[NEohioPAL] PRESS RELEASE: Verb Ballets Featured in Chagrin Arts Winter Series

[Dan Kilbane]

For Immediate Release

Contacts:
At Verb Ballets: 			For Media:  
Margaret Carlson 			Dan Kilbane
216.397.3757, ext. 3			216.513.3654
mcarlson at verbballets.org		kilbanedan at yahoo.com
www.verbballets.org

Verb Ballets Featured in Chagrin Arts Winter Series 
Presented by Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture
February 7, 2009

January 8, 2009 Cleveland, OH -- Verb Ballets, Cleveland’s National Repertory Dance Company, continues a season of collaborations with their debut in Chagrin Falls, presented by the Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture (CFAC).  On Saturday, February 7, 2009, Verb Ballets performs at Chagrin Falls High School, in the beautiful new Performing Arts Center.  The Board of Trustees and Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson are pleased to announce a family-friendly program that includes Pamela Pribisco’s "Peter and the Wolf"; Ulysses Dove's "Vespers"; Hernando Cortez’s “Darkwood”; and two works by famed Ohio Ballet founder Heinz Poll: "Duet," a romantic pas de deux, and the propulsive, captivating "Bolero.”  Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students, and are available by calling the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre box office at 440-247-8955 or by visiting www.chagrinfoundation.org.  This performance is underwritten by the John P. Murphy
 Foundation, with additional support from the Ohio Arts Council, Huntington Bank, South Franklin Circle, and The Chagrin Valley Times.

Verb Ballets was hailed by The Plain Dealer for the company’s “expansive classicism and Broadway-style vibrancy"; and "sleek and fun to watch" by The Akron Beacon Journal.  Verb Ballets’ company of dancers includes Danielle Brickman, Ashley Cohen, Katie Gnagy, Michael Medcalf, Catherine Meredith Lambert, Erin Conway Lewis, Brian Murphy, and Anna Roberts. 

The CFAC program includes the following:

Peter and the Wolf.  2008-09 Premiere.  Choreographed by Pamela Pribisco.  One of the best-loved and entertaining children’s classics in the orchestral literature, Peter and the Wolf joined Verb Ballets’ repertoire this past December.   This exciting new work will feature Verb Ballets’ eight dancers with original costume designs by Suzy Campbell and lighting design by Dennis Dugan.  The Peter and the Wolf creation was commissioned by Millie L Carlson.

Vespers.  2008-09 Premiere.  Choreographed by Ulysses Dove.  Restaged by Dawn Carter.  Verb Ballets is proud to acquire this seminal contemporary dance piece.  Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater first performed Vespers in 1987.  The following, from their website, details this powerful work:  “Ulysses Dove's bold choreographic voice and daring athleticism are embodied…in Vespers, a dramatic work full of raw energy and profound grace.  Mikel Rouse's percussive score matches the dancers' insistent drive as they propel themselves across the stage in this ballet that The Village Voice proclaimed “astonishing...an exemplary vehicle for six…women, showing off their streamlined power and how coldly they can burn.”  

“Verb Ballets is honored to acquire this powerful work in the African-American canon,” states Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson.  “Dove’s untimely death left a void in America as a force in contemporary dance.  Dove’s works are seen around the world, and we are particularly proud to celebrate this Ohio artist’s life.  That is why we’ve included ‘Vespers’ as part of our 2008 - 2009 ‘All Stars’ season.”

Darkwood.  2008-09 Premiere. Choreographed by Hernando Cortez. Created in memory of Paul Taylor dancer Jeff Wadlington, who died from complications of AIDS in 1994, Cortez’s newest dance is a virtuoso showcase for Verb Ballets dancer Brian Murphy.  Costume by Gino Ventura.

Bolero.  Ohio Ballet Founder Heinz Poll’s dramatic ballet is set to the legendary Maurice Ravel score. “Bolero” blends Indian and modern dance styles in a propulsive, driving and intensely rigorous mix. This Verb Ballets production was staged by former Ohio Ballet dancer, Amy Miller, with the permission of Xochitl Tejeda de Cerda. Costumes, by A. Christina Giannini, were reconstructed by Janet Bolick. Original lighting design by Julie Duro, reconceived by Dennis Dugan.  This piece was made possible through the generous support of The AHS Foundation. 

