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Cast & 2024/2025 Donors The Nutcracker Choose a Date to view cast & 2024/2025 donor listings Dolby Theatre Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 2 pm Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 7:30 pm Tuesday, December 24, 2024 – 2 pm Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 2 pm Friday, December 27, 2024 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 28, 2024 – 2 pm Friday, December 20, 2024 – 7:30 pm Thursday, December 19, 2024 – 7:30 pm

The Nutcracker DECEMBER 6–28, 2024 2024/2025 Season / The Nutcracker / The Nutcracker Los Angeles Ballet’s The Nutcracker is as much a holiday tradition for Los Angeles as tree lighting at The Grove or watching the floats in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Journey with young Clara and her beloved Nutcracker as they battle a very memorable Mouse King, and then travel to the Land of Snow and the Palace of the Dolls. LAB stays true to the traditions of the classic holiday story while giving it a unique Southern California twist. From the elegant Spanish-style Hancock Park home to the snowy slopes of Big Bear to the Venice Beach archways, and the moonlit Pacific Ocean, this production is a sunny slice of the Southland. As a special holiday treat, LAB will extend its stay at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with additional performances after Christmas Day. All performances at Dolby feature Tchaikovsky’s iconic score performed live by the Los Angeles Ballet Orchestra. Choreography LAB founders and former co-artistic directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary’s original choreography is an inspired take on this classic holiday favorite that reflects the city where this production and LAB was born. Score Pyotr Illych Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is one of the most recognizable ballet scores for audiences worldwide. The Nutcracker Suite gained instant popularity as an orchestral piece in 1892 and has become synonymous with the winter holiday season. Program length - 120 minutes with 1 intermission BECOME A SUBSCRIBER I WANT TO RENEW Photos by Cheryl Mann Photography Perfomance Schedule On Sale Now! Pasadena Civic Auditorium Friday, December 6, 2024 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 7, 2024 – 6 pm Sunday, December 8, 2024 - 2 pm Royce Hall, UCLA Friday, December 13, 2024 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 14, 2024 – 2 pm Saturday, December 14, 2024 – 7:30 pm Sunday, December 15, 2024 – 2 pm Dolby Theatre Los Angeles Ballet Orchestra Thursday, December 19, 2024 – 7:30 pm Friday, December 20, 2024 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 21, 2024 – 2 pm Saturday, December 21, 2024 – 7:30 pm Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 2 pm Sunday, December 22, 2024 – 7:30 pm Tuesday, December 24, 2024 – 2 pm Thursday, December 26, 2024 – 2 pm Friday, December 27, 2024 – 7:30 pm Saturday, December 28, 2024 – 2 pm LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes Balanchine masterworks, stylistically meticulous classical ballets, commissioned and contemporary works by renowned local and international choreographers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2024/2025 Season This season includes a beloved fairy tale Cinderella , an experimental outdoor artist collaboration, the return of a critically acclaimed original by LAB Artistic Director Melissa Barak, and the Los Angeles holiday favorite, The Nutcracker . Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

Catia Boucher Hometown Seasons with LAB 2024/2025 Bio Available Shortly

Cesar Ramirez Castellano Hometown Trinidad, Cuba Seasons with LAB 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025 Cesar Ramirez started his ballet training at Escuela Nacional de Ballet Fernando Alonso in Cuba under School Director Ramona de Saa. He also received his training from The Rock School for Dance Education under Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. Cesar has danced professionally with Ballet Nacional de Cuba and Los Angeles Ballet. He has had the pleasure of dancing to classical ballet repertoire and works by Christopher Wheeldon, Annab elle Lopez Ochoa, George Balanchine, and Melissa Barak. Cesar is grateful to be dancing another season with the Los Angeles Ballet and the company's diverse repertoire.

