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Art News:
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Alonzo King LINES Ballet Newsletter
| February 2011
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Save the Dates!
- March 3: Stephen Petronio Master Class at LINES Studios, SF
- March 10 & 11: LINES Ballet School Student Choreography Showcase
at KUNST-STOFF Arts, SF
- March 18 & 19: LINES BFA at Dominican Senior Projects at Angelico Hall, Dominican University, Marin
- April 15-24: Alonzo King LINES Ballet Spring Home Season, Novellus Theater at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF
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Greetings!
Change is afoot. The Board and staff of LINES Ballet is excited to announce the hiring of Renée Heider to the position of Interim Executive Director. To ensure a smooth transition, Renée was hired by the Executive Committee to head operations while a permanent ED is located in a nationwide search. Renée comes with a strong background in the arts, specifically as former ED to Oakland Ballet and Destiny Arts Center, where she achieved great things in institutional funding, growing the donor base and vastly expanding the budget. We want to welcome Renée and look forward to working with her, even as we fondly bid farewell to Ann Marie Nemanich, whose steady hand, deep financial acumen and keen attention to detail guided the company to a place of financial and organizational strength to the envy of many in the nonprofit-arts world. Bonne chance!
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2011 Spring Home Season Collaborations
Composer Mickey Hart and architect Christopher Haas  | | Meredith Webster - photo by RJ Muna |
You may have heard the phrase, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture," variously attributed to Steve Martin, Martin Mull, and Frank Zappa, among others. This April, Alonzo King LINES Ballet will bring real-life meaning to this phrase by doing just that! Alonzo King's partners in creating his new work for our Spring Season are composer Mickey Hart and architect Christopher Haas (de Young Museum). ...Yes, that Mickey Hart! Legendary drummer for The Greatful Dead, Planet Drum dude, and now, composer for LINES Ballet. Mickey's score adapts his project Rhythms Of The Universe, developed in collaboration with Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist George Smoot, and draws on the harmonics of the cosmos itself, gathering light waves from the vibrations of heavenly bodies and converting them into layers of sound. Christopher Haas' interactive stage environment strikes an intriguing kinetic balance between linear and organic forms, and the extraordinary dancers of Alonzo King LINES Ballet move in and around these forms with incomparable physical artistry. We can't help being excited by all the possibilities inherent in this summit of modern magicians, and that's why we say: You won't want to miss this! And, Save the Date! April 15-24 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Novellus Theater. Visit our Season Page for updates. Tickets available now through Yerba Buena online and by phone 415.978.2787.
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Alonzo King at the Ballet Bejart Lausanne
A spectacular international collaboration
 International acclaim for the art of Alonzo King keeps growing. LINES' Founder and Artistic Director spent the last two weeks at Ballet Bejart Lausanne, creating a new work for the company, Figures of Thought, premiering June 11, 2011 at the Theatre Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland. Part of the new plans of Ballet Bejart Lausanne's director, Gil Roman, is to fortify his company with new works to supplement the longstanding works of Maurice Bejart. Alonzo King is the first choreographer invited to meet that directive. "The dancers are wonderfully receptive and comfortable in a wide range of expression," says Alonzo. "I look forward to returning in June and bringing the work to stage." |
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Scheherazade takes a road trip
LINES Ballet Company touring the west This month the LINES dancers visit two iconic towns of the American West. February 18-19 the company will be in Jackson Hole, Wyoming at the Center For The Arts Theater. The following weekend on February 26, they mosey on over to Napa, California for a performance at the Lincoln Theater. All shows will feature Alonzo King's reinterpretation of Scheherazade, an audience favorite.
