May 2012: Atlanta Ballet’s New Choreographic Voices at the Alliance Theatre

atlanta ballet

May 18 – 20, 2012 Rush Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon Music by Bohuslav Martinu

Prayer of Touch Choreographed by Helen Pickett Music by Felix Mendelssohn

Pavo Choreographed by Tara Lee Music by Nickitas Demos

publisher/sales Sherry Madigan White 404.459.4128 sherry.white@encoreatlanta.com account executive vp of creative/chief storyteller

Kristi Casey Sanders kristi@encoreatlanta.com creative director

Jenny Schisler Hinely jenny@encoreatlanta.com managing editor

Kathy Janich kathy@encoreatlanta.com graphic designer

Anna Aguiar anna.harrell@encoreatlanta.com production/marketing assistant Sophia Chin sophia.chin@encoreatlanta.com contributing writers

Susan Finch

Thomas Pinckney 404.459.4127 thomas.pinckney@encoreatlanta.com senior national accounts manager

Sandra Ourusoff 212.260.4883 marketing associate

Stephanie Smith stephanie.smith@encoreatlanta.com ENCORE ATLANTA is published monthly

by Atlanta Metropolitan Publishing Inc. Tom Casey Diane Casey controller Suzzie Gilham vp of sales and marketing Evan Casey chief administrative officer Claudia Madigan director of marketing Lisa Kraus Gardner president

chairperson

180 Allen Road NE, Suite 200 North Atlanta, GA 30328 Phone 404.843.9800 Fax 404.843.9070 www.encoreatlanta.com Copyright 2012 AMP Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Encore Atlanta is a registered publication of AMP Inc. The publisher shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad, for typographical errors or errors in publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising for any reason and to alter advertising copy or graphics deemed unacceptable for publication.

Tara Lee

Spirit of

innovation continues to lift Atlanta Ballet

By Susan Finch

Last year’s IGNITION: New Choreographic Voices performance included a powerful mix of spoken-word poetry, eclectic violin and video projection. This year promises to drive home what the frontier of new choreography means to Atlanta Ballet.

“We're venturing outward, creating a distinct artistic profile that celebrates athleticism and thrives on the frontier of new choreography today,” says executive director Arthur Jacobus. “We're moving toward a repertoire that will highlight 4 EncoreAtlantA.com

the incredible talent and power of our company and our dancers.”

Atlanta Ballet honors its own with a world premiere by longtime corps member Tara Lee, who joined the company in 1995 and also has danced with Joffrey II and studied with the Connecticut Dance Theatre. Audiences may remember her as the lead dancer in Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet and Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena, as well as Carabosse in John McFall’s Sleeping Beauty and Faith/Death

Photo by Charlie McCullers, courtesy of atlanta ballet

F

or the 2011-12 season, the Atlanta Ballet offered up the “Here. Now. In Atlanta” theme as a nod to its presentation of an elite repertoire of the world’s most influential and innovative choreographers. The company holds true with its message to seize the city’s creative chasm to the very end with New Choreographic Voices.

The season-ender features talented dancers turned choreographers, modern-day legends and innovators including Tara Lee, Helen Pickett and Christopher Wheeldon.

in Christopher Hampson’s Rite of Spring New York City Ballet before founding world premiere, all last season. his own company, Morphoses/The Lee has earned attention for her ability Christopher Wheeldon Company. He to stand out among an already-talented left the company in 2010 to broaden his cast and to showcase a range of acting freelance choreography career. depth. For Pavo, she relies on the notion Helen Pickett, a former Ballet Frankfurt of continuum and the changes within principal, boasts a long list of work for such time. She worked with local composer companies as the Boston, Sacramento, Nickitas Demos to create a Washington, Aspen, Santa sound and live performers to Fe and Louisville ballets, accompany the piece. Among among others. other professional accolades, But Pickett is unique Demos is the professor of in her ability to diversify composition and coordinator her creative talents beyond of composition studies at the dance stage and into Georgia State University’s acting, writing and teaching Helen Pickett School of Music. Together a popular Forsythe-based he and Lee came up with a improvisation workshop that score and leaned toward a encourages reaching beyond mix of percussion, cello, alto the pose and accessing the saxophone and a DJ to create power of movement. an onstage experience.

She also holds the A Olivier Award winner, distinction of being featured and one of the world’s most in the permanent collection celebrated young choreo- christopher Wheeldon in New York's Museum of graphers, Wheeldon has six Modern Art. She created and couples explode through a symmetrical starred as the Queen in the experimental rush of contrasting movement and order film 89 Seconds at Alcazar by Eve in Rush. The New York Times called the Sussman. Those familiar with Pickett's piece “a snapshot of Mr. Wheeldon at work and creative influence onstage his most ardent and enigmatic.” can reflect on which multiple mediums Wheeldon’s ability to evoke wit in influence her latest choreography for motion and fresh innovation onstage Prayer of Touch. is a skill as well as a style choice. And that skill keeps critics and dance fans Susan Finch is a travel, arts, and lifestyle enthralled while enticing newcomers writer whose work appears in national to connect with the stage. Wheeldon publications and guidebooks. She recently trained with the Royal Ballet and honed returned to Atlanta and is rediscovering his talent a resident choreographer at her love for the city.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 5

May 18 – 20, 2012

The Alliance Stage at The Woodruff Arts Center Rush Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon Répétiteur: Joanna Berman Composer: Bohuslav Martinu Lighting Desinger: Mark Stanley Costume & Scenic Designer: Jon Morrell Pavo Choreographer: Tara Lee Assistant Choreographer: Jesse Tyler Composer: Dr. Nickitas Demos Costume Designers: Elena Rao and Tara Lee Lighting Designer: Robert Hand, Jr. Musicians: Alto Saxophone – Dr. Jan Berry Baker Percussion – Michael Cebulski Cello – Charae Krueger DJ – Jennifer Mitchell Prayer of Touch Choreographer: Helen Pickett Composer: Felix Mendelssohn Costume Designer: Charles Heightchew Lighting Designer: Robert Hand, Jr. Season sponsored by Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 7

Atlanta ballet Dorothy Moses Alexander, Founder John McFall, Artistic Director

Robert Barnett, Artistic Director Emeritus Arthur Jacobus, Executive Director

Rosemary Miles, Dale Shields, Sharon Story Ballet Mistresses THE COMPANY Jacob Bush, Peng-Yu Chen, Christian Clark, Pedro Gamino, Heath Gill, Jonah Hooper, Yoomi Kim, Tara Lee, Nadia Mara, Jackie Nash, Brandon Nguyen, Tommy Panto, Alessa Rogers, Claire Stallman, Abigail Tan-Gamino, Jared Tan, Jesse Tyler, Rachel Van Buskirk, John Welker, Christine Winkler, Harunaga Yamakawa APPRENTICES Lisa Barrieau, Melissa Mitchell, Miguel Montoya, Pablo Sanchez, Benjamin Stone, Nayomi Van Brunt FELLOWSHIP STUDENTS* Alexandre Barros, Emily Docherty, Rebekah Diaddigo, Ericka Goss, Kelsey Hirsch, Nicole Jones, Briley Jozwiak, Lauren Merle, Kelly Prather, Philip Smith-Cobbs, Laura VanKouwenberg, Michael Wells *All student dancers courtesy of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE – ARTIST STATEMENTS PRAYER OF TOUCH: Connection by Helen Pickett — One of my great pleasures as a choreographer is watching dancers connect corporeally, emotionally and spiritually to the movement in any given moment. Through their exploration, they reach a state of awe-inspiring vulnerability. They share themselves with unwavering commitment.

As this generous energy transfers from the studio to the stage, it insists itself throughout the theater space and transcends the fourth wall. As a result of this outpouring, we, the audience, experience incomparable yet evanescent connection.

Meaningful connection starts with an act of vulnerability. Here I use the word vulnerability to mean an active state of honesty. If we consciously choose this state, we allow ourselves to access life without numbing judgment. We accept that the choices we make contribute to our internal and external connections. We opt to connect authentically. Embarking on such journeys encourages us to keep realizing our boundless possibilities. And once we feel this energy coursing through us there is no going back.

