Enjoy this edition of NBT’s Insights program hosted by Christopher Hird, Director of Education at Sarasota Ballet, as he shares fascinating background information about the ballets on NBT’s 2017 Classic Americana program. In addition to talking about George Balanchine’s ballets Serenade and Western Symphony, Mr. Hird will speak with Rachel Berman, Repetiteur for The Paul Taylor Dance Company about Mr. Taylor’s boogie-woogie wonderful ballet, Company B.
NBT’s Insights programs are educational pre-performance discussions offering patrons an opportunity to further engage with the ballet they are about to see. These informative discussions are hosted by special guests with unique points of view on the upcoming performance and are augmented with multi-media presentations, Q&A sessions and more.
Author: Gary Leffler
Insights: The Sleeping Beauty
Enjoy this edition of NBT’s Insights program hosted by Christopher Hird, Director of Education at Sarasota Ballet, as he shares his knowledge and perspective into NBT’s spectacular 2016 production of The Sleeping Beauty.
NBT’s Insights programs are educational pre-performance discussions offering patrons an opportunity to further engage with the ballet they are about to see. These informative discussions are hosted by special guests with unique points of view on the upcoming performance and are augmented with multi-media presentations, Q&A sessions and more.
Insights: A Balanchine Celebration
Enjoy this edition of NBT’s Insights program as Heather Watts, former principal ballerina for New York City Ballet and Barbara Horgan of The Balanchine Trust discuss the life and works of George Balanchine, including the ballets on NBT’s 2015 program A Balanchine Celebration.
NBT’s Insights programs are educational pre-performance discussions offering patrons an opportunity to further engage with the ballet they are about to see. These informative discussions are hosted by special guests with unique points of view on the upcoming performance and are augmented with multi-media presentations, Q&A sessions and more.
The Impact of Music and Dance
NBT Artistic Director Roy Kaiser invites you to enjoy his conversation with Donato Cabrera, Music Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
As you may have seen, NBT’s dancers have been making weekly appearances on NBT’s social media feeds–sharing photos, videos, and teaching free (and virtual of course) ballet class to our fans and followers. I’m excited to have been a recent special guest on Donato Cabrera’s weekly Facebook LIVE series, entitled #MusicWise.
It was a pleasure to spend time with Donato talking about music and dance and how each has impacted both of our lives. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Exploring Music from Balanchine Ballets
NBT Artistic Director Roy has a recommendation for those looking to explore music as an outlet for happiness during these unusual times:
I know many of us are doing our best to stay positive during this strange time; some are revisiting hobbies, virtually reconnecting with friends and family, and getting in shape by running, taking Pilates, practicing yoga, or our personal favorite, participating in online dance classes.
Music is such a wonderful (and necessary for some people) accompaniment for these activities; and so, I thought this would be the perfect time to share one of my favorite classical music albums with you: A Balanchine Album by New York City Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Robert Irving.
I’ve made the link available to you here via my Spotify account:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tb0IGyLoCYC9idQMFqpe3?si=g_CaJulDRIu4lT5F72cq5A
Spotify is free and can be accessed via your web browser or by downloading the app onto your mobile device.
Hopefully, you will recognize the music from a couple of the ballets that NBT has performed including Serenade (Peter Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings), and most recently, The Four Temperaments (Paul Hindemith’s The Four Temperaments). The music for Emeralds (Gabriel Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande and Shylock) is also featured, part of Balanchine’s famous triptych ballet, Jewels–which NBT presented in 2012 as a first-ever collaboration between three companies: NBT, Ballet West and Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB). Lastly, the album features Agon, (Igor Stravinsky’s Agon) which I hope our company will present in the future.
As Mr. Balanchine once said, “See the music, hear the dance.”
Behind-the-Scenes: Classic Americana
Opening its 2017 main stage season at The Smith Center, NBT presented Classic Americana, an enthralling program of three ballets rooted in the American Experience. In this look Behind-the-Scenes, NBT Artistic Director Roy Kaiser and NBT Company Artist Christina Ghiardi share their thoughts on two pieces by George Balanchine, Serenade and Western Symphony. Rachel Berman, Repetiteur for the Paul Taylor Dance Company, shares her insight into the boogie-woogie energy of Mr. Taylor’sCompany B. This red, white and blue repertory program brought the audience to its feet, showcasing the versatility and talent of NBT’s Artists.
Behind-the-Scenes: Peter Pan
NBT delighted Las Vegas audiences with an energetic production of Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan in May of 2017. This Behind-the-Scenes segment looks at NBT’s Professional Company Artists in rehearsal a few weeks prior to Opening Night. Can you mix ballet and swashbuckling swordfights? When you’re working with a timeless, beloved story and a Company as talented as NBT’s, it’s easy to believe.
Behind-the-Scenes: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
In 2014 NBT presented Act I of George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, staged by Balanchine Trust Répétiteur Sandra Jennings, with Academy students performing alongside our Professional Company Artists. In this Behind-the-Scenes look we hear from Ms. Jennings as she talks about her journey from Balanchine student to emissary and teacher of his choreography. Students from the Academy share their thoughts on being in a professional production and the privilege of learning Mr. Balanchine’s masterful choreography from Ms. Jennings.