James Sewell Ballet Announces 2008-2009 Performance Season

The FALL and SPRING performances will take place at the O’Shaughnessy (on the campus of the College of St. Catherine) in St. Paul. The WINTER performances will be presented for the first time at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

On tour, the company will be performing Amahl and the Night Visitors in eight venues across the Great Plain states in November and December, work with Alaska Dance Theatre in Fairbnaks and Kodiak in April 2009, and present some of its new works closer to home in Fergus Falls and Moorhead/Fargo in May 2009.

This year JSB is especially proud of its monumental collaboration with vocal ensemble Cantus and acclaimed composer Mary Ellen Childs on a new project, its participation in the Minnesota Orchestra’s production of Bernstein’s Mass in January 2009, the inaugural public presentation of its in-studio Ballet Works Project, and featuring at least one world premier in each of its three programs. The following details will be included in JSB’s forthcoming brochure:

FALL at the O’Shaughnessy (College of St. Catherine, St. Paul)

This program will bring a revival of James Sewell’s beautiful ballet, Winter, to the stage along with a reprise of 2007’s Spring hit, LightSpace, by choreographer Jennifer Hart. As part of our commitment to presenting new works, we are also thrilled to have the opportunity to add two world premiers to October’s line up - Dancing People, the working title for a new ballet that will feature James Sewell’s choreography set for each of our company’s dancers, and a currently Untitled piece that James will set to Chopin. Dates for this performances are:

October 23 - 26, 2008
Winter (1994)(Sewell/Vivaldi)
Dancing People (WP)(Sewell/Various)
Untitled (WP)(Sewell/Chopin)
LightSpace (2007)(Hart/Lang)

WINTER at the Southern Theater (Minneapolis)

Presenting a season’s program at the Southern Theater for the first time in our history, James Sewell Ballet continues to fulfill its mission to “...advance contemporary ballet” with a very special set of world premiers. Based on the Jerome Foundation sponsored in-studio series, Ballet Works Project, this special presentation will feature four up-and-coming choreographers - Penelope Freeh, Nicholas Lincoln, Morgan Thorson (who was recently voted “best choreographer” by CityPages), and Sally Rousse, who will bring aerial work, dance and puppetry together for a new staging of Petrouchka. Dates for these performances are:

Jan. 29 - Feb. 1, 2009
Ballet Works Project (WP)(Freeh, Lincoln, Thorson, Rousse/Various)

SPRING at the O’Shaughnessy (College of St. Catherine, St. Paul)

Our 16th Anniversary Season concludes with a very special program. In a unique collaboration that is supported in part by the American Composers Forum, choreographer James Sewell, composer Mary Ellen Childs, and vocal ensemble Cantus, will present the world premier of Encounter Point. This monumental work will be accompanied by a stirring restaging of Appalachia Waltz, and the ever-popular Rings, from the ballet trilogy Prestidigitations. Dates for these performances are:

March 26 - 29, 2009
Encounter Point (WP)(Sewell/Cantus, Childs)
Appalachia Waltz (1997)(Sewell/Meyer, O’Connor, Ma)
Rings (1991)(Sewell/S. Joplin) -- www.jsballet.org