Ray & Ghada Irani Principal Dancer Tigran Sargsyan Hometown Yerevan, Armenia Schools Yerevan Choreographic Dance College, Dance Academy of Zurich, San Francisco Ballet School Companies Dortmund Ballet Theater Los Angeles Ballet 7th Season

Commentary - Los Angeles Ballet on upswing in its fifth year December 5, 2010 Los Angeles Times by Lewis Segal Giselle’s character is straightforward, but that of Prince Albrecht is ambiguous. Is he merely dallying, really in love, torn between court and country? Unfortunately, Christopher Revels gave no clear take on the prince’s motives, although his repentance and sense of loss at the end looked genuine. Revels danced with princely bearing, partnered with consideration, and executed his second act marathon challenges with strength, though he looked more on the edge of real rather than dramatic exhaustion. Home / News / New Item

"Ballet is Woman" but, Aha, The Men Revolt" March 1, 2010 Huffington Post by Donna Perlmutter The Peasant Pas de Deux was danced by Allynne Noelle and Zheng Hua Li (who alternates in the role of Prince Albrecht). Noelle was sunny and graceful. Li had crisp, flashing legwork, but tended to land badly. The corps looked well-schooled, although earthbound. The company danced to pre-recorded music. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

2024-2025 Season / Ticket Information / Terms and Conditions of Sales Terms and Conditions of Sales Before purchasing tickets, please carefully review the Terms and Conditions of Sale. 1. Refund and Exchange Policy Pre COVID-19 there were No Refunds and No Exchanges. All Tickets sales were final. However COVID-19 has impacted Refunds and Exchanges. Please read the COVID-19 Ticketing Policy for updates. 2. Reserved Seating This purchase is for tickets in designated seats at a designated price level, as chosen and/or approved by you as the ticket purchaser. Please be sure you are happy with your seat selection before finalizing your purchase. 3. Confirmation Number Please be sure to record/save your confirmation number, as this is required for replacing lost tickets and locating reservations. The confirmation page is NOT a ticket. 4. Mail Delivery The standard mailing fee is $1.50 per order for regular ticket purchases and $3 per order for group sales. If you choose to have your tickets mailed to you they will arrive within 7-10 business days. If your tickets have not arrived within one week of the performance date, please call the Los Angeles Ballet Box Office at 310.998.7782. Please have your confirmation number available. 5. Will Call Will Call opens at all venue box offices one hour prior to each performance and remains open until the performance begins. Identification is required for Will Call pick-up. 6. Lost Tickets Lost tickets will be replaced provided you have your confirmation number available. Please call the Los Angeles Ballet Box Office at 310.998.7782 to request replacement tickets. 7. Performance Cancellation or Date/Time Change Policy If a performance is cancelled for any reason other than “force majeure,” (see Clause 7a below), Los Angeles Ballet will refund the face value of tickets purchased. Delivery charges are non-refundable. A performance is not considered “cancelled” if it is stopped at any point after Act 2 has begun, in which case Los Angeles Ballet is not required to refund the value of any tickets purchased for said performance. Los Angeles Ballet will accommodate you at subsequent performances when possible. Los Angeles Ballet reserves the right to change the date and/or time of any performance no later than 5 weeks before the originally scheduled date of the performance. If a change occurs, patrons will be notified immediately and alternate accommodations or reimbursements will be arranged, as necessary. 7a. Force Majeure Los Angeles Ballet does not guarantee a refund or exchange on tickets purchased for a performance that is cancelled, or is rescheduled less than 5 weeks before the original performance date/time, as a result of “force majeure.” “Force majeure” means any event which Los Angeles Ballet could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity or threatened terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside Los Angeles Ballet’s control. In the event of a cancellation or rescheduling due to “force majeure,” Los Angeles Ballet will accommodate you at subsequent shows when possible. 8. Late Seating Policy Arriving late to a performance can be extremely disturbing to the artists and your fellow audience members. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of the house staff at an appropriate pause in the program. 9. Reselling Policy Tickets may not be resold or offered for resale. Tickets may not be used for advertising, promotion, or other commercial purposes except with the express written consent of Los Angeles Ballet, Inc. Los Angeles Ballet reserves the right to refuse entry to any customer who has purchased tickets and resold them, or to any person attempting to attend a performance with such tickets. 10. Reproduction Policy It is unlawful to reproduce any tickets in any form. In the event of reproduction, Los Angeles Ballet reserves the right to refuse entry to the original purchaser as well as any person attempting to attend a performance with reproduced tickets. 11. Review Upon Receipt Please review your tickets and confirmation upon receipt. If any detail of your order is incorrect, please contact the Los Angeles Ballet Box Office immediately at 310.998.7782. Los Angeles Ballet will not be responsible for any discrepancies if you do not contact the box office within 24 hours after receiving your tickets. 12. Agreement Submitting a ticket order indicates your AGREEMENT to these terms and conditions. For questions and support, please contact the Box Office at (310) 998-7782 to purchase by phone, Monday through Friday, 12:00pm to 5:00pm. In-person Ticket Sales Group Sales Venues Accessibility Gift Certificates Tax-Deductibe Donations Terms & Conditions of Sales In-house Policies Privacy Policy