Therefore I feel it is my responsibility as a choreographer to cultivate an atmosphere that not only nurtures connection, but also incites contribution and collaboration. Within this space, who we are, rather than who we should be, emerges and we bloom.

When I set Petal last year for Atlanta Ballet, it was my privilege to work with passionately 8 EncoreAtlantA.com

connected individuals. I felt their bounteous energy fill the rehearsal studio and watched it pour over the edges of the stage. This extraordinary company performed with singular intensity. Prayer of Touch, my second commission for Atlanta Ballet, explores not only the desire, but also the necessity we have for connection.

We present this ballet to you, an offering that reveals who we are.

PAVO: Pavo, Latin for peacock, is inspired by what the peacock has come to symbolize in many spiritual traditions. The beautiful bird has the unique ability to digest poisonous snakes. Acting as a metaphor for an individual being victorious over poisonous tendencies like anger and greed, this idea represents the central theme of Pavo.

Peacocks are also known for their mad, agitated dancing before rainstorms, which serves as powerful imagery for the storm section of the ballet. Dr. Nickitas Demos’ original score and DJ Jennifer Mitchell’s grooves create a charged, chaotic atmosphere, which sweeps us right into the storm with the dancers. They move restlessly, in anticipation of a big change.

In Pavo’s adagio section, the powerful simplicity of the pas de deux music reflects the focused love of the couple, as peacocks choose their mates for life. During the last moments of the work, the cycle of poisons returns, presenting a choice: repeat the cycle or break free.

bios ATLANTA BALLET LEADERSHIP JOHN MCFALL (Artistic Director) For the past 17 years, John McFall has cultivated Atlanta Ballet’s artistic vision into one of the country’s premier dance companies. Led by a strong commitment to imaginative and innovative programming, John continues to push the envelope with inspiring productions and unique collaborations, including onstage partnerships with the Indigo Girls, the Red Clay Ramblers, The Michael O’Neal Singers and, most recently, with Big Boi of the hip hop group OutKast. Since joining Atlanta Ballet as artistic director in 1994, John has choreographed many company favorites, including Don Quixote, Firebird, Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Jupiter, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Additionally, John established the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education in 1996, which has now grown into one of the largest dance school in the nation. John has received three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and was recently named in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2010 Who’s Who edition for excellence in Arts & Entertainment.

ARTHUR JACOBUS (Executive Director) Arthur Jacobus enters his third season at Atlanta Ballet. From 1984 through 1993, Jacobus was president of Pacific Northwest Ballet; and from 1993 through 2002, he served as the Executive Director of San Francisco Ballet. Jacobus also has served as CEO/executive director of Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle; president of COPIA: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa, Calif.; President of The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts in Louisville, Ky.; and President of the Oakland Symphony in Oakland, Calif. He holds masters degrees in Business Administration, Arts Administration and Human Resources Management and has completed management programs at University of Washington and Harvard Business School. Jacobus has served on a number of executive boards in the arts community, including Dance/USA, Washington State Arts Alliance, Northwest Development Officers’ Association, and California Arts Advocates. Throughout his career, Jacobus has remained actively involved in strategy and advocacy in the arts by chairing and sitting on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, becoming a Certified Fundraising Executive, and serving on the steering committee for the Salzburg Seminar to establish a series of international seminars in arts management.

SHARON STORY (Dean of the Centre for Dance Education, Ballet Mistress) Sharon Story is currently in her 17th season with Atlanta Ballet. She joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years, including tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Boston Ballet. In 1996, in addition to her role as ballet mistress, John McFall’s vision and mentorship brought Sharon to her current position as dean of the Centre for Dance Education, which has rapidly grown to one of the largest dance schools in the nation.

She is committed to providing a non-competitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community needs, is innovative, and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet. Under Sharon’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with National Association of Schools of Dance. Sharon is a member of the Commission on Accreditation for NASD and is delighted to serve on many community and national boards.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 9

bios ROSEMARY MILES (Ballet Mistress) Rosemary Miles is in her 16th season with Atlanta Ballet. One of eight children of an English brigadier general, Rosemary Miles trained at Elmhurst and the Royal Ballet School in England, during which time she successfully passed all Royal Academy and Cecchetti examinations. Throughout her professional career, Rosemary danced with the Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada and the London Festival Ballet. In America, she performed with the educational division of the New York City Ballet and as a soloist with the National Ballet of Washington, Chicago Ballet and Houston Ballet. Upon retiring as a dancer, Rosemary has enjoyed being a principal teacher at the Houston Ballet Academy; a guest teacher throughout the United States, England and the Far East; artistic director of the Lexington Ballet; and a member of John McFall’s artistic team for 16 years. Rosemary is the proud aunt of 22 nieces and nephews, and 28 grand-nieces and nephews. Rosemary thanks the dancers of Atlanta Ballet for being such an inspiration. Rosemary’s other passion is golf.

DALE SHIELDS (Ballet Mistress) A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Ms. Shields graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts and Butler University before starting her career as a professional dancer. After joining and rising to principal dancer with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, she appeared in the leading roles of many productions including Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Gaité Parisienne, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppélia, Night Shadow and The Moor’s Pavane. Ms. Shields’ artistic collaboration with IBT’s artistic directors George Verdak and Dace Dindonis produced a great number of original works as well as staging and performing the Russian premiere of the ballet Le Bal in St. Petersburg, Russia. In her position as Principal Ballet Mistress for Ballet Internationale, she assisted with the original choreography of several full length ballets by Artistic Director Eldar Aliev and worked alongside Irina Kolpakova in staging many well-known Russian classics. Dale has taught on the faculty of the Academy of Ballet International and Butler University’s Jorden Academy. She enjoys her time guest teaching around the country and in the Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education’s summer intensives. It has been inspiring for her to work with John McFall and the artists of Atlanta Ballet in creating new and more exciting productions every season.

the company Jacob Bush (fifth season) grew up in Coon Rapids, Minn., where he trained under Lise Houlton of the Minnesota Dance Theatre. He later trained with Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education under Sharon Story and the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet under Susan Connally. In Atlanta, Jacob has danced principal roles such as Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty, the Prince in John McFall’s Cinderella, the Green Man in Lila York’s Celts, and Matthew and Toulouse-Lautrec in Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet.

He had the pleasure of creating the role of the Younger Brother in the world premiere of Christopher Hampson’s Rite of Spring. He has had the pleasure of working with such notable choreographers as Twyla Tharp, Helen Pickett, Michael Pink and Lauri Stallings.

10 EncoreAtlantA.com

bios Peng-Yu Chen (fifth season), a native of Taiwan, began training in Chinese folk dance and gymnastics at the age of 10. She received her BFA from SUNY Purchase under Carol Walker and received the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence and the President’s Award for Achievement. She has performed with the Kevin Wynn Collection and in the Metropolitan Opera Ballet’s production of The Rite of Spring choreographed by Doug Varone. She joined American Repertory Ballet for three seasons, where she performed works by Graham Lustig, Lauri Stallings, Val Caniparoli, Melissa Barak and Twyla Tharp.

Since 2007, she has performed leading roles in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker and McFall’s Peter Pan. She has been featured in Stalling’s big, Hampson’s Sinfonietta Giocosa, Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Godden’s The Magic Flute, Pickett’s Petal and Tharp’s In the Upper Room. Peng was named by Dance Magazine as one of the “25 to Watch” in 2007, and she thanks her family and friends for all the support and love. Sponsored by the Corps de Ballet.

Christian Clark (tenth season), an Atlanta native, began his training at the age of eight with the Atlanta School of Ballet under the direction of Robert Barnett. As a company member, Christian has performed the leading roles of Prince in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Laertes in Stephen Mills’ Hamlet, Albrecht in Giselle, Siegfried in John McFall’s Swan Lake, the Prince in Sleeping Beauty, and the title role in Michael Pink’s Romeo & Juliet. Christian has been featured in Margo Sappington’s Shed Your Skin: The Indigo Girls Project, John McFall’s Jupiter, Christian Holder’s Transcendence, Lauri Stallings’ The Great Gatsby and big, and Christopher Hampson’s Sinfonietta Giocosa. When not dancing, Christian enjoys playing music with the band The Neighbors with fellow dancer Jesse Tyler.

