Atlanta Ballet, The Rite of Spring & The Swan Princess, February 2025
ATLANTA BALLET
Atlanta Ballet dancers Jessica He and Sergio Masero in 7 for Eight. Photo by Kim Kenney.
Emily Carrico. Photo by Rachel Neville. The Swan Princess Illustration by Jade Orlando.
February 7-14, 2025
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
With the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra
Conductor, Jonathan McPhee
Guest Conductor, Tamara Dworetz
7 for Eight
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Choreography by Helgi Tomasson
Staging by Anita Paciotti-Murphy
Costume Design by Sandra Woodall
Lighting Design by David Finn
Pianist, Western-Li Summerton
The Rite of Spring
A World Premiere
Underwritten by Katherine Scott
Music by Igor Stravinsky
Choreography by Claudia Schreier
Scenic Design by Jason Ardizzone-West
Associate Scenic Design by Emma Antenen
Costume Design by Abigail Dupree-Polston
Lighting Design by Ben Rawson
COMPANY BALLET REPETITEURS
Angela Agresti, Rory Hohenstein, Eduardo Permuy
CHOREOGRAPHER-IN-RESIDENCE
Claudia Schreier
DEAN OF THE CENTRE FOR DANCE EDUCATION
Sharon Story
THE COMPANY
Santiago Bedoya, Severin Brotschul, Khulan Burenjargal, Georgie Grace Butler, Emily Carrico, Michael Caye, Catherine Conley, Larissa Dal’Santo, Brooke Gilliam, Jessica He, Gianna Horton-Sibble, Airi Igarashi, Darian Kane, Matoi Kawamoto, Sojung Lee, Jordan Leeper, Guilherme Maciel, Sergio Masero, Juliana Missano, Miguel Angel Montoya, Marius Morawski, Mayu Nakayama, Denys Nedak, Carraig New, Madison Penney, Sophie Poulain, Ángel Ramírez, Mikaela Santos, Anderson Souza, Paxton Speight, Emanuel Tavares, Munkhjin Ulziijargal, Kelsey Van Tine, Spencer Wetherington, Luiz Fernando Xavier, Rei Yamaguchi, Nicholas Yurkevich
ATLANTA BALLET 2
Claire Buchi, Daniel Gray, Sayaka Iwase, Camille Margaret Jackson, Stacey Johnson, Isabella Kessler, Jacob Lainchbury, Emily McAllister, Ashley McKoy, Avery Nelson, Leo O’Reilly Okuno, Dyhan Pierre, Luisa Pimenta, Ícaro Queiros, Gianni Salazar, Júlio Santos, Eliza Soto, Emanuel Talongo, Rachel Zinman
Atlanta Ballet 2 courtesy of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education
Scan QR Code to View Casting
Dorothy Moses Alexander - Atlanta Ballet Founder, 1929 - 1960
Robert Barnett - Artistic Director Emeritus, 1961 - 1994
John McFall – Artistic Director, 1994 - 2016
PROGRAM NOTES
It’s the summer of 1913, and Paris is changing. The City of Light is ablaze with art, dance, and cultural revolution. Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes has recently captivated Parisian audiences with Firebird, set to the music of Igor Stravinsky. Their next collaboration, The Rite of Spring featuring the choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky, is one of the most anticipated productions of the year. On an opening night like no other, The Rite heralded the aesthetic of a new generation, where innovation and tradition collided, and the audience erupted into a riot.
Based on pagan Russian folklore, The Rite depicted a series of ceremonial dances—a community unified by the power and surge from Earth’s spring—culminating in the ritualistic selection of a sacrificial maiden, who dances until her death as an offering to the gods. Her death, like much else, is left unexplained, leaving the audience to contextualize a glimpse of a long-ago land and culture within their modern surroundings. Raw, instinctual, and unrefined, The Rite tells a story of the human struggle against nature’s inexorable ways.
Atlanta Ballet dancers in The Rite of Spring rehearsals. Photo by Shoccara Marcus.
The tale of a virgin sacrifice clashed with Parisian sensibilities, as did the music and choreography. A critic of the time remarked, “There is no, in all of The Rite of Spring, a single line, a single movement of a single character that has the appearance of grace, elegance, lightness, refinement, eloquence, and expression, everything is ugly, heavyhandedly, plainly and consistently ugly.” Stravinsky’s score was riddled with intentional “mistakes”, bringing the orchestra, associated with high society and culture, to a wild and earthy level. Within the first notes of the overture, audience members laughed, and once the performance began in earnest, reactions escalated.
The Parisian elite saw The Rite as a rejection of Western and feminine ideals as they were embodied in European ballet, elevating pagan Slavic aesthetics to an equal standing with European traditional aesthetics. Simply put, The Rite was “not fit” for the grandeur and status of Parisian ballet customs and audiences. There were reports of anything and everything available thrown into the orchestral pit, brawls between audience members, and shouts drowning out the hundredpiece orchestra. Midway through, Stravinsky retreated backstage from the audience as Nijinsky, in the wings, shouted out the counts for the dancers, who could no longer hear the music.
In the following years, the choreography for The Rite was lost until historical reconstruction efforts in the 1970s and 1980s, while the score went on, independent of the choreography, to much acclaim. However, the plot, score, and transgressive nature of The Rite have been the basis of many recreations and interpretations by revolutionary individuals such as Martha Graham, Lester Horton, Mary Wigman, Pina Bausch and Paul Taylor, as well as institutions such as The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Kirov Ballet. With each new rendition, artists hope to revitalize conversations, push boundaries, and challenge the audience’s assumptions. Today the original work is revered as a critical piece in the modernist canon, and the practice of revitalizing the production for current audiences is an artistic tradition that defies the transient nature of dance through continual reinvention.
Atlanta Ballet and Claudia Schreier now add their names to the historic list of those reinventing and preserving The Rite of Spring for new audiences, bringing a new and fresh take on a seminal classic.
Jonathan McPhee’s edition of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is the only reduced orchestration of this work authorized by the Stravinsky Trust. This edition premiered in 1984 at New York State Theater in Lincoln Center with choreography by Martha Graham. McPhee’s orchestration is considered the industry standard, and one with the most fealty to Stravinsky’s original.
* Program Notes by Margaux Nicolas
GENNADI NEDVIGIN (Artistic Director), in February 2016, was named Atlanta Ballet’s fourth artistic director in the Company’s then 87-year history. Nedvigin, born in Rostov, Russia, began his training at age five. At 10, he was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Upon graduating, he joined Moscow Renaissance Ballet as a soloist before he was invited to dance with Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 1997, while on tour in the U.S., San Francisco Ballet (SFB) Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson offered Nedvigin a soloist contract. After three years, he was promoted to principal dancer. While 19 seasons at SFB, Nedvigin won the International Competition’s Erik Bruhn Prize (1999). He has also received three Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (2001, 2010 and 2017). Along the way, Nedvigin was fortunate to work with many world-renowned choreographers. In addition to his dancing career, Nedvigin also taught master classes and staged ballets in the U.S. and abroad before becoming an artistic director. Recently, Nedvigin sat on juried panels at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi, the Japan Grand Prix and the Youth America Grand Prix. Under Nedvigin’s guidance, Atlanta Ballet has established the Academy training program, which includes a top-tier performance ensemble, Atlanta Ballet 2, representing his commitment to training for the next generation of professional dancers.
