What’s New
Free Performance at St. Francis College!
Call For Choreographers!
First Look is an annual curated program of work by emerging and established dance artists presented by Brooklyn Ballet. Selected artists present a work up to 10 minutes-long with full stage lighting, a technical rehearsal, technical staff and marketing support, all free of charge.
We welcome applications from emerging and established choreographers exploring new work. Works of any genre will be considered, and works in progress are welcome. Performances will take place at The Actors Fund Arts Center in Downtown Brooklyn.
Previous First Look performances have included work by Amanda Hinchey, Boink! Dance, Caitlin Dutton, Crystal Bella, Kristin Draucker, Laura Hydak, Marika Brussel, Remi Harris, Shawn T. Bible, Shot of Scotch, Suzan Polat, The Lovelies, William Ervin, Gierre Godley, Nikki Hefko, Sarah Holmes, Kate Ladenheim, Mari Meade Montoya, Nellie Rainwater, Randy Burd, and Amy Miller.
Application deadline is April 1, 2016.
For questions or further information, please email info@brooklynballet.org.
Limón Workshop with Belinda McGuire
The Actorʼs Fund Theater
Saturdays 1:30-3:30pm | January 30, February 13, February 27, and March 5
$25 for a single class | $85 for all 4 sessions
Free for Brooklyn Ballet Students at the Ballet II level and higher!
________________________________
BELINDA MCGUIRE (Dancer, Director, Choreographer), originally from Toronto, graduated from The Juilliard School (BFA 2006). Through Belinda McGuire Dance Projects, she performs primarily solo work, choreographs and engages in collaboration and production. McGuire was nominated for the 2013 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance (The Heist Project), was an Artiste en Passant at The International Choreographic Arts Centre Amsterdam in 2010, a recipient of the 2008 Bessie Schönberg Residency at the Yard, and was recognized by the 2007 Susan Braun Award of The Dance Films Association. Her choreography has been presented at the Festival de la Ciudad 2009 (Merida, Yucatan Mexico), the Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa), in Toronto and in New York City on the stages of the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and Alice Tully Hall, Joyce Soho as well as in DUMBO, Brooklyn. She has danced with The José Limón Dance Company, Gallim Dance, Doug Varone and Dancers, Ofelia Lorette de Mola's DANSCORES, the DOORKNOB Company and The Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre. She teaches and choreographs as a guest artist in New York City for The Limón Institute, The Juilliard School, and Dance New Amsterdam, for the New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, CCDT in Toronto and for various other schools and universities across North America.
Limón Technique: During the course of his career, José Limón created what is now known as the "Limón technique". According to the Limón Institute, the technique "emphasizes the natural rhythms of fall and recovery and the interplay between weight and weightlessness to provide dancers with an organic approach to movement that easily adapts to a range of choreographic styles."
Discounted Rehearsal Space – Book Today!
Master Class with Ruby Aver: Thursday, January 28, 4:30-7:00 PM
$30 Master Class Rate
$20 Brooklyn Ballet Family Rate
To register click here!
Ruby Aver performed extensively since 1973 in North America, South America and Europe. Ruby’s first ballet instructor, Ed Parish was Bronislava Nijinkska trained. At the age of 14, Ruby was the youngest dancer ever to place in the Chicago Dance Competition, judged by renowned dance historian Ann Barzel. In 1971 Ruby was awarded a full talent scholarship to the Harkness School of Ballet in Manhattan by Master Teacher David Howard, where she went on to become an apprentice with the Harkness Ballet Company. She performed as a soloist with the Chicago Ballet Company and Ballet DeCaracas of Venezuela. She was principal dancer for Het Scapino Ballet of the Netherlands, where “Firebird” was set on her by choreographer Job Sanders, and where she performed annually for the Queen of Holland. During these years she taught and coached dancers in the above companies and school, as well as for the Hubbard Street Dance Company of Chicago. In addition to classical ballet, Ruby has performed contemporary ballet by Hans VanMannen and Nils Christie, Jazz choreography by Matt Mattox, and dance theater pieces by company members from Pina Bausch and Wuppertaal Tanzteatre. Other highlights of her performing career were working with the National Ballet of Canada for Rudolf Nureyev in his production of “Don Quixote. Ruby has been the Ballet Professor at Simon’s Rock College of Bard since 2004 and the Ballet Director and instructor for Berkshire Pulse, in Western Mass since 2005.
