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Atlanta Ballet Brings Live Music Back
Atlanta Ballet is thrilled to announce that the 2008-2009 Season will feature the return of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra. Patti Wallace, Trustee of the Atlanta Ballet, has stepped forward with a one-year gift of $200,000 to assist in bringing live music back to Atlanta Ballet performances. Kristine Robison, also an Atlanta Ballet Trustee, and her husband Michael have pledged $50,000 to sponsor the Conductor for the 2008-2009 season.
Swan Lake, the October season opener, February's Dracula, a favorite of Atlanta audiences, and the May world premiere of John McFall's Don Quixote will feature live music at every performance. Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker will feature the orchestra during its opening weekend, December 5th, 6th, and 7th.
"This is a very special occasion for us, as it has always been our intention to bring live music back to our performances," says Barry Hughson, Atlanta Ballet's Executive Director. "Because of this very generous contribution, we will be able to have live music back for a large part of our 2008-2009 Season. While this is an exciting step, we still have farther to go, and need the support of the whole community so that live music will be a part of every one of our performances in future seasons."
Atlanta Ballet has been actively working on a multi-year business plan to bring long-term financial stability to the organization. Atlanta Ballet's Board of Directors made the decision to switch to digital music as a cost-saving measure in the summer of 2006. Shortly after that decision, a national search was launched for a new Executive Director. Hughson, a former professional dancer with a sixteen-year history in senior arts administration, was named to the position. Since taking the helm, Hughson completed negotiations on the sale of the organization's Midtown property, the purchase of their future headquarters at 1695 Marietta Boulevard, engineered the move to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and is leading the development and implementation of the five-year institutional business and fundraising plan.
"What a tremendous gift to the Atlanta BAllet and our city's cultural community," said John McFall, Atlanta Ballet's Artistic Director. "When I met Patti ten years ago, she was introduced to me as a 'patron of the arts.' This gesture illustrates what a genuine understanding she has as a leader in supporting the arts."
According to Wallace, "I have been a fan of Atlanta Ballet for years and while they hold a special place in my heart, this is a good business decision. The arts are vital in Atlanta's emergence as a world-class city, and live music is an integral part of professional dance that will help grow our base of audiences and donors. I am proud to be able to provide the support to accelerate the return of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra."
Welcome Back Conductor Dan Allcott
 The return of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra to the pit for the 2008-2009 Season will also feature the return of another familiar face - Conductor Dan Allcott. Dan was Music Director and principal conductor of the Atlanta Ballet from 2000-2006. In addition to traditional ballet scores, he led musical collaborations with the Indigo Girls, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Choir, the Red Clay Ramblers, the Michael O'Neal Singers and the Atlanta Youth Choirs. His work is enthusiastically received by orchestras, composers and choreographers. He has work with choreographers Violette Verdy, Jacques Cesbron, Victoria Simon, Stanton Welch, John McFall, and Michael Pink and premiered new works by Christopher Hampson, Margo Sappington, Diane Coburn-Bruning, Christian Holder and many others. His most recent ballet premier was “Primary Movements” – a collaboration between the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Black Dance Theater.
He attributes his love of conducting ballet to Violette Verdy, for whom he first conducted ballet at Indiana University where he underwent his formal conducting studies with Thomas Baldner and Imre Pallo. Atlanta Ballet has performed his original arrangements of Carmen, Hamlet, and Shed Your Skin.
In the fall 1996 Allcott was appointed the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Schmitt Conducting Fellow, a position he held for three years. In 1998, Mr. Allcott was named the first Herbert von Karajan Fellow of the American Austrian Foundation at the Salzburg Festival and has been a participant in the Nicolai Malko and Grzegorz Fitelberg competitions in Europe. Allcott is the Music Director of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee and is Associate Professor and Director of Orchestral Studies at Tennessee Tech University.
The Countdown Is On - Reserve Your Seats for Our New Season!
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The countdown is on - Atlanta Ballet is set to open its inaugural season at Energy Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, October 23 with Swan Lake!
A new era in Atlanta Ballet history is about to begin and we want to make sure you don't miss a single performance in our new home. No other venue in Atlanta is more suited to provide this experience than Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The positive response has been astounding - from both long-term patrons and new subscribers who have realized the artistic gem that exists right here in Atlanta.
