Dance Victoria 2015-2016 Season | Ballet BC 30 program insert

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Ballet BC | 30 November 13 + 14 • 7:30 pm • Royal Theatre Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes (including two intermissions)

About the Works Awe

Wandering Heart

World Premiere: November 2015, Ballet BC Choreography: Stijn Celis Music: Piotr Janczak, De Profundis used by permission of Porfiri & Horváth Publishers

Carl Orff, Sunt Lacrimae Rerum: 1st movement – Omnium deliciarum Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music, Mainz, Germany, publisher and copyright owner.

Eriks Esenvalds, Wandering Heart Text by Leonard Cohen I. Twelve O’Clock Chant II. I Lost My Way III. The Road is Too Long Used by arrangement with C.F. Peters Corporation on behalf of Musica Baltica publisher and copyright owner.

Performed by Chor Leoni under the direction of Erick Lichte.

Lighting: James Proudfoot Costumes: Kate Burrows Rehearsal Director: Bruce McCormick Dancers: Brandon Alley, Andrew Bartee, Emily Chessa, Livona Ellis, Alexis Fletcher, Scott Fowler, Rachel Meyer, Brett Perry, Racheal Prince, Christoph von Riedemann, Peter Smida, Tara Williamson

Twelve O'clock Chant Hold me hard light, soft light hold me, Moonlight in your mountains fold me, Sunlight in your tall waves scald me, Deathlight in your darkness wield me.

In burlap bags the bankers sew me, In countries far the merchants sell me, In icy caves the princes throw me, In golden rooms the doctors geld me, In battlefields the hunters rule me.

I will starve till prophets find me, I will bleed till angels bind me Still I sing till churches blind me, Still I love till cog-wheels wind me.

Hold me hard light, soft light hold me, Moonlight in your mountains fold me, Sunlight in your tall waves scald me.

Deathlight in your darkness wield me.

I Lost My Way I lost my way, I forgot to call on your name.

The raw heart beat against the world, and tears were for my lost victory.

But you are here. You have always been here.

The world is all forgetting, and the heart is a rage of directions,

but your name unifies the heart, and the world is lifted into its place.

Blessed is the one who waits in the traveler’s heart for his turning.

The Road is Too Long The road is too long, the sky is too vast.

The wandering heart is homeless at last.

for once to lie down under the small fire of winter stars.

And if it happens that you cannot go on or turn back and you find yourself where you will be at the end, tell yourself in that final flowing of cold through your limbs that you love what you are.

Intermission (15 minutes) Intermission (15 minutes)

Solo Echo Canadian Premiere: November 2015, Ballet BC World Premiere: February 2012, Netherlands Dans Theater

Twenty Eight Thousand Waves

Choreography: Crystal Pite Music: Johannes Brahms: Allegro non troppo – Cello Sonata Op. 38 in E minor Adagio affettuoso – Cello Sonata Op. 99 in F major

Choreography, Lighting & Costume Design: Cayetano Soto Music: David Lang - “We Sit and Cry; I Lie” (from the little match girl passion)

Yo-Yo Ma, cello Emanuel Ax, piano Recording used by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Inc.

Used by arrangement with Harmonia Mundi U.S.A. and G. Schirmer, Inc, Publisher and copyright owner

Lighting: Tom Visser Set Design: Jay Gower Taylor Costumes: Crystal Pite and Joke Visser Rehearsal Assistant: Eric Beauchesne Dancers: Brandon Alley, Andrew Bartee, Emily Chessa, Alexis Fletcher, Scott Fowler, Christoph von Riedemann, Kirsten Wicklund Lines for Winter

by Mark Strand Tell yourself as it gets cold and gray falls from the air that you will go on walking, hearing the same tune no matter where you find yourself— inside the dome of dark or under the cracking white of the moon's gaze in a valley of snow.

Tonight as it gets cold tell yourself what you know which is nothing but the tune your bones play as you keep going. And you will be able

World Premiere, April 2014, Ballet BC

Bryce Dessner - Aheym Aheym was written for the Kronos Quartet and appears on Kronos’ ANTIrelease Aheym: Kronos Quartet Plays Music by Bryce Dessner Used by arrangement with G. Schirmer, Inc, Publisher and copyright owner.

