|Young People's Performances~March 15, 2007| | Public Performances~March 17-18, 2007|

The Firebird

with

Napoli • de l'innocense • Moldavian Suite

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES

Alexandra Ballet is delighted to bring St. Louis The Firebird, a one-act ballet, which many consider the most pivotal of the 20th century. First premiered by Ballet Russes in 1910, it is rarely seen in the U.S., and has not been presented in St. Louis for over a decade. It will feature:

• The innovative choreography of Marek Cholewa . Please read Donnagail Carr's article about Marek Cholewa in the Winter 2007 issue of The ViewPointe, Alexandra Ballet's newsletter.
• The first complete ballet score by Igor Stravinsky
• The magnetism of professional guest artist Sergey Sergiev in the lead role of Prince Ivan
• Agatha Schmank in the lead role as the Firebird. Aggie, a senior in high school at St. Joseph’s Academy, has been training with Alexandra Ballet since she was 11 years old.
• Scenery from the Ballets Russes Collection in the George Verdak Trust
• Stunning original costume design by Judith Bonnot. Please see the Spring 2006 issue of The ViewPointe for an article on Judith Bonnot.
• The educational booklet that Alexandra Ballet has prepared for the Young People's Performances of The Firebird will be of interest to everyone. Just click on one of the following links ( pdf | MS Word.)

The Firebird is not your typical story ballet! Although beautiful and captivating, this ballet is unlike most familiar ballets. Yes, it has a prince, and even a princess under the spell of an evil sorcerer, but all similarities to the stereotype end there. It is based on the Russian Folktale of Prince Ivan and the Firebird. The choreography stretches the dancers in terms of style and artistry. A great deal of modern dance movement is incorporated into the work. Stravinsky's music is forceful and starkly beautiful. The Firebird character is a blend of female and fantasy--part bird, part woman--with the movements of both ballerina and wild animal. You will find a wonderful story about the production by Jackie Goen in the Winter 2007 issue of The ViewPointe. Click here to listen KFUO-FM Classic 99's Tom Sudholt interview artistic director Alexandra Zaharias and ballet mistress CiCi Houston about this magnificent production.

Moldavian Suite is a vibrant and colorful piece choreographed by Sergey Kozadayev of Chicago's Salt Creek Ballet. Though technically outside the realm of classical ballet, ethnic dances of this type, called character dances, have been an integral part of ballet since its inception, and, as such, are still important today. In fact, learning these dances is a critical component to the training of any dancer working toward a career in ballet. Alexandra School of Ballet. the official school of Alexandra Ballet, is the only ballet school in St. Louis offering regular classes in this important dance form.

Napoli is created by Danish master August Bournonville in the 19th Century. The third act of this ballet is restaged by AB's own Ballet Mistress, CiCi Houston. The distinctive style in which Bournonville taught is still revered today for its beauty and difficulty. Bournonville master teacher, Kennet Oberly, coached Ms. Houston and traveled to St. Louis recently to oversee rehearsals.

de l'innocense is a contemporary ballet with original choreography by Alan Hineline, an American who has received an unprecedented eight National Choreography Awards. Hineline's work, although classical, is approached with a modern eye and contemporary feel. This ballet features guest artists Kevin Wiltz and returning AB alumna, Andrea Lucas. Mr. Wiltz and Ms. Lucas are students at Butler University in Indianapolis, where both attend on Talent Award Scholarship.

Dates and Venue
Saturday, March 17, 2005 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 18, 2005 2:00 pm
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center , UM–St. Louis Campus, St. Louis, Missouri. Click for map & driving directions.

Ticket information
Tickets areon sale at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. Box Office hours are Monday thru Friday between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Click for map & driving directions. Phone orders can be placed by calling (314) 516-4949 or toll free number (866) 516-4949. There is a per ticket charge of $1for the tickets purchased over the phone or at the Ticket Office. There is also a $3 charge per phone order. All tickets purchased over the phone must be charged to MasterCard, Visa, or Discover. Click here to buy tickets on-line. There is a per ticket charge of $3 for Web orders. Tickets will be mailed directly to you, if the performance date is at least eight days away.

YOUNG PEOPLE'S PERFORMANCES

Dates
Friday, March 15, 2006 9:30 am and 12:45 pm

Venue
Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center , UM–St. Louis Campus, St. Louis, Missouri. Click here for here for map & driving directions.

We are pleased to continue to provide our community with one of the most comprehensive fine arts educational outreach initiatives in the St. Louis region. Offered to area schools, free of charge, teachers may choose to bring their class to see the morning or afternoon performance of the ballet, The Firebird. Contact our office today to reserve space for your school—we have long waiting lists for this event! Alexandra Ballet has prepared an Educational Booklet that is designed as a resource for teachers to provide specifics about the performances, as well as a broad spectrum of learning materials that might be used in the classroom before the performances to enhance the experience of the students. Click the following links to view or download the booklet prepared for Alexandra Ballet's The Firebird ( pdf | MS Word.)

Another fun and fascinating component was added two years ago, with “What’s Going on Back There?” an interactive demonstration presented by stage manager Tim Hubbard. During this presentation, students are let in on some of the “secrets” of the backstage world of performance art. Hubbard is currently a national trainer in teacher workshops at The Grammy Foundation’s Leonard Bernstein Center for Learning, and is a former dancer with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. His demonstrations have been met with great enthusiasm, and AB proudly welcomes his contribution to the Young People’s Performance again this year. It is an excellent introduction to careers in performing arts for the highly inquisitive and impressionable young audiences.

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