Duet.  Poll choreographed this dance in the neoclassical style of George Balanchine, regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in ballet.  Poll’s use of J.S. Bach’s “Adagio” from his Organ Toccata in C, arranged for cello and piano by former Ohio Ballet Music Director David Fisher, showcases Poll’s musical mastery.  Original lighting was by Thomas Skelton. The first performance took place on Aug. 8, 1979, at the Ted Shawn Theater in Becket, Massachusetts. This revival is made possible through the generous support of the AHS Foundation.

About Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture
The mission of the Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture is to enrich lives and promote economic well-being in the Chagrin Valley and Northeast Ohio by presenting inspiring cultural programs, providing support services to local cultural organizations, and helping create a vibrant arts and entertainment district in Chagrin Falls.  It has established partnerships with performing arts and educational organizations throughout and beyond Northeast Ohio and has gained regional recognition for its summer Chautauqua-in-Chagrin series and winter Chagrin arts season.  

About Verb Ballets
The Verb Ballets’ organization has established the company as Cleveland’s premiere national dance repertory company.  Verb Ballets was named one of “25 to Watch in 2004” by Dance Magazine, the country’s leading news magazine covering dance, and recently the magazine bestowed more kudos on the company by naming Verb one of 5 “Great Tiny Troupes” in America. Verb Ballets discovers, collects, interprets and stages choreography that matters to the region and to the world of dance.  As a curator of expressive movement that is globally connected and nationally respected, Verb Ballets has a mandate to support and foster emerging talent, present excellence in contemporary choreographers and revive and honor modern dance classics.

Verb Ballets’ seventh season continues under the theme “Verb All Stars,” highlighting collaborations with other arts organizations.  This series of performances takes place in Northeast Ohio as well as without:  On January 17, 2009, the company travels to Fort Myers, Florida, to perform at Florida Big Arts Theatre in Sanibel.  On January 31 – February 1, 2009, Verb Ballets will be performing in conjunction with a residency at Ohio Northern University, premiering a work set on their students, by Verb Ballets dancer, Catherine Meredith Lambert.  In April 2009, Verb Ballets returns to Cleveland Public Theatre’s Danceworks series, highlighting local choreographers, from April 16 – 19, 2009.  On May 1and 2, 2009, the company makes its fourth appearance at the Cleveland Play House’s FusionFest in a collaboration with Dianne McIntyre and live musicians.

Biographies:
Hernando Cortez was born in Manila, Philippines, and spent his early years in British Columbia, where he began his dance training at Vancouver's Pacific Ballet Theatre.  He graduated with Honors from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance in 1985, receiving the President's Award for Achievement. Soon after, he was invited to join Feld Ballets/NY.  In 1987, he joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company, performing leading roles in such renowned Taylor repertory as Arden Court, Cloven Kingdom and Company B through 1996.  He was featured in two PBS/WNET Dance in America specials (“Speaking in Tongues” and “The Wrecker's Ball”), and his own choreography is showcased in the Taylor Company's critically acclaimed smash hit Funny Papers. He performed with Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project in their 1998 national tour. Also a popular freelance choreographer, Cortez recently created dances for American Ballet Theatre (the Studio Company), the
 Williamstown Theater Festival (Camino Real, 1999, starring Ethan Hawke; Where’s Charley?, directed by Nicholas Martin), the Sands Hotel in Atlantic City (Latin Sol, a theatrical revue co-created with actor Taylor Negron and director David Schweizer). He also continues to be commissioned for new works by regional dance companies and universities nationwide. He has been on the faculties of Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, The Boston Conservatory, the Joffrey School, and the school of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Cortez is Founding Director of Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA), a fundraising program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The funds that DRA raises are distributed to over 400 AIDS Service organizations across the United States. Funds are also distributed to seven programs of The Actors' Fund of America, which offers assistance to all professionals working in the dance community who may be facing a health crisis. Since its founding,
 BC/EFA and DRA have distributed over $45 million to support these programs. Cortez was awarded a 1997 Dance Magazine Award and a 1996 New York Dance and Performance Award (aka Bessie) for his work with DRA. Mr. Cortez is a proud recipient of a 2004 Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement, and was named one of Cleveland’s Most Interesting People 2005 by Cleveland Magazine. Through nomination and the generous support of The Cleveland Foundation, Cortez attended the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders, a joint program of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Center for Social Innovation and National Arts Strategies. He has served on numerous panels, most recently as an advisor for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ulysses Dove was an independent choreographer who worked in both the modern dance and ballet idioms. After attending a Graham performance in 1967, Dove gave up his pre-med studies at Howard University to dance professionally with Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey, and Anna Sokolow. His first choreography, I See the Moon...and the Moon Sees Me (1979), was commissioned by Ailey.   Although he never maintained a company of his own, Dove worked closely with Jeraldyne Blunden's Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and created works for American Ballet Theatre, Ballet France de Nancy, the Basel Ballet, Cullberg Ballet of Sweden, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, New York City Ballet, and the Swedish National Ballet, for which he created the transcendent Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven (1993).  In 1980, he became the assistant director of the experimental Choreographic Research Group of the Paris Opera. A benefit titled For the Love of Dove, with proceeds dedicated
 to the Actor's Fund and its programs for dancers and other needy professionals, was produced just days after his death from complications of AIDS. Five major modern dance and ballet companies performed Dove's works on that program.

Choreographer and founder of the Ohio Ballet, Heinz Poll was born in Oberhausen, Germany, and was a champion ice skater before he became a dancer. His experience on the rink imbued him with a love of speed that he expressed in his athletic baroque ballet, “Cascade” (1985).  After World War II, he studied dance at Jooss’s Folkwang School in Essen, and began his professional career at the Municipal Theatre in Goettingen. He later became a principal dancer with the Berlin State Opera Ballet.  In 1951, he joined the National Ballet of Chile as a dancer, ballet master, and teacher. The company’s tradition of bringing serious programs to indigenous people in remote mountain villages served as the model for Ohio Ballet’s Summer Festival of free outdoor performances.  In 1962, Poll joined Ballet de Jeunesse Musicales de France as ballet master. Two years later, he came to the United States as a guest artist with the Chilean company. He performed in the
 American Dance Festival the following summer and stayed in New York to teach at Thalia Mara’s National Academy of Ballet.  In Akron, he developed Ohio Ballet into one of America’s most polished, respected, and widely traveled chamber dance troupes. Poll was awarded the Association of Ohio Dance Companies Award in 1983, the Cleveland Arts Prize in 1995, and the Ohio Arts Council’s Governor’s Award in 1999. After his retirement, he wrote his memoir and has conferred a number of his ballets to former Ohio Ballet dancers.  In 1974, with lighting designer Thomas Skelton, he founded Akron’s first professional company, the Chamber Ballet, which eventually became Ohio Ballet.  Poll died in April, 2006.

Born in Ohio, Pamela Pribisco was a founding member and principal dancer with the Cleveland Ballet.  As a highly respected teacher of classical ballet and pointe in New York City, she has been on the faculty of the Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet Hispanico, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and teaches annually at the School at Jacob's Pillow.  Ms. Pribisco served as ballet mistress for the Cleveland Ballet, American Ballroom Theatre, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo for which she staged and choreographed numerous pieces in the company's repertoire. She was profiled in The New York Times for her work with the ‘Trocks.’  Currently, Ms. Pribisco is company teacher for Alvin Ailey Dance Company and ballet mistress for Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company. She also writes for dance publications, advising young dancers on various aspects of their careers, and is creator of 'Wigglewords™' a fitness literacy program for children.

Major sponsors of Verb Ballets include AHS Foundation; The Bascom Little Fund; Millie L. Carlson; The Cleveland Foundation; Cuyahoga Arts and Culture; The George Gund Foundation; Kulas Foundation; The Laub Foundation; The McGregor Foundation; John P. Murphy Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; and the Ohio Arts Council.  Additional individual sponsors include Charles & Sandy Abookire; Chuck and Ann Ennis; Norma and Jeffrey Glazer; David R. Pierce & Philip M. Cucchiara; and Robert M. Shwab.   Additional Verb sponsors include Baumgarten & Company, LLP; Cedar Hill Communications; Danskin; FITWORKS; GlobeNewswire, Inc.; WCLV 104.9 FM; and WVIZ/WCPN Ideastream.