Texas Ballet Theater
Presents
Majestic Ballet Gala
Chita Rivera to receive First Annual Texas Ballet Theater
International Performing Arts Award
North Texas – Ben Stevenson, artistic director of Texas Ballet Theater, today announced the opening production of the 2006-07 Season, Majestic Ballet Gala, performed Friday, September 29, and Saturday, September 30, at Dallas’ historic Majestic Theatre, 1925 Elm Street in Dallas. Legendary Broadway actor/singer/dancer Chita Rivera will receive the First Annual Texas Ballet Theater International Performing Arts Award on Friday, September 29.
Majestic Ballet Gala opens with Stevenson’s interpretation of Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3. Also on the program, Stevenson’s Harlequinade Pas de Deux, Endangered Species, Britten Pas de Deux and Sweet and Tangy, a world premiere by Texas Ballet Theater company member Peter Zweifel, recipient of a new choreography fellowship awarded by the New York Choreographic Institute. Denis and Anastasia Matvienko, guest artists of the Bolshoi and Kiev Ballet, dance the powerful Pas de Deux from Don Quixote. Closing the performance is Tim O’Keefe’s One, with music by Marvin Hamlisch.
Russian stars Denis and Anastasia Matvienko make their Texas Ballet Theater premiere appearance performing alongside the Company. Winner of the 2005 Moscow Ballet Competition, Denis is known for the assured ease of his leaps and for lifting his partners with masculine grace. Stevenson stated, “I’m pleased to bring these young stars to dance with the talented company members of
Texas Ballet Theater. The evening will be filled with passion, energy and beautiful ballet.”
Chita Rivera is the recipient of the First Annual Texas Ballet Theater International Performing Arts Award. The award was created to honor deserving individuals that have made a lasting impact on the performing arts. In its inaugural year, Rivera was chosen for her contributions to the world of dance. “No one is more deserving than Chita for her lifetime of excellence in the performing arts,” said Stevenson.
A Golden Evening celebration dinner immediately follows the September 29 performance at the Dallas Petroleum Club. Hosted by Mrs. Bart Humphrey and Mrs. Richard Kumpf, the dinner honors Chita Rivera. Additional details are enclosed.
Majestic Ballet Gala
Friday, September 29 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 30 at 8 p.m.
Bartók
Music by Béla Bartók
Choreography by Ben Stevenson
Harlequinade Pas de Deux
Music by Ludwig Minkus
Choreography by Ben Stevenson
Endangered Species
Music by Amy Beach
Choreography by Ben Stevenson
Britten Pas de Deux
Music by Benjamin Britten
Choreography by Ben Stevenson
World Premiere
Sweet and Tangy
Music by VV
Choreography by Peter Zweifel
Don Quixote Pas De Deux
Featuring Denis and Anastasia Matvienko
Music by Ludwig Minkus
One
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Choreography by Tim O’Keefe
Performance Tickets Only
Tickets on-sale now
$18-$74
Toll-free 1-877-212-4280 or www.texasballettheater.org
A Golden Evening Celebration Dinner
Honoring Chita Rivera
Friday, September 29, 2006
Dinner following performance (approximately 9:30 p.m.)
Dallas Petroleum Club, 2200 Ross Avenue
Mrs. Bart Humphrey, Mrs. Richard Kumpf, Event Chairs
Cocktail Attire
Dinner and Performance Packages: $1,750-$25,000
Individual Dinner and Performance Ticket: $325
Individual Dinner Ticket: $175
For further information, call 214.369.5200, ext. 104 or 817.763.0207, ext. 104.
About Chita Rivera
Chita Rivera has won two Tony Awards (Kiss of the Spider Woman; The Rink) and received seven additional Tony nominations. She recently starred on Broadway in CHITA RIVERA: THE DANCER’S LIFE, a dazzling new musical celebrating her astonishing career (which will tour in 2007), and the revival of the musical Nine with Antonio Banderas. Chita received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, D.C. in December, 2002, and is the first Hispanic ever chosen to receive this award. She trained as a ballerina (from age 11) before receiving a scholarship to the American School of Ballet from legendary George Balanchine. Chita’s first appearance (age 17) was in the chorus of Call Me Madam. Her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story (1957) brought her stardom, which she repeated in London. Her career is highlighted by starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, Jerry’s Girls and (original Broadway casts) Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven and Mr. Wonderful. On tour: Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba, Can-Can with The Rockettes. Her most treasured production is her daughter, singer/dancer/choreographer Lisa Mordente.
About the Guest Artists
Denis Matvienko Guest Artist
Denis was born in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine and studied at the Kiev State Choreographic School. From June 1997-March 2001, Denis worked at the Kiev State Theatre of Opera and Ballet as a principal dancer. He worked in Mariinsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet in St. Petersburg as a principal dancer. Since January 2003, he has been a principal dancer of Kiev State Theatre of Opera and Ballet. He has worked as a guest artist in New National Theatre, Tokyo, Japan since 2002. In October 2005, Matvienko became a guest soloist for Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, Russia.
Anastasia Matvienko Guest Artist
Anastasia was born in Sevastopol, Ukraine and studied at Kiev State Choreographic School. Since April 2001, she has worked as a soloist for Kiev State Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
ABOUT TEXAS BALLET THEATER
Founded in 1961, Texas Ballet Theater is the premier resident professional ballet company of North Texas. Under the direction of artistic director Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., the Ballet brings unprecedented talent, beauty and artistic expression to the stages of Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall and Dallas' Music Hall at Fair Park and Historic Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas. Texas Ballet Theater will become the resident ballet company for the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts when it opens in 2009. Season sponsors include the Star-Telegram, The Dallas Morning News, WRR Radio, TACA, the City of Dallas and Texas Commission on the Arts, American Airlines and The Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County. For more information, go to www.texasballettheater.org.
Photo Credit
Artist: Carolyn Judson. Photo: Ellen Appel.