“Today, Ruby passes on the high standards she gained as a performer and teacher enabling her students to be accepted into some of the best ballet schools for further study. I applaud her for her commitment to the art of ballet, giving young dancers a solid foundation for them to succeed.” -David Howard, Master Teacher
We Did It!
We are thrilled to announce that The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! project on Kickstarter was 103% funded by 101 generous donors! We are over the moon excited by this milestone and we have YOU to thank. We are 110% grateful.
Spotlight on The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet Collaborators
With just 10 days left in our campaign, we can’t stop now. Keep the support for The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet coming! Share this one-of-a-kind production with your friends and family and encourage them to donate. Every dollar counts towards Brooklyn-nizing everyone’s favorite holiday classic! Donate today!
This week we wanted to introduce you to a few of our amazing collaborators that have been working on The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! production with us:
Meet Avram Finklestein, our incredible Art Director. Avram is an artist and writer living in Brooklyn. He is a founding member of the collective responsible for Silence=Death and AIDSGATE, which was recently included in Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years at The Metropolitan Museum in New York. He is also a founding member of the art collective, Gran Fury, with whom he collaborated on public art projects for international institutions including The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Venice Biennale, ArtForum, MOCA LA, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, Creative Time, and The Public Art Fund. The collective had its first retrospective at 80 WSE in 2012, and has work in the permanent collections of The Whitney, MoMA, The New Museum and The New York Public Library. www.avramfinkelstein.com
Meet Leila Ligougne, our amazing LED Tutu Designer. Leila is a New Yorker by adoption. She has lived in Quebec, Paris, London and New York getting inspired from the youngest of age. After studying in Paris, and having her clothing line in Canada, Leila spent most of her career getting a rich experience from collaborating with renowned architect Gaetano Pesce and working the two opposite ends of the fashion design and business spectrum alongside Catherine Malandrino and later as a Design Director at Victoria’s Secret. Most, recently, she started “Ligougne Studio” consulting in the fashion industry and started an eponymous collection of summer dresses and cover-ups. Ligougne is always dabbling with art and she is now also pursuing her interest in forward computational fashion. www. leilaligougne.com
Last but certainly not least, meet Sylvia Nolan, our wonderful costume designer. Sylvia is Resident Costume Designer at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where she has been working for over 14 years. She is at the head of the main costume shop: here, the staff makes or modifies costumes and accessories for 28 productions, put on during the 33 weeks of a theater season. She also has a passion for ballet: she permanently works for the New York Theatre Ballet and has been collaborating with internationally renowned choreographers, such as Martha Connerton, Matthew Neenan and Benoit-Swan Pouffer. Learn more about Sylvia via her feature in Vogue Italia.
What We're Thankful For...
For starters, we’re thankful for YOU! Without your support for the past 10 + years we wouldn’t be where we are today and for that we say THANK YOU! With your support Brooklyn Ballet can continue to create amazing dance productions for all ages, including our upcoming remake of a holiday classic, “The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet!”
If you haven’t already, make a donation today! Plus, you could double or triple your donation by sharing our Kickstarter with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors!