Lighting Direction: James Proudfoot Costume Coordination: Kate Burrows Dancers: Brandon Alley, Andrew Bartee, Emily Chessa, Livona Ellis, Alexis Fletcher, Scott Fowler, Rachel Meyer, Brett Perry, Racheal Prince, Gilbert Small, Peter Smida, Christoph von Riedemann “I always find myself captivated by the thin line between life and death and especially the rebirth of new energies after death; how we adapt to a new environment, find ways to survive and enforce our boundaries. With Twenty Eight Thousand Waves, I am focusing on my inner waves of survival instinct.” – Cayetano Soto

The Company A North Carolina native, Brandon Lee Alley began his dance training at the Eastern Randolph High School when he was 14 under the direction of Britt Allen. He later attended the Greensboro Ballet’s year long program on a full scholarship and graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts specializing in contemporary dance in 2012. Brandon has had the pleasure of attending many summer intensives including Ballet Austin, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and LINES Ballet. He has also worked with choreographers such as Victor Quijada, Alejandro Cerrudo, Robyn Mineko Williams and Greg Dolbashian among many others. Brandon began his professional career with Hubbard Street 2 and has been a member of BODYTRAFFIC. He is extremely grateful to be joining the Ballet BC family this year and to be a part of the Vancouver dance community. Brandon would like to thank his wonderful teacher, Britt Allen, for supporting him every step of the way and his family and friends for their guidance and love.

Andrew Bartee is from Everett, Washington. He studied on scholarship at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, WA and attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Andrew was the first recipient of the Fleming Halby exchange with the Royal Danish Ballet and a 2007 Princess Grace Award. Andrew danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet from 2008-2014. While in Seattle he also danced frequently with Whim W’Him and Kate Wallich + The YC. Andrew joined Ballet BC in 2014.

Originally from Richmond, BC, Emily Chessa began her professional dance training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School at age 15 where she received the Paddy Stone Scholarship for choreography and the Arnold Spohr Scholarship. After graduating the school in 2010, she then went to train at Arts Umbrella in the graduate program under the guidance of Artemis Gordon. She participated in summer programs such as the Movement Invention Project in New York and Springboard Danse Montreal.

Since joining Ballet BC in 2012 as an apprentice, she has performed works by Emily Molnar, Cayetano Soto, William Forsythe, Johan Inger, Medhi Walerski, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Jacopo Godani and Walter Matteni. Emily is thrilled to be in her 3rd season with the company.

Vancouver-born Livona Ellis started dancing at the age of 11 at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon.

Since joining Ballet BC, Livona has been fortunate to work with world-renowned artists such as Johan Inger, Medhi Valerski, and Crystal Pite. She has been a part of Springboard Danse Montreal, Movement Invention Project, the Banff Professional Dance Program and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Summer Program.

This is her 6th season with Ballet BC. Alexis Fletcher was raised on Vancouver Island where she received her early training before attending Arts Umbrella’s Graduate Program. Alexis was a member of the Arts Umbrella’s student company and attended Springboard Danse Montreal. After graduating in 2005, she joined Ballet BC, where she has been fortunate to work with creative visionaries such as Crystal Pite, Emily Molnar, John Alleyne, Johan Inger, Stijn Celis, Jacopo Godani, Medhi Walerski, Fernando Hernando Magadan, Serge Bennathan, Gioconda Barbuto, and Jorma Elo among many others. Independently she has worked collaboratively with creators such as Sidra Bell, James Gnam, Simone Orlando, Rob Kitsos and Wen Wei Wang.

