FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The BALLETS RUSSES 100 YEAR FESTIVAL

MINNEAPOLIS (July 15, 2009) MINNEAPOLIS/St. PAUL

Press Contact:
Erik Sanborn
The Metropolitan Ballet
(763) 742-4686
tcmetroballet@aol.com

Ann Swarts
Kenwood Symphony Orchestra
(612) 819-4267
aswarts@kerker.com

The METROPOLITAN BALLET - Minneapolis/St. Paul KENWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Minneapolis

8:00 PM Friday August 7, 2009
8:00 PM Saturday August 8, 2009

EXPERIENCE THE GLORY OF A REVOLUTION IN DANCE!

The Metropolitan Ballet and The Kenwood Symphony Orchestra co-present THE BALLETS RUSSES 100 YEAR FESTIVAL with Celebrity Guest host Nina Novak.

Minneapolis/St. Paul (July 10, 2009) ~ Next month Prima Ballerina NINA NOVAK, featured in the film BALLETS RUSSES, hosts an evening of iconic works by Serge Diaghilev’s troupe that caused the revolution of an art form. Co-presented by The Metropolitan Ballet and The Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, THE BALLETS RUSSES 100 YEAR FESTIVAL plays August 7 and 8, 2009 at The O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on the College of St. Catherine Campus. This landmark event is the fourth time these Twin-Cities fine arts organizations have collaborated to bring the community classic ballet set to live music.

~ CLASSIC DANCE AND LIVE MUSIC ~

THE BALLETS RUSSES 100 YEAR FESTIVAL is being co-directed by Yuri Ivan, the music director of The Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Director/Producer Erik Sanborn of The Metropolitan Ballet. This tribute to history‘s most famous ballet company, Serge - Diaghilev’s BALLETS RUSSES, begins The Metropolitan Ballet‘s 2009 - 2010 Season by reliving the glory of Russian ballets that caused a revolution of an art form. The iconic works include Les Sylphides, Le Spectre de la Rose, The Fairy Doll, The Dying Swan, Polovtsian Dances and one contemporary premiere, Nijinsky’s Last Dance.

A tribute to the genius of Diaghilev’s BALLETS RUSSES’ centenary is proving to be a world wide genuflect of reverence. The revolution in danced caused by the choices Diaghilev made in combining the talents of the world’s finest artisans in dance, choreography, music and painting heightened fame to the likes of Nijinsky, Pavlova, Fokine, Petipa, Stravinsky, Bakst, and Picasso just to name a few. The works of these combined talents changed the course of performing art history and remain cornerstones in dance companies and orchestras throughout the world.

Prima Ballerina NINA NOVAK, featured in the film BALLETS RUSSES and long time company member with the Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, is traveling from her home in Venezuela to make a special appearance as our celebrity host. Ms. Novak was known for many roles and is the mysterious dancer in the famous Unicorn photograph used to promote the company.

The composers/choreographers for these works include; Les Sylphides (Chopiniana) ~ Fokine/Chopin; Le Spectre de la Rose ~ Fokine/Debussy; Blue Bird ~ Petipa/Tchaikovsky;The Fairy Doll ~ Legat/Bayer; The Dying Swan ~ Fokine/Saint Seans; Polovtsian Dances; Fokine/Borodin and Nijinsky’s Last Dance ~ Luis Armando Bastillo/Mallamud. The works are being staged by former Bolshoi Principal Ballerina and Etoile, Tatiana Berenova and Mr. Ramon Thielen, former principal of Dance Theatre of Harlem and Cleveland Ballet.

In keeping with our mission, The Metropolitan Ballet will be mounting these treasures in classic ballet with live music and creating a new work to celebrate this landmark anniversary. The music will be provided by the talents of the The Kenwood Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Yuri Ivan. A fresh new work is being choreographed to a new composition by aspiring composer David Mallamud of New York City entitled Elegy, the third movement of his recent work Nijinsky’’s Last Dance which was premiered last year in New York. Internationally acclaimed choreographer Luis Armando Bastillo of Venezuela will be creating a piece of the same name. The work is a collaborative combining the impressions and reflections shared by the composer, choreographer and Artistic Director Erik Sanborn.

Principal dancers for the performance include Etoile Prima Ballerina Tatiana Berenova, formerly of The Bolshoi, Ramon Thielen former principal of The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Andrei Vassiliev, who has performed with prestigious dance companies including Leipzig Opera Ballet, English National Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Also performing is Andrei Jouravlev who has performed with Nina Ananiashvili on tour with American Ballet Theatre.

For more information please visit www.metroballet.org

SINGLE TICKET INFORMATION Single tickets for THE BALLETS RUSSES 100 YEAR FESTIVAL go on sale Friday July 3 at 12:00 Noon. Prices are $25. for Adults and $15. For Students, Seniors and Children under 17. Gold Circle Tickets are available for $50. Gold Circle guests are invited to a pre-show reception 1 hour prior to the performance (7:00 PM). Guests will have the opportunity to meet our host Nina Novak and will be served wine and hors de oeuvres.

Tickets may be purchased at The O’Shaughnessy Box Office (no convenience fees) or through the Ticketmaster Artsline at 612-673-0404 or by logging on to www.metroballet.org. for a link to the Ticketmaster page to purchase tickets.

Performances are Friday, August 7 and Saturday August 8 at 8 PM at The O’Shaughnessy Auditorium on the College of St. Catherine Campus. 2004 Randolph Avenue. St. Paul, MN 55105

ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN BALLET A Twin Cities organization founded in 2002 by Artistic Director/Producer Erik Sanborn with a mission of uniting the communities of dance, music and theater in staging high impact works in the performing art of dance with an emphasis on accessibility, diversity and affordability. The company's inaugural production of Prokofiev's Ballet Romeo and Juliet was a rave sellout in 2004. Audiences were once again enthralled with A Classic Gala at the PANTAGES in 2005, which included a celebrity cast and live music. Last fall Dracula, A Ballet of Passion Life and Death made it’s premier featuring the choreography of local artists. The 2006-2007 full season at The State Theatre concluded with a critically acclaimed restaging of Romeo & Juliet, Agnes DeMille’s RODEO and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For More information visit: www.metroballet.org.

ABOUT THE KENWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Founded in 1972 as the Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, 2007 marks our fourth season as a full symphony and our first season under the direction of Yuri Ivan.. From humble beginnings as an adult education class, the orchestra has grown immensely in membership, ability, and reputation. Over the years, several gifted conductors have graced the podium, including Uri Barnea, Jim Riccardo, Jeannine Wager, William Intriligator, Myles Hernandez, Kenneth Freed and Jeffrey Stirling. Based at Ramsey International Fine Arts Center, the KSO represents over 50 highly accomplished musicians of various ages and occupations including students, working professionals, and retirees, all passionate about playing and sharing great music. In 2003, the orchestra began an exciting venture joining Ramsey IFAC and the New England Conservatory to integrate music into the mainstream curriculum. KSO is a nonprofit organization financed primarily by members dues, financial gifts from friends and supporters, and our annual Masters Concerto and Aria event.