Christian thanks the Centre for Dance Education, his family, and his lovely wife Naomi-Jane for their support. Sponsored by Christine Noguere and Phillip Pope.

Pedro Gamino (second season), a San Francisco native, began his training at age 13 with the San Francisco Academy of Ballet, and later studied at the San Francisco School of the Arts High School and the School of American Ballet in New York City. In his professional career, Pedro has danced with Smuin Ballet, Dayton Ballet and American Repertory Ballet and performed the works of such choreographers as Michael Smuin, Amy Seiwert, Shannon Hurlburt, Septime Webre, Dermot Burke, Steven Mills, Val Caniparoli, Lisa de Ribere, Twyla Tharp, Susan Shields and Graham Lustig. In addition to ballet, Pedro is a skilled Mexican folk and tap dancer, a former soccer and baseball player, and an avid bowler. Pedro is very happy to be a part of the Atlanta Ballet family and looks forward to a great season.

Heath Gill (second season), a native of southern Illinois, began his dance training at age four with jazz, tap and gymnastics. In order to expand his dance knowledge, he later attended The Children’s Center for Dance Education, where he began to study ballet under the direction of Deena Laska-Lewis. He also attended summer intensives at Houston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Texas Ballet Theater. By age 18, he moved to Atlanta to train and perform with Atlanta Ballet. During his time in Atlanta, he has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as John McFall, Michael Pink, James Kudelka, Lila York, Mark Godden, Matt Kent and Lauri Stallings.

Some of Heath’s other interests include playing piano and trumpet, watching movies and cooking. Heath also would like to thank Clara Cravey for her guidance and his friends and family for their love and support.

12 EncoreAtlantA.com

bios Jonah Hooper (thirteenth season), a native of Blue Ridge, Ga., began dancing under the direction of Diane Callihan of Gainesville Ballet. He appeared as Quasimodo in Michael Pink’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula in Dracula, Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Sharpless and Pinkerton in Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly and Jay Gatsby in John McFall and Lauri Stallings’ The Great Gatsby. Jonah and his wife Maria live in Decatur with their two wonderful children. Mr. Hooper is also finishing a degree at Georgia State University in Finance. He would like to thank his wife and family for their love and support. Please visit his photoblog at thedancerslounge.com.

Yoomi Kim (third season), a native of South Korea, started ballet at the age of seven at the Korea National Ballet Company Academy. She trained at Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Korea and earned a Master’s Degree of Dance Arts at Ewha Women’s University. She received first prize in the Dance Association of Korea’s 30th National Ballet Competition, and has performed Sleeping Beauty at the International Performing Arts Festival in Japan. Since moving to the U.S. in 2006, Yoomi has performed in Giselle, Stars and Stripes, Sleeping Beauty, Hyperspace, Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet and Serenade. In the 2007-08 season, she had the opportunity to perform the title role in Cinderella. Sponsored by Su Longman.

Tara Lee (sixteenth season) grew up in Connecticut, where she trained with Donna Bonasera of Connecticut Dance Theatre. After dancing with Joffrey II for two seasons, she joined Atlanta Ballet in 1995. Tara has also been a guest artist with New Orleans Ballet Theatre and spent a year with Vancouver’s Ballet British Columbia, where she was featured in works by John Alleyne, Crystal Pite, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp and Martha Graham. Principal roles include those in McFall’s Swan Lake and Firebird, Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Godden’s The Magic Flute, Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Stevenson’s Cinderella and Three Preludes, Pink’s Romeo & Juliet and Dracula, Balanchine’s Serenade, Tharp’s In the Upper Room and Stallings’ big. Last season, she danced leading roles in Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet and Caniparoli’s Lambarena, as well as Carabosse in McFall’s The Sleeping Beauty and Faith/ Death in Hampson’s Rite of Spring (world premiere). Tara’s choreography has been performed by Atlanta Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theatre and Emory Dance Company. Sponsored by Lynn Cochran Schroder.

Nadia Mara (sixth season) was born in Montevideo, Uruguay and started her ballet studies at the age of five attending the official Escuela Nacional de Danza under the direction of Sara Nieto, Monica Diaz and Margaret Graham. In the United States, Nadia started dancing with North Carolina Dance Theatre. At Atlanta Ballet, she has performed from 2006 to 2008 the title role in Giselle, Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty, and a role in the world premiere of big with Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. During the 2009 season, she performed leading roles as Mina in Michael Pink’s Dracula and Kitri in Don Quixote. In 2010, Nadia danced as Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute choreographed by Mark Godden, Sugar Plum Fairy in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker and Spring in James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons. In 2011, Nadia performed the lead role in Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet. Sponsored by Patti Wallace.

Jackie Nash (debut season), native of Connecticut, started her preprofessional ballet training at the Connecticut Dance School under the direction of Alan Woodard. She then spent two years in the dance and Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 13

bios academic residency program at The Rock School for Dance Education and graduated in 2009. During her summer studies, she attended the Chautauqua Institute, Nutmeg Conservatory, Miami City Ballet and Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education. She has enjoyed dancing roles such as Marya in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker and performing works by James Kudelka, Mark Godden, Lila York and Matt Kent of Pilobolus Dance Theater. Jackie would like to thank her loving parents and amazing sister for their endless support and encouragement.

Brandon Nguyen (debut season), a native of Texas, found his love for dance at the Margo Dean School of Ballet in Fort Worth and later moved on to Texas Ballet Theatre. He furthered his training on a full scholarship at Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy, performing solo and principal roles with Houston Ballet II. He received his first job with Orlando Ballet under the direction of Bruce Marks, and later, Robert Hill. While in Orlando, he also became an artist with Cirque du Soleil as a lead male dancer in La Nouba. In 2010, he performed with Mariah Carey for the Disney Christmas Day Parade. Brandon would like to thank his parents, the Atlanta Ballet company for being so welcoming, and his past, present and future teachers.

Tommy Panto (second season), an Atlanta native, started dancing at the age of 11 and began his training with the New Mexico Ballet Company under the direction of Patricia Dickinson. After studying and training all over the US, he moved to Los Angeles and received a degree in Business: Merchandise Marketing from the Fashion Institute. While in Los Angeles, he trained and studied with Marat Duakayev of the Kirov/Kirov Academy and Patricia Neary of NYCB. With Atlanta Ballet, Tommy has had the pleasure of dancing Don Quixote in John McFall’s Don Quixote and Snow King in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, as well as roles in John McFall’s Jupiter, Tealia and Firebird. Other highlights include Christopher Hampson’s Sinfonietta Giocosa, Helen Pickett’s Petal and Ben Stevenson’s Three Preludes. Tommy would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support and looks forward to a long and exciting career with Atlanta Ballet.

Alessa Rogers (fourth season) graduated from North Carolina School for the Arts. She spent one season with North Carolina Dance Theatre II, where she performed works by Salvatore Aiello, Dwight Rhoden and Alvin Ailey. She has been a guest artist for three summers at the Roanoke Island Festival in Manteo, N.C. Alessa likes to read, learn, sit in airports, eat zucchini and be silly. Sponsored by Lucy, Charlotte and Ginny Brewer.

Claire Stallman (debut season) began dancing at age four in her hometown of Saratoga, Calif. She trained with Karen Millar before joining the San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship. Prior to joining Atlanta Ballet, Claire danced with the Boston Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet and has performed pieces by Wheeldon, Elo, Millepied and Pickett among others. Some of her favorite performing experiences include Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Romeo et Juliette and Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun. Claire enjoys rock climbing with her siblings, reading, cooking and exploring new cities. Claire is thankful for the love and support of her friends and family and looks forward to an exciting debut season with Atlanta Ballet.

14 EncoreAtlantA.com

Today, children are starving in the Horn of Africa.

But we can save them.

It’s the worst drought in 60 years. Food is scarce. And over 2 million children’s lives are at risk. $10 can feed a malnourished child for 10 days. If you believe the number of children dying from malnutrition should be ZERO, join us.