An enormous thank you goes out to our incredible backers thus far:
Mary Abrams
Leila Ligougne
Jim McElroy
Kristin Ferris
Jason Andrew
Deborah Schneiderman
Laura Hershcopf
Nicole Orth
Mary Ellen Kramer
Janette Caines
Lynn Parkerson
Bay Pointe Ballet
Sean and Kevin
Deborah Borstein Gichan
Dr. Nina11
Matthew Netti
Seema Aghera
Olivia Hicks
Michaeil Hirschhorn
Shelley Parkerson
Simon Moore
Sheri Goldblum
Vera Titunik and Ken Birnbaum
Amy Jacobus
Remi Harris
Elizabeth Forster
Dominique Bravo
Geri Armine-Klein
David Garlan
Katherine Pan
Laurel
Britton Fisher
Liz Koch
Linda Rosenberg
Allen Kraus
Nellie Rainwater
Finally, we invite you take a peek at two behind-the-scenes interviews with our very own Brooklyn Ballet Youth Ensemble dancers. Meet Josh Fletcher, Sacha Moskovic, Allison Goldblum, and Chloe Lizama. Catch Josh & Sacha in the March dance, and Allison & Chloe in the Angels dance December 9-13th in The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet!
Spotlight on Our Sugar Plum Fairy: Ingrid Silva
The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! will feature the incredibly talented Ingrid Silva from Dance Theatre of Harlem as our Sugar Plum Fairy! We are so thrilled to have her in the production this year, so we wanted to take a moment to officially introduce her on the blog.
Ingrid Silva is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and began her formal ballet training at the age of 8 at Dançando Para Não Dançar, the Deborah Colker school and Escola de Dança Maria Olenewa. She has also apprenticed with Company Grupo Corpo in Brazil. After entering the Univercidade da Cidade College, she decided to follow her passion and traveled to New York in 2007. That summer, she attended the Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive Program, and afterwards joined the school’s Professional Training Program. She became a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble in 2008. Ms. Silva has also performed with Armitage Gone! Dance performing GAGA-Gaku at the Joyce Theater in 2011 – Biography from The Dance Theatre of Harlem website
You can learn even more about Ingrid here!
Kickstarter Update
As of this Monday, The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! Kickstarter is officially LIVE! This production has been a long time in the making, and we are thrilled to finally give it the time, money, and creativity it deserves. But we can’t do it alone! As many of you know, putting any high caliber production on stage is an expensive endeavor, and this performance is no exception. Please take a look at our promo video and Kickstarter profile to see the magic of The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! for yourself.
The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! will provide the boroughs’ youth with opportunities to perform, expand our annual performance season with superb talent, fuse contemporary dance forms with classical ballet, and bring a one-of-a-kind “Brooklyn-ized” Nutcracker to the place we call home. This production is truly the embodiment of what Brooklyn Ballet stands for: artistic excellence, collaboration, and diversity.
So far we have raised $3,329 and we have 13 amazing backers we’d like to take a moment to thank:
Amy Jacobus
Remi Harris
Elizabeth Forster
Dominique Bravo
Geri Armine-Klein
David Garlan
Katherine Pan
Laurel Shoemaker
Britton Fisher
Liz Koch
Linda Rosenberg
Allen Kraus
Nellie Rainwater
Thank you for your continued support and generous pledges!
Visit Kickstarter if you'd like to help keep the momentum going!
Announcing The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet!
Artistic Director Lynn Parkerson saw a unique opportunity to fuse a contemporary perspective with ballet technique by combining the magical Nutcracker tale with the celebrated diversity of Brooklyn. While her dream has been a long time in the making–Brooklyn Ballet has been showing Nutcracker excerpts since 2005–we are staging the pieces together in a single event for the very first time. By incorporating street and modern dance, infusing African dance styles, and placing the dancers in a multicultural, intergenerational setting on Flatbush Avenue, the Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet reflects the very heart and soul of Brooklyn.
Over thirty children from our school program will perform in the event, alongside our seasoned professional dancers and guest artists. The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet will also feature several incredible collaborations with local artists. In addition to the motion sensor tutus we created in 2014, we will showcase a brand new touch-sensor tutu designed by collaborator Leila Ligougne. The production will be further brought to life with the help of an updated set design created by acclaimed visual and conceptual artist Avram Finkelstein.
