Featuring three world premieres and one Cincinnati premiere
Janessa Touchet & Cervilio Miguel Amador. Photography: Aaron M. Conway.
CINCINNATI, OH. THE KAPLAN NEW WORKS SERIES takes the stage in the beautiful and intimate Jarson-Kaplan Theater, at the Aronoff Center, September 11-19. With NEW WORKS’ continual record-breaking attendance, the new location offers access to a larger audience while maintaining the intimacy for which it is well known.
NEW WORKS was founded under the philosophy of fostering the future of ballet and dance. “Ballet today is a duplicitous mistress,” says Victoria Morgan, Artistic Director & CEO. “We don our pointe shoes, which root us to our heroic past, but our minds, determined to express today’s ideas, hurl us into this innovation hub called New Works. This series is the “start-up” engine leading us to a future that we cannot even describe.” The 2015 NEW WORKS program remains loyal to the premise of adventure, featuring three world premieres and one Cincinnati premiere.
Resident Choreographer Adam Hougland presents two works this year, introducing a brand new solo piece, which marks his sixth world premiere for Cincinnati Ballet and the return of All My Favorite People from Cincinnati Ballet & Over the Rhine Live. “Adam’s familiarity with our company dancers has earned him their complete devotion,” says Artistic Director & CEO, Victoria Morgan. In 2011 he created a brand new production of The Firebird specifically for Cincinnati Ballet, and the same year was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” He contributed his talent to a piece in the collaborative performance of Frampton & Cincinnati Ballet Live, which was performed at the Joyce Theater in New York City in 2014, and the full length Mozart’s Requiem performed this past March.
Ma Cong, resident choreographer and dancer at Tulsa Ballet, presents an exciting world premiere during his first time collaborating with Cincinnati Ballet. Cong began his training with the Beijing Dance Academy and has danced the work of acclaimed choreographers of this day, such as Balanchine, Forsythe, Kylián, McMillan and more. As a choreographer, he has been the recipient of several awards and honors from choreographic competitions worldwide. He has choreographed for the major mid-range ballet companies like BalletMet, Richmond Ballet and Smuin Ballet, among others.
Born in Kharkov City, Ukraine, Viktor Plotnikov received his training at the Kiev-Ukraine School and the St. Petersburg Vaganova Ballet Academy. From 1987 to 1990, he was a soloist with Donetsk Ballet Company in the Ukraine. Plotnikov held principal dancer positions at Ballet Mississippi and Tulsa Ballet between 1990 and 1993 before joining Boston Ballet as a principal dancer in 1993, where he performed until 2006. He has danced featured roles in extensive classical and contemporary ballets by many of the major choreographers and has toured extensively in Russia and the U.S. Plotnikov has created a multitude of original works for several world class organizations. These include solos and duets performed at international ballet competitions, with an eclectic musical taste ranging from Brahms to Pink Floyd.
Aside from being an acclaimed choreographer, Gabriel Gaffney Smith is currently a dancer at BalletMet Columbus as well as an accomplished composer. He presents his Cincinnati premiere pas de deux, Detachment Without Reason set to his own original musical composition. Smith composed the music for one of Heather Britt’s pieces, Habitual, which is featured later in the season during Director’s Choice. He has also created musical pieces for BalletMet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Texture Contemporary Ballet and a documentary for Red House Productions. As a dancer, Smith has also performed with River North Jazz Company in Chicago and Hisatomi Yoshiko Ballet in Japan.
NEW WORKS kicks off an exciting new season following the announcement of several promotions within the dancer ranks and the return of former Cincinnati Ballet Principal Dancer, Oğulcan Borova, as official Ballet Master. Borova is originally from Turkey and has won numerous medals in major international ballet competitions. Most recently he was a principal dancer with Joffrey Ballet. Three new dancers join Cincinnati Ballet’s roster: Patric Palkens returns as a Principal Dancer after a year in Europe with Salzburg State Theater Austria Dance. Jonathan Batista, originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, joins as a Soloist. He danced for Miami City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and Boston Ballet before joining Cincinnati Ballet. Serena Søvdsnes starts as an Apprentice, most recently dancing with Boston Ballet II.
Rodrigo Almarales has been promoted from Senior Soloist to Principal; Courtney Connor Jones has been promoted from Soloist to Senior Soloist; James Gilmer has been promoted from Corps de Ballet to Soloist; Sirui Liu and Abigail Morwood have been promoted from Corps de Ballet to Soloists; Samantha Nagy-Chow and Khris Santos have been promoted from Apprentices to New Dancers; and Taylor Carrasco and Daniel Wagner have been promoted from CBII Dancers to Apprentices for the 15-16 Season.
MEET THE ARTISTS Cincinnati Ballet is pleased to offer Meet the Artists, a pre-performance discussion series where you will have the opportunity to meet select dancers, choreographers and members of the creative team who bring New Works to life. For admission, please present your ticket to the current production. Meet the Artists will be held at 7:00 pm on September 11 and 18.
PERFORMANCE DATES AND INFORMATION
- WHO:
Cincinnati Ballet
Choreography: Ma Cong, Adam Hougland, Viktor Plotnikov, Gabriel Gaffney Smith
- WHAT:
The Kaplan New Works Series
Three World Premieres, One Cincinnati Premiere
- WHEN:
Friday, September 11 – 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 12 – 2:00 pm
Saturday, September 12 – 8:00 pm
Sunday, September 13 – 2:00 pm
Wednesday, September 16 – 8:00 pm
Thursday, September 17 – 8:00 pm
Friday, September 18 – 8:00 pm
Saturday, September 19 – 2:00 pm
Saturday, September 19 – 8:00 pm
- WHERE:
The Jarson-Kaplan Theater
Aronoff Center for the Arts
650 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
- HOW:
Call 513.621.5282, visit cballet.org, or visit the Cincinnati Ballet Box Office at 1555 Central Parkway
Tickets start at $55
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THE KAPLAN NEW WORKS SERIES Sponsors: James A. Miller, Dianne Dunkelman & Peter Schwartz, Dianne & J. David Rosenberg, Theodore L. Schwartz & Minette Hoffheimer, Capital Investment Group, Neyra, UBS
Cincinnati Ballet 2015-2016 Season Sponsors: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation, ArtsWave, The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Rhonda & Larry A. Sheakley Family Foundation, Rosemary & Mark Schlachter, Ohio Arts Council, PNC Bank, Frisch’s, Wellington Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, Cincinnati Enquirer
About Cincinnati Ballet
Since 1963, Cincinnati Ballet has been the cornerstone professional ballet company of the region, presenting a bold and adventurous array of classical, full-length ballets and contemporary works, regularly with live orchestral accompaniment. Under the artistic direction of Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet has become a creative force within the larger dance community, commissioning world premiere works and exploring unique collaborations with artists as diverse as Grammy winning guitarist Peter Frampton and popular, Ohio-based band Over the Rhine. With a mission to inspire hope and joy in our community and beyond through the power and passion of dance, Cincinnati Ballet reaches beyond the stage in programs that allow every person in the region to be part of the continued evolution of dance. To that end, Cincinnati Ballet presents exhilarating performances, extensive education outreach programs and offers top level professional ballet training at Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy.
CONNECT: READ / WATCH / LISTEN / LEARN / ENJOY at cballet.org
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