Dance Program to get a boost from ‘Ballet Stars of New York’ April 4

The University of South Carolina dance program will offer the opportunity to see top New York dancers performing elite choreography alongside the USC Dance Company for the third consecutive year in the “Ballet Stars of New York” performance and gala.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts on April 4 and will feature accompaniment by the School of Music’s Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Portnoy. Charleston Symphony Orchestra violinist, Yuriy Bekker, also will perform.

“This year’s program is hold-onto-your-seats quality,” said Susan Anderson, artistic director of the program. “It is a diverse and rigorous program, infused with both the traditional and the inventive.”

The program will begin with George Balanchine’s “Donizetti Variations,” a classical piece with a whimsical tone. Described as a musical visualization, it was originally created as part of the New York City Ballet’s “Salute to Italy” program. The university’s dance company is the only one in Columbia whose repertoire consistently features works by Balanchine and other world-renowned choreographers, Anderson said.

“We perform world-class pieces,” said Anderson. “Our goal is to secure a world-class repertory. We believe in presenting the highest examples of choreography and staging, and luckily we have faculty members and instructors who have helped us accomplish that goal.”

The concert also will feature a work by Peter Martins and a second work by Balanchine that captures his love for all things Americana. Martin’s “Barber Violin Concerto” features two couples, one classical and another contemporary, who eventually switch partners, assimilating the two genres into one. Martin’s piece will be performed by principal dancers Charles Askegard, Albert Evans, Meagan Fairchild and Teresa Reichlen from the New York City Ballet.

The final selection is Balanchine’s visually stimulating celebration of Americana, “Western Symphony.” This innovative piece is a classical piece infused with allusions to American Folk dancing. It is set on a rugged Old West street to classic American folk songs. Stacy Calvert, university instructor of ballet and former soloist for the New York City Ballet, is among a select group of dance professionals chosen by the Balanchine Trust to set and stage the famed choreographer’s works.

Tickets are $25 for students, $30 for adults and $35 for orchestra seating. To reserve a ticket, call 803-777-5112. Or, to charge, call 803-251-2222. Proceeds will go toward student scholarships.

“Ballet Stars of New York” offers South Carolinians the exceptional opportunity to see principal dancers from the New York City Ballet perform masterworks along with the USC Dance Company while also supporting the growth of the university’s dance program.

“Scholarships enable us to attract the best dancers to our program, and an event such as this raises money for scholarships and other program needs and gives our students the rare opportunity to perform with world-class dancers,” said Anderson.

This year’s program will feature six principal dancers from the New York City Ballet: Benjamin Millepied, Megan Fairchild, Albert Evans, Charles Askegard, Abi Stafford and Teresa Reichlen. It also will feature 25 dancers from the USC Dance Company, including several who will be participating for the third straight year, such as Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, Susan Dabney, Ben Hankinson and Lindsay Shatzer.

“Stacy Calvert and the ‘Ballet Stars of New York’ program were contributing factors to bringing me to USC,” said Dabney. “There is no other college in the United States where students get the opportunity to dance with dancers from the New York City Ballet. It is a huge opportunity; even if we go on to dance professionally, we will probably never get the opportunity to dance with this caliber of performers again.”

In addition to the performance, the dance program also is hosting a formal gala on the stage of the Koger Center following the show. Tickets are $300 each and will include a pre-show reception, a post-show cocktail hour, a formal dinner and interaction with the dancers. For more information on the gala, contact the dance office at 803-777-7264.

The university began offering bachelor’s degrees in dance in the fall of 2005, and the program has grown exponentially in the ensuing years. Anderson expects the program to have approximately 70 dance majors this fall, double what was predicted for four years into the program. Anderson credits the quality of repertoire and faculty and performing opportunities for the success of the program. Last fall, the department added a dance education major.

For more information about “Ballet Stars of New York” or the USC dance program, contact Susan Anderson at 803-777-7264 or susanEA@gwm.sc.edu. The department Web site is www.cas.sc.edu/dance/.