In our endeavor to produce this revitalized, one-of-a-kind production of the Nutcracker, we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign on November 9. Check back on the blog for updates on the Kickstarter, and please consider donating!
The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet will run from December 9-13 at The Actors Fund Arts Center at 160 Schermerhorn Street. You may purchase tickets here. Please keep in mind that space is limited and we are expecting tickets to sell out. We hope to see you there!
Brooklyn Ballet Heads into the Fall/Winter Season
Two weekends ago we had a lively and well attended children's audition for our one-of-a-kind Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet. We will be starting rehearsals at the beginning of October and we can hardly wait to hear Nutcracker notes drifting out of our studio speakers! In October we will be launching our Kickstarter campaign for the Brooklyn Nutcracker, so be sure to stay stuned for a special promo video and updates. Most importantly, save the date for a week of Nutcracker performances December 9th-13th at the Actors Fund Theater-there's no better way to celebrate the holiday season with your family and friends!
In case you can't wait until December to see Brooklyn Ballet perform, we have several community performances coming up–including our rescheduled Take Ballet to the Streets program which will be this Thursday, September 24th at 5 PM in the Target Community Garden. Additionally, the Brooklyn Ballet Company and Youth Ensemble will perform at the annual Atlantic Antic festival this Sunday, September 27th at 2:30 PM. Finally, if you're in the Boston area we will perform at the MIT Hacking Arts conference this Saturday, September 26th. Our artistic director Lynn Parkerson will be part of a panel and the Brooklyn Ballet company will also showcase our infamous motion sensor costumes. If you're in the area we would love your support!
Last but certainly not least, Brooklyn Ballet will perform alongside other guest artists LiteFeet Nation, Chrybaby Cozie, Cheryl McGinnis, and DJ Alberto Denis at the Dance Enthusiast Dance-Art-Fusion Party at Gibney Dance on Tuesday, October 13th from 6:15-9:15 PM. All ticket holders will enjoy food, drink, socializing, performance, and art making!
Please visit the Performance Calendar section of the site for more details about the above performances, and to stay updated about performances later in the season.
Brooklyn Ballet Open House: Saturday, September 12th
As a new season begins at Brooklyn Ballet, we would like to invite you to participate in free sample classes at our Open House on Saturday, September 12th from 9:45 AM-6:15 PM. All ages welcome! See below for the detailed Open House schedule.
9:45-10:15 - Pre-Ballet I/II (ages 3 and 4 by September) with Jillian Greis
10:30-11:00 - Elementary Ballet I/II (ages 5 and 6 by September) with Elisabet Pereira
11:00-11:30 - Boys Ballet (ages 8+ by September) with David Fernandez
11:30-12:00 - Broadway Jazz (ages 8+ by September) with Oshi Wanigasekera
12:00-1:00 - *Ballet I/II (ages 8+ by September) with David Fernandez
1:00-2:00 - *Modern (ages 10+) with Djassi Johnson
2:00-3:00 - *Ballet III/IV with Yana Volkova
5:00-6:15 - Adult Ballet Fundamentals with Yana Volkova
As an added bonus, Capezio dancewear will be having a popup shop in the Brooklyn Ballet studios from 9 AM-3 PM if you are interested in buying any dance apparel.
The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! Youth Audition
It's beginning to feel a lot like fall, and that means Nutcracker is right around the corner!
We are excited to be presenting a new holiday production, The Brooklyn Nutcracker Sweet! - an excerpt of Nutcracker dances this December 9-13 at The Actors Fund Arts Center in Downtown Brooklyn.
We're holding an audition for young dancers ages 9-15 on Sunday, September 13th at Brooklyn Ballet:
Ages 9-12 – 1:30-2:30
Ages 12-15 – 2:30-3:30
You may register for the audition by clicking here. We look forward to seeing you there!
