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Ballet Minnesota’s 29th annual Minnesota Dance Festival features the classic Paquita and debuts The Farmer’s Market, a children’s ballet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 22, 2017

Contact: Carolyn Will

612-414-9661

Carolyn@cwcommunications.info

 

April 21 – 22 at The O’Shaughnessy

Saint Paul, MN – Ballet Minnesota presents its 29th annual Minnesota Dance Festival featuring the highly-styled classic, Paquita, along with new works by Artistic Director Andrew Rist and local dance talents, at The O’Shaughnessy, on the campus of St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., Saint Paul, April 21-22, 2017. Ticket prices range from $14 to $30 with discounts for seniors and students. To purchase tickets, visit the O’Shaughnessy events page,

or call The O’Shaughnessy box office at 651-690-6700.

Ballet Minnesota’s full corps de ballet (17 dancers) will perform in Paquita’s variations, featuring ballet’s most celebrated examples of 19th century classicism. “With its Spanish flair, the dancing in this ballet, particularly the wedding scene we are staging, can be quite dramatic and very entertaining for audience members,” said Cheryl Rist, Ballet Minnesota’s Ballet Master. “It’s also extremely demanding of the dancers and requires years of training to perform this ballet.” Originally choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1846 by Joseph Mazilier, the story centered on a Spanish gypsy girl, named “Paquita,” who saves the life of a French aristocrat, discovers she too has royal blood, and they marry in a large celebration. Over time, however, the full-length ballet has been shortened to one act with a series of variations, solos and a grand pas de deux. The complex choreography has the dancers moving from luxurious piqué arabesques and controlled pirouettes, to relevé fouettés and back to arabesques. Ballet Minnesota’s performance will be the one-act version.

Guest soloists will perform the lead female and male signature roles. Violeta Angelova will dance the lead female role. Angelova is currently a soloist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and founder of the dance company, Artilius Creations. Dancing the famous grand pas de deux with Angelova will be Andre Luis Teixeira, a soloist with the New Jersey Ballet and Brazilian by birth. He began dancing at age 8, and joined his first company, Sesiminas Companhia, at age 14, where he rose through the ranks to principal dancer. He joined the New Jersey Ballet in 2008.

In addition to staging the one-act Paquita, Ballet Minnesota company members, apprentices and advanced level dancers will perform the second movement (the scherzo) of Andrew Rist’s full-length original ballet, Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, the life story of Ludwig van Beethoven.

The younger dancers in Ballet Minnesota’s Classical Ballet Academy will premiere another Andrew Rist original, The Farmer’s Market. This ballet is based on a book, also written by Rist, which is a children’s fantasy tale filled with strange creatures and delightful escapades. Music written by Robert E. Hindel and Charlie Maguire will accompany the ballet. “Both the ballet and the book, which I hope to publish this summer, springs from the nearly 30 years our ballet school and company spent in Lowertown, just one block from the Saint Paul Farmer’s Market,” said Andrew Rist, Ballet Minnesota’s Artistic Director. “The farmer’s market provides a rich tapestry for a children’s fantasy and we hope young and old will find it to be a delightful ballet.”

Rounding out the 29^th Minnesota Dance Festival will be three unique dance performances by local choreographer and dancer, Helen Hatch, the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and Ballet Minnesota Company member Casey Juul.

History of Ballet Minnesota and Classical Ballet Academy

Husband and wife team, Andrew and Cheryl Rist, are at the helm of Classical Ballet Academy, founded in 1987, and Ballet Minnesota, which they co-founded in 1990. Andrew Rist serves as Ballet Minnesota’s Artistic Director and Cheryl Rist serves as Costume Designer and Director of Classical Ballet Academy, Ballet Minnesota’s official school.   To view Ballet Minnesota’s performance history and events, visit www.balletminnesota.org.

Purchase your tickets online now through the O’Shaughnessy events page,

or by calling The O’Shaughnessy box office at 651-690-6700.

 

Performances:

Friday, April 21, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 22, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets:

Adult $30, Senior $22, Student $18, Child $14

Prices include O’Shaughnessy’s $2 restoration fee.