Lilly Leech Hometown Cedarburg, WI Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025 Lilly Leech (she/her) started her ballet training at Milwaukee Ballet School under School Director Rolando Yanes and then Ballet Chicago under Daniel Duell and Patricia Blair. Lilly went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Ballet at Indiana University in the Jacobs School of Music. There she trained with faculty members Michael Vernon, Kyra Nichols, Sarah Wroth, Christian Claessens, Sasha Janes, and Carla Körbes. She attended summer programs at Chautauqua under Patricia McBride, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, and Jacob’s Pillow under Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Lilly has danced repertoire by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Sasha Janes, Christopher Wheldon, and Melissa Barak. She is excited to be dancing in her third year with Los Angeles Ballet under Artistic Director Melissa Barak.

Los Angeles Ballet's 'Swan Lake' is full of grace March 12, 2012 Glendale News-Press by Donna Perlmutter Highly pedigreed? You bet. Well-known in the dance world? No question. But Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have also passed the acid test: As directors of the Los Angeles Ballet, now in its sixth season, they can take a collective bow for their thoroughly sterling production of “Swan Lake.” Just remember, not any old company can stage this icon of classical ballet. Oh, many with lesser artistic resources try. But to put on a show of so fine a caliber normally takes a bigger-than-big budget, dancer bench-depth, masterly and dedicated coaching. What’s more, they mounted their full-length extravaganza with the requisite number of performances. “And that meant we had to find venues all over the city.” says Christensen, who led the eminent Royal Danish Ballet and is steeped in its standards of style and rigorous technique. “We had to travel to the audiences,” he adds, noting that people will venture out to an attraction, so long as it doesn’t mean long drives through congested traffic. So from Westwood to Long Beach, with a stop at the Alex Theatre on March 17, the company is showing off its current jewel, “Swan Lake,” all feathery finery, moonlit mirages, pathos born of misfortune, good-versus-evil conflict. Thus the mountain comes to Muhammad. And it is a mountain, what with the full-scale sets originally built at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Christensen’s last post before he decamped to Los Angeles. “In fact,” says the Danish-born danseur, “when you think about it, it’s madness, dealing with four separate acts. We’ve had to extend intermission lengths just to do the set changes,” and that took the crew a week of practice just to learn how to move things along faster, he added. But the décor is eminently beautiful, old-school poetic without looking old — or worn — and it accommodates to any standard proscenium. The costumes, too, are delicate pastels, setting off the pristine-white lakeside scenes. What catches attention, though, apart from these details, is the totality of the spectacle — the dancers’ total immersion in the action and feeling states, be they coryphees, peasants, courtiers, royalty. As to the coaching, well, it is meticulous — in contrast, even, to some A-circuit “Swan Lake” productions, like the last one American Ballet Theatre brought on tour to L.A., where we saw casts that suffered rehearsal deficits. In their prime, both Christensen and Neary danced the lead roles many times. With his deep background in Bournonville, not to mention her prominence as a member of the Balanchine Trust, it’s no surprise that the choreography they adapted from the Petipa/Ivanov model is wonderfully evocative and rational. So, too, is the mime clear, uncluttered and natural — a feat in itself for American dancers seldom exposed to courtly behavior. But then the troupe’s roster now stands higher than ever in its level of virtuosity — thanks mostly to Neary’s recruitment of dancers from companies on which she has set Balanchine works, among them ABT and Russia’s Mariinsky, formerly the Kirov. Still, holding on to them is difficult. “We lose roughly a third each year,” says LAB executive director Julie Whittaker. “But that’s par for the course with all companies.” Corina Gill was stolen by the Boston Ballet, she recalls. And some leave because of the low salaries. “Most of our dancers stay, though. The trick is to keep them performing and not laid off for any substantial period of time.” So far, artistry runs the gamut at Los Angeles Ballet. It also keeps the wheel turning. And this “Swan Lake” does the trick. DONNA PERLMUTTER is an ASCAP-Award winning music/dance critic and journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and many other publications. She is also the author of “Shadowplay: The Life of Antony Tudor.” Email her at donna.perlmutter@gmail.com . DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item

