DENVER, CO (March 18, 2019) – Colorado Ballet will present the grand finale to its 2018/2019 season, April 5 – 14 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, performing works that will showcase the artistry, athleticism and mastery of Colorado Ballet’s dancers. The program opens with George Balanchine’s beloved Serenade, set to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, and concludes with the acclaimed production of Fernand Nault’s Carmina Burana, set to Carl Orff’s evocative and powerful score, performed live by the Colorado Ballet Orchestra and the Evans Choir. The chorus will perform Carmina Burana on stage alongside the dancers.
Colorado Ballet’s audiences and dancers simply can’t get enough of Balanchine’s Serenade. “When you dance Balanchine’s choreography it feels amazing because it’s made for exactly how dancers want to feel on stage,” states Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs. “Serenade was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed when he came to America in the 1930s. Audiences love it because it is simply an inspiringly beautiful ballet.”
Boggs chose to launch this production of Carmina Burana to showcase the artistry of the company’s dancers. “Fernand Nault’s Carmina Burana is an extremely well-conceived ballet, and beautifully portrays the emotion and joy needed for this the piece. It’s not overly done,” states Boggs. “I really like Nault’s Carmina and have always wanted to do it. The way he incorporates the choreography to match the music highlights the experience of hearing it.”
More About Fernand Nault’s Carmina Burana
Acclaimed Canadian dancer and choreographer Fernand Nault created Carmina Burana in 1964, and re-launched it in 1966 with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. It received great acclaim and international fame following its appearance at Expo 67 in Montreal—the great World’s Fair of the 20th century.
This performance of Carmina Burana will mark the first time it has been performed in the Western United States since Colorado Ballet performed it in 1978. Fernand Nault’s connection to Colorado Ballet in the 1960s and 70s came as a result of his friendship with the company’s founders Freidann Parker and Lillian Covillo. For a number of years, Nault served as artistic advisor of Colorado Ballet, and in 1980 became its first artistic director.
A long-time dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Fernand Nault’s choreography style was influenced by ballet greats such as George Balanchine and Antony Tudor, as well as the paintings of Italian artist Sandro Botticelli and the theatre. His Carmina Burana incorporates highly stylized movements, which the dancers showcase with respect and elegance.
Fonds Chorégraphique Fernand Nault’s trustee, Andre Laprise, traveled to Denver from Ottawa, Canada to stage the work on Colorado Ballet’s dancers for next month’s performances. He describes Nault’s work as “reinventing the ballet form but not the movements—it’s like a painting coming to life,” explained Laprise. “Fernand Nault’s Carmina Burana is a classic of our time, and I am so excited to see this historic moment when Colorado Ballet will share this amazing piece of art with audiences here in Denver, Colorado.”
The Season Finale
“I couldn’t think of a better way to close-out this year’s amazing, record breaking season than with our Ballet MasterWorks production,” stated Boggs. “All of our dancers have worked so hard this year, and this program gives them the opportunity to showcase their craft with some of the greatest 20th century dance repertoire. We are honored to share this celebratory season finale with all of our patrons and Colorado audiences. This has been a season for the history books and we can’t thank our patrons enough for helping to make it possible.”
PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES
Friday, April 5, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 2 p.m.
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 2 p.m.
TICKETS
Tickets range from $30 to $155. Visit COLORADOBALLET.ORG or call Patron Services at 303-837-8888 ext. 2 to purchase tickets.
To continue to reduce the number of ticket resellers, please purchase directly through Colorado Ballet via the website or phone number listed above. Tickets purchased through resellers may not be valid.
BALLET MASTERWORKS SPONSORS
This production of Ballet MasterWorks is presented by the Denver Ballet Guild.
Colorado Ballet receives support from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Supporting sponsors include Anadarko, Colorado Ballet Auxiliary and Pura Vida.
UPCOMING 2019/2020 SEASON
Don Quixote | Oct. 4-13, 2019
The Nutcracker | Nov. 30 – Dec. 24, 2019
Peter Pan | Jan. 31 – Feb. 9, 2020
Tour de Force | March 6 – 8, 2020
Ballet MasterWorks | April 3-12, 2020
ABOUT COLORADO BALLET
Presenting exceptional classical ballet and innovative contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement, Colorado Ballet continues to inspire and grow an increasingly diverse audience base in Denver, Colorado. As a world-class professional company, Colorado Ballet presents more than 55 performances annually to sold-out audiences in the 2,000 seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Company’s 33 professional dancers and 22 studio company dancers come from all over the world. In 2014, Colorado Ballet moved into its new home, The Armstrong Center for Dance, a 35,000 square foot building that boasts eight state-of-the-art professional dance studios and amenities for the professional Company.
Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 58 years of presenting classical ballet and superior dance. Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet performs classical ballet masterpieces, full-length story ballets and its critically-acclaimed repertory production Ballet MasterWorks, featuring varied works from neoclassical ballets to world premieres.
The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy serves over 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year and has doubled in size since 2014. Colorado Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement programming serves under-resourced students, teachers, families, people with disabilities and lifelong learners, reaching more than 35,000 contacts in 300 schools and organizations annually.
Colorado Ballet enhances the cultural life of Colorado through performances of the professional company, training at the Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy and Education & Community Engagement programming. For more information please visit COLORADOBALLET.ORG.
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