Ballet Minnesota also gratefully acknowledges the support from Target Foundation, Schuler Shoes, The Pioneer Press, Minnesota Public Radio, The St. Paul Hotel, Minnesota Monthly Magazine, Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine, Wells Fargo Foundation, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and McCarthy-Bjorklund Foundation.

Ballet Minnesota is excited to welcome Taylor Dreyling Huber as our new Executive Director. Taylor Dreyling Huber is a Minnesota native, who began dancing with Classical Ballet Academy (CBA) in 1996 and graduated in 2001. She has received several scholarships to numerous ballet summer intensives such as; Dance Aspen with Jillana, Virginia School of the Arts, Milwaukee Ballet School and Boston Ballet School. Taylor went on to the University of Kansas and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, under dance scholarships. She was a Ballet Minnesota company member from 2001-07 dancing several soloist roles such as; Snow Queen in The Classic Nutcracker, Pas de Trois in Swan Lake, Flower Girl in Don Quixote, Willi soloist in Giselle, Dawn in Coppelia and was in several of Andrew Rist’s original works such as Italian Symphony and The Black Dog Café. Taylor has performed with several companies around the Twin Cities Metro and nationally performed the Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker as a guest artist. After retirement she became a notable teacher and private coach with several schools all over the metro. She currently resides in Woodbury MN with her husband and daughter, instructs Pre-Ballet through Level 2B in both CBA Woodbury and Saint Paul locations and in her spare time teaches Barre Burn classes with Yoga Fresh in Woodbury. Taylor is incredibly proud to be a part of the Ballet Minnesota board, instructing the next generation of CBA, and to be a part of the Ballet Minnesota organization, and we at Ballet Minnesota are thrilled to have her stepping into this leadership role. We are also very pleased that former Executive Director, Cynthia Betz, will be remaining with us in an advisory role as we move into what the future holds for us, bringing new art and creative vision to St. Paul and the Twin Cities community.

MINNESOTA DANCE FESTIVAL 2016 ADDITIONAL SPECIAL EVENT: HOPE AWAKENS

Benefiting Lakeside Academy,

a MN Adult & Teen Challenge program.

www.mntc.org

The Women’s Impact Foundation of Mn Adult & Teen Challenge will host a special theater event and fundraiser featuring guest emcee Elizabeth Ries of Twin Cities Live, followed by Ballet Minnesota’s Sleeping Beauty, 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Saint Catherine University, Saint Paul. Tickets are $100 per person, or $75 if purchased by April 11. Purchase tickets online at www.mntc.org/WIF.

HOPE AWAKENS particularly wishes to thank their premier event sponsor, Schuler Shoes.

Hope Awakens:

5 p.m.              A Special Program to benefit the teen boys at Lakeside Academy (Jeanne D’Arc Auditorium)

7:30 p.m.        Ballet Minnesota’s performance, Sleeping Beauty (The O’Shaughnessy)
Ticket included as part of the Hope Awakens event.

Ballet Minnesota presents the enchanting fairytale ballet
Sleeping Beauty
April 22 and 23, 2016 at The O’Shaughnessy

St. Paul, MN (March 18, 2016) – Ballet Minnesota presents its 28th Annual Minnesota Dance Festival featuring Sleeping Beauty at The O’Shaughnessy on the campus of Saint Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, at 7:30 p.m. April 22 & 23. In addition, a special 2 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, April 23 includes the Minnesota Dance Festival along with excerpts from Sleeping Beauty.