Brooklyn Ballet to perform at Kings Theatre
Join us for a celebratory performance at King's Theatre on Monday April 27 at 8pm to re-introduce this historic landmark to Brooklyn. Brooklyn Ballet will peform excerpts from "The Brooklyn Nutcracker" as well as a short preview of pieces from our latest season "Roots & New Ground". Other groups set to perform include Brooklyn Youth Chorus, TriBeCaStan, and Casym Steel Orchestra. This performance is FREE but you must RSVP through ticketmaster to claim your seat. Details for this performance are below. We hope to see you there!
Monday, April 27th at 8pm
Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Ave Brooklyn, NY 11226
On Set of ABC's "Forever"
We love a good TV drama so when we got the call and were asked to participate in the taping of ABC's tv series, "Forever", we were extremely excited for the opportunity! Brooklyn Ballet company dancers taped a ballet scene with esteemed ballerina, Irina Dvorovenko, for the series two weeks ago. Forever is a series about Doctor Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd), New York City's star medical examiner who studies the dead to solve criminal cases to solve the mystery that has eluded him for 200 years—the answer to his own inexplicable immortality. The episode we're featured in was directed by John Kretchmer and is produced by Warner Bros. Television with executive producers, Matt Miller (Chuck, Las Vegas), Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes, Gangster Squad) and Jennifer Gwartz (Veronica Mars, Cupid, Party Down). Forever stars Ioan Gruffurd, Alana De La Garza, Joel David Moore, Donnie Keshawarz, Lorraine Toussaint and Judd Hirsch. This episode will air on Tuesday, April 7th 10pm EST but for now enjoy our behind the scene footage on set.
From top of photos: BB Dancers with Forever's star Ioan Gruffurd, BB Dancers with highly respected ballerina, Irina Dvorovenko.
Spring Forward with "Roots & New Ground"
It's almost the end of our winter blues in Brooklyn as the sun begins to melt the snow and spring slowly thrives forward, giving us a new season. It's also the best part of year for us because it's the most creative time to collaborate with different artists and prepare for our spring production, "Roots & New Ground". We're very excited to showcase new works by David Fernandez, Michael "Big Mike" Fields, Emily Oleson, Matthew Powell, and a revival by Artistic Director Lynn Parkerson. We are also collaborating with composer and cellist Malcolm Parson on a few pieces he's written for the season.
Rehearsal began in the middle of February, so we're working out each piece and expanding more ideas as the production progresses. We look forward to presenting "Roots & New Ground" to our audience and can't wait to meet you all April 16-19 at The Actor's Fund Arts Center. To purchase tickets, click here.
Check out some rehearsal photos below:
Brooklyn Ballet in Popular Science!
Click here to read all about Brooklyn Ballet's dance and technology projects in Popular Science Magazine.
Photo: Justin Steele
Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!
Brooklyn Ballet travelled to West Virginia from November 1-3, 2014 to perform and teach master classes.
The performance featured special guest dancers Emily Oleson (Professor of Dance at Davis & Elkins), Matthew Olwell, and members of the Appalachian Ensemble String Band, alongside excerpts of Brooklyn Ballet signature dance pieces such as "Spiders Cooks and Mood Swings", and "The Brooklyn Nutcracker". There were over 450 audience members in attendance.
Brooklyn Ballet company members taught four master classes in ballet and hip-hop to 87 students, and had a wonderful time touring D & E's gorgeous campus. A big thank you to Davis & Elkins for hosting Brooklyn Ballet's residency!
CounterPointe & 2015 Season - Save the dates!
Brooklyn Ballet Presents CounterPointe on April 10-12, in collaboration with Norte Maar. The series, curated by Julia K. Gleich, features work by established and emerging women choreographers making new work on pointe.
The following weekend, April 16-19, is Brooklyn Ballet's 2015 Season. This year's annual season is a program of dances and collaborations including a revival by Founding Artistic Director Lynn Parkerson, new works by David Fernandez, Emily Oleson, and Matthew Powell, plus another sneak peek of The Brooklyn Nutcracker. With live music by Malcolm Parson & the Brooklyn Ballet String Band!