TOM WEST (Executive Director) assumed his role as Atlanta Ballet’s Executive Director in 2021. West’s career in arts management spans more than 25 years, including leadership roles at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Film Institute. An actor and theatre director by training, West received a Master of Arts in arts management from American University and began his career in arts management at the Kennedy Center in 1997, where he rose to serve as Vice President of Development, overseeing all fundraising programs for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and leading Farrell’s effort to fund a remount of Balanchine’s Don Quixote. In 2007, West served as Vice President of Development for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 2010-2021, West served as the Chief Advancement Officer for the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, where he championed the development of new programs to provide bridges to the film industry for under-represented storytellers in Hollywood. West established the AFI National Council in 2011, a community of philanthropists from across the United States who serve as champions for excellence in the art of film and opportunities for the next generation of great storytellers. Since joining Atlanta Ballet in 2021, West’s focus has been on Atlanta Ballet’s long-term financial health and prestige, expanding engagement in the greater Atlanta region and breaking down historic barriers to full participation in the artform of Ballet for all.
SHARON STORY (Dean of the Centre for Dance Education) joined Atlanta Ballet after a professional dance career that spanned more than 20 years and included tenures with Joffrey Ballet, the School of American Ballet, Stars of New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and 10 years with Boston Ballet. Her Boston Ballet tenure included international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. In 1996, along with her role as ballet mistress, Story became dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education (Centre), which has grown to become one of the largest dance schools in the nation. The Centre is nationally recognized for its programs and community initiatives. Under Story’s direction, the Centre achieved accreditation with the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). She serves on the board of directors for NASD. In 2021, Story received Atlanta Ballet’s Dorothy Alexander Award. She received the 2015 Women Making a Mark Award from Atlanta Magazine and was featured in the Arts ATL Legacy Series 2018. Story is committed to providing a noncompetitive atmosphere and access to dance education that is shaped by the community’s needs, is innovative and inspires the commitment and excellence that are the trademarks of Atlanta Ballet.
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Stars Her 1996, Centre largest programs accreditation serves Dorothy from Story dance inspires
ANGELA AGRESTI (Company Repetiteur) grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she began her training at the Jordon College Academy of Dance and later transferred to North Carolina School of the Arts (now UNCSA) for ballet where she worked closely with mentor Anna-Marie Holmes. After UNCSA, Agresti went on to dance with Cincinnati Ballet for one season before moving to Amsterdam to be in Het Nationale Ballet (Dutch National Ballet) where she danced for eight years. While at Het Nationale Ballet, she danced a mix of classical ballets, Balanchine works, Hans van Manen repertoire, contemporary and neoclassical works, along with new creations. Agresti has been featured in William Forsythe’s Second Detail, Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quichot, Shen Wei’s Sacre du Printemps, and other notable ballets, such as The Dream, Paquita and Swan Lake During her time dancing in Amsterdam, Agresti gained experience as a choreographic assistant for multiple choreographers’ stage, film and festival works. She traveled to Riom, Switzerland, assisting works by Juanjo Arques and Peter Leung for the Origen Cultural Festival. She also worked with Peter Leung on the first ever virtual reality ballet entitled Nightfall. Since returning to the U.S. in 2018, Agresti has been teaching, coaching and rehearsing dancers at the collegiate, pre-professional and professional levels. She held positions at Butler University and Anderson University, and as a company ballet teacher and rehearsal assistant at Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. In 2018, she assisted Annabelle Lopez Ochoa in the making of Tulips and Lobster for Kansas City Ballet and re-staged the work for the company the following season. She holds certifications in the ABT National Training Curriculum for levels PrePrimary through Level 5 and holds a Nonprofit Management Certificate from the University of California Irvine. Since being a repetiteur with Atlanta Ballet, she has worked with classical repertoire such as Don Quixote and La Sylphide as well as new works for Remi Wörtmeyer, Garrett Smith and Juliano Nunes. In the 23-24 season, Agresti had the privilege of staging Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon for the North American premiere with Atlanta Ballet.
RORY HOHENSTEIN (Company Repetiteur) was born in Washington D.C., where he began dancing at the age of six. Hohenstein furthered his training from the age of 12 at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. At 17, he joined Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris. In 2000, he joined San Francisco Ballet as a member of the corps, being promoted to soloist in 2006. In 2008, he moved to New York, joining Christopher Wheeldon’s company, Morphoses, performing in its home seasons at New York City Center and at Sadler’s Wells in London. He spent a season dancing with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company before joining the Joffrey Ballet in 2011, where he continued to be a leading artist with the company through the 2018-19 season. Some personal highlights include dancing the roles of Romeo in Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet, Riff in Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite, Fancy Free, Red Man in Lar Lubovitch’s Elemental Brubeck, The Roper in Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo, Levin in Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina, Forgotten Land from Jiří Kylián and Wayne McGregor’s Eden/Eden. As a Repetiteur Rory has staged several works from choreographers Helgi Tommason, Lar Lubovitch and Liam Scarlet. He has been a Company Repetiteur with Atlanta Ballet since 2019.
EDUARDO PERMUY (Company Repetiteur) was born in Cuba, where he began his training at the age of seven at Laura Alonso’s ballet school Pro-Danza, later joining the National Ballet School of Cuba and finishing at Miami City Ballet School under the tutelage of Nancy Raffa. At the age of 17, Permuy started his professional career with Miami City Ballet as an apprentice and he went on to enjoy a career of 18 years also dancing for American Ballet Theatre Studio Company, Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and appearing as guest artist with a few others. During this time, his repertoire included most of the classics and a vast number of ballets from the Balanchine repertoire, ranging from corps to principal roles. He also had the opportunity to perform ballets from Gerald Arpino, Robert Joffrey, Jiří Kylián, Kurt Joss, John Cranko, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Twyla Tharp, Helen Picket, Nicolo Fonte, Antony Tudor, Ulysses Dove, Michael Smuin, Val Caniparoli, Alberto Alonso, Benjamin Millepied, Leonide Massine, and Amy Seiwert. Throughout his career, Permuy feels blessed to have learned from figures like Nancy Raffa, Fernanado Bujones, Martha Bosh, Sir Anthony Dowell, Christopher Carr, Eddie Villella and Clinton Luckett. In 2021, he joined Cleveland Ballet as a director of repertoire, where he had the opportunity not only to perform ballet master duties but also was able to return to the stage as a character dancer, performing the roles of Don Quijote in the ballet by the same name and Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. This is Permuy’s third season with Atlanta Ballet.
CLAUDIA SCHREIER (Choreographer-in-Residence and Choreographer, The Rite of Spring) has choreographed, directed, and produced for dance, opera, and film across the U.S. and internationally. She has created over 50 works for various companies and organizations, including San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Vail Dance Festival, Richmond Ballet, Guggenheim Works & Process, ABT Studio Company, Juilliard Opera, New York Choral Society, and New York Choreographic Institute. Her works for Atlanta Ballet include Nighthawks, Carnivale, Fauna, Pleiades Dances, and First Impulse, named a 2019 Standout Performance by Pointe Magazine. Schreier and Atlanta Ballet partnered with the Cathedral Choir Society in 2022 to present Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette at the Washington National Cathedral. In 2021, Schreier released Force of Habit, a film commissioned by Guggenheim Works & Process and co-presented by Atlanta Ballet. She has contributed to programs at the White House, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, including the Kennedy Center Honors. Her work is the subject of two documentaries, most recently PBS’s Emmy Award-Winning “Dancing on the Shoulders of Giants” (Capital Region). Schreier presented her TEDx talk “Thinking On Your Feet,” at Columbia University in 2018. She is a recipient of the Princess Grace Award, Toulmin Fellowship at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, Lotos Prize, and Suzanne Farrell Dance Prize.