Review: Los Angeles Ballet floats with 'La Sylphide and Serenade' June 9, 2014 Los Angeles Times by Victoria Looseleaf Maleficent isn’t the only witch in town. Madge, the evildoer in August Bournonville’s 1836 Romantic ballet “La Sylphide” also has been creating misery (and laughs). As devilishly portrayed by Los Angeles Ballet’s co-artistic director Colleen Neary and choreographed by her co-director husband, Thordal Christensen (after Bournonville), this witch is only one element that gave “La Sylphide” its wings Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. The program, which also presented George Balanchine’s 1934 classic “Serenade,” featured about three dozen dancers breathing life into these difficult, alluring works. One performer in particular proved unstoppable. Allyssa Bross danced the lead in both numbers on little notice, replacing an ailing Allynne Noelle in “Sylphide.” The pair alternates in the role, so Bross knew her stuff; the question was stamina. But Bross brought insouciance, grace and technique to burn in a sumptuous production last presented by the troupe in 2009. What man wouldn’t fall for her? Set in Scotland to taped music by Herman Severin Løvenskjold, “La Sylphide” told the story of the kilt-clad James as he succumbed to this exquisite creature’s charms. Kenta Shimizu as James offered powerful leaps and turns — pesky sporran aside — as well as quicksilver, precise beats. Alas, he already was betrothed to Effy, articulately danced by Chelsea Paige Johnston, with their wedding scheduled that day. James’ cottage teemed with people, including best pal Gurn (a wonderful Zheng Hua Li), a semi-buffoon who winds up marrying Effy after James disappears, as well as a corps of tartaned-out friends, six children and a pair of bagpipers. But wedded bliss wasn’t meant to be. After James offended the witch, Madge was out for blood — or at least death by sylph wing-removal. Act II’s forest scene had Madge and four crones hexing it up around a caldron to make a poisoned scarf. Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, dove into Madge with glee, adding luster to this production that’s originally from the Royal Danish Ballet, a company Christensen once headed. The sylphs were also out in fairy force, with lovely, airy dancing by Bianca Bulle, Julia Cinquemani and Paige Johnston, a fine corps abetting them. But after James gifted the Sylph (Bross) that scarf, she began her death spiral. Yes, the ballet ends badly: James crumpled in grief; seeing his dead fairy float up to heaven, he’d lost everything. “Serenade,” set to taped Tchaikovsky and staged by Neary, could also be seen as a work about loss. A poetic vision of yearning, 17 women in diaphanous dresses filled the stage with intricate patterns and circlings. There were also off-balance arabesque lunges, legs scissoring in lifts and an impassioned waltz; hair streamed loose, and several men came and went. Bross was stunning as lead ballerina, sharing the stage at first with a capable Ulrik Birkkjaer, then the able Alexander Castillo, as well as a divine Cinquemani and a thin Kate Highstrete. And, of course, there was the corps, among whom crisp footwork and floating arms were paramount. The ballet had the love-disillusioned-by-destiny theme of Balanchine’s later neo-Romantic works, but its propulsive energy and beauty came from the pure movement patterns that continually introduced new motifs and variations. Los Angeles Ballet, on a roll, made the old new again. calendar@latimes.com ------------ Los Angeles Ballet What: “La Sylphide” and “Serenade” When and where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach; also 7:30 p.m. June 21 at Royce Hall, UCLA Tickets: $24-$95 Information: (310) 998-7782, losangelesballet.org READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE Home / News / New Item