Alexis is passionate about creating and is fascinated by how exploring the movement potential of the human body becomes a way of accessing the inner landscapes of our spirits and psyches. As well as beginning to choreograph, she has co-created a multidisciplinary performance space with her husband at their home in Vancouver. They also run a successful Bed and Breakfast business together. Alexis is in her 11th season with Ballet BC. Born in Vancouver, Scott Fowler trained at Arts Umbrella under the direction of Artemis Gordon, and attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, The National Ballet School and Jacob’s Pillow. He performed in Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Ballet BC’s Peter Pan and in the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Scott received a scholarship grant from the BC Arts Council in 2010. In 2011, he toured the Netherlands, performing at Codarts and worked with Noord Nederlandse Dans. Scott was invited in 2013 by James Kudelka to perform See#3 as a guest artist for Coleman, Lemieux & Compagnie. Scott has been privileged to work with choreographers Aszure Barton, Gioconda Barbuto, James Kudelka, Emily Molnar, Jacopo Godani, Wen Wei Wang, Medhi Walerski, Cayetano Soto and Lesley Telford. This is Scott’s 2nd season as a full company member.

Rachel Meyer grew up in Collinsville, Illinois, trained with St. Louis Ballet and received her BFA at the University of Utah. She trained at the Northwest Professional Dance Project and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, danced with Utah Regional Ballet and was a guest artist with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. From 2009-11, Rachel was a member of Dominic Walsh Dance Theater where she danced works

by Dominic Walsh, Mauro Bigonzetti, Vaclav Kunès, Jiří Kylián, and Mats Ek. She was awarded a Princess Grace Award in 2010. In 2011, she danced at the Tate Modern in London with the Michael Clark Company. With Ballet BC she has performed works by Emily Molnar, Walter Matteini, Johan Inger, William Forsythe, Gioconda Barbuto, Jacopo Godani, Medhi Walerski, Cayetano Soto, Aszure Barton, among others . This is Rachel’s 5th season with Ballet BC. Brett Perry started dancing at the age of three at The Dance Company in Indianapolis, Indiana under the direction of Diane Gudat. After graduating from The Juilliard School in 2008, Brett started his professional career with Trey McIntyre Project in Boise, Idaho where he spent six years with the company. Over the last year as a freelance artist, Brett worked with Aszure Barton and Artists, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Adam Weinert and Lauren Edson. He is a recipient of the prestigious Princess Grace Award for Dance 2010. Brett is thrilled to be joining Ballet BC for their 30th anniversary season.

Racheal Prince was raised in Wasaga Beach, Ontario and received her early training at the Quinte Ballet School under the direction of Brian Scott. She attended the School of Alberta Ballet’s Pre Professional Program with Murray and Nancy Kilgour and received the prestigious Ali Pourfarrokh scholarship. Racheal began her professional career with the Alberta Ballet Company where she danced for four years. She has performed works by William Forsythe, Crystal Pite, Itzik Galili, and Lar Lubovitch among many others. Her performance highlights include Jorma Elo’s 1st Flash, Emily Molnar’s between disappearing and becoming and William Forsythe’s Herman Shmerman. In her spare time, Racheal enjoys working on handmade items for her online store as well as teaching and choreographing. She is excited to be in her 9th season with Ballet BC. Vancouver-born Christoph von Riedemann began his training at Arts Umbrella under Artemis Gordon and Lynn Sheppard. During his time there, Christoph worked with James Kudelka, Lesley Telford, Gioconda Barbuto, Crystal

Pite, Walter Matteini, Francesca Carotti, Wen Wei Wang, Aszure Barton, Fernando Magadan and Stephen Stropshire.

Christoph has participated in the Banff Summer Dance Program, the Netherlands Dans Theater Summer Intensive and the Movement Invention Project in New York. He is thrilled to be in his 2nd season with Ballet BC and to continue working with the company’s incredible artists.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Gilbert Small started his professional ballet training at the age of 10 at the Baltimore School for the Arts. He has studied at various summer programs, including Dance Theater of Harlem, Nutmeg Conservatory, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Springboard Danse Montreal. After graduating from the Baltimore School for the Arts, he continued his studies at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. While at Purchase, Gilbert was given the opportunity to study abroad at the Hogeschool voor Muziek en Dans in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He has also performed with Toronto based ProArte Danza. Prior to joining Ballet BC, Gilbert performed for New York-based Sidra Bell Dance New York. This is his 7th season with Ballet BC. Peter Smida was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. A former tennis player, Peter studied on scholarship at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and graduated in 2007. He also attended summer programs and festivals in Banff and Prague. After working with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Ballet Victoria, Peter joined Ballet BC in 2008 and has since had the pleasure of performing works by Emily Molnar, Jorma Elo, Crystal Pite, Johan Inger and Medhi Walerski, as well as many others. In addition to his work at Ballet BC, Peter has worked on independent projects with Donald Sales and has begun choreographing, showing his work at Dances for a Small Stage and the Shadbolt Centre for the Performing Arts. This is his 8th season with Ballet BC. Vancouver-born Kirsten Wicklund studied at Goh Ballet Academy under Choo Chiat and Lin Yee Goh. She toured China with Canada’s Youth Ballet Company, performing principal roles in Giselle, Don Quixote and other classics.