Please visit unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4-UNICEF

bios Abigail Tan-Gamino (second season) was born in Manila, Philippines. She started to dance professionally with the Philippine Ballet Theatre at age 14 and danced lead roles in ballets such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Giselle, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Madame Butterfly, La Bayadere, Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Who Cares, Serenade and Concerto Barocco. In 2009, she moved to the U.S. to dance with the American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey under the direction of Mr. Graham Lustig. In 2010, she came to Atlanta Ballet, where she was featured in s Nutcracker as Snow Queen/ Dew Drop Fairy and in The Sleeping Beauty as Lilac Fairy. She also enjoyed dancing Val Caripanoli’s Lambarena, Helen Pickett’s Petal, Gina Patterson’s Quietly Walking and Amy Seiwert’s Home in 7. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in Arts from Angelicum College. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, watching movies, learning to bowl and spending time with her dog, Hazel.

Jared Tan (second season) was born in Philippines and started dancing at the age of nine with Philippine Ballet Theatre under the direction of Gener Caringal. He had trained for more than 14 years under Russian Ballet Master Anatoly Panasyukov and distinguished visiting ballet masters such as Robert Barnett, Graham Lustig, Batt Abbit, Stefan Hoff, Ida BeltranLucila, Nonoy Froilan, Maiqui Mañosa, Edna Vida and Stanley Canete.

In 2009, he joined American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey under the direction of Graham Lustig, where he danced Prince in Nutcracker, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rhapsodia and Baker’s Dozen by Twyla Tharp.

Jared loves to take pictures and play guitar, basketball and video games.

He would like to thank his family and friends for their continued love and support. He is so thankful to be a part of Atlanta Ballet.

Jesse Tyler (fourth season) began his training at The School of the North Carolina Dance Theatre at age nine under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. In 2003, he joined North Carolina Dance Theatre as an apprentice and then was promoted to the company in 2004, where he worked with world-renowned choreographers such as Alonzo King, Dwight Rhoden and Mark Diamond. Since 2006, he has performed as a guest artist with many companies in the southeast, including The Florida Ballet and, most recently, Atlanta Ballet, where he danced works by John McFall and Lauri Stallings. When not dancing, he spends his time as the singer and guitar player for a local band called The Neighbors.

Rachel Van Buskirk (fifth season), a native of Vancouver, trained with Li Yaming at Pacific DanceArts. With Atlanta Ballet, Rachel has performed in Dracula, Madame Butterfly, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Great Gatsby and big, and she has been featured in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote. Last season, Rachel danced the roles of Mome Fromage and La Goulue in Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet, Princess Florine in John McFall’s The Sleeping Beauty and Sugar Plum Fairy in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker. She was also involved with the creation of three premieres by Bennyroyce Royon, Gina Patterson and Amy Seiwert. Rachel has also performed works by Twyla Tharp, James Kudelka, Helen Pickett, George Balanchine, Lauri Stallings, Val Caniparoli, Victor Quijada and Lila York. A recent highlight for her was working with local choreographer Juel Lane for Wabi Sabi. Outside of dance, Rachel enjoys reading and crafting. She sends her love to her family and thanks them for being awesome. Sponsored by Dottie Smith and Merry Carlos.

16 EncoreAtlantA.com

bios John Welker (seventeenth season) received his dance training at BalletMet Dance Academy, the School of American Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Vail, and Point Park Conservatory. John has performed both classical and contemporary roles, including Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty, Albrect in Giselle, Dracula in Michael Pink’s Dracula, Principal Male in John McFall’s Firebird and Principal Male in James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, to name a few. John has had the honor to work with such renowned choreographers as Christopher Hampson, Victor Quijada, Lila York, Danny Ezralow, Lauri Stallings, Val Caniparoli, Twyla Tharp, Darrell Moultrie, and John McFall. For the past four years, John has served as co-director of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education’s Professional Division during their seasonal summer intensive. He is currently enrolled as a Dance Major in Kennesaw State University’s College of the Arts and wishes to further pursue a graduate degree in arts administration. John wishes to thank his wife, fellow artist Christine Winkler, for her support, encouragement, and love. Sponsored by Lynda Courts.

Christine Winkler (seventeenth season), a California native, began her training in Sacramento with Barbara Crockett, and then furthered her studies with the San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship. Later, she joined Ballet West as a company member, where she met husband John Welker. Memorable highlights since joining Atlanta Ballet in 1995 include Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Michael Pink’s Romeo & Juliet, Odette in John McFall’s Swan Lake, Mina in Dracula, Kitri in Don Quixote, and Daisy in John McFall and Lauri Stallings’ The Great Gatsby.

Christine has had the privilege of working with acclaimed choreographers such as Christopher Hampson, Lila York, James Kudelka, Peter Quanz, Val Caniparoli and Darrell Moultrie. Last season, she was featured in Christopher Hampson’s world premiere of Rite of Spring and Jordan Morris’ Moulin Rouge®-The Ballet. Guest appearances include American Repertory Ensemble in Austin, Texas; Maximum Dance in Miami City, Fla.; Chamber Dance Project based in New York City; and New Orleans Ballet Theatre.

Christine has served as co-director of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education’s Summer Intensive Professional Division during the past four years. Christine would also like to thank her husband and family for their continued love and support. Sponsored by Merry and Chris Carlos.

Harunaga Yamakawa (debut season), originally from Japan, received formal training with Nowa Ballet in Kanagawa, Japan, as well as with John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. Before joining Atlanta Ballet, Harry performed with National Company of Portugal (CNB), Colorado Ballet, and Nashville Ballet. Also, Harry performs often as a guest in Japan.

Harry enjoys both classical and contemporary work, such as a recent summer workshop with Complexions in New York. His repertory includes the Nutcracker Prince and Cavalier from The Nutcracker, James from La Sylphide, Peter from Peter and the Wolf, and various roles in Swan Lake, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Who Cares?, Kazimir’s Colours and Dracula.

Harry is excited to be a part of Atlanta Ballet and thankful to his family in Japan and the U.S.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 17

bios Artistic and Production Team TARA LEE (Choreographer, Pavo) made her choreographic debut with Sixteen String in 2003. Originally created for an Atlanta Ballet choreographers’ workshop, Sixteen String, with music by Lou Harrison, was handpicked by John McFall for the company’s next season. In 2004, John McFall offered Tara another opportunity, which led to the creation of Poem, a dramatic duet that she danced with Brian Wallenberg to the music of Jeff Buckley. After making its world premiere with Atlanta Ballet, Poem was performed

by New Orleans Ballet Theatre. Subsequent works include two commissions for Emory Dance Company; a Margaret Mitchell-inspired duet for Georgia Public Broadcasting; and an ensemble piece, Akara, which she created with Jesse Tyler for Atlanta Ballet’s Wabi Sabi. Tara would like to express special thanks to her director, John McFall, for giving her unlimited amounts of encouragement, trust, and freedom during this amazing creative process.

HELEN PICKETT (Choreographer, Prayer of Touch) born in San Diego, danced with William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt for 11 years. In 2005, Helen received her first choreographic commission, titled Etesian, from Mikko Nissinen, director of Boston Ballet. She was awarded the Fellowship Initiative Grant by New York Choreographic Institute in 2006. In the same year and through 2008, Helen choreographed for Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Louisville Ballet and Ballet X. In 2007, Dance Magazine named Helen one of “25 to Watch.”

From 2009 through 2011, Helen created new ballets for Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ballet West, Boston Ballet (two premieres), Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2012 and 2013, her commissions include Atlanta Ballet, Dresden Ballet, Vienna State Opera, and Smuin Ballet. In 2009, Helen was one of the first choreographers to receive the Jerome Robbins Foundation’s New Essential Works Grant. As an actress and choreographer, she has collaborated with The Wooster Group and with installation video artists and filmmakers who include Eve Sussman, Toni Dove and Laurie Simmons. In 2011, Helen earned a master of fine arts in dance from Hollins University. Please visit helenpickett.com for a full biography.

CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON (Choreographer, Rush) joined The Royal Ballet in 1991. In 18 EncoreAtlantA.com

1993, he became a member of New York City Ballet, where he was promoted to soloist in 1998. He began choreographing for NYCB with Slavonic Dances for the 1997 Diamond Project. After creating Mercurial Manoeuvers for NYCB’s spring 2000 Diamond Project, Wheeldon retired from dancing to concentrate on his choreographic work. During the 2000-01 season, he served as NYCB’s first-ever resident choreographer, creating Polyphonia and Variations Sérieuses. Since then he has choreographed at least one ballet a year for NYCB, including Morphoses (2002), Liturgy (2003), An American in Paris (2005), Klavier (2006) and The Nightingale and the Rose (2007). Wheeldon also created notable works for San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet.

Outside the ballet world, he choreographed pieces for the Metropolitan Opera’s La Gioconda (2006) and Carmen (2009) as well as ballet sequences for the film Center Stage (2000) and a Broadway version of Sweet Smell of Success (2002). In 2007, Wheeldon founded Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company. Other recent work includes the premieres of his new version of The Sleeping Beauty (2010) for The Royal Danish Ballet, his full-length Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011) for The Royal Ballet, Thirteen Diversions (2011) for American Ballet Theatre and Les Carillons (2012) for NYCB. He received the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, the American Choreography Award and the Dance Magazine Award. He won the London Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Ballet for Polyphonia, and the NYCB performance of the piece earned a Laurence Olivier Award. DGV: Danse à grande vitesse was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award in 2006, and the inaugural season of Morphoses won a South Bank Show Award.

JOANNA BERMAN (Répétiteur, Rush) was born and raised in San Rafael, Calif., where she received her dance training at the Marin Ballet under Maria Vegh. In 1984, after one year at the San Francisco Ballet School, she joined the company and was promoted to soloist in 1987.

In 1988, Ms. Berman became a principal dancer and was one of the most celebrated members of the San Francisco Ballet, retiring in 2002. She danced the lead role in Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet and numerous contemporary works. Joanna

Strap on your roller skates for ‘Xanadu’ at Actor’s Express This sendup of the 1980 Olivia Newton-John movie roller-skates its way onto the Actor’s Express stage with a heady combo of camp, comedy, tunes, questionable fashion and bad hair-dos.

as low as $13.50

May the farce be with you at ‘Fox on the Fairway’ at Aurora Theatre Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) hits a hole-inone with his tribute to the great English farces of the 1930s and ‘40s. This uproarious comedy promises to hit the sweet spot.

as low as $11.50

Magazine deal can quench your thirst for beer knowledge A two-year subscription (online and print) from Beer Connoisseur Magazine plus a $20 Max Lager’s Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery gift card.

You pay only $35!

“Texas has a whorehouse in it,” but only at Onstage Atlanta A rollicking musical loosely based on the historic, real-life Chicken Ranch that was found, once upon a time, in LaGrange, Texas.

as low as $10

bios had works created for her by choreographers such as Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, William Forsythe, David Bintley, Julia Adam, Yuri Possokhov, Val Caniparoli and many others. She is the recipient of two Isadora Duncan Awards (1994 and 2000). In addition to her extensive performance credits, Ms. Berman is in demand as a teacher and has served as a regisseur for the San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and Houston Ballet.

DR. NICKITAS DEMOS (Composer, Pavo) born in Boulder, Colo., holds a DMA in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Donald Erb. His commissions include works for the Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Georgia Music Teachers Association and the National Association of College Wind & Percussion Instructors. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a MacDowell Fellowship (2011); Grand Prize: 2004 Millennium Arts International Competition for Composers; Grand Prize: 2005 Holyoke Civic Symphony Composition Competition; and 14 ASCAP Awards, among others. His music is self-published through Sylvan Lake Press (ASCAP) and has been recorded by MSR Classics and Capstone Records. Professor of music composition and coordinator of composition studies at the Georgia State University School of Music, Demos is the artistic director of the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble and serves on the Executive Committee of the Society of Composers, Inc. (SCI). For more information, visit nickitasdemos.com.

ROBERT HAND, JR. (Lighting Designer, Prayer of Touch and Pavo) is happy to be celebrating his 10th season with Atlanta Ballet. A graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts, he has a BFA in lighting design. Since being with the Ballet he has designed Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Ramblin Suite, Bachslide, Jupiter, Swan Lake, Snow White, Sinfonietta Giocosa, Inoui Rossini, Shoo Pah Minor, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Rite of Spring, Firebird and The Great Gatsby. He recently designed Coppelia for Milwaukee Ballet and Peter Pan and Swan Lake for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He looks forward to many future artistic endeavors with Atlanta Ballet.

20 EncoreAtlantA.com

CHARLES HEIGHTCHEW (Costume Designer, Prayer of Touch) was raised in Louisville, Ky., and began his theatrical work at The Louisville Ballet.

He has worked in the costume departments of Stage One Children’s Theatre, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Santa Fe Opera and The Virginia Opera. Charles joined the costume staff of Boston Ballet in 1998. Since becoming the head of the costume departments in 2000, he has designed extensively for resident choreographer Jorma Elo, including his world premieres Le Sacre du Printemps, Brake the Eyes and, most recently, the full-evening Elo Experience.

Charles is pleased to continue working with Helen Pickett in his sixth commission designing costumes. Previous works include Etesian, Eventide, tsukiyo, and Parts I, II and III. This is his first commission for Atlanta Ballet.

JON MORRELL (Costume & Scenic Designer, Rush) studied set and costume design at the Central School of Art and Design in London.

Opera credits: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (De Nederlandse Opera, opens June 2013), Maometto II (Santa Fe Opera, opens July 2012) Partenope (Opera Australia), Tannhauser (Royal Opera House), Aida (Canadian Opera Company, Toronto, costumes), Partenope (ENO, costumes, Olivier Award Best New Opera Production), Turandot (Norrlands Opera Sweden), Rigoletto (Scottish Opera, New Zealand Opera), Jenufa (Houston Grand Opera, costumes, Olivier Award Best New Opera Production). Theatre credits: Top Hat (Milton Keynes Theatre and UK Tour & West End, opens May 2012), Sonny Boys (Deutsches Theatre Berlin), Blood Wedding and Romeo and Juliet (Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow, costumes), His Dark Materials (Royal National Theatre, costumes), The Winter’s Tale (Royal National Theatre, costumes). Ballet credits: Guide To Strange Places (San Francisco Ballet) Night Swimming Into Day (Scottish Ballet), 32 Cryptograms (Scottish Ballet), Rush (World premiere Edinburgh Festival & San Francisco Ballet), Carnival of Animals (New York City Ballet), This House Will Burn (The Royal Ballet Covent Garden), Sawdust & Tinsel (Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells), Two Part Invention (The Royal Ballet Covent Garden, costumes), T.Y.C.T.M.F.B. (co-designer, Dutch National Ballet), Virtual Reality (London Contemporary Dance Theatre, costumes), Mouthful (Stockholm Modern Dance Theatre). For a full list of credits, visit jon-morrell.com.

bios MARK STANLEY (Lighting Designer, Rush) is the resident lighting director for New York City Ballet, where he has designed more than 190 premieres for the repertory, including Paul McCartney’s Ocean’s Kingdom. He has worked with numerous choreographers, including Peter Martins, Susan Stroman, Chris Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Kevin O’Day, William Forsythe, Susan Marshall, Christopher d’Amboise, and many others. His designs are in the repertories of the Royal Danish Ballet, The Het Nationale Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Mannheim National Ballet, The Norwegian Opera Ballet, Boston Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Joffrey Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Pennsylvania Ballet, and numerous other regional ballet companies.

Stanley previously served as resident lighting designer for New York City Opera, and his work for theater includes lighting design for The Kennedy Center, The Long Wharf Theater, Goodspeed Opera House, Ordway Music Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Maurice Sendak’s Night Kitchen Children’s Theatre, and off-Broadway. His designs have been seen on PBS for “Live From Lincoln Center” and “Great Performances,” including George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Peter Martins’ Romeo and Juliet. Stanley heads the lighting design program at Boston University, and he is on the board of the Hemsley Lighting Programs.