In fact, certain sections of orchestra level seating are already SOLD OUT for Saturday evening! Single tickets to all Atlanta Ballet performances are now on sale via Ticketmaster, but we are still holding prime seats for subscription patrons. To guarantee the best seats in the house and save up to 25% off single ticket prices, call (404) 892-3303 today or click here.
Photo: Kristine Necessary and Jonah Hooper at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, by Charlie McCullers.
Welcome Back, Company!
 Our Company is back in the studio, hard at work on Swan Lake, and we couldn't think of a better ballet to open our 2008-2009 season than this beloved classic. The last time we presented Swan Lake, it was hailed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as "positively riveting, as much for reasons of technical virtuosity as for those of emotional gravitas."
In addition to presenting this sublime masterpiece for our Atlanta audiences, we have been invited to perform the full-evening ballet at the opening of the Instituto Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. "We're particularly excited that Atlanta Ballet's reputation is such that we've been invited to present our work to this new audience thousands of miles away," said Artistic Director John McFall. "For the dancers and myself, to be able to presend a classic like Swan Lake to an audience who has never seen our work says great things about the thirst for the performing arts in today's world." The one-time performance will take place October 7, 2008 at 8:30pm.
Photo: Naomi-Jane Dixon and Christian Clark in Swan Lake, by Charlie McCullers
Centre for Dance Education Attracts World-Class Teachers for Summer Programs
Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education has just wrapped up another successful summer of camps, thanks in part to the outstanding faculty. This summer, the Centre had the honor of playing host to guest teachers from some of the nation's best dance companies and schools. These guest teachers spend countless hours coaching some of the nation's best up-and-coming dancers in the Centre's Summer Intensives, designed for intermediate through pre-professional level students.
On such teacher was Sharon Wong, a graduate of NYU Tisch School fo the Arts and originally from the UK. Ms. Wong teaches and choreographs internationally. She joined the faculty of the Ailey School in 1993 where she is Co-Chair of the Jazz Department and faculty adviser. Ms. Wong was included in Who's Who Among America's Teachers 2003-2006.
Joining Sharon Wong at Atlanta Ballet this summer was Miki Orihara, a principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company. She began her training in Japan, and moved to New York to study at the Joffrey Ballet School. She received scholarships to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. In 1983 she became one of the original members of the Martha Graham Ensemble and thereafter shortly joined the Martha Graham Dance Company. She is currently on the faculty at the Martha Graham School. We woud like to thank both of these talented dancers and teachers for spending their summers with Atlanta Ballet.
The Centre's Summer Programs also received plenty of great coverage - click here to read an article that appeared in the Statesboro Herald about the Intensive held at Georgia Southern University.
Want to make sure that your child is receiving the best instruction in their dance journey? Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education is accepting registrations for Fall 2008. Call the Registrar at (404) 873-5811 ext. 310 to reserve your space today.
CDE Wins Nickelodeon Parents' Picks Award!
Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education has been awarded the distinction of "Best Artsy Class for Teens" as part of Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect's First Annual Parents' Picks Awards. Thanks to all of you who visited ParentsConnect.com to vote for us! The Centre for Dance Education's profile and information will remain features on ParentsConnect's site for one year. To learn more about Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education's teen classes, visit the CDE website.
Fire Island Dance Festival a Smashing Success
 The Fire Island Dance Festival, Dancers Responding to AIDS' (DRS) signature event, celebrated its 14th year over the weekend of July 19th-20th with smashing success. Twice hailed by the New York Times as "the charity event of the season," the festival drew record-breaking crowds and raised over $300,000 for DRA.
Atlanta Ballet took the opportunity to unveil a world premiere piece showcasing two female company members, Peng-Yu Chen and Tara Lee. The two interpreted the colorful and ususual Spottiswoode & His Enemies song "That's What I Like," a devilish take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music. Peng and Tara danced as two wildly different painters of one masterpiece in this bold performance, one that John McFall likened to "a teaser - delightful, entertaining fun that exudes the Fire Island spirit of getting away and having a good time with friends."
Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA) is a charity organization that seeks to support people living with HIV/AIDS, social services for performing professionals, and women's health programs. The Fire Island Dance Festival has thus far raised more than $1.6 million for DRA's charity fund.
Midtown Traffic Updates
Because the 14th Street Improvement and Downtown Connector projects affect our patrons for performances at the Fox Theatre and Cobb Energy Centre, as well as students and parents of the Centre for Dance Education, Atlanta Ballet will be posting updates as we receive them from the Department of Transportation. Please be sure to allow adequate time for transit and parking for any performances and classes if your route takes you through these areas.
