BALLET SAN JOSE'S 2008-09 Season Features Five World Premieres and Three Company Premieres

Ballet San Jose’s four main offerings of the 23rd season in Silicon Valley will feature a story ballet by August Bournonville that is unique to Ballet San Jose’s repertory, the re-staging of one of Dennis Nahat’s most popular comedic ballets, three Company premieres by dance legends and five world premiere ballets by members of the Company.  The holiday season will be heralded by an extended run of THE NUTCRACKER, and the extremely popular ‘Children’s Series’ will return for it’s sixth season.

“I am so excited by next season’s lineup,” said Artistic/Executive Directory Dennis Nahat.  “The dancers will have taken some very well-deserved time off after a tremendously successful 2007-2008 season and our huge five-week tour to eight cities in China.  They have been dancing better than ever, and now, not only will they be performing some of the biggest ballets in our repertory, but they will be learning so many brand new pieces.  And five of our dancers will be premiering their own works.  It just doesn’t get much better than this.”

Karen Gabay as Titania and Gonzalo Espinoza as
Bottom in Dennis Nahat's staging of A MIDSUMMER
NIGHT'S DREAM, playing April 2-5 at Ballet San Jose.

Photo by Robert Shomler

The season opens November 20-23 with THE TOREADOR, a ballet in two acts by the legendary August Bournonville with new and re-adapted choreography by Flemming Flindt.  Ballet San Jose is the only ballet company in the world that has this ballet in the repertory and will present it with full orchestra.

Denmark’s Royal Opera House constructed all the costumes and scenery.  The story revolves around the beautiful daughter of a Spanish innkeeper and her love for a brave and handsome toreador, whom she cannot bear to see in danger.

The annual production of THE NUTCRACKER will have an extended run this year from December 11 through 28, with three special children’s hour-long matinee performances for very young children and their families.  “These ‘kid’s matinees’ have just been so successful for us,” said Marketing Director Lee Kopp, “that we can’t seem to schedule enough of them.  Two years ago, we had one Nutcracker ‘kiddie’ mat.  Last year it was two; next season, three.   Many companies try to discourage families from bringing three-year olds to the ballet.   They think they will be disruptive.  We love these performances, and so do the dancers.  The kids just go crazy, cheering the action on the stage.  They are totally involved.”

The company returns to the stage February 26 through March 1 with HIDDEN TALENTS - AN EVENING OF PREMIERES.  Company dancers Karen Gabay, Tiffany Glenn, Alexsandra Meijer, and Preston Dugger, with former dancer and current school instructor and company rehearsal assistant, Dalia Rawson, will show off their dance-making talents with world-premiere ballets.  This is the first time in nearly ten years that the choreographic talents of the dancers in the company will be featured in a full-length program.   “One of the most exciting things in the theater is to see new works from young dancers,” said Nahat.  “This is the future on display.  We will give them the stage, they will have total control of their work.”

In early Spring (April 2-5) Dennis Nahat will remount his magnificent production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, featuring the award-winning set and costume designs of David Guthrie.  Symphony Silicon Valley will perform the remarkable score that, almost overnight, made Felix Mendelssohn a star.   This magical, musical Shakespearean comedy is brilliantly told in dance with all the fabulous plot twists and turns, the mistaken and mismatched lovers, the supernatural characters of Puck, Oberon and Titania, with a full retinue of fairies and sprites from the Ballet San Jose SCHOOL, and, of course, the unforgettable and bemused jackass, Bottom.

The season ends May 7-10 with SONG AND DANCE, three Company premieres of ballets set to music with songs. New York City Ballet principal dancer Nilas Martins’ PUCCINI SONGS is a classical ballet for three couples set to eleven operatic songs by Giacomo Puccini performed with live voice and piano accompaniment. Antony Tudor’s DARK ELEGIES is regarded as one of the greatest ballets of the 20th century.  Set to Gustav Mahler’s “Kindertotenlieder,” this 1937 setting of poems by Rückert is a true masterpiece for the ages.  And hailed as one of America’s most inventive choreographers, Twyla Tharp has set SINATRA SONGS to recordings by old Blue Eyes himself including High Hopes, Fly Me To The Moon, One More for My Baby (and One More for the Road), and many more Sinatra favorites.

Ballet San Jose SCHOOL will then take center stage when school director Lise la Cour brings to the life one of the great folk tales of Denmark , THE PRINCESS AND THE TROLLS (“A Folk Legend”), presented May 30 and 31 at the beautiful and historic California Theater in downtown San Jose. This World Premiere children’s ballet is one of six ballets that la Cour has created for young audiences. “Being Danish myself, and working for years at the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen, how could I not love this ballet?” said la Cour. “It has a wonderful story told in a beautiful full-length ballet created by the legendary August Bournonville. He considered it to be his ‘masterpiece,’ and I think we have adapted a beautiful short version of it that young and old alike will adore. And how special that we both open and close our extended season with works inspired by the genius of August Bournonville.”

Subscriptions for the four-show season (not including THE NUTCRACKER) run from $85 to $280 and are on sale now. Single tickets will go on sale in the fall priced from $25 to $85. The three-show Children’s Series (which includes BALLET BY DAY—AN INTRODUCTION, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, and THE PRINCESS AND THE TROLLS) will be priced from $45 to $135. Single tickets will be $16 to $47. See a PDF of the Brochure here.

2008-09 Schedule at a Glance

THE TOREADOR

November 20-23, 2008

Thursday, November 20 at 8pm

Friday, November 21 at 8pm

Saturday, November 22 at 8pm

Sunday, November 23 at 1:30pm

THE NUTCRACKER

December 11-28, 2008

Thursday, December 11 at 7:30pm

Friday, December 12 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 13 at 1:30pm (Children’s matinee)

Saturday, December 13 at 7:30pm

Sunday, December 14 at 1:30 (Full-Length matinee)

Friday, December 19 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 20 at 1:30pm (Full-Length matinee)

Saturday, December 20 at 7:30pm

Sunday, December 21 at 1:30pm (Full-Length matinee)

Sunday, December 21 at 7:30pm

Tuesday, December 23 at 1:30pm (Children’s matinee)

Wednesday, December 24 at 1:30pm (Full-Length matinee)

Friday, December 26 at 7:30pm

Saturday, December 27 at 1:30pm (Children’s matinee)

Saturday, December 27 at 7:30pm

Sunday, December 28 at 1:30pm (Full-length matinee)

HIDDEN TALENTS-AN EVENING OF PREMIERES

February 26-29, 2009

Thursday, February 26 at 8pm

Friday, February 27 at 8pm

Saturday, February 28 at 8pm

Sunday, March 1 at 1:30pm

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

April 2-5, 2009

Thursday, April 2 at 8pm

Friday, April 3 at 8pm

Saturday, April 4 at 8pm

Sunday, April 5 at 1:30pm

SONG AND DANCE

May 7-10, 2009

Thursday, May 7 at 8pm

Friday, May 8 at 8pm

Saturday, May 9 at 8pm

Sunday, May 10 at 1:30pm

THE PRINCESS AND THE TROLLS
Presented by Ballet San Jose School

May 30 & 31, 2009

Saturday, May 30 at 1:30pm

Saturday, May 30 at 5:30pm

Sunday, May 31 at 1:30pm

PRESENTED AT THE CALIFORNIA THEATRE, 345 S. First St., San Jose

ANNUAL SCHOOL SHOWCASE

May 26-31, 2009 in Studio E Theater

(Performance dates/times TBA) 

For more information please call 408.288.2800 or buy online here.