JESSE TYLER (Assistant Choreographer, Pavo) began choreographing at the age of 17. His first work, Burn, was created for the North Carolina Dance Theatre’s second company during its summer residency in Chautauqua, N.Y. In 2005, his work Conglomerate 8 was again featured at NCDT2. In 2006, he moved to Atlanta, where he founded and co-directed a collaborative arts organization called The Hent Project with fellow artist Merica May Jensen.

He choreographed several works for The Hent Project over the next few years before joining Atlanta Ballet. In 2010, he began collaborating with Tara Lee on Akara, a work commissioned

by Emory University for their dance company and later re-staged for Atlanta Ballet’s offshoot company, Wabi Sabi.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 21

BOLD. INNOVATIVE. EXQUISITE. presents Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker December 7 – 26, 2012 The Fabulous Fox Theatre With the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra Cinderella January 4 – 6, 2013 at Gwinnett Performing Arts Center February 16 – 17, 2013 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Dracula February 8 – 16, 2013 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre With the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

Season sponsored by

Jackie Nash; photo by Charlie McCullers.

New Choreographic Voices featuring Ohad Naharin & Gina Patterson March 22 – 24, 2013 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre David Bintley’s Carmina Burana April 12 – 14, 2013 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre With the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and Georgia State University Singers Love Stories May 10 – 12, 2013 Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

FOR SEASON TICKETS AS LOW AS $88 call 404-892-3303 or visit atlantaballet.com/subscribe

board & staff A d m i n i s t r at i o n EXECUTIVE Arthur Jacobus, Executive Director ARTISTIC John McFall, Artistic Director Rosemary Miles, Dale Shields and Sharon Story, Ballet Mistresses Administration, Information Services & Facilities Mary French, IT/Database Manager Ashley Reid, Executive Assistant Rebecca Renner, Office Manager Development & Fundraising Lisa Dabney, Director of Development David Buchanan, Associate Director of Development

- Major Gifts Alyson Brock, Institutional Giving Officer Dorie Wirtz, Events Manager Megan DeWitt, Development Associate MARKETING Tricia Ekholm, Marketing Director Erin Zellmer, Marketing Coordinator Sigele Winbush, Public Relations Associate Kelly Pierce, Communications Assistant Emily Khoo, Graphic Designer Brian Wallenberg, Social Media Coordinator TICKETING AND PATRON SERVICES Anwar Nasir, Associate Director of Patron Services Jarrett Milton, Group Sales Manager Kyle Andrich, Patron Services Associate FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Pam Whitacre, Chief Finance Officer Michele LeBlanc Boyd, Staff Accountant

proDUCTION John Beaulieu, Technical Director Amy Hand, Stage Manager/ Events & Rentals Coordinator Gabe Friend-Jones, Assistant Stage Manager Robert Hand, Jr., Lighting Director Bradley Renner, Company Manager Bill Long, Head Props Master COSTUMES Heidi Parikh, Wardrobe Supervisor Elena Rao, Costume Shop Director Jacob Bush, Shoe Coordinator Music Class Accompanists: Ronald Ray, Rick Reynolds, Julia Rice, Katie Stine ATLANTA BALLET CENTRE FOR DANCE EDUCATION Sharon Story, Dean Tori Soles, Centre Administration Betsy Rothermel, Registrar/Summer Program

Administrative Director Carla Cuba, Community Programs Director Kate Gaul, Buckhead Centre Principal Heather Conley, Cobb Centre Principal Ericka Goss, Education Associate/ Adult Division Coordinator Emily Harrison, MS, RD, LD, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist Faculty: Susan Beebe, Rebekah Bennett, Shirley Bennett, Aly Brock, Giselle Caban, Andrea Catchings, Harmony Clair, Heather Conley, Emily Cargill, Vershion Funderburk, Katherine Gant, Kate Gaul, Vanessa Gibson, Kara Gillcrist, Alera Harrison, Emily Cook Harrison, Sarah Hillmer, Tanika Holmes, Michelle Jericevich-Powell, Stephanie Johnson, Melissa Joy, Reiko Kimura, Caroline Laubacher, Dora Manela, Paige McFall, Margaret Shepherd McPherson, Orlando Molina, Anwar Nasir, Troy Overton, Allyson Raymond, Terese Reynolds-Thomas, Jaime Robtison, Betsy Rothermel, Roscoe Sales, Tori Soles, Melissa Stiers, Carol Szkutek, Amber Thompson, Ericka Shannon-Vanhoosear, Erin-Elizabeth Watts, Martine Weber, Lloyd E. Whitmore, Sarah Noelle Williamson, Alan Brown, Tara Briner, Rick Reynolds, Julie Rice

at l a n ta b a l l e t b o a r d o f t r u s t e e s Allen W. Nelson, Chair David Crosland, Vice Chair Michael Jones, Vice Chair Elizabeth Adams, Vice Chair Bill Huber, Treasurer Margaret Carton, Secretary Trustees Emeriti Lynda B. Courts, Chair Emeritus Stanley Rose III Karen Vereb

Current Trustees RenĂŠ Bostic Ginny Brewer Kelly C. Cannon Merry L. Carlos Lynn Cochran-Schroder Lynda B. Courts Lavona S. Currie Alison Danaceau Cynthia Davison Jeff Denneen Sharyn Doanes- Bergin Mary Frances Garrett

24 EncoreAtlantA.com

Sue Gibbs Karen Greager Patrice Greer Joanne Chesler Gross Kenneth R. Hey Wade H. Hooper J. David Hopkins Sloan Kennedy-Smith Erica Lewis Glenn Mitchell Christine Murphy Jonathan K. Regenstein, Jr.

Forrest Robinson Kristine Robison Laura Turner Seydel Amanda Shailendra Michelle Sullivan Perry Taylor Lizanne Thomas Juan Carlos Urdaneta Pam Wakefield Patti Wallace

DINNER & A SHOW For less than what it costs for a single admission, you can purchase a Dinner & A Show package and get a TICKET PLUS A $20 GIFT CARD redeemable at a fine Atlanta restaurant.

Choose one of these amazing shows:

The Producers Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan The Addams Family The King and I

Amazing shows.

Y! ORDER TODA .

Memorable meals

And select one of these restaurants: LIVINGSTON ALMA ECCO SOUTH CITY KITCHEN GORDON BIERSCH BRIZA Dinner & Show offers can be found on the left side of the Fox Theatre’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheFoxTheatreAtlanta For more information, log onto FoxTheatre.org

annual fund donors Listing reflects gifts made between February 28, 2011 and April 16, 2012.

Producer’s Circle ($100,000+) Anonymous Belk, Inc. Merry L. & Chris M. Carlos Michael C. & Thalia N. Carlos Foundation The Goizueta Foundation The Kendeda Fund The Rich Foundation, Inc. Patti Eloise Wallace Benefactor’s Circle ($50,000+) Anonymous Atlanta Ballet Boutique & Atlanta Ballet CDE Parents Association Ginny & Charles Brewer Delta Air Lines, Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Chester W. Morse National Endowment for the Arts The Zeist Foundation, Inc. Choreographer’s Circle ($25,000+) Corps de Ballet Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Courts II Georgia Council for the Arts Holder Construction Company The Marcus Foundation, Inc. Director’s Circle ($10,000+) Anonymous Elizabeth & Howell Adams, III Mr. & Mrs. Ricardo Artigas Coca-Cola Enterprises Matching Gift Program Lynn Cochran-Schroder Lavona S. Currie Fulton County Arts Council Walter Clay Hill & Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Holder The Home Depot Foundation Mr. Douglas Hopkins Mr. & Mrs. James C. Kennedy Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Publix Super Markets Charities Mr. William F. Snyder The Shubert Foundation, Inc. The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation Principal ($5,000+) Anonymous Ms. Rene Bostic The Coca-Cola Foundation Matching Gifts Program Cynthia & Mike Davison Mrs. Daphne Moore Eitel Elster Foundation Mary Frances & Tom Garrett GE Foundation Ms. Amy Gerome-Acuff & Mr. Daniel Acuff JBS Foundation John & Mary Franklin Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Kirk Knous Edward Krugman & Jill Pryor Mr. & Mrs. Albert Longman Brad Middlebrook Christine & Michael Murphy Amy & Allen Nelson Ms. Christine Noguere & Mr. Phillip Pope Mr. Louis A. Peneguy, Jr. Alicia & Corey Pinkston Delphine Podsiadlo John & Jan Portman Mr. & Mrs. Rutherford Seydel Dr. & Mrs. Mark Silverstein Destiny Stinchcomb Mr. & Mrs. Stephen B. Sullivan

