fund; Millie L. Carlson; The Cleveland Foundation; Cuyahoga Arts and Culture; The George Gund Foundation; Kulas Foundation; The Laub Foundation; The McGregor Foundation; Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation; John P. Murphy Foundation; The National Endowment for the Arts; The Ohio Arts Council; and PlayhouseSquare. Additional individual sponsors include Chuck and Ann Ennis, Norma and Jeffrey Glazer, David R. Pierce, and Robert M. Shwab.
DANSKIN is the official 2008-2009 sponsor of Verb Ballets. Additional Verb sponsors include Baumgarten & Company, LLP; Cedar Hill Communications; FITWORKS; GlobeNewswire; WCLV and WCPN.
Verb Ballets is now in its seventh season under the leadership of Artistic Director Hernando Cortez, Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson, an energetic staff, and a dedicated Board of Trustees, who have established Verb as Cleveland's premiere dance repertory company. Verb Ballets was named one of "25 to Watch in 2004" by Dance Magazine, the country's leading news magazine covering dance, and recently the magazine bestowed more kudos on the company by naming Verb one of 5 "Great Tiny Troupes" in America. Verb Ballets discovers, collects, interprets and stages choreography that matters to the region and to the world of dance. As a curator of expressive movement that is globally connected and nationally respected, Verb Ballets has a mandate to support and foster emerging talent, present excellence in contemporary choreographers and revive and honor modern dance classics.