LA Ballet Presents La Sylphide June 3, 2009 CultureSpotLA by Penny Orloff Try summing up the themes of August Bournonville’s romantic 1836 ballet, “La Sylphide.” You might get a list something like this: Dreams, illusions, ideals versus reality and worse — irrational, implacable evil. No wonder the ballet survives, not only to entertain but to trouble, even deeply disturb. Los Angeles Ballet, founded in 2006, marked its latest stage of artistic growth by mounting a handsome production of “La Sylphide” Saturday at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, with period sets and costumes borrowed from the Houston Ballet. (Performances continue over the next two weekends at other venues.) (Freud Playhouse, UCLA, May 23 and 24, and at the Alex Theater in Glendale, May 30.) The story is simple. James, a Scottish highlander, dreams of a magical, otherworldly creature, the Sylph, on the very day of his wedding to his beloved Effie. Suddenly incarnate, the Sylph lures James away from the wedding and into the forest. There, she inexplicably appears and disappears at will, always managing to stay just out of his grasp. James and the Sylph soon meet their destruction, however. James has deeply though mindlessly offended the witch Madge earlier during the wedding day. Now, seeking to bring his ideal Sylph into his arms, he drapes a veil he doesn’t know has been poisoned by Madge over the Sylph’s shoulders and winds it around her arms. The Sylph immediately loses her wings, comes to earth and quickly dies. James is stunned and collapses in grief. As danced Saturday by Eddy Tovar, a permanent LAB guest from Orlando Ballet, James was a bewildered dreamer, torn between the Sylph and Effie. He was also impulsive, flaring into outraged anger upon seeing Madge warming herself by the fire. A handsome, compact dancer, Tovar had the strength and style to execute Bournonville’s demanding foot beats with speed and clarity. Corina Gill was the poised, ethereal Sylph, balancing lightly and cleanly in high extensions. Her most arresting moments, however, came in her death scene, where she seemed to lose the power of sight as well as of flight. The other plum role, of course, is the evil Madge. She is first discovered cowering by James’ fire but is last seen towering triumphantly above his body. Why did she wreck such evil, so out of proportion to the original offense? Her answer is a drumming of her fingers on her chest. “I,” “I,” “I,” she gestures, because James offended her. The ballet ends with a terrible image. Madge pulls the fallen James up by the hair to see his beloved but dead Sylph float up into the heavens. With insouciant flicks of her wrists, Madge then dismisses James’ lifeless form. All in a day’s work, she seems to say, and easy work at that. Final curtain. Co-artistic director Colleen Neary, a former New York City Ballet principal, made a formidable Madge, only gradually revealing her malevolent powers. It was easy to laugh at her mumbo-jumbo antics with her four witch friends around the black cauldron at the start of Act 2. But nobody was laughing at the end of the ballet. In other roles, Grace McLoughlin danced Effie with sweet innocence. James Li was Gurn, James’ best friend, a naïf who winds up marrying Effie after James’ disappearance. (Peter Snow will take over the role in two of the three remaining performances.) Andrew Brader and Drew Grant were the friends. The corps, including the children, danced strongly. Melissa Barak, the First Sylph, gave notice of incipient major Sylph duties. The ballet, staged by co-artistic director Thordal Christensen, a former principal with the Royal Danish Ballet, was danced to pre-recorded music. DOWNLOAD PDF Home / News / New Item