Southern California Dance Project to Create Four New Ballets

4 Choreographers Chosen for 2009 National Choreographers Initiative

NCI Discovery ‘09 - Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 8pm
Irvine Barclay Theatre - 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine CA 92612
949-854-4646 | www.thebarclay.org
Tickets for NCI Discovery 09 are $32; full-time students - $16

Orange County, CA – The 6th annual National Choreographers Initiative will take place this summer from July 6-25. During the three weeks of intense creative effort at the dance studios of University of California, Irvine, teams of choreographers and professional dancers will produce new dance works culminating in a public performance of NCI Discovery at Irvine Barclay Theatre on Saturday, July 25 at 8pm.

The choreographers invited by Director, Molly Lynch, come from a variety of backgrounds and are leaders in the dance community. The choreographers invited to participate this summer are: Sidra Bell, Deanna Carter, Rick McCullough, and Olivier Wevers. [bios follow]

The process for the National Choreographers Initiative begins with a three-week rehearsal period that takes place in the dance studios at the University of California, Irvine, culminating in a public performance, NCI Discovery, on July 25, 2009 at 8pm at Irvine Barclay Theatre. During the three weeks of intense creative effort, choreographers and dancers will produce 4 new dance works. Each choreographer is given complete freedom to choose the style and theme of the work. Artistic Directors from dance companies around the country have been contacted for their input and involvement and will be invited to preview the new works for possible inclusion in their company's repertoire. [The choreographers retain the right to promote and license the works they have created to other companies.]

Since its inception in 2004, 20 choreographers have been invited to create new work. Twelve of those works have gone on to be performed with various companies around the country.

Sidra Bell graduated from Yale University with a BA in History and received an MFA in Choreography from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance. She received her training at the Dance Theatre of Harlem and at The Ailey School where she was a fellowship recipient. Ms. Bell’s works have been performed in Spain, Aruba, Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. She received recent commissions from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, Ballet Divertimento (Montreal), Arts Umbrella (Vancouver), Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre (Toronto), Purchase College Conservatory of Dance in collaboration with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School, Marygrove College, LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Springboard Danse Montreal, Ballet Austin, Sacramento Ballet, Ailey II, and the Juilliard School. She was featured in the 2009 Ballet Builders New Choreographers on Point Series. She is the founder and artistic director of her own company, Sidra Bell Dance New York.

Deanna Carter is a native of Seattle. She has worked extensively as ballet mistress for international companies: Taller Coreografico de la UNAM (Mexico), Aterballetto and Teatro San Carlo (Italy), Leipzig Ballet and Dessau Ballets (Germany); and from 1994 has worked internationally as guest teacher and choreographer. In 2004 Ms. Carter returned from Europe to take a position at the University of Iowa Department of dance. With works choreographed for BalletMet, Ballet Quad Cities, the Dessau and Leipzig Ballets, Tanya-Perez Salas Dance Company, and Bounard Dance Company, Deanna continues to work as a guest choreographer. In 2007 she was invited to become the resident choreographer for Ballet Quad Cities. In 1994 Deanna’s works were recognized as the “Best American Choreography” at the Nureyev International Ballet Festival is Kazan, Russia. In the United States, Ms. Carter has been awarded the National Choreography Plan of Regional Dance America and several Monticello scholarships for choreography. In June of 2004, BalletMet, Columbus Ohio’s professional company, presented Carter’s original work in their first New York season at the Joyce Theater. While at The University of Iowa, she has created several works and is the co-director of Dancers In Company, the University’s student touring ensemble.

Rick McCullough is currently a professor of dance at Florida State University. He danced professionally with Netherlands Dance Theater for over 10 years. He has also performed with the Harkness Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theater. He has been the Artistic Director of the North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Festival Dance Company for the past 10 years. He has been a guest teacher at University of Alabama, Ohio State University, Western Michigan University, and University of Utah, as well as at the Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Camp, Peridance Center – NY, Ballet Pacifica, North Carolina Dance Theater, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and American Dance Festival. He has choreographed works for Columbia Classical Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Washington Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, and North Carolina Dance Theater. He has received numerous honors from the North Carolina State Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts.

Olivier Wevers is from Brussels, Belgium. He received his training at the Karys Dance Center with Nicole Karys, a former dancer with Bejart's Ballet du XXieme Siecle. He was a principal at Royal Winnipeg Ballet, dancing regularly with Evelyn Hart, prior to joining Pacific Northwest Ballet as a Soloist in 1997. He was promoted to Principal in 1998. Mr. Wevers has performed works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Agnes de Mille, Mark Godden, Jiri Kylian, Leonide Massine, John Neumeier, Petipa, Antony Tudor, Twyla Tharp, and Hans Van Manen. In addition to his performing career, Mr. Wevers is an active choreographer. Since 1993, he has choreographed works for numerous companies in Canada, Japan, and the United States, including: Pacific Northwest Ballet, Spectrum Dance Theatre, and the Seattle Dance Project. In 2005, he choreographed an original one-act production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Reiko Yamamoto Ballet in Japan. And in 2006, he participated in the prestigious New York Choreographic Institute. Mr. Wevers is a recipient of the 2008 Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship Award.

The first NCI took place July 22, 2004 with the idea of promoting the creation and production of professional dance. Under the direction of Molly Lynch, NCI provides an opportunity to engage outstanding choreographers from around the U.S. in the creative process. There is a need nationwide to have a workshop setting where choreographers can create works of their choosing and have time to experiment and develop their craft. Through this project, NCI provides this opportunity and therefore supports these national choreographers, dancers, and the greater dance community.

Contact the Barclay box office (949) 854-4646, Ticketmaster (714) 740-7478 and (213) 365-3500 or online at www.thebarclay.org. MasterCard, ViSA, American Express, and Discover are accepted.

The Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Drive at Bridge and West Peltason Roads in Irvine.