Sleeping Beauty is a beloved story ballet based on the original fairy tale by Charles Perrault and later popularized by the Brothers Grimm. It tells the tale of beautiful princess Aurora, who is cursed into a hundred-year sleep by the evil fairy Carabosse but ultimately awoken by her true love’s kiss. The production is rich with masterful dance, including a host of inspiring solo turns, along with a thrilling score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and exquisite costumes, making it an enduring delight for audiences of all ages. Ballet Minnesota’s Artistic Director, Andrew Rist and Cheryl Rist, Regisseur and Costume Designer, restage Sleeping Beauty, a well-loved ballet from the classical repertoire.
The principal role of Aurora will be performed by Sarah Elena Wolff, formerly with National Ballet of Canada. A native of Traverse City, Michigan, Wolff trained at Canada’s National Ballet and graduated with honors in 2006. While a student, she received The Peter Dwyer Award presented by The Canada Council For The Arts. She joined The National Ballet of Canada as an apprentice in 2007 and became a member of the corps de ballet the following season. During her tenure with the company, Sarah danced several featured roles and world premieres and was noted for her musical sensitivity and charismatic stage presence. She currently dances in New York and Toronto while training with world-class teachers including Nancy Bielski and Christine Wright.
Ballet Master Matthew Prescott will dance the role of Prince Florimund. A past company member of the Joffrey Ballet, Prescott has also lent his choreography talents to the national tour of Broadway’s “Billy Elliott,” and more recently, Broadway musical workshop for “Kiss of a Spider Woman.” He most recently danced for Ballet Minnesota in the role of Cavalier in The Classic Nutcracker, for which he earned enthusiastic reviews.
The role of the evil fairy Carabosse, which is traditionally offered to a male dancer, will be performed by Ted Sothern, Artistic Director of Rochester Dance Company and a Minneapolis native. Sothern began his 30 year performing career with Minnesota Dance Theater and has danced principal roles with North Caroline Dance Theater, American Repertoire Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Les Ballets Grandiva and Washington Ballet, where he was a featured soloist.
The MN Dance Festival on Saturday afternoon offers an enriching variety of dance performances that will showcase works from Minnesota’s foremost dance artists. In addition, all shows will include a special children’s story ballet, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” performed by dancers from Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota (CBA), with original choreography by Andrew Rist.
Purchase your tickets now by calling The O’Shaughnessy box office at 651-690-6700, or order online at http://oshag.stkate.edu/event/bmn_sleeping_beauty.

 

SHOWTIMES
Friday, April 22, 2016 @ 7:30pm*
Saturday, April 23, 2016 @ 2:00pm**
Saturday, April 23, 2016 @ 7:30pm*

*Please note: Ballet Minnesota’s 28th Annual Minnesota Dance Festival features the full performance of the classic ballet, Sleeping Beauty, on April 22 & 23 at 7:30 p.m. along with Classical Ballet Academy’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” with choreography and a special appearance by Andrew Rist.

**The Dance Arts Showcase on April 23 at 2 p.m. features favorite excerpts of Sleeping Beauty, CBA’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice and other inspiring works of dance from Minnesota’s foremost dance artists.

Tickets
Adult $34
Senior $22
Student $18
Child 12 & Under $14
Groups of 10+ save 10% on each ticket.
*Price includes $2 theater restoration fee.

ADDITIONAL SPECIAL EVENT: HOPE AWAKENS
Benefiting Lakeside Academy,
a MN Adult & Teen Challenge program.
www.mntc.org

The Women’s Impact Foundation of Mn Adult & Teen Challenge will host a special theater event and fundraiser featuring guest emcee Elizabeth Ries of Twin Cities Live, followed by Ballet Minnesota’s Sleeping Beauty, 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Saint Catherine University, Saint Paul. Tickets are $100 per person, or $75 if purchased by April 11. Purchase tickets online at www.mntc.org/WIF.
HOPE AWAKENS wishes to thank their premier event sponsor, Schuler Shoes.

Hope Awakens
5 p.m. A Special Program to benefit the teen boys at Lakeside Academy
Jeanne D’Arc Auditorium

7:30 p.m. Ballet Minnesota’s performance, Sleeping Beauty
The O’Shaughnessy

About Ballet Minnesota
Ballet Minnesota’s performance season includes: the Fall Concert (October), The Classic Nutcracker (December), The Spring Classic Ballet and the Minnesota Dance Festival (April) and The Summer Series (June-September).

For more information on Ballet Minnesota, call 651-222-7919 or visit: www.balletminnesota.org.

Ballet Minnesota gratefully acknowledges the support from Target Foundation, Schuler Shoes,
The Pioneer Press, The St Paul Hotel, MN Monthly Magazine, Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine, Wells Fargo Foundation, Mn State Arts Board, Metro Regional Arts Council, McCarthy-Bjorklund Foundation.