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Behind the Scenes with Extensions
Don't miss the Open Studio Rehearsal this month!
 | | Caroline Rocher - photo by Marty Sohl |
It's not too late to join Extensions and attend our upcoming member events! If you join by Wednesday, February 23, you will be invited to an exclusive Open Studio Rehearsal and Happy Hour Event on Thursday, February 24 at 5:00 pm. Step behind the scenes to watch Alonzo and the Company prepare for their tour in Napa, and be the first to see Chris Haas' dynamic new set designs for the Spring Home Season! After the rehearsal, join us for drink specials and socializing around the corner at Heaven's Dog. Space in Studio 5 is limited, so RSVP today by emailing libby@linesballet.org. Also, please save the date for the Extensions Night at the Ballet on Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 pm. Join us during the Spring Home Season for the opportunity to mingle with fellow aficionados, toast the company backstage with a glass of wine, and see a breathtaking performance from some of the best seats in the house.
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LINES Ballet students head to Monaco!
Tremplin Jeunes Ballets welcomes BFA and LBTP students | | Rachael Elliot - photo by Austin Forbord |
Six gifted students from LINES Ballet education programs have been selected to join young dancers from all over the world in Monaco at the Tremplin Jeunes Ballets starting February 10. Adam Peterson, Rachael Elliott, and Challyce Brogdon are all seniors in the LINES BFA at Dominican program. Byron Roman is a current student (in his second year) in the LINES Ballet Training Program, and Arthur Prettyman and Jordan Drew are LBTP alumni. Senior faculty instructor Maurya Kerr escorts the group through a week of rehearsals and master classes in preparation for the final audition, an open ballet class audited by ballet directors from all over the world. Following are one-minute solos that the dancers created for themselves to highlight their strengths. That evening there is a performance, for directors and the general public, for which Alonzo King created a 10-minute work entitled Long Flat Dry Plain. It's a high-profile opportunity for our fine students to be seen in an international context. Other schools participating include the Académie de Danse Princesse Grace, Beijing Dance Academy, Cannes Jeune Ballet, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Project Formation Abruzzo (Italy), Kirov Academy of Washington DC, Rotterdam Dance Academy, International Federation of Ballet Competitions (Russia), and the Shangai Theater Academy. Maurya says, "The preparation the dancers have been doing with me and Alonzo has been life-affirming and artistically transformative for them, regardless of whether they leave Monaco with jobs in hand or not. (A job opportunity would be an extra bonus.) What we strive to encourage in all our programs is experiential learning and personal growth to nurture the artist within each dancer." We wish our students all the best with this unique opportunity.
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LINES Ballet School Discovery Projects
Another successful trip for the educational programs
LINES Ballet School recently returned from four-day Discovery Projects in Kansas City, MO and in Tampa / St. Petersburg, FL. These outreach projects were incredibly rewarding and inspiring for both the students who participated and our faculty members who traveled there to teach and choreograph. In Kansas City we had 50 students, ages 13 to 27, who took classes in ballet, pointe, men's class, modern, improvisation, contemporary and classical partnering, and repertoire / choreography workshops. Faculty members Shirin Keyani-Rose, Karah Abiog, Keelan Whitmore (current LINES Ballet Company Member), and LeeWei Chao kept these dancers busy, challenging their preconceptions and asking them to go deeper into their own artistic explorations. Training Program Director Karah Abiog says, "The dancers were extremely engaged throughout the entire four-day workshop. At our wrap-up Q & A on Sunday, dancers were expressing that this was just what they had needed, that they learned to love ballet again, and that they didn't know ballet could be so free. Parents were equally supportive and very gracious for the opportunity offered to their children. It was moving to see everyone's emotions so honestly displayed." In Tampa / St. Petersburg, we saw 119 students, ages 13 to 25, who took a similarly rigorous schedule of classes last Thursday-Sunday. Faculty members Shirin Keyani-Rose, Kara Davis, Maurya Kerr, and Duncan Cooper led these dancers through new ideas about movement initiation, weight-sharing in partnering, and ways to find the fullest reach in every part of the body. Senior faculty member Maurya Kerr commented on "the deep impact of working with these young artists who, because of overwhelming hardships and obstacles to overcome - be it poverty, racial discrimination, or abuse - are literally using dance as a survival tool to find meaning, purpose and joy in their lives. Dance... is their lifeblood. In that, they are already way ahead of many trained dancers devoid of that necessity. It was one of the most rewarding teaching experiences I've had." As this year's series of national Discovery Projects wraps up, we look toward what can be possible in 2012. If you are interested in welcoming LINES Ballet School into your community next spring, please contact us. Local Bay Area Discovery Projects are also possible throughout the year. Visit our website to learn more. We look forward to working with your dancers!