14th Street Bridge Improvement Project
The 14th Street bridge is now closed between Fowler and Williams Street. Motorists traveling east or west over the Downtown Connector should use 17th or 10th streets or North Avenue as alternate routes. The bridge is expected to reopen by Winter 2009.
The following lane closures are already in place:
- Williams Street reduced to one lane.
- Techwood Drive between 16th and 10th streets. Will reopen in Summer 2009.
- I-85 southbound ramp to 14th and 10th streets.
- Motorists should exit I-85 at 17th Street (Exit 84) and utilize the 17th Street bridge to Spring Street to access Midtown and locations west of I-75/85.
- I-75 southbound ramp to 14th and 10th streets from Exit 250.
- Motorists should exit I-75 at Northside Drive (Exit 252) and turn left onto 10th Street.
Special note: 16th Street will remain open to traffic. Motorists will not be permitted to park along 16th Street during this phase.
Impact on Travel
- Traffic on the downtown connector will be greatly impacted. Delays are to be expected. At times, traffic will be paced and lanes shifted.
- Northbound traffic will be detoured to the 10th Street bridge and southbound traffic to the 17th Street bridge.
- Lane closures will not take place during inclement weather or on designated holiday weekends.
Because of the extensive road closings, always be prepared with an alternate route in case your primary route is blocked for construction. Below are alternate route recommendations from Georgia DOT for downtown venues.
The scheduled project completion date is May 31, 2010.
Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about this or any other construction project. More information is available at www.511ga.org. Motorists are also advised to carpool, vanpool, or take mass transit. Use of these travel alternatives helps reduce the traffic congestion that occurs during peak commute times and in construction work zones, and helps the Atlanta metro region have a cleaner environment. For information on commuting alternatives, visit www.cleanaircampaign.com. For more information on the 14th Street Bridge Improvement Project, visit the Georgia DOT website at www.dot.state.ga.us.
Downtown Connector Resurfacing Project
Georgia DOT has begun resurfacing the Downtown Connector for 4.79 miles between University Avenue and 10th Street in both the northbound and southbound lanes. Major lane closures began April 12 and are scheduled to continue until the work is completed by the end of November. Lane closures will be mostly contained to weekends, starting Friday 9pm through Monday 5am. Any weeknight closures will be limited to shoulder or single lane, and all travel lanes will reopen by 5am. Closures are subject to change due to weather or to coordinate with the 14th Street Reconstruction Project. The speed limit will be reduced to 45mph in the work zone ares while work is in progress. Traffic delays will occur. Please choose alternate modes of transportation, carpool, or choose alternate routes and allow additional travel time during this construction project. There will be no construction during major holidays.
The lane closure schedule will be updated weekly and posted to the project website by Wednesday 5pm. Click on the link to the Downtown Connector project page from the main Georgia DOT website at www.dot.state.ga.us.
Reviews
When ballet plays footsie with hip-hop; "big" is big, and the hip, cheering and wildly diverse audience on Thursday night is undoubtedly what the Atlanta Ballet's director, John McFall, had in mind when he suggested the collaboration to Mr. Patton. Read the entire review by Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times
Big Boi's 'Big' a big success despite little missteps; A multimedia extravaganza, "big" fulfills its name and fills the seats. Now if we could just see Big Boi in some tights. Read the entire review by Kathleen Wessel, AJC
Lively 'Room,' new home; Atlanta Ballet dancers proved themselves worthy of both artistic and athletic praise after Thursday night's performance of the relentless "In The Upper Room." Read the entire review by Kathleen Wessel, AJC
'Romeo and Juliet' speak volumes without words; Romantic and richly textured, the Atlanta Ballet's "Romeo and Juliet" is a valentine not for the faint of heart...a long, heartbreaking classic, beautifully danced. Read the entire review by Kathleen Wessel, AJC
Perennial 'Nutcracker' fun, a bit young for age; Falling snow, Tchaikovsky's beloved melodies, some inspired dancing, and a host of elaborate sets and costumes are on the Fox Theatre stage again as the Atlanta Ballet presents "Nutcracker." Read the entire review by Kathleen Wessel, AJC
Flighty dancers take off in 'Peter Pan'; With this kind of talent in a concert aimed at children, maybe refusing to grow up for one night isn't a bad idea. Read the entire review by Kathleen Wessel, AJC
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