Season Premiere
WHEN: September 25 & 26 at 7:30pm
WHERE: Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center, Lawrenceville, NJ
TICKETS: 609.896.7775
A Night of Dance
WHEN: October 9 at 7:30pm
WHERE: Union County performing Arts Center’s Hamilton Stage, 360 Hamilton St., Rahway, NJ
TICKETS: 732.499.8226
José Limón international Dance Festival
WHEN: October 20-22 at 7:30pm
WHERE: The Joyce Theater, New York, NY
TICKETS: 212.691.9740
Nutcracker
WHERE & WHEN: Union County Performing Arts Center, November 21 at 2:00pm, November 22 at 1:00pm++
TICKETS: 732.499.8226
WHERE & WHEN: McCarter Theatre, Princeton; November 25 10:30am* & 7:30pm; November 27 at 2:00pm & 5:30pm; November 28 at 2:00pm & 5:30pm
TICKETS: 609.258.2787
WHERE & WHEN: Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, Trenton; December 4 at 10:30am*; December 5 at 11:00am
TICKETS: 732.249.1254 x15
WHERE & WHEN: South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange; December 6 at 1:00pm & 5:00pm; December 7 at 10:00am*
TICKETS: 973.275.1114
WHERE & WHEN: Algonquin Arts Theatre; December 12 at 1:00pm & 4:30pm; December 13 at 3:00pm
TICKETS: 732.528.9211
WHERE & WHEN: State Theatre, New Brunswick; December 18 at 10:30am*; December 18 at 7:30pm; December 19 at 1:00pm & 4:30pm; December 20 at 1:00pm & 4:30pm
**Featuring a live orchestra under the direction of Maestro Michael Pratt
TICKETS: 732.246.7469
++Sensory Friendly - an abridged version of the performance accessible to individuals with autism
* School-Time Matinee
Spring 2016
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
WHEN: March 18 at 12:00pm & March 19 at 3:00pm
WHERE: Theater at Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ
TICKETS: 908.218.8867
Spring into Dance
WHEN: April 1 at 7:30pm
WHERE: Union County Performing Arts center’s Hamilton stag, Rahway, NJ
TICKETS: 732.499.8226
Masters of Dance & Music
WHEN: April 8 at 8:00pm
WHERE: McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ
**Featuring the Princeton University Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Michael Pratt
TICKETS: 609.258.2787
Echoes of Russian Ballet
WHEN: April 15 at 8:00pm
WHERE: State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ
TICKETS: 732.246.7469
"It has been a fantastic first five years, and we are looking forward to many more," says Martin. "This season we are bringing back some of my favorite works from my first season as Artistic Director. We are also adding to our roster of repertory one of modern dance pioneer Jose Limon's signature works and what's sure to be a stunning new work by our Resident Choreographer Mary Barton, set to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. It's going to be an exciting year."
The company traditionally begins its performance season with a residency at Rider University. This year, this residency will serve as a special celebration of Douglas Martin’s 5 years at the helm. In addition to the annual master classes for Rider University dance students and ARB’s Friday and Saturday evening performances at the Bart Luedeke Center, the week’s festivities will include a “Meet the Dancers” On Pointe event, Open House Dress Rehearsal, and a State of the Art Address - ARB’s first public meeting. The “Meet the Dancers” On Pointe will be held on September 23 at 5:15pm and will provide attendees a unique opportunity to meet the company’s international, professional dancers and see excerpts of the upcoming performance season. The Open House Dress Rehearsal will be on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 4:30pm, and the State of the Art Address will immediately follow at 6:00pm. All events will take place in the theater.
The company will perform Season Premiere at Rider University’s Bart Luedeke Center on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 24 at 7:30pm. Season Premiere will feature three highlights from Martin's first two years of leadership: Martin's lyrical and poignant Ephemeral Possessions, set to Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings; internationally acclaimed choreographer Kirk Peterson's highly technical Glazunov Variations, set to sections of Glazunov's music for the classical ballet Raymonda; and ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton's imaginative and thrilling Straight Up With a Twist, set to music by contemporary folk music composer Kaila Flexer. On October 9 at 7:30pm, American Repertory Ballet will present these three works in A Night of Dance at Union County Performing Arts Center’s Hamilton Stage in Rahway, NJ.
American Repertory Ballet is honored to be a part of the José Limón International Dance Festival at the Joyce Theater New York City on October 20-22 at 7:30pm. This dance festival is presented by the José Limón Dance Foundation to commemorate the Limón Dance Company’s 70th anniversary season. Limón Dance Company dancers, guest artists from acclaimed international professional companies, including ARB, and dancers from among the world’s finest education programs like The Juilliard School will join forces to bring Limón’s signature pieces to life. ARB will be performing Limón’s deeply evocative There is a Time.
American Repertory Ballet’s Nutcracker, New Jersey’s longest-running Nutcracker production and one of the longest-running in the nation, will take the stage just a month later, running November 21 through December 20, 2015 at Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton, South Orange Performing Arts Center in South Orange, Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan, and State Theatre in New Brunswick. The performances at State Theatre will be performed to live music, played by an orchestra and choir under the direction of Maestro Michael Pratt.
This year, as a step toward realizing its organizational vision of entertaining, educating, and inspiring an increasingly broad audience, ARB has added to its Nutcracker season: a brand new Sensory Friendly production at Union County Performing Arts Center, a new venue - South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), and added School-Time Matinee performances at McCarter Theatre and SOPAC. ARB’s Sensory Friendly Nutcracker will be an abridged version of the full ballet that makes the performance accessible to individuals with autism.
On March 18 at 12:00pm and March 19 at 3:00pm, ARB will bring Douglas Martin’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, NJ. Broadway World called the 2015 premiere of this production a “delightfully kinetic take on the Bard’s own A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “even address[es] and improve[s] upon a few of the weak points in Shakespeare's material.” This full-length ballet brings Shakespeare’s magical comedy to life in a performance that is perfect for the entire family. ARB will host fun family activities in the theater lobby on March 19 starting at 2:00pm - directly before the 3:00pm performance.
ARB will return to Hamilton Stage in Rahway with Spring Into Dance on April 1 at 7:30pm, presenting a unique collection of favorite signature works. In a glowing review of ARB’s spring 2015 mixed repertory performance at Hamilton Stage, Patrick Kennedy of Broadway World noted that in seeing a this type of variety in a performance, both frequent ARB spectators and newcomers alike will, “realize that this is a company of immense, wonderfully individualized energy, an asset shared by the performers and the in-house choreographers.”
ARB will premiere Masters of Dance and Music at McCarter Theatre in Princeton on April 8 at 8:00pm. In this one-of-a-kind performance, the company will present works created by masters of ballet and modern dance in a performance featuring music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Alexander Glazunov, played live by Princeton University Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Michael Pratt. A world premiere work by American Repertory Ballet Resident Choreographer Mary Barton will travel through Beethoven's creative process against the majestic musical landscape of his infamous Seventh Symphony. Peterson’s Glazunov Variations will also be on the program. Alongside this classical ballet, American Repertory Ballet will bring Limón’s There is a Time from their performances at The Joyce Theater to McCarter audiences.
On April 15, 2016, the company will bring Echoes of Russian Ballet to the State Theatre in downtown New Brunswick. This performance features ballets inspired by infamous, revolutionary works that the legendary Ballets Russes brought to America in the early 20th century. The ambitious program features: Artistic Director Douglas Martin’s Firebird, set to a compelling score by Stravinsky, Martin's Rite of Spring, also set to music by Stravinsky, and Kirk Peterson’s Afternoon of a Faun (L'après-midi d'un faune), set to Debussy's provocative score. Broadway World has described the program as “a revisitation of the balletic past that was taut, nimble, and modern.” CriticalDance Magazine calls the program “impressive,” “fabulous,” and “visual dynamite” with “intelligently fresh choreography.”
In addition to its public performances, American Repertory Ballet presents School-Time Matinees and special programs for schools and groups. Please contact Lisa Beth Vettoso, Director of Educational and Community Programming, for more information: lvettoso@arballet.org, 732-249-1254 x19.
View all performances and links to ticketing at www.arballet.org/15-16season .