LARISSA DAL’SANTO Chapecó, Brazil
SEVERIN BROTSCHUL Glen Arbor, Michigan
EMILY CARRICO Lexington, Kentucky
MICHAEL CAYE Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
CATHERINE CONLEY Chicago, Illinois
GEORGIE GRACE BUTLER Roswell, Georgia
BROOKE GILLIAM Boulder, Colorado
JESSICA HE Rancho Cucamonga, California
AIRI IGARASHI Gunma, Japan
DARIAN KANE Lincoln, California
MATOI KAWAMOTO Tokyo, Japan
JORDAN LEEPER Jamestown, New York
GUILHERME MACIEL São Paulo, Brazil
SERGIO MASERO Madrid, Spain
JULIANA MISSANO Lloyd Harbor, New York
MIGUEL ANGEL MONTOYA Cali, Colombia
KHULAN BURENJARGAL Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
SANTIAGO BEDOYA Medellín, Colombia
GIANNA HORTON-SIBBLE Hornell, New York
SOJUNG LEE Chungju, South Korea
Atlanta Ballet photos by Kim Kenney.
LUIZ FERNANDO XAVIER São Paulo, Brazil
MARIUS MORAWSKI Łódź, Poland
MADISON PENNEY Mesa, Arizona
REI YAMAGUCHI Hokkaido, Japan
DENYS NEDAK Odessa, Ukraine
CARRAIG NEW Juneau, Alaska
ÁNGEL RAMÍREZ Trinidad, Cuba
MIKAELA SANTOS Manila, Philippines
ANDERSON SOUZA Santo Angelo, RS, Brazil
KELSEY VAN TINE Naples, Florida
SPENCER WETHERINGTON Bridgeton, New Jersey
MUNKHJIN ULZIIJARGAL Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
MAYU NAKAYAMA Tochigi, Japan
SOPHIE POULAIN Halifax, Nova Scotia
PAXTON SPEIGHT York County, Virginia
EMANUEL TAVARES Fortaleza, Brazil
NICHOLAS YURKEVICH San Francisco, California
20 creative team
HELGI TOMASSON (Choreographer, 7 for Eight), one of the most venerated classical dancers of his generation, concluded his 37th and final season as Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of San Francisco Ballet in 2022. Born in Iceland, he danced with Harkness Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and New York City Ballet, where he distinguished himself as a dancer of technical purity, musicality, and intelligence. Tomasson assumed leadership of San Francisco Ballet in 1985. Under his direction, San Francisco Ballet became a company widely recognized as one of the finest in the world. Tomasson balanced devotion to the classics with an emphasis on new works, cultivating frequent collaborations and commissions with choreographers such as William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Trey McIntyre, Cathy Marston, and Mark Morris, among many others. He choreographed more than 50 works for the Company, including full-length productions of Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet (taped for Lincoln Center at the Movies’ Great American Dance), Giselle, and Nutcracker (taped for PBS’s Great Performances). He conceptualized the 1995 UNited We Dance festival, in which San Francisco Ballet hosted 12 international companies; the 2008 New Works Festival, which included 10 world premieres by 10 acclaimed choreographers; and 2018 Unbound: A Festival of New Works. Tomasson has also connected San Francisco Ballet to the world, through co-commissions with American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet; and major tours to Paris, London, New York City, China, and his native Iceland. In 2020, Tomasson received the San Francisco Arts Medallion, created by the Museum of Performance + Design to recognize those individuals whose leadership, action, and generosity have benefited the cultural life of the San Francisco Bay Area.
ANITA PACIOTTI-MURPHY (Stager, 7 for Eight). A California native, Paciotti was a Principal Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet for 18 years, under the directorships of Lew Christensen, Michael Smuin, and Helgi Tomasson. She then served as Rehearsal Director for all of Tomasson’s 37-years at the helm and was also a Principal Character Dancer during that period. Tomasson created the role of Carabosse in his Sleeping Beauty on her, as well as the Nurse in his Romeo and Juliette. She retired from the company in 2023. Paciotti has been responsible for staging and maintaining the ballets of many choreographers, including Tomasson, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, Cathy Marston, Stanton Welch, James Kudelka, Lar Lubovich and David Bintley.
SANDRA WOODALL (Costume Designer, 7 for Eight), visual artist and a leading designer for dance, has designed sets and costumes at San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, the State Opera Ballet of Austria, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Project, Singapore Dance Theatre, National Ballet of Finland and other companies around the world. Woodall’s artwork has been shown in exhibitions at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut, the San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design, and at WearableArt, Hong Kong. She has been a Fulbright scholar at Taiwan National University of the Arts and has designed many productions in Taiwan and China, including 2009’s stadium-scale opening for the Deaf Olympics, the 100th anniversary celebration of Taiwan National Day, Winter Journey by Wan Fang in Beijing and the 2019 premiere in Shanghai of Stan Lai’s 8-hour epic, AGO
DAVID FINN (Lighting Designer, 7 for Eight) began his professional career as a lighting designer at age 16, working for puppeteer Burr Tillstrom — “Kukla, Fran and Ollie.” His design credits for dance include works for such renowned choreographers as Sasha Waltz, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Merce Cunningham, James Kudelka, José Limón, Helgi Tomasson, Liam Scarlett,
Yuri Possokhov and Dana Reitz, as well as for leading international companies. Finn was the resident lighting designer for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project from 1993 to 2000. His opera work includes projects for the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera, Paris Opera, La Scala Milan, Salzburg Festival and many others. Finn has designed the Cirque du Soleil shows ZED in Tokyo, and R.U.N. and Michael Jackson ONE in Las Vegas. Recent projects include the world premieres of The Flying Dutchman for the Metropolitan Opera, The Seagull for The Bolshoi Ballet, Symphonie MMXX for Sasha Waltz and The Berlin Ballet, Anna Karenina for the Joffrey Ballet, Lohengrin for The Bolshoi Opera & the Metropolitan Opera, Antony & Cleopatra for the San Francisco Opera, Cinderella for The Royal Ballet, and Summer & Smoke with choreographer Cathy Marston for ABT and the Houston Ballet.
JASON ARDIZZONE-WEST (Scenic Designer, The Rite of Spring) is an Emmy award-winning set and production designer whose work spans the genres of live theater, tv/film, concert design, immersive design, and architecture. Ardizzone-West has collaborated with creative teams and theaters across the country including The Public, The Atlantic, St Ann’s Playhouse, The Vineyard, Theater For A New Audience, La Jolla Playhouse, The Geffen, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Miami City Ballet, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, The Huntington, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, and more. Recent and notable projects include Redwood (La Jolla Playhouse / Broadway), Florence + The Machine (arena tour), Phish - Gamehendge (Madison Square Garden), Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (St Ann’s Warehouse), Jesus Christ Superstar Live (NBC), Wedding Band (Theater for a New Audience), Blue Man Group (tour), shadow/land (The Public Theater), “Usher” (Paris residency), “Hikaru Utada” (Japan / Asia arena tour), and “Adele, Live in NYC” (Radio City Music Hall), among others. Member USA 829.
EMMA ANTENEN (Associate Scenic Designer, The Rite of Spring) is a scenic designer based in Brooklyn, New York. Credits include As One (The Atlanta Opera), Romeo and Juliet (The Woolgatherers), Hidden Away: A Pirate Musical (CO/LAB Theater Group), and Adam Minus Josh (Willow Theatricals). Associate & Assistant design at Belasco Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Co, The Public Theater, The Guthrie, Arena Stage, 5th Avenue Theatre, McCarter Theater, Alley Theatre, and others. Antenen is a proud member of USA829.
ABIGAIL DUPREE-POLSTON (Costume Designer, The Rite of Spring) came to ballet from a career in fashion design, after attending Savannah College of Art and Design. She designed specialty athletic apparel before transitioning to design for the stage. Dupree-Polston has worked in both ballet and opera, designing works such as Kin for the San Francisco Ballet, The Source for the Miami City Ballet, and various pieces including Nighthawks, Carnivale, and Fauna with choreographer Claudia Schreier.
BEN RAWSON (Lighting Designer, The Rite of Spring) is an Atlanta-based Lighting Designer for Theatre, Opera, and Dance, member USA 829. Theatrical/Opera design work can be seen at The Alliance Theatre (GA), Detroit Opera (MI), Florida Studio Theatre (FL), Glimmerglass Opera (NY), Utah Opera (UT), Atlanta Opera (GA), Theatrical Outfit (GA), Center Rep (CA), Aurora Theatre (GA), Actors Express (GA), and others. Dance design work includes choreographers Ana Maria Lucaciu, Troy Schumacher, Claudia Schreier, Remi Wörtmeyer, Bruce Wells, Danielle Agami, and Omar Roman De Jesus, as well as with Atlanta Ballet (GA), BalletCollective (NY), Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre (GA), Fly On A Wall (GA), and others. Rawson has also worked across the country as an Associate & Assistant Lighting Designer for San Diego Opera (CA), The Alliance Theatre (GA), Berkshire Theatre Festival (MA), Atlanta Opera (GA), Utah Opera (UT), Glimmerglass Festival (NY), Playmakers Repertory Company (NC), and Atlanta Ballet (GA).
JONATHAN MCPHEE (Conductor) is equally at home as a conductor for the symphony, ballet, and opera. He is Conductor Emeritus of Boston Ballet having served as Music Director for the Boston Ballet Orchestra for 28 years. McPhee maintains an active guest conducting schedule in addition to his position as Music Director for Lexington Symphony. In recent seasons McPhee has conducted many orchestras at home and abroad including the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (SA), the Toledo Symphony (Ohio), London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarasota Symphony (FL), Germany’s Hamburg Philharmonic, the Ukraine National Opera Orchestra, Houston Ballet Orchestra, and conducted performances at the Dubai Opera House and Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan. Some of the world’s most distinguished dance companies for which McPhee has served as conductor include The Royal Ballet (England), Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada, The Australian Ballet, the New York City Ballet, Den Norske Ballett in Norway, and The Royal Danish Ballet in Denmark. In addition to a broad repertoire in the field of dance, McPhee has conducted grand opera, pops concerts, musical theatre and operetta. McPhee’s works as an arranger and composer are in the repertoires of orchestras and ballet companies around the world. His edition of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and the complete Firebird ballet are the only reduced orchestrations of these works authorized by the Stravinsky Trust. McPhee’s compositions and arrangements are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. & Schott Music Publishers in Germany. His arrangement of Wagner’s complete RING Cycle, entitled “The Essential RING”, was premiered by Lexington Symphony and has received international acclaim as a wonderful and respectfully approachable version of this masterpiece and is available from Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. McPhee’s best-selling recording of The Nutcracker with the Boston Ballet Orchestra has achieved “classical gold” status. Other recordings include highlights from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet with that orchestra, and Michael Gandolfi’s Caution to the Wind on the CRI label. McPhee conducted the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Aarhus Orchestra for the films of Martha Graham’s works telecast by DANCE IN AMERICA that included Samuel Barber’s Cave of the Heart, Menotti’s Errand into the Maze, and Edgard Varese’s Intégrales, Offrandes, and Octandre. McPhee also produced the restoration and conducted the soundtrack for the film of Martha Graham dancing Frontier for DANCE IN AMERICA with London’s National Philharmonic. Born in Philadelphia, McPhee received his L.R.A.M. from the Royal Academy of Music and University of London, and a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School. While at Juilliard, McPhee was the recipient of a Naumburg Scholarship in English Horn and Conducting. He studied with Leonard Brain, David Diamond, Thomas Stacy, Rudolf Kempe, Sixten Ehrling, and master classes with Sir Georg Solti.
Photo by Rosalie O’Connor
TAMARA DWORETZ (Guest Conductor) is driven by her belief in the power of classical music to inspire, spread joy and create community. Her compelling, imaginative performances transport audiences so that “reality still(s).” [Seattle Times]. Dworetz’s 2024-25 season plans include debuts with the Atlanta Ballet and Sarasota Orchestra and a world premiere violin concerto by composer Michael Kurth in her second year as Artistic Director & Conductor of the Georgia Philharmonic. She was recently appointed Associate Conductor of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestras, NYOUSA and NYO2 and will work on a team with James Ross and Carlos Ágreda to prepare NYO-USA and NYO2 before traveling on NYO-USA’s South American Tour with Marin Alsop and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Dworetz recently conducted her first staged opera, Bizet’s Carmen, and debuted with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra featuring pianist, Conrad Tao. In 2022, Dworetz was selected as one of 14 candidates from a worldwide pool in the 2022 La Maestra Conducting Competition and Academy for Women Conductors in Paris. She was the only US-born conductor selected for the competition and earned a spot as one of six semi-finalists. Maestra, a documentary directed by Maggie Contreras with Executive Producer David Letterman, features five conductors from the competition, including Dworetz, and was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and highlighted in the NY Times, LA Times, CBS National News as well as international film festivals. Dworetz has conducted the Paris Mozart Orchestra, Boston Pops, Dallas Opera Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony, and Mankato Symphony. She has served as an assistant conductor for the Orchestre de Paris (Klaus Mäkelä), Gürzenich Orchestre Cologne (François-Xavier Roth), BBC Concert Orchestra (Bramwell Tovey) and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Nathalie Stutzmann) and won 2nd prize in the Boston Pops’ Leonard Bernstein Conducting Competition.
For the full creative team behind this production, visit atlantaballet.com/performances/the-rite-of-spring
board of trustees
Officers
Nancy Field, J.D., Chair
Nigel Ferguson, Vice Chair
Linda Morris, Treasurer
Jan Beaves, Secretary
Trustees
Elizabeth Adams
Emily C. Baker
Ginny Brewer
Chris Carlos
Lynn Cochran-Schroder
Lynda B. Courts
Cynthia Crain, Ed.D.
Vanessa Delmer
Lovely A. Dhillon, J.D.
Yelena Epova, CPA
Jacqueline Flake
Amy Gerome
Caroline B. Gottschalk
Matthew Hartnett
Mona Heyer
Joyce Houser, Ph.D.
Barbara S. Joiner
Kathleen Knous
Kristin Manion Taylor
Taylor Meyer, CFA
Gennadi Nedvigin*
Rachel Lee Phipps
Kristy Rachal
Katherine Scott
Scott Wagner
Tom West*
Cristel Williams
Advisory Council
David M. Barnett
Mark R. Bell Ph.D.
Dr. Meria Carstarphen
Harvey Coleman
Elaine E. Davis
Erroll B. Davis
Anne-Laure Desjonquères
F. Javier Diaz
Raoul “Ray” Donato
Jake Evans
Linda Nau Givens
Mark Goldman
Robert L. Green
Susan S. Kettering
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
Allen Maines
Santiago Marquez
Juan Mejia
Allen W. Nelson
Eric Robbins
Arden Hess Rowland
Scot Safon
Sharon Silvermintz
Rebecca Christian Smith
Anat Sultan-Dadon
Dov Wilker
Allen Yee
Honorary Board
Margaret Carton
David Crosland
Kenneth R. Hey
Wade Hooper
J. David Hopkins
Bill Huber, CPA
Michael Jones
Sloan Kennedy-Smith
Edward Krugman
Amanda Shailendra
Michelle Sullivan
Trustees Emeriti
Lynda B. Courts
Lavona S. Currie†
Karen Vereb
Patti Wallace†
Lifetime Board
Jane Dean
Carole Goldberg
Joseph Prendergast
Deen Day Sanders
Corps de Ballet Board
Jacqueline Flake, Chair
Nancy Flaherty, Vice-Chair
Jen Alewine, Secretary
Joanne Chesler Gross, Treasurer
Sharon Silvermintz, Immediate Past Chair
Sineet Berhane
Susan Currie
Kimberlyn Daniel
Jane Dean
Jessica DeHart
Christy Fiftal
Corrie Johnson
Lara Mitchelson
Amy Nelson
Melissa Nowak
Gailen Rosenberg
Arden Hess Rowland
Dottie Smith†
Marsha Taylor
Erica Thomas
Doug Weiss
Preston Wilson, Jr.
Mary Kathryn Winsett
*Ex-Officio †In Memoriam
ATLANTA BALLET ORCHESTRA
VIOLIN
Lisa Morrison Concertmaster
Sally Gardner-Wilson Assoc. Concertmaster
Linda Pinner Principal Second
Patti Gouvas
Alison James
Kathryn Koch
Mao Omura
Patrick Ryan
Angèle Sherwood-Lawless+
Elonia Varfi
Rafael Veytsblum
Ying Zhuo
VIOLA
Joli Wu Principal
Josiah Coe
Shadwa Mussad
CELLO
Charae Krueger Principal
Alana Bennett-Garcia
Alexis Lee
InYoung Park
CONTRABASS
Adam Bernstein Principal
FLUTE
Jeanne Carere Principal
Aaron Rib
OBOE
Alexandra Shatalova Prior Principal
Christina Gavin
CLARINET
Katherine White Principal
Greg Collins
BASSOON
Amy Pollard Principal
Dan Worley+
HORN
Jason Eklund Principal
Eric Hawkins
Amy Trotz Richard Williams+
TRUMPET
Kevin Lyons Principal
Greg Holland+
TROMBONE
William Mann Principal
Ryan Black
Mark Spradley
TUBA
Don Strand Principal
PERCUSSION
Mike Cebulski Principal
Karen Hunt
Jeff Kershner
TIMPANI
Scott Douglas Principal
HARP
Nella Rigell Principal + Leave of Absence
ANNUAL FUND DONORS
Atlanta Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following individuals whose generous annual contributions were received during the period of December 15, 2023 – December 15, 2024. If you find that we did not recognize you appropriately, we apologize. For corrections, please contact us at advancement@atlantaballet.com.
THE CHOREOGRAPHERS CIRCLE
Recognizes exceptional gifts of $10,000 and above
DIAMOND $100,000+
Anonymous (3)
Chris Carlos & Family
Katherine Scott
RUBY $75,000+ Anonymous
Kathleen & Kirk Knous
SAPPHIRE $50,000+
Anonymous
EMERALD $25,000+
Ms. Jan P. Beaves
Mrs. Lynn Cochran-Schroder & Mr. William Schroder
Cynthia Crain, Ed. D. & Dwight Lee, Ph.D.
Elaine & Erroll Davis Morgan Family Fund
The Elster Foundation
PEARL $20,000+
Anonymous
Ginny & Charles Brewer Caroline Bergman Gottschalk and Allen W. Nelson
Barbara & Eric Joiner
Linda & Don Morris
Mr. William F. Snyder
OPAL $15,000+
Anonymous
Emily C. Baker & Christopher Bly
Nigel Ferguson
Bonnie & Terry Herron
Heather & Bill Preston
Carol & Ramon Tomé
Yee Family Charitable Fund
AMETHYST $10,000+
Anonymous
Elizabeth & Howell Adams III
Vanessa & Robin Delmer
Ms. Nancy Field & Mr. Michael Schulder
Jacqueline Flake & David Dase
Adrienne & Scott Hardesty
Joyce Houser, Ph.D.
Kelin Foundation
Taylor & Brad Meyer
Rogers Family Foundation
Kristen Manion Taylor & Jason Taylor
Pam & Paul Whitacre
Special thanks and deepest gratitude to the Atlanta Ballet Trustees for 100% participation in contributions to Atlanta Ballet’s Operating Reserve Fund, with leadership gifts from The Carlos Family Foundation, Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Courts II, Nancy Field & Michael Schulder, and Katherine Scott.
GRAND JETÉ $7,500+
Robert J. Barnett
Catherine Binns
THE DANCERS CIRCLE
Recognizes generous gifts up to $10,000
Lucy & Henry Bush, in memory of Lavona Currie, and in honor of Sharon Story
Matthew & Brittany Hartnett
Nicholas Marrone
Dr. Peter & Mrs. Beverly Thomas
TOUR JETÉ $5,000+
Robert Paul Dean & Robert Epstein
Mr. Richard Delay & Ms. Francine Dykes
Mr. Daniel E. Gaylord & Ms. Marilyn Altman
Joanne & Alex Gross
Allison & Jay Jowers
Mr. Shea Meddin
Paul & Kimberly Meisel
Margaret Painter
Ginger Brill Pisik
Wade Rakes & Nicholas Miller
Silberman Family Fund, in honor of Ron Breakstone
The Mortimer Family
Irma J. Turnipseed
Karen Vereb & Bud Blanton
Sonia P. Witkowski
Liza Yntema
ASSEMBLÉ $2,500+
Anonymous
Diana & Miguel Arteche
Robert & Terry Banta, in memory of Lavona Currie
Dr. Harold J. Brody & Mr. Donald E. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Jerome M. Cooper
James Datka & Nora DePalma
Dr. Madalyn Davidoff
Steve, Susan & Grace Hauser
Kenneth & Colleen Hey
Laurie & John Hopkins
Dr. Leslie & Mrs. Marilyn Kelman, in honor of Darcy & Rachel Denneen
Vaughn Linder, in honor of Lynda & Richard Courts
Dr. Ellis L. Malone
Carole & Nelson Marchioli
Gino & Belinda Massafra
Denis Ng
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Pelletier
Stuart Pliner & Barbara Bing Pliner
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ratonyi
James & J. Ann Sandy
Debby & Baker Smith
Sharon Story, Julien & Kim Kenney
Dr. John Trimble & Ms. Marianne Stribling
Tom West
Andrea Weyermann & Tim Goodwin
Ling Yang
GLISSADE $1,000+
Anonymous (3)
Hope Barrett
Mr. & Mrs. Martin P. Bennett
Kaitlyn Bergeron
Mr. Xavier and Stephanie Bignon
Richard Bohrer
Peter & Dulce Boucher
Mr. & Mrs. Sean Bowen
Dr. and Mrs. James A. Brennan
Dr. & Mrs. William Brinkman
Sara & Alex Brown
Mr. Michael E. Carroll and Mr. Paul Alberto
Nicole Clifton
David Cofrin and Christine Tryba-Cofrin
Harvey J. Coleman
John Condo
Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence W. Davis
Mr. Joseph Dawsey III
Katie Deegan
Lovely Dhillon
Jennifer Dodd & Reggie Graham
Kevin & Demi Doyle
Mr. & Ms. Rolston A. Dyer
Lauren & Rick Elliott
Doug & Florida Ellis
Brad Foresythe
Dr. Spencer Gelernter & Sonya Kuropatwa
Dr. Marvin Goldstein
Margaret Graff
Rand Hagen, in honor of Martine Weber
Marius Hechter
Virginia Hepner & Malcolm Barnes
Lisa & Forrest Hibbard
Mr. Douglas Hopkins
Mr. & Mrs. William C. Humphreys
Jessica Irizarry & Russell Hammond
Dorothea & Robert Jeffrey
Oren Johnson
Mrs. Peter G. Kessenich, Sr.†
Rita Kohse
Edward Krugman & Jill Pryor
Allegra Lawrence-Hardy & Timothy Hardy
Stacey Leebern, in honor of Ginny Brewer
Linda L. Lively & James E. Hugh III
Drs. Robert & Mary Jo Lund
Albert and Jeanie Marx
Mimi Maslia
Mr. &Mrs. Eugene F. Meany
Christine & Eric Nelson
Anthony & Judith Ragunas
Dr. Z. Pressley and Mr. Billy S. Rice in memory of Mr. William C. Rice
Walter & Arden Rowland, in honor of Elliott Rowland
Scot Safon and Rebecca Leary Safon
Ashley & Drew Scott
Toreya Shea
Michelle & Steve Shlansky
Dr. & Mrs. Mark Silverstein Matt Simon
Jasmine Spivey
Shad Sterling
Kalen Swanson
Mr. & Mrs. Perry Taylor
Johnny Thigpen & Clay Martin, in honor of Tricia
Dr. Kirsten Travers-UyHam & Mr. John J. UyHam
Mrs. Julie Turner-Davis & Mr. John Davis
Joe & Heather Vivona
Eric & Chan Voiles
Betsy Wash
Alan & Marcia Watt
Jason Wiggam
Manda Wilhite and Jeremy Shankel
Allen Yee
Mr. & Mrs. Jacob Young
RELEVÉ $500+
Anonymous
Judith Alembik
Ms. Tracie Arnold
Leigh Ball
Cynthia Brant
Kerry Bryan
Kate & Scott Carmack
Carolyn Champion
Lawrence M. Cohen
Charles & Elizabeth Cohn
Carol Comstock & Jim Davis
Cynthia & Mike Davison
Dr. Carlos del Rio & Jeannette Guarner
Lauren Jo & David Dixon
Ashleigh Dobrin, in loving memory of Mel Dobrin
Elaine Eaton
Tyler R. Edgarton
Tricia & Chris Ekholm
Kathryn & Patrick Gaul
Christine A. Gilliam
Richard Goodjoin & Kelvin Davis
Francis & Marguerite Hallman
Mr. J. David Hopkins
Jean Gatton Jones
Dr. Harvey P. Kaufman
Ms. Doreen Lewis
Allan & Vaneesa Little
Jean & Robert McColl
Terri & Stephen Nagler
Miho & Gennadi Nedvigin
Donald & Helen O’Shea
Mrs. Debby Overstreet
Grace Pownall & Ron Harris
Dr. & Mrs. William M. Scaljon
Anne M. Spratlin
Shad Sterling
Teena Stern
Sherri Stevens
Mr. James A Swanson
Dr. Michael & Mrs. Francoise Szikman
Roberta Taylor & James Hill
The Kang Family
Katharine & Todd Tinkler
Aisha & James Walth
† In Memoriam
INSTITUTIONAL GIVING
Atlanta Ballet gratefully acknowledges the following corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose generous annual contributions were received during the period of December 15, 2023 – December 15, 2024.
$100,000+
Bobbie Bailey Foundation
Hearst Foundations
The Home Depot Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
The Thalia & Michael C. Carlos Foundation
$50,000+
Mark & Evelyn Trammell Foundation
PNC
The Imlay Foundation, Inc.
The Molly Blank Fund of The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The Zeist Foundation
$25,000+
City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs
Cox Enterprises
Fulton County Arts & Culture
The Kettering Family Foundation
$20,000+
Cobb Travel & Tourism
The Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation
Rockwell Foundation
The Sartain Lanier Family Foundation
$15,000+
Arrow Exterminators
Google
National Endowment for the Arts
$10,000+
Aprio
Chick-fil-A
Georgia Council for the Arts
Georgia Power Foundation
Peach State Health Plan
Publix Super Markets Charities
$5,000+
Anonymous (2)
ATS Waypoint
Hellen Ingram Plummer Charitable Foundation
Massey Charitable Trust
Portnoy, Garner & Nail, LLC
South Fulton Institute
The Dante S. Stephensen Fund
$1,000+
Bloomingdale’s
Burberry
The Roderick Seward, Flossie Radcliffe & Helen M. Galloway Foundation, in honor of Kathleen Knous
$500+
Akris
Lindsey Treadaway, Realtor, Harry Norman Realtors
Sweet Tea Murals Theory
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. Additional support is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.
THE DOROTHY ALEXANDER LEGACY SOCIETY
Individuals who have included Atlanta Ballet in their long-term estate plans through bequests and other deferred-giving arrangements.
Madeline & Howell Adams, Jr.
Ms. Jan P. Beaves
C.D. Belcher
Mrs. Lynn Cochran-Schroder
Cynthia Crain
Patty & Marc Dash
Mrs. Daphne Moore Eitel
Melodi Ford
Brad Foresythe
Joyce Houser, Ph.D.
Mrs. Audrey B. Morgan
Mrs. Elizabeth Ann Morgan
John K. Palmisano & Stephen A. Williams, III
Katherine Scott
Elizabeth Morgan Spiegel
Marianne Stribling
ATLANTA BALLET IS
GRATEFUL TO THE FOLLOWING PARTNERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT
ATLANTA BALLET IS GRATEFUL TO THE FOLLOWING PARTNERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT
Cookerly PR
Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc., The Official Health, Wellness, and Fitness Partner of Atlanta Ballet
Atlantic Capital, The Preferred Bank of Atlanta Ballet
Daniel Solberg, DSol Productions
Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters, The O cial Co ee Provider of Atlanta Ballet
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Corporate Sports Unlimited, Inc., The O cial Fitness Partner for Atlanta Ballet
Doyle Law, LLC, Immigration Counsel
Doyle Law, LLC, Immigration Counsel
Jones Day, Attorneys
JD French Media
Kim Kenney Photography
Jones Day, Attorneys
Publix Super Markets, The Preferred Supermarket of Atlanta Ballet
Frank A. Sinkoe, DPM, podiatric medicine
Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co., The Official Coffee Provider of Atlanta Ballet
Kara Pepper, MD, internal medicine, Laurette Medical Group
Kim Kenney Photography
Laura Gandy, MD, internal medicine, Laurette Medical Group
Publix Super Markets, The Preferred Supermarket of Atlanta Ballet
Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D, ABPP, Psychologist, Emory University School of Medicine
Bryn Chafin, LCSW, Brookwood Center for Psychotherapy
Brandon Nguyen, B-Right Atl Sports Massage
Republic National Distributing Company, The Official Liquor Provider of Atlanta Ballet
Shoccara S. Marcus Photography
Dr. Cliff Willimon, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Dr. Dominic Carreira, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Peachtree Orthopedics
Smith & Howard, Audit Firm
Dr. Jason Bariteau, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Emory Healthcare
Dr. Ched Garten II, MD, Paragon Sports Medicine
Troutman Pepper
Dr. Rayden Cody, MD, Peachtree Spine and Sports Physicians
Mandy Blackmon, PT, DPT, OCS, physical therapy, Atlanta Dance Medicine
Emma Faulkner, PT, DPT, OCS, physical therapy, Atlanta Dance Medicine
Mark Nimmo, PT, DPT, physical therapy, BenchMark Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy Services and medical coordination provided by Atlanta Dance Medicine, LLC Mandy Blackmon, PT, DPT, Emma Faulkner, PT, DPT, and Ann MacDougall, PT, DPT and their affiliates.
Ami Kirollos, PT, DPT, CSCS, physical therapy, One on One Physical Therapy
Susan Bush, PT, DPT, CMTPT, physical therapy, Atlanta Dance Medicine
Dr. Mark Sakr, MD, Northside Hospital Ortho Institute
Dr. Alonzo Sexton, MD, Northside Hospital Ortho Institute
Jason Bariteau, MD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Emory Healthcare
Dr. John Andrachuk, MD, Northside Hospital Ortho Institute
Ched Garten II, MD, Paragon Sports Medicine
Smith & Howard, Audit Firm
Ryder Truck Rental Systems, Inc., The O cial Set Transporter of Atlanta Ballet
Rayden Cody, MD, Peachtree Spine and Sports Physicians
Epitome Risk Solutions, Inc.
Diego Herrera, DO, Northside Hospital
Kennard Hood, MD, Emory Healthcare
Artistic Director
Gennadi Nedvigin
Dean Centre for Dance Education
Sharon Story
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Conceived and Choreographed by Bruce Wells
Character Dances Choreography by Anna Penny
Staging by Centre for Dance Education Faculty
Costume Design by Atlanta Ballet Costume Shop
Lighting Design by Joseph R. Walls
Associate Lighting Design by Ben Rawson
Narrated by Amelia Fischer
Performed by Atlanta Ballet 2
Atlanta Ballet 2 and The Swan Princess children’s cast courtesy of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education
Atlanta Ballet 2 Repetiteur
Serena Chu
Academy Rehearsal Assistants
Marlena Abaza, Anna Penny, Natalya Vyashenko
Supported by Publix Super Market Charities
SYNOPSIS
ACT I
Long ago, in a far off land by a beautiful lake, there lived an evil magician named Count Von Rothbart. As night fell each evening, he put a spell on the young princesses who wandered by the lake, turning them into swans.
Also living by the lake was a young prince named Siegfried. It is his 21st birthday. As his friends celebrate, his mother, the Queen, arrives with six princesses. The Queen suggests he pick one of the princesses to marry. Soon he finds himself attracted to the Princess Odette. As the party ends, all depart except Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette who share a moment before Prince Siegfried is summoned to go hunting with his court men.
Now, alone by the lake, Princess Odette reflects upon her meeting with Siegfried. Her presence is observed by the evil Von Rothbart who captures her and turns her into a swan.
Not long after, Prince Siegfried returns with his hunting party. Princess Odette, in swan form, arrives and begs him not to shoot. Enchanted, the prince is captivated by the Swan Princess.
The evil Von Rothbart then appears and makes clear the rules of the curse: “Only a marriage contract made in the face of death can break the spell,” he declared.
Atlanta Ballet 2 dancers in The Swan Princess. Photo by Kim Kenney.
ACT II
Now, it is the evening of Prince Siegfried’s 21st birthday, and time for him to select which princess he will marry.
Trumpets announce the arrival of Von Rothbart, whose plan is to deceive Prince Siegfried. Von Rothbart will present Odette’s evil twin sister, Odile, as the Princess Odette, and trick him into believing she is his true love. Unknowingly, Siegfried pledges his love for Odile. Immediately, but still too late, Princess Odette flies into the scene revealing Odile’s true identity and confirming Siegfried has been deceived. Von Rothbart captures Odette and flees the scene leaving Siegfried devastated.
Princess Odette, heartbroken at Siegfried’s apparent desertion, rushes into the arms of the swans. Siegfried pursues her and begs for her forgiveness.
All of Prince Siegfried’s court men arrive and unite with the swans to battle against Von Rothbart. At the end of the battle and as Von Rothbart weakens, Prince Siegfried recites Von Rothbart’s curse back to him, “only a marriage vow made in the face of death can break the spell.”
As Von Rothbart dies, Siegfried pledges his love to Princess Odette and the curse is broken allowing her and the swans to transition back into their human form, where they are united with their princes for all eternity.
2024|2025 ATLANTA BALLET 2
Top row left to right: Júlio Santos, Leo O’Reilly Okuno, Stacey Johnson, Ícaro Queiros, Luisa Pimenta, Daniel Gray, Camille Margaret Jackson, Emanuel Talongo, Claire Buchi, Jacob Lainchbury, Ashley McKoy, Gianni Salazar, Dyhan Pierre
Bottom row left to right: Sayake Iwase, Isabella Kessler, Rachel Zinman, Avery Nelson, Emily McAllister, Eliza Soto
Atlanta Ballet 2 dancers are selected from all over the world and represent the artistic vision of Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin. These young individuals are dancers who have arrived at a defining point in their transitions to become professional dancers. They receive individual classes and coaching from esteemed faculty members. The intense level of training, opportunities to rehearse with the Atlanta Ballet company, and the experiences of their own performances help mold the young artists’ awareness of the high expectations demanded of professional company members. Currently, 12 company members are Atlanta Ballet 2 alumni.
Scan QR Code to View Casting
Visit centre.atlantaballet.com/atlanta-ballet-2 to learn more about Atlanta Ballet 2. Atlanta Ballet 2 photo by Kim Kenney.
38 creative team
BRUCE WELLS (Choreographer) is an internationally acclaimed choreographer who began his career as a soloist with New York City Ballet, where he worked directly with and danced the ballets of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Frederick Ashton, and Anthony Tudor. In 1979, Wells joined E Virginia Williams Boston Ballet as principal dancer, resident choreographer and company teacher, and worked with Violette Verdy in the following seasons and Rudolf Nureyev for three seasons. After touring to China in 1980, he choreographed for The Australian Ballet in 1981. From 1983 to 1989, Wells was Associate Director of The Boston Ballet under the direction of Bruce Marks. Patricia Wilde invited Wells to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in 1989 as resident choreographer. In 1997, Kent Stowell and Francia Russel invited Wells onto the faculty of The Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he taught the main company as well as the top levels in the school. There he also created three one-hour long ballets for children with narration: Snow White, Hansel & Gretel, and Pinocchio. In September 2017, Wells created a new Beauty and the Beast for The Atlanta Ballet under the direction of Gennadi Nedvigin. As a guest choreographer and teacher, he has worked for Jacob’s Pillow, The Dance Theater of Harlem, The Dutch National Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Ballet Chicago, and Orlando Ballet, among many others.
ATLANTA BALLET COSTUME SHOP
(Costume Designer) is currently comprised of seven people: Colleen McGonegle, costume director; Susan Carter, construction supervisor; Abby Parker, shoe and wardrobe manager; Abigail Dupree-Polston, patternmaker; and costume technicians Briá Sanders, Katherine Savage, and Maddie Simmons. Collectively they bring over 75 years of costuming experience to Atlanta Ballet, with each person bringing their own unique and valuable skill set. Every season, the costume shop supports the Company in building, fitting, altering, and cleaning all the costumes seen on stage, in photoshoots, and in live events around Atlanta. Given Gennadi Nedvigin’s vision to bring new works to Atlanta, the costume shop also constructs costumes from brand new designs for all the premieres during a season. The costume shop has designed costumes for Bruce Wells’ Atlanta Ballet 2 presents Cinderella, The Swan Princess, and Beauty and the Beast. In this past year, the costume shop has built costumes for Garrett Smith’s Corridors, Sergio Masero’s Querencia, Juliano Nunes’ Yellow, Claudia Schreier’s Nighthawks, and Kiyon Ross’ Harmony of Opposite Tensions
JOSEPH R. WALLS (Lighting Desiger) recently designed the 2023 world premiere of Orlando Ballet’s The Nutcracker. He has worked with numerous choreographers on their new works, including Ricardo Amarante, Gemma Bond, Dana Genshaft, John Heginbotham, Sophie Laplane, Jessica Lang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Andrea Miller, Yoshiaki Nakano, Juliano Nunes, Helen Pickett, Ethan Stiefel, Desmond Richardson, Dwight Rhoden, and Yury Yanowsky. Walls also designed the weeklong celebration–The World Youth Day with Pope Francis in Panama. Upcoming productions include the world premiere of Johan Kobborg’s Lucile with the National Ballet of Cuba and a new La Sylphide collaboration with Howard Jones and Ethan Stiefel.
BEN RAWSON (Associate Lighting Designer) is an Atlanta-based Lighting Designer for Theatre, Opera, and Dance, member USA 829. Theatrical/ Opera design work can be seen at The Alliance Theatre (GA), Detroit Opera (MI), Florida Studio Theatre (FL), Glimmerglass Opera (NY), Utah Opera (UT), Atlanta Opera (GA), Theatrical Outfit (GA), Center Rep (CA), Aurora Theatre (GA), Actors Express (GA), and others. Dance design work includes choreographers Ana Maria Lucaciu, Troy Schumacher, Claudia Schreier, Remi Wörtmeyer, Bruce Wells, Danielle Agami, and Omar Roman De Jesus, as well as with Atlanta Ballet (GA), BalletCollective (NY), Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre (GA), Fly On A Wall (GA), and others. Rawson has also worked across the country as an Associate & Assistant Lighting Designer for San Diego Opera (CA), The Alliance Theatre (GA), Berkshire Theatre Festival (MA), Atlanta Opera (GA), Utah Opera (UT), Glimmerglass Festival (NY), Playmakers Repertory Company (NC), and Atlanta Ballet (GA). Benrawsondesign.com
AMELIA FISCHER (Narrator) is a professional actor, director and fight choreographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has worked for theatres in Washington, D.C. to Washington state, including seasons with Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Georgia Shakespeare, Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Classical Theatre Company, Shakespeare Walla Walla and Houston Shakespeare Company. Here in Atlanta, Fischer has performed with Theatrical Outfit, Alliance Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Theatre Buford, Essential Theatre and Theatre Emory. As a voiceover artist, she has voiced several anime characters for Sentai Filmworks, including Jibril in “No Game No Life.” Fischer is proud to have earned her M.F.A. from the University of Houston’s Professional Actor Training Program and her B.A. from Coastal Carolina University, and to have trained with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance.
Myredith Momongan, Associate Director of Group Sales
Natasha Harris, Director of Human Resources
Dana Hylton Calabro, Director of Technology and Sales Operations
Toni C. Vacinek, Associate Director of Marketing Communications
PATRON SERVICES
Zoey Fleck, Social Media Manager/Graphic Designer
Kristian Brown, Patron Services Lead Coordinator
PATRON SERVICES
Stephen Hall, Patron Services & Group Sales Associate
Abby Brown, Patron Services Associate
Lindsay Smith, Associate Director of Patron Services
Desiree Houston, Patron Services Manager
ADVANCEMENT
Mallory Hazen , Patron Services Assistant
Juliana Han Witt, Chief Advancement Officer
Jasmine Martinez , Patron Services Assistant
Ansleigh Brown, Individual Giving Coordinator
Josh Reynolds , Patron Services Assistant
Kathryn Gutierrez, Special Events Manager
PRODUCTION
MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Tricia Ekholm, Chief Marketing Officer
Dave Smith, Production Manager & Technical Director
Fiona Shaw, Senior Manager Communications
Sicily Palms, Company Manager
Henry Woods, Manager of Marketing Strategy and Data Analysis
Nicole Walters, Production Stage Manager
Jane Kuipers, Assistant Stage Manager
Alane Marco, Design Director
Kristin Kelley , Assistant Stage Manager
Amber Times, Social Media Manager
Tumi Akin-Deko, Communications Coordinator
COSTUMES
Colleen McGonegle, Costume Director
PRODUCTION
Abby Polston, Draper
Jonathan Fries, Technical Director
Susan Carter, Costume Construction Supervisor
Nicole Walters, Production Stage Manager
Abby Parker, Company Shoe Manager/Wardrobe Supervisor/Costume Technician
Chloe Gervais, Costume Technician
COSTUMES
Maddie Simmons, Costume Technician
Colleen McGonegle, Costume Director
Ashleigh Dobrin, Finisher
Susan Carter, Costume Construction Supervisor
Abigail Dupree-Polston, Patternmaker
Abby Parker, Company Shoe Manager/Wardrobe Supervisor
Briá Sanders, Costume Technician
Katherine Savage, Costume Technician
Maddie Simmons, Costume Technician
Nicole Adams, Alice Balhatchet, Ansilla Bearden, Shirley Bennett, Haley Brink, Darby Burgess, Serena Chu, Harmony Clair, Kelly Tonina Cooper, Kameron Davis, Nardja el-Shabazz, Kate Gaul, Ashley Gibson, Nell Heflin Goza, Jennifer Inman, LaToya Princess Jackson, Aaron James, Malik Jenkins, Caroline Kraehe, Sergio Masero, Loren McFalls, Arneshuia Nelson, Anna Penny, Chantia Robinson, Diane Caroll Sales, Roscoe Sales, Erin Smith, Jasmine Stevenson, Abigail Tan-Gamino, Grace Thompson, Jennifer Van Meter, Calla Vaughn, Natalya Vyashenko, Martine Weber
Marlena Abaza, Jemiah Alex, Shirley Bennett, Nadyne Bispo, Georgie Grace Butler, Diane Carroll, Serena Chu, Kelly Tonina Cooper, Kameron Davis, Mia Givens, Jennifer Inman, Madelin Jamison, Courtney Johnson, Sergio Masero, Amelia Murren, Han Myers, Denys Nedak, Arneshuia Nelson, Anna Penny, Chantia Robinson, Lay’la Rogers, Roscoe Sales, Anderson Souza, Caitlin Spencer, Jasmine Stevenson, Ashley Suta, Calla Vaughn, Natalya Vyashenko.
Accompanists
Accompanists
Elizabeth Grimes, Aleksandra Korshunova, Yulia Rice, Gretel Rodriguez, Kyla Zollitsch
Avery Jarrard, Stephanie Kosarin, Yulia Rice, Kyla Zollitsch
Centre Education Associates
Centre Education Associates
Imani Austin-Edwards, Shannon Geary, Flora Mangio, Hui-Wen Peng, Kaitlin Roemer, Jada Russell, Samantha Schuermann, Emma Seif
Imani Banks, Leilani Burks, Sophia Doctoroff, Sidney Hall, Carol March, Emily McAllister, Sophia Wang
Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Kate Gaul, Boutique Merchandise Manager
Louise Gordon, Retail Operations Manager
Pamela Pelletier, Boutique Associate
Leslie Campbell Judge, General Manager Nardja el-Shabazz, Asst. General Manager, Atlanta Ballet Boutique
Atlanta Ballet is an American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) Company
Atlanta Ballet is an American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Company
Atlanta Ballet is an International Alliance of Theatrical Stage (IATSE) Employees Company
Concessions: Concession stands are located in the center of the lobbies. All sales are cashless - credit or debit card only.
Emergency Information: In the event of an emergency, please locate the nearest usher who will direct you to the appropriate exit.
Elevators: Elevators are located on each side of the lobbies on all levels.
Lost and found: Items are turned into Public Safety on the day of a performance. To inquire about a lost item, please call Public Safety at 770.916.2911.
Parking: Day of parking is available for $17 (credit or debit card only). There are 1,000 on-site parking spaces; 700 in a four-level deck and 300 more in a surface lot.
Restrooms: Located on house right and house left of all three lobbies. Family restrooms are located on house right of all three lobbies. Mobility-impaired patrons may use any of our restrooms.
Smoking: Smoking, vaping and e-cigarettes are prohibited inside the building.
Special assistance: Persons requiring access assistance are asked to contact the Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787 for advance arrangements. Audio clarification devices are available to our hearing-impaired guests at no charge. This is on a first-come, first-served basis. These are available at the Synovus Box Office. Wheelchairs are available upon request. All items require a form of identification to be held until the item is returned.
Prohibited items: The venue does not check items. Please visit https://www. cobbenergycentre.com/plan-your-visit/ prohibited-itemssecurity for more information.
ATLANTA BALLET REQUESTS
All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket to be admitted to the performance. Please be aware that not all events are suitable for children. Infants will not be admitted to adult programs. Parents will be asked to remove children who create a disturbance.
Please turn off all cellphones before each performance.
Audio & video recording devices are not permitted.
Please unwrap all candies and cough drops before the perfomance.
Late arrivals will be seated in alternative seating until intermission when you can then access your seats.
We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes early so you have time to visit concessions and get to the seats you purchased. Doors to Cobb Energy Centre open 90 minutes prior to the performance.
