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Reimagined season includes new choreography and classic favorites

CINCINNATI, OH (August 10, 2020) – Cincinnati Ballet is excited to announce our modified 2020-2021 Season. While this unexpected schedule looks different than first envisioned, it is a season of surprises sure to delight dance lovers in the region. When the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the remainder of the 2019-2020 Season in March and April, Cincinnati Ballet did not anticipate programming changes well into our upcoming season. However, Cincinnati Ballet’s dedicated staff pivoted quickly to reimagine the 2020-2021 season with varied performance options. “The health and safety of our dancers, staff, patrons, and community remain our top priority,” said Scott Altman, Cincinnati Ballet CEO. “As we continue to navigate the unique challenges of social distancing, our commitment to health and safety has guided us as we created a season that delivers the world-class dance you expect from Cincinnati Ballet. We have had to make some difficult decisions, but we know, thanks to our community’s deep commitment to the arts and Cincinnati Ballet, we are safeguarding the future of our organization.” Cincinnati Ballet has adapted the 2020-2021 Season based on recommendations from government and health officials and in line with sister organizations both regionally and nationally.

Photo provided by Cincinnati Ballet.

Cincinnati Ballet invites you to come celebrate dance and our vibrant community next month as we kick off the season with a free, socially distanced production in partnership with Cincinnati Parks at the P & G Pavilion September 25-27. This program will feature the return of our dancers with outdoor performances showcasing selections of favorite solos and pas de deux from our rich repertoire. In November, Cincinnati Ballet will present an intimate workshop performance. “Right now, our artists are busy creating thoughtful pieces for this performance,” said Artistic Director Victoria Morgan. “Our dancers and artistic staff are developing a celebratory program. The return of this art form to an indoor stage with audiences and dancers socially distanced will proudly highlight the talents of your Cincinnati Ballet artists, as dancers, as choreographers, and innovators of our time. While the world is an unsettled place, we are focused and moving forward in our mission to share the love and healing power of dance with our community.”  As we move into December, keeping in mind appropriate social distancing, we will offer a re-imagined Nutcracker presented by Frisch’s Big Boy in an hour-long program in the Music Hall Ballroom, December 17-23.

Our second half of the season begins in a NEW and surprising way. For the first time in our history, The Kaplan New Works Series moves from the Jarson-Kaplan Theater at Aronoff Center to Springer Auditorium at Music Hall. This audience favorite will replace Jewels previously scheduled in February. To highlight the intimate setting for these contemporary world premieres, Cincinnati Ballet will perform New Works like never seen before in front of the proscenium, performing in the space you would typically see Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra musicians perform. New Works as always continues to highlight the raw, powerful athleticism of dance. In this series we reflect on these unique times, addressing today’s challenges with gravity, humor, and hope.  To celebrate springtime, we have shifted our Family Series regional premiere of Snow White from February to April. This treasured fairytale will showcase Cincinnati Ballet Second Company and Otto M. Budig Academy students and for the first time, will feature live actors narrating the story, April 8-18. April will also feature a mixed-repertoire program, Bold Moves Plus. The anchor will be the return of Ohad Naharin’s wildly popular, Minus 16. Artistically, Bold Moves Plus will serve as a precursor to our inaugural festival which will debut in the 2021-2022 Season and will celebrate legendary contemporary choreography. Artistic Director Victoria Morgan’s whimsical Cinderella is now slated to close the 2020-2021 Season with a two-week engagement June 10-20 at Aronoff Center. As audiences enjoy the magical Cinderella, Cincinnati Ballet will also be celebrating the opening of the new Cincinnati Ballet Margaret & Michael Valentine Center for Dance in Walnut Hills. Cincinnati Ballet’s new home is slated to open in Summer 2021.

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 enrich, expand, and excel in the art of dance through performance, a high-caliber academy, and impactful education and engagement in local to global communities, 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 and community engagement programs and offers top level professional ballet training at Cincinnati Ballet Otto M. Budig Academy.

CONNECT: READ / WATCH / LISTEN / LEARN / ENJOY at cballet.org

Cincinnati Ballet 2019-2020 Season Sponsors: Rhonda & Larry A. Sheakley, ArtsWave, Mercy Health, Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Ohio Arts Council, John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust, Frisch’s Big Boy, Knowlton