Kirsten received scholarships at American Ballet Theatre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Boston Ballet, PNB, and Washington Ballet as well as a Vancouver Foundation Arts Study Award and the Vancouver Ballet Society’s Memorial Scholarship. In 2007, she won an artistry award at the Youth America Grand Prix in NY and was the only Canadian in the Top 12 Women. She has danced with Washington Ballet, participated in Alonzo King’s

choreographic workshop, created works for Dances for a Small Stage and collaborated with LUNGE Dance Collective. Most recently, she toured with Rasta Thomas’ Rock the Ballet, dancing the principal female role for the company of male ballet stars. This is Kirsten’s 2nd season with Ballet BC. Tara Williamson, originally from Richmond, BC, trained at the Richmond Academy of Dance. She danced with Alberta Ballet performing roles such as Juliet in Jean Grande-Maître’s Romeo and Juliet, Carabosse in Kirk Peterson’s Sleeping Beauty and Choleric in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments. After 8 years at Alberta Ballet, she worked with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. The contemporary repertoire included works by Cayetano Soto, Barak Marshall and Wen Wei Wang. She is thrilled to be home in Vancouver and working with Emily Molnar at Ballet BC for a 2nd season.

Artists of Ballet BC. Photo © Michael Slobodian

Emily Molnar, Artistic Director of Ballet BC since 2009, continues to steer the unique company of 17 dancers into an era of innovation and collaboration. Named The Globe & Mail’s 2013 Dance Artist of the Year, Molnar is a recipient of the 2015 BC Community Achievement Award and the 2015 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Art, Culture & Design. She is a graduate of the National Ballet School and a former member of the National Ballet of Canada, a former soloist with the Frankfurt Ballet under director William Forsythe, and a former principal dancer with Ballet BC. As an internationally respected and critically acclaimed dance artist and choreographer, Molnar has worked and toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. She has created works for Ballet BC, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Mannheim, Ballet Augsburg, Cedar Lake Dance, Pro Arte Danza and Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, among others.

Molnar’s most recent works for Ballet BC include between disappearing and becoming, Aniel, 16 + a room, and RITE, which premiered in May 2015. Molnar previously participated in The New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute where she worked with dancers from The New York City Ballet. She has also worked closely with mentor Margie Gillis through her own solo work, in performing Gillis’ Speak and M.Body.7, and in collaborating on Breathing in Bird Bones.

As an active mentor, advocate, and coach, Molnar follows her passion to nurture artists and choreographers, educate and support the research and development of dance and artistic leadership, and explore the role of the

artist in society. Molnar currently serves as a Director on the Board of the BC Arts Council, a committee member of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies Arts Based Initiative and is a former member of the Dance Advisory Committee of the Canada Council for the Arts. In addition to her work with Ballet BC, Molnar is also Artistic Director of Dance at The Banff Centre.

Branislav Henselmann, Ballet BC’s Executive Director and Chair of Canadian Dance Assembly’s Ballet Companies Standing Council, originally trained as a dancer in Munich, later deepening his studies at conservatory level at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London.

Branislav joined Ballet BC following his tenure as Executive Producer for the Michael Clark Company in London, where he produced and toured a number of high profile theatrical works and museum commissions worldwide. Previously, he was the Head of Programming and Learning for DanceEast, a national dance organization overseeing dance development and artistic programming in the East of England, and the Artistic Curator for New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, where he led a wide range of initiatives to promote the development of emerging choreographers involved in new classical choreography.

Branislav holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University. He is a DAAD German Academic Exchange and New York University Dean’s Fellow, and has been recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Forty under 40 in 2014.

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