Ballet Kelowna Will Sweep You Off Your Feet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2010

Media contact:
Patricia Burns,
Audience Development Chair
Ballet Kelowna
250 979 8084
patricia.burns@live.com

LOVE IS IN THE AIR IN BC THIS FALL

Aspects of Love Guaranteed to Sweep Ballet Kelowna Audiences Off Their Feet

(KELOWNA, BC) -- Love is in the air this Fall as Ballet Kelowna sweeps audiences off their feet with the powerfully romantic program Aspects of Love. Premiering in Kamloops on October 13, Ballet Kelowna's eighth season program features uplifting, Canadian-choreographed ballet works that are passionate and romantic.

First on the program is Romanza (2005), a flirtatious carefree ballet set to the music of the great romantic composer Frederic Chopin. "Romanza takes us back to late 19th Century Europe, the days of elegance and charm when ballrooms were awhirl with the passion of the dance," says Ballet Kelowna's artistic director David LaHay.

Next is an exciting newly commissioned ballet by Vancouver choreographer Simone Orlando, in collaboration with Penticton composer Stu Goldberg. "Since working with Stu Goldberg on the recording of Arnold Draper's commissioned score for In Arden Woods last season, we have wanted to have a work uniquely commissioned for Ballet Kelowna," says LaHay. We are very excited to have this most wonderful collaboration between Stu and Simone as part of our 2010-2011 season.

An accomplished dancer, Simone Orlando's choreographic explorations began in 1997. Praised for her mature and sensitive ideas, vision, musicality, and delineation of movement and space