Lizanne Thomas Pam & Steve Wakefield Ms. Stephanie Wrightsman Soloist ($2,500+) Mr. & Mrs. Lee Adrean Clinton & Barbara Bastin Ms. Jan P. Beaves Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cannon Margaret & Robert Carton City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Drs. Cynthia Crain & Dwight Lee Michelle & David Crosland Sharyn Doanes-Bergin Genuine Parts Company Mrs. Carol M. Goldberg Steven & Caroline Harless Kenneth R. Hey Steffi & Bill Huber IBM Corporation Cindy & Mike Jones Mr. Jeffrey M. Kamin Sloan & John Smith Lois & Lucy Lampkin Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Paul P. Mattingly Mr. & Mrs. Glenn W. Mitchell III The Morgan Law Firm P.C. Mr. Tony Phillips Karen & Forrest Robinson Ryder Ms. Robin H. Sangston Sharon & David Schachter Mr. & Mrs. Baker A. Smith Marianne Stribling Mr. & Mrs. James E. Stueve Joseph Northington & Timothy Tew The Hellen Plummer Charitable Foundation, Inc. Turner Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Juan Carlos Urdaneta Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Yellowlees Ensemble ($1,000+) Neal K. Aronson & Wendy Conrad Banfi Vintners Foundation Bank of America Tiffany Barnes Drs. Elise & John Beltrami Mrs. George C. Blount, Jr. Lindsay & Evan Borenstein Sara & Alex Brown Dr. & Mrs. Robert L. Bunnen Carl R. Griffith & Associates, LLC Warren Cato Mr. & Mrs. John Cooke Russell & Sandra Dawson Mr. Richard Delay & Ms. Francine Dykes Susan & George Dunn Echo Maintenance, LLC Mr. & Mrs. Howard F. Elkins Equifax Community Relations Federated Department Stores Mr. & Ms. Brad Ferguson Mr. Wayne Folberth Dr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Gable Joanne C. & Alexander S. Gross Earlene Gvozd John Wayne Hardin Ellen Heard Bonnie & Terry Herron Philip & Melanie Hinson The Hooper Family Mr. & Mrs. Wade Hooper Mr. J. David Hopkins Laurie & John Hopkins Min Hur Tiffany James Marilyn Jentzen Mr. & Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich Stacey & Mark Kessler Ms. Deanna King

26 EncoreAtlantA.com

Marsha King Power Circuit Fitness Dr. Larry Kohse Ms. Janiyah Lewis Ms. Linda Lively & Mr. James Hugh Lubo Fund Gina & Brian Kestner McMaster-Carr Supply Company Kevin & Jessica McPeek Ms. Melissa Morris Mr. Eddie E. Nabors Drs. Russell Medford & Margaret Offermann Nancy C. Panoz Polly N. Pater Doug & Ginger (Brill) Pisik Elizabeth B. Pritchett Margery & Dan Reason Fund Mary & E.P. Rogers Foundation Inc. Drs. Joe & Carolyn Rudé Ms. Abbie R. Salt Eric Schneider Mr. & Mrs. Paul Shailendra Amy Shepard Ms. Sheila Skillman Ms. Brandie Summerlin The Target Foundation Elvira Tate Mr. & Mrs. Perry Taylor Thomas H. Lanier Family Foundation Tolbert Yilmaz Manufacturing, Inc. William A. & Judy M. Vogel Marilyn Webb William McDaniel Charitable Foundation Ms. Darlene Zona Apprentice ($500+) Ms. M. Aldridge Arnold And Associates Dr. Harold J. Brody Rosalyn Bush Hugh W. Cheek Mr. John D. Clark Jim & Carol Comstock Ms. Susan Currie Ms. Ann Danuser Charlyne Devoursney Zeenat K. Edelmann Elizabeth Huckins Michael I. Gabriel Dr. Paige Galt Ms. Barbara Garrett Sharon Habibi Jefferey & Angela Haertel Christopher Hampson Gail & William Harvard The Rodney & Janika Haywood Family Virginia Hepner & Malcolm Barnes Walter & Eleanor Hodges Mrs. Tracey Hogan Jim & Mary Long Howard Mr. Brad Hrbacek Mrs. & Mr. Amy Hunley Elvira & Arthur Jacobus Michael Jeram Nicole & Andrew Jung Brenda & Kelly Keefe Mr. John Krueger Terri Lawson Carlos E. Lopez, M.D. Paige & John McFall Mr. & Mrs. Eugene F. Meany The Mortimer Family The Pease Family Dr. & Mrs. James E. Pruett The Prussner Family Joyce Reedy The Reilly Family Dr. & Mrs. Robert Riesenberg Christopher Sanchez Mr. Eugene Schmidt

Ms. Marion Seim Ms. Kathleen A. Sheehan Beverly & Milton Shlapak Malik Torres Ms. Anne M. Spratlin Nell Strasser Lisa R. Strauss SunTrust Bank Atlanta Karen Thomas Barbara J. Simmons, MD The Thrasher Family Dana & Obi Ugwonali Robbie C. Weaver Bruce & JoAnne Westbrook Fellowship ($250+) Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. Thomas E. Abernathy Judith & Aaron Alembik Mary Jo & Robert Allman Mr. Jeremy Anderson AT&T Foundation Patricia T Barmeyer Gisella & Darrell Barnwell Zachary Bates Ms. Louise R. Berryhill Mr. James E. Biddlecome Christy Blanchford Dr. Elizabeth Blood Robert & Suzanne Boas Mr. Paul Bolton Lucy Currie Bush & Henry Bush Adrianne Byrd Nez Calhoun The Carse Family Mrs. Jennifer Cates David Cofrin & Christine Tryba-Cofrin Liz & Charlie Cohn Robert Cook Mrs. Gina Maggi Crenshaw Wayne & Annette Dahlke Ms. Marisa D. Davies J. D. Dinges Ms. Martha R. Dominguez Laura & Dennis Donovan Amanda Brown Mr. David Ellwanger & Ms. Martha Wilson Mrs. Susan Fleck Louise B. Franklin Ms. Susan Freeland Lisa & Bill Frisby Ms. Katherine Fry Judy & Edward Garland The Gifford Family James A. Glass Dr. Richard Goodjoin Ms. Julie Hairston Avery Hammonds Stephanie & Mike Hanley Ms. Debra S. Hartsfield Here to Serve Restaurants, Inc. Kerry Higgins Dr. Henry K. Holland Mildred Peabody Ms. Sabrina Johnson Sydney & Kaitlyn Jones Natalie M. Jones Alexia & Gabriel Jordan Mr. Stephen Kalista Lee Kapner Robert & Jane Kibler Mr. Gary Ledbetter Ms. Doreen M. Lewis Kelly Theresa & David Linton Deeann Lisby, M.D. Allan & Vaneesa Little Richard Lodise & Valerie Jagiella Janet Mainor Ms. Anne S. Malacrea Ms. Suparna Malempati The Matacunas Kids

donors Mr. William McClain Gerardo Mijares-Shafai Dr. Brad E. Miller Mr. Jeremy Million Ms. Elena Moravec & Mr. Randall Mollen Ms. Jennifer Morgan Michelle Flake-Morgan Nydia S. Murray Sarah Murray Norfolk Southern Foundation John Nunn

Mr. & Mrs. Keith D Osborn Mrs. Deborah Overstreet Mr. & Mrs. James E. Payne Teresa Peacock Dr. Jesse R. Peel Ms. Catherine Pobst Ms. Rebekah Pound Dr. Jacqueline Pownall The Raderstorf Family Donna & Dan Reed Mr. & Mrs. Jean-Paul Richard Mr. Gregory & Dr. Jennifer Risinger

Mr. Michael Robinson Holly Roth Loyd Sanchez Abigail Farrar The Shiffman Family Sharon & Howard Silvermintz Harold & Toni Skipper Bill & Susan Small Angela & Paul Smith Mr. Dante Stephensen Paul & DeeDee Stewart Dr. & Mrs. Michael Szikman

Ms. Ann Titelman The Turano Family Beth Valencik Sara Madeline Dieterich Mr. & Ms. Jim Vono Alan & Marcia Watt Drs. Nancy & Evan Weisman Reba Welch Mr. & Mrs. Brian Williamson Jennifer Winkler Ms. Jennifer Winter Annie York-Trujillo

Atlanta Ballet remains deeply grateful to the visionary donors listed below who generously donated their support for our landmark capital campaign. Thanks to the extraordinary commitment and generosity of our board of directors and loyal patrons, we have raised $20.8 million in support of Atlanta Ballet. Listing reflects gifts and pledges received through April 16, 2012.

Gifts of $1 million & above Anonymous Merry L. & Chris M. Carlos Michael C. & Thalia N. Carlos Foundation Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, Inc. The Goizueta Foundation Mrs. Audrey B. Morgan Patti Eloise Wallace Gifts of $500,000+ Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation Mrs. Laura Maddox Smith Gifts of $100,000+ Anonymous Elizabeth & Howell Adams, III Ginny & Charles Brewer Lynn Cochran-Schroder Lavona S. Currie R. Howard Dobbs Jr. Foundation Holder Construction Company The Kendeda Fund John K. Palmisano & Stephen A. Williams, III The Shailendra Family SunTrust Bank Atlanta Foundation & SunTrust Affliliated Foundations Florence C. & Harry L. English Memorial Fund Walter H. & Marjory M. Rich Memorial Fund Thomas Guy Woolford Charitable Trust Greene-Sawtell Foundation The Rich Foundation, Inc. Tull Charitable Foundation, Inc. Gifts of $50,000+ Anonymous Madeline & Howell Adams, Jr. The James M. Cox Foundation Cynthia & Mike Davison Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Fund Kristy and Michael Robison Waffle House Karen L. & Stanley H. Rose III Shailendra Group L.L.C. The Vasser Woolley Foundation, Inc. David, Helen and Marian Woodward Fund Gifts of $25,000+ Dale & Leslie Chihuly Joanne C. & Alexander S. Gross Christine & Michael Murphy Amy & Allen Nelson

Karen & Forrest Robinson The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, Inc. Karen Vereb & Bud Blanton Pam & Steve Wakefield Gifts of $10,000+ Corps de Ballet Ms. Rene Bostic Cousins Foundation, Inc. Michelle & David Crosland Mrs. Daphne Moore Eitel The Gingrich Foundation Fulton County Arts Council Mary Frances & Tom Garrett Georgia Commercial Realty Advisors, LLC Georgia Power Foundation, Inc. Kenneth R. Hey Lisa & Forrest Hibbard Sally & David Hopkins The Ichter Family Elvira & Arthur Jacobus Cindy & Mike Jones Rebecca Kelly & Dick James Charlie & Kathleen McCullers Paige & John McFall Tracy & Allan Merrill Sharon Story, Julien & Kim Kenney Joseph Northington & Timothy Tew The Zeist Foundation, Inc. Beth Lanier & Phillip Theodore Danna & David Wolfe Gifts of $5,000+ Ms. Rene Bostic The Ralph Edwards Family Virginia Hepner & Malcolm Barnes Melissa & Scott Hinchman and Family Bill, Steffi & Fiona Huber David & Theresa Kazanowski Edward Krugman & Jill Pryor Ida A. Ryan Charitable Trust Dr. & Mrs. Mark Silverstein Jane Smith Turner Foundation Gifts of $2,500+ Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cannon Margaret & Robert Carton Lisa Dabney & Paul Kersey Carlton Fields Miss Avery Hinchman Sloan & John Smith

Elizabeth B. Pritchett Karen & Jeffrey Shapiro Sharon & Howard Silvermintz Lee Ann & Matthew Stone Michelle & Steve Sullivan Gifts of $1,000+ The Basarrate Family Drs. Elise & John Beltrami Currell & Margot Berry and Family Brenda, Mike & Megan Bryson The Hooper Family Jennifer & Michael Johnston Rachel Knowles Lee & Trey Loughran Andi McAfee Stephanie & Robert Myer Katherine Brokaw & Steve Russ Mr. & Mrs. Perry Taylor Gifts of $500+ Alyson Brock Kiara Burch Mr. & Mrs. Paul P. Mattingly Dorie & Jody Wirtz Gifts up to $500 Josie A. Alexander Ms. Mary Bonds Katherine Branch-Browne Linda & Michael Diamond Lindsay & Thomas Enright Lora & Geoffrey Fishman Kristy & Michael Fortin Mr. & Mrs. Walter Isom Melanie Leeth Yuko Little Debia & Robert McCulloch Laura & H. McKee Nunnally Paul & Malissa O’Connor & Savannah, Bethany, & Paul III Jean & Kevin O’Halloran Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Ritzenberg Robin H. Sangston Carolyn Sparks Rosie & Jim Stokes Alice & Chris Thacker Valerie & Jose Vargas We apologize for any errors or omissions in this listing. Please email corrections to ldabney@atlantaballet.com.

Atlanta’s Performing Arts Publication 27

acknowledgements Interprint Communications, The Official Printer of Atlanta Ballet Kennesaw State University, The Official Academic Partner of Atlanta Ballet Plaza Executive Health Club, The Official Healthclub of Atlanta Ballet Ryder Truck Rental Systems, Inc., The Official Set Transporter of Atlanta Ballet Cooper Atlanta Transportation Services, The Preferred Chauffeured Service of Atlanta Ballet Artmore Hotel ASV, Video Services Brooks, McGinnis, & Company, LLC, Audit Firm Charlie McCullers Photography Embassy Suites Atlanta – Galleria Four Seasons Hotel Dr. Frank A. Sinkoe, Podiatric Orthopedics Holiday Inn J.D. French & Assoc.

Jean Padberg & Associates, P.C., Immigration Counsel Dr. Karen Joanson-Scott, Buckhead Family Chiropractic Kim Kenney Photography Lanier Parking Holdings, Inc. Dr. Letha Griffin, Peachtree Orthopedic Clinic Orthopedic Specialist Littler Mendelson, Attorney Marcia Toye-Vego, Emory Physical Therapy, Physical Therapy Paul Dolan Vineyards PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Tax Accountants Showcase Photo & Video Solomon Says, Inc. Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits Wildwood Athletic Club Atlanta Ballet is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA also received support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts. Major funding is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council, and by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs. Additional funding has been provided by our individual donors, corporate sponsors, and foundations.

For more information, please visit our website at www.atlantaballet.com.

All dates and programs are subject to change.

28 EncoreAtlantA.com

We’re for childhood.

Childhood can be tough, especially on parents. That’s why you need WellStar.

Our pediatricians are experts in keeping your kids healthy and your mind at ease.

WellStar’s Pediatric Network can be found close to home in Cobb, Cherokee, Douglas and Paulding counties. And because aches and pains don’t take a day off, many of our pediatricians offer same-day appointments, six days a week.

When it’s more than aches and scrapes, count on WellStar’s two pediatric emergency departments, at WellStar Kennestone and WellStar Cobb Hospitals.

Our pediatric specialists and equipment specifically designed for children and teens will get your child back to childhood as soon as possible.

To learn more, call 770-956-STAR or visit the new wellstar.org.

We believe in life well-lived.

Women • Newborns • Pediatrics

The vision of WellStar Health System is to deliver world-class healthcare. Our not-for-profit health system includes WellStar Cobb Hospital, WellStar Douglas Hospital, WellStar Kennestone Hospital, WellStar Paulding Hospital, WellStar Windy Hill Hospital and WellStar Medical Group.