Le Corsaire Suite & mixed repertoire OCTOBER 10 & 11, 2015
ORANGE COUNTY’S FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS
Nutcracker illustration by Rene Milot
DEC 12 - 24, 2015
The Sugar Plum Fairy sweetly requests your presence for our dazzling production of The Nutcracker.
Tickets online 24/7:
thebarclay.org | festivalballet.org | 949.854.4646
Greeting from the Artistic Director Welcome to Festival Ballet Theatre’s 2015-2016 season opener at the beautiful Irvine Barclay Theatre. Our 27th season exemplifies our commitment to presenting world-class ballet here in Orange County – tonight you will join in the adventure of Le Corsaire and be equally amazed by cutting-edge new contemporary works. This holiday season our star-studded Nutcracker cast will share the cherished classic with spectacular brauvera, and in the spring we will sweep you into the romance of The Sleeping Beauty. Whenever you attend a Festival Ballet production, you are truly supporting arts here in Orange County – our talented dancers have all trained at our Southland Ballet Academy, and exemplify how hard work, dedication, and passion can make dreams come true.
Our program opens with Laurencia (1939), staged for our dancers by Yuri Fateyev, acting director of the Mariinsky Theater. Next, Concerto Barocco (1941) was choreographed by George Balanchine, and Nilas Martins staged this piece. August Bournonville’s Paul et Virginie (1830) was staged by Monique Meunier. The first act will conclude with the world premiere of Andrea Schermoly’s Time Lapse that highlights the athleticism and musicality of our dancers. Le Corsaire (1856) will be our grand finale – it is always a thrill for me to stage such a well-loved and dynamic classical ballet. As we approach our 30th anniversary, we are committed to increasing alumni engagement. We are thrilled to see how the discipline and creativity inherent to classical ballet has equipped them for success in all aspects of life. Thank you for your continued patronage and support. It has been an honor to lead Festival Ballet Theatre over the last 27 years; I truly feel that we have made a positive impact in the community through dance and arts education. Thank you for joining us in our mission to present world-class ballet, to provide local employment opportunities for our brilliant dancers, and to create a nurturing environment for our young talented students. Enjoy the show!
Salwa Rizkalla Founder and Artistic Director, Festival Ballet Theatre
Festival Ballet Theatre Under the direction of Salwa Rizkalla, since its opening in 1988, Festival Ballet Theatre has become one of the west coast’s most vibrant and accomplished professional ballet companies. Celebrating over 26 years of artistic service, FBT strives to enrich the experience of Orange County’s dance audiences by presenting the highest level of professional classical productions and highlighting the works of world-renowned choreographers. With reverence to masterpieces of the past and a clear focus on developing future tours de force, FBT presents a varied repertoire of full-length classical ballets, including The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, as well as contemporary works by some of the nation’s most sought-after choreographers. Boasting a roster of impressive, up-and-coming talent, the company’s productions feature internationally acclaimed guest artists from prestigious companies, such as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the San Francisco Ballet. Aspiring to the heights of artistic excellence, Festival Ballet Theatre simultaneously attracts the best in professional dance to its home base while sending its own dancers out as artistic ambassadors to the nation. Arts Orange County named Festival Ballet Theatre Outstanding Arts Organization of the Year in 2001, and also recognized Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award in 2014.
Southland Ballet Academy Official School of Festival Ballet Theatre Founded in 1983 by Salwa Rizkalla, the school has acquired a national and international reputation, and has played a prominent role in grooming world-class dancers while nurturing the love of dance in its Orange County home.
Presents
LE CORSAIRE SUITE & MIXED REPERTOIRE Irvine Barclay Theatre ● Cheng Hall
October 10 | 7pm October 11 | 2pm Lighting Design & Production Supervisor Don Guy Assistant to the Artistic Director Elizabeth Farmen
Ballet Masters/Repetiteurs Elizabeth Farmen Askar Kettebekov Natalie Matsuura Natasha Miroshnyk Hanna Przyludzka-Karacic Salwa Rizkalla
Costume Design & Construction Donna Dickens Cyndee Ely Heather Lerma Kaye Michel Barbara Vieuretta Set & Prop Construction Theatre Ballet - Premier Company Photographers Dave Friedman Skye Schmidt
Marketing/Communications Michelle Maasz Office Manager Tracy Sellers Graphic Designer Marianne Hales Program Designer Marilyn Wiederin .
Casting subject to change. The taking of photographs or use of recording devices is strictly prohibited
LE CORSAIRE SUITE & MIXED REPERTOIRE SALWA RIZKALLA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ACT I
ACT II
LAURENCIA
LE CORSAIRE SUITE
Choreographer: Vakhtang Chabukiani Composer: Alexander Crain Staged by: Yuri Fateyev
Choreography: Marius Petipa Staged by: Salwa Rizkalla Music: Adolphe Adam, Riccard Drigo, Cesare Pugni
AJ Abrams, Wil Geary, Cameron Schwanz Mariana Carrillo, Renee Kester, Hannah Schiller Gillian George, Olivia Harrigan, Natalie Matsuura, Tiffany Yamasaki
CONCERTO BAROCCO Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Johann Sebastian Bach Staged by: Nilas Martins
Megan Ely, Cameron Schwanz, Susanna Russell (10/10) Wil Geary, Olivia Harrigan, Anya Lydon (10/11) Alice Danci, Bella Hoy, Allison Langston, Alysa Reinhardt, Bianca Wajack, Nicole Weber, Sammy Werle, Dayna Wiederin Concerto Barocco © New York City Ballet
PAUL ET VIRGINIE Choreography: August Bournonville Music: H.S. Paulli after Rodolphe Kreutzer Staged by: Monique Meunier
Maile Campagna, Cassidy Doan, Anjoulie Kempton, Lily Turner, Rachel Zafra (10/10) Tatum Backer, Ashley Lew, Silvi Lybbert, Moorea Pike, Athena Skiathitis (10/11)
TIME LAPSE Music: Steve Reich Choreography: Andrea Schermoly
Mariana Carrillo, Gillian George, Tara Ghassemieh, Bella Hoy, Renee Kester, Natalie Matsuura, Alysa Reinhardt, Skye Schmidt, Tiffany Yamasaki
I NTERM ISSION
OPENING SCENE Harem Girls .......... Renee Castonguay, Megan Ely, Olivia Harrigan, Bella Hoy, Anya Lydon, Elise Newen, Alysa Reinhardt, Susanna Russell, Hannah Schiller, Nicole Weber, Dayna Wiederin Character Girls ..... Natalie Matsuura, Skye Schmidt, Tiffany Yamasaki Birbanto ................ AJ Abrams Pirates ................... Wil Geary, Peyton Nakamura Odalisques ............ Anya Lydon, Alysa Reinhardt, Nicole Weber (10/10) Renee Castonguay, Elise Newen, Moorea Pike (10/11) Gulnare................. Marianna Carrillo (10/10) Clara Mason (10/11) Lankendem ........... Cameron Schwanz Medora ................. Tara Ghassemieh Ali ......................... Vitor Luiz LE JARDIN ANIMÉ Corps ..................... Sage Bolar, Taylor Carlin, Alice Danci, Rachel Deng, Allison Langston, Marbella Marlo, Bella Riggione, Bianca Wajack, Sammy Werle Flower Children ... Natalia Burns, Hailey Holcomb, Heidi Kim, Avery LeBlanc, Valerie Lin, Amanda Luyks, Gianna Pritchard, Elea Vander Burgh, Megan Vu, Renee Yang Demi-Soloists ........ Megan Ely, Olivia Harrigan, Bella Hoy, Natalie Matsuura, Susanna Russell, Hannah Schiller, Dayna Wiederin Soloist ................... Skye Schmidt (10/10) Gillian George (10/11) Gulnare................. Natalie Matsuura (10/10) Hannah Schiller (10/11) Medora ................. Tara Ghassemieh
Guest Artist & Choreographer Born in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, Vitor Luiz trained with Victor Navarro and Dalal Achcar, Pedro Kraszczuck, and The Royal Ballet School. He began his professional career with Birmingham Royal Ballet and performed as a principal dancer with Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro prior to joining San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 2009. Among Luiz’ major roles are Albrecht in Tomasson’s Giselle, Nutcracker Prince and King of the Snow in Tomasson’s Nutcracker, Mercutio in Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet, Prince Siegfried in Tomasson’s Swan Lake, Basilio in Tomasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote, Franz in Balanchine’s Coppélia, and Onegin in Cranko’s Onegin. He created roles in Tomasson’s Trio, Caniparoli’s Tears, Liang’s Symphonic Dances, Possokhov’s Talk to Her, Wheeldon’s Number Nine, and Zanella’s Underskin. His repertory also includes Ashton’s Symphonic Variations; Balanchine’s Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (2nd movement), Divertimento No. 15, Serenade, Symphony in C, and Theme and Variations; Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House; Lifar’s Suite en Blanc; MacMillan’s Winter Dreams; Makarova’s (after Petipa) Kingdom of the Shades, Act II from La Bayadère (Solor); Nureyev’s Raymonda—Act III; Possokhov’s Classical Symphony, RAkU, and The Rite of Spring; Ratmansky’s From Foreign Lands, Russian Seasons, and Shostakovich Trilogy (Piano Concerto #1); Scarlett’s Hummingbird; Tomasson’s 7 for Eight, Caprice, Concerto Grosso, Criss-Cross, The Fifth Season, “Haffner” Symphony, Prism, and the pas de deux from Tuning Game; and Wheeldon’s Ghosts and Within the Golden Hour. As a guest artist, Luiz performed with Lorena Feijoo at World Gala of Dance in the Dominican Republic and Gala Evening of Stars in Aspen, Colorado, in 2009; at the TITAS Command Performance of International Ballet in Dallas and the XIII International Ballet Fest of Miami in 2008; and at the Razzle Dazzle Gala in Stamford, Connecticut, and the Gala of International Ballet Stars in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2007. Luiz was nominated for the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Best Ensemble Performance in Possokhov’s Classical Symphony during the 2010 Repertory Season.
Andrea Schermoly (Andi) was born in South Africa where she first started training at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg under the direction of Vyvyan Llorayne. Andi also competed around the world as a member of The South African Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. She received a full scholarship to Rambert Ballet and Contemporary School in London and shortly thereafter a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School in London, where she completed her dance education. After graduation, she joined Boston Ballet Company. While dancing in Boston, she danced leads in ballets Ginastera by Rudi van Dantzig and Sharp Side of Dark by Jorma Elo. She was invited to join Netherlands Dance Theater in Holland. She had the extraordinary experience of performing existing repertoire as well as new creations by choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Mats Ek, Paul Lightfoot/Sol Leon, Ohad Naharin, Hans van Manen, Alexander Ekman and many other great contemporary choreographers. After directing the contemporary department at The Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, L.A., Andi has gone on to choreograph full time. She has choreographed for Festival Ballet Theater, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Ballet Theatre Afrikan, NDT Workshops, Quixotic Fusion Company, Boston Ballet 2, Joffrey Ballet School as well as over 80 solos and group pieces for students attending dance competitions such as YAGP throughout the US and Europe. She was awarded the “Outstanding Choreographer” award in both 2012 and 2013 at Youth America Grand Prix and in 2014 YAGP was awarded the “Emerging Choreographer” grant to choreograph at Lincoln Center at YAGP’s 15th anniversary gala 2014 evening, choreographing on dancers Maria Kochetkova (principal San Francisco Ballet) and Joaquin de Luz (principal New York City Ballet). The piece was a huge success and has since been re-staged at ‘Buenos Aires International Dance Festival’, Argentina and ‘Stars of the 21st Century Gala’ in the Champs Élysées, Paris. Andi has choreographed for feature films and commercials in Hollywood including “Beautiful Now”, “Budweiser Superbowl Commercial” and “Star Trek into Darkness”. She has upcoming company commissions with Kansas City Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Joburg Ballet and Boston Ballet. She also choreographs for principal dancers from various companies attending festivals and galas.
Company Dancers AJ Abrams is a native of Long Beach, California. AJ has trained throughout the United States at such schools as Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and School of American Ballet. At age 19, he was discovered by Mark Bush and began his professional career at Ballet Austin under the direction of Stephen Mills. His credits with Ballet Austin include original works by Stephen Mills such as Hamlet, a featured role in the ballet Touch, and The Taming of the Shrew. He performed a solo role in Septime Webers’ Fluctuating Hemlines and principal roles as the Sugar Plum Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Albrecht in Giselle, and the principal male in Balanchine’s Who Cares? He is currently a member of the Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles and Festival Ballet Theatre. Freelance credits include Aurora’s Wedding Pas De Deux and The Bluebird Pas De Deux in The Sleeping Beauty, the principal male in George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, and original works by choreographers Josie Walsh and Jamal Story. Mr. Abrams has performed in musicals, videos and movies. Most recently, he performed in a music video for Florence and the Machine directed by David LaChapelle. Mariana Carrillo was born in Eagle Pass, Texas in 1995. She was raised in San Jose del Cabo, BCS and started her basic dance training at age four in, Estudio del Angel with Luciano Gomez. In 2006, she joined Danza Tellez and trained ballet and jazz with Lourdes Téllez. Ms. Carrillo has trained at several summer intensive programs including, Pirouetteando, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Southland Ballet Academy. Since 2011, Mariana takes seminaries with Christina Lyon who has choreographed some pieces for her. In August 2012 she moved to Austin Texas to continue her training at Ballet Austin. Today she continues her training in California at Southland Ballet Academy under the direction of Salwa Rizkalla and Christina Lyon. William Geary was born in Chicago, Illinois and began studying classical ballet at the age of 16. After one year of training, William competed at the YAGP competition in Chicago. He received 3rd place and was the highest scoring male in the Senior Division. He was also awarded 1st place for his pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardee. He subsequently competed at the NYC finals and was awarded a handful of scholarships. In 2011, William came to Festival Ballet Theatre and performed leading roles in The Nutcracker under the direction of Salwa Rizkalla. In 2014, he joined the Joffrey Ballet Trainee Program on full scholarship. Gillian George has trained at Southland Ballet Academy and the San Francisco Ballet School. She has spent summers dancing at wellrespected ballet schools such as American Ballet Theater New York, The Royal Ballet, Houston Ballet, the School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Boston Ballet on full-scholarship. She was a YoungArts winner in 2014 and competed in the Youth America Grand Prix finals for three years. Currently, she is a member of Festival Ballet Theater.
Tara Ghassemieh has achieved many honors, titles and awards throughout her 10 years of training,: finalist at Youth Grand Prix Nationals, Teen Miss Dance of America 2004, Dance Masters of America; and National Training Scholar for ABT. At age 16, Tara was offered a full scholarship to ABT and an apprenticeship with Washington Ballet. She has performed as a lead ballet dancer in the popular film Step Up; and has danced in Le Corsaire with ABT and various other ballets. She has worked with Florence and the Machine and performed on the hit TV show, Dancing with the Stars, as part of an ensemble feature dance. Renee Kester was born and raised in Seal Beach, California. She began her classical training at the age of 14 at Southland Ballet Academy. In the year 2012 she competed in World Ballet Competition in Florida where she was asked to be a trainee with The Washington Ballet. She spent the year 2013 at The Washington Ballet and then went on to be an apprentice with Houston Ballet in the year 2014. Renee has performed several ballets from Balanchine's Stars and Stripes with The Washington Ballet, to Stanton Welch's Swan Lake with Houston Ballet. In 2014, she toured with Houston Ballet performing David Bintley's Aladdin in Chicago and Welch's Marie in Montreal, Canada. Aside from ballet Renee has had a lot of experience in other styles of dance including hip-hop, break-dancing, modern, and contemporary. She has worked with and performed for choreographers such as Sonya Tayeh, Lillian Barbeito, Billy Bell, and Jessie Hartley. When Renee was just 15 she performed with Quest Crew, the winners of America's Best Dance Crew season 3, at Harvest Moon Festival. She has won several awards from 2nd place Youth America Grand Prix, San Francisco to Music Center Spotlight Awards, Honorable Mention. Renee has also done some commercial work including an episode of Dancing with the Stars and a Florence and the Machine music video Natalie Matsuura began her training with Mrs. Hanna Karacic at the age of six and came to Southland Ballet Academy at the age of fourteen. She completed her BFA in dance performance and choreography with a minor in Spanish at the University of California, Irvine, graduating with honors and awards that included Excellence in Dance Performance; Medici Circle Award; William J. Gillespie Scholarship in Ballet Studies; Phi Beta Kappa; and Campuswide Honors. As a dancer with Festival Ballet Theatre, Natalie has performed numerous principal and soloist roles, including Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote; Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop, and Snow Queen in Nutcracker; and Monya in Giselle. As a choreographer, Natalie has staged work at the University of California, Irvine and Youth America Grand Prix. Natalie has been teaching at Southland Ballet Academy since 2011 and also teaches and choreographs at Azusa Pacific University.
Company Dancers Hannah Schiller started her ballet training at the age of eight. Early on in her training, she received many awards at world-class competitions including The Youth American Grand Prix Award in 2006 and 2009; and gold medals for pas de deux and solo work in Berlin, Germany. She also received the silver medal at the 2009 Moscow International Ballet Competition in Moscow, Russia. Hannah is pleased to be performing with Festival Ballet Theatre. Skye Schmidt has trained at SBA since the age of four and joined FBT in 2012. She has performed as a soloist and corps member in numerous Festival Ballet Theatre productions including The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, and Firebird. In 2011 she performed in the award-winning piece Oops in Youth America Grand Prix's inaugural tour. Skye placed in the top 12 in both classical and contemporary categories at Youth America Grand Prix regional 2012. She has furthered her dance training by attending summer intensives, including Houston Ballet. Skye is currently attending the University of California, Irvine.
Cameron Schwanz began his ballet training at age eight and continued his studies with the National Ballet School of Canada, as well as the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2005 he joined Texas Ballet Theater, working with Director Ben Stevenson. In 2007 he began dancing with several companies in Southern California, including Ballet Pacifica, Festival Ballet Theatre and Los Angeles Ballet. These experiences led him to dance with Ballet San Jose from 2009 to 2011. Cameron's repertoire includes Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Gaite Parisian and Carmen. He has danced several Balanchine ballets including Violin Concerto, Square Dance, Prodigal Son, and Agon. Tiffany Yamasaki started her training at Southland Ballet Academy at the age of six. She became a member of FBTII in 2007 and a FBT company member in 2010. Tiffany has participated in many competitions and has performed with Festival Ballet Theatre as a soloist and in corps roles in The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. Tiffany currently attends CSU Long Beach and is working towards majors in dance and kinesiology.
2015-2016 FBT Junior Studio Company Tatum Backer, Maile Campagna, Taylor Carlin, Cassidy Doan, Anjoulie Kempton, Ashley Lew, Silvi Lybbert, Marbella Marlo, Moorea Pike, Athena Skiathitis, Lily Turner, Sammy Werle, Rachel Zafra
2015-2016 FBT Trainees: Festival Ballet Theatre is proud to present the members of FBT Trainees, a junior company of student dancers with outstanding potential. Through FBT Trainees, Festival Ballet Theatre secures a talented base of dancers, offers performance opportunities “at home� and nurtures the stars of the future to a professional career in dance. Sage Bolar, Renee Castonguay, Alice Danci, Rachel Deng, Megan Ely, Olivia Harrigan, Bella Hoy, Allison Langston, Anya Lydon, Clara Mason, Elise Newen, Alysa Reinhardt, Susanna Russell, Bianca Wajack, Nicole Weber, Dayna Wiederin
A Special Thanks to Our Volunteers Festival Ballet Theatre thanks all of the parents and volunteers who are integral to the success of this presentation of Le Corsaire Suite & Mixed Repertoire. We appreciate all the time and energy you have put into costumes, donations, marketing and development. Your efforts are truly priceless in allowing Festival Ballet Theatre to present this classic ballet.
A Special Thanks to Our Donors Festival Ballet Theatre gratefully acknowledges the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations for their contributions to our programs. DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $10,000+ Anonymous UNDERWRITER $5,000 – $9,999 Anonymous Bobbi Cox Lisa Ann & Tom Lydon CHOREOGRAPHER $2,500 – $4,999 Anonymous Garret & Teresa Anderson PRINCIPAL $1,000 – $2,499 Ameritas Technologies
PRINCIPAL (Cont’d) $1,000 – $2,499 Cathleen & Philip Hunter Mark & Collette Ike Image Center Paul & Ellen Lee Rosanna & Patrick Minns Marc & Senenne Philippon Pulmonary Care & Sleep Associates Lydia Ringwald SOLOIST $500 – $999 Aire Rite Airconditioning & Refrigeration, Inc. Dawson Cole Fine Art Shey & Dennis Castonguay Teri & Chris Schmidt Teresa Van Dyck
ARTIST $250 – $499 Anonymous Mary Ellen Bowman Willa Bouwens-Killeen Jennifer & Brent Cardani MaryAnn & Matthew Carroll Diana Casey Wendy & Daniel Harrigan Karen & Thomas Hersh Diane & Wayne Kopit Stephanie & Pete Veravanich APPRENTICE $100 – $249 Abril Turner Yoshi and Michael Yamamoto
Festival Ballet Theatre Board of Directors
Salwa Rizkalla, President Lisa Yamashita, Vice President Willa Bouwens-Killeen, Treasurer Cathleen Hunter, Secretary Tom Lydon, Advisor
Festival Ballet Theatre festivalballet.org 714.962.5440
Guild Chairs
Teri Schmidt, Grants Kathryn Weber, Boutique Chair Alisa Ziebarth, Volunteer Chair Sandy Mason, Hospitality Chair
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Sleeping Beauty
ORANGE COUNTY’S FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS
MARCH 19 & 20, 2016 A Romantic Classic
AUGUST 2016 Internationally Acclaimed Guest Artists
Tickets online 24/7:
thebarclay.org | festivalballet.org | 949.854.4646