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LINES Ballet Training Program Hard at Work
Dancers prepare for Student Choreography Showcase
 | | Jordan Drew, photo by Austin Forbord |
LINES Ballet Training Program is in full swing with our spring semester, currently deep in process for our Student Choreo-graphy Showcase (coming up on March 10-11, 2011). We are accepting applications for our 2011-2012 school year. Please visit our website to learn more about how to audition. We send our warmest wishes and most sincere support to our students, who are representing the organization this coming week in Monoco at the Tremplin Jeunes Ballets (Tremplin Juniors Program; see article above). Alonzo King, senior faculty member Maurya Kerr and Directors Marina Hotchkiss and Karah Abiog have generously supported these dancers in preparation for their international debut. Best of luck to each of these young artists! A special thank you to those representing our Training Program in Monoco: Byron Roman Jr. (Training Program), Arthur Prettyman (Training Program alum 2010), and Jordan Drew (Training Program alum 2010). The LINES Ballet Summer Program audition tour comes to an end on February 19. We have seen a diverse, open, and talented population of dancers over the last few weeks and are looking forward to working with many of them this summer. If you have not yet auditioned for this program, you can submit a video application by February 12 (postmark deadline). Financial aid applications are due by March 5 (postmark deadline).
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A Master Class with Stephen Petronio Company
Plus, a wealth of other workshops on tap for spring
 | | Amanda Wells, photo by Sarah Silver |
Members of the internationally renowned dance company, Stephen Petronio Company, will come to the Alonzo King LINES Dance Center on March 3 to teach the unique Petronio Technique in a rare master class.
San Francisco-trained dancers Amanda Wells and Joshua Tuason lead you as you explore Stephen Petronio's particular brand of dynamic sequencing and poly- rhythmic movement. Don't miss this rare opportunity to add another dimension to your modern dance technique. Sign up online before the class fills up.
Jenni Bregman and Heidi Schweiker will each be holding Choreography and Performance Workshops soon. Jenni's workshop will be based on the movement and style that she teaches in her regular Monday and Wednesday Contemporary Jazz class. She will focus on the emotional component of performance technique. Heidi will seek to deepen your understanding of dance as play, expression, and relation-ships. She will cover basic partnering and musicality.You can sign up for Jenni Bregman's workshop here and for Heidi Schweiker's here.
Dance Theater maven Deborah Slater brings her 25-plus years of experience to the Dance Center for a one-day choreography workshop. Dancing Your Story, Writing Your Movement will help you learn the process of creating a coherent story when creating a dance and expressing that story in your movement. The workshop will take place on March 27 and you will enjoy a $25 discount if you sign up before March 13.
Liezl Austria will hold Saturday and Sunday sessions of her Continuation of Absolute Beginner Ballet Workshop. Given that this is the second level of her popular workshop series for beginners, it is suggested (but not required) that you take Absolute Beginner Ballet Workshop as a prerequisite. This series always fills up so sign up now.
Finally, some of you may not know that modern dance favorite Mary Carbonara has added Wednesdays to her schedule. Drop in any Monday or Wednesday at 10 AM to take Mary Carbonara's Intermediate Modern class.
For more information about any of our workshops, visit us online or call us at 415.863.3040 x221. As always, you can find our daily class schedule online.
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Alonzo King LINES Ballet
26 Seventh Street
San Francisco, California 94103
P: 415.863.3040 F: 415.863.1180 linesballet.org
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LINES Ballet | 26 Seventh Street | San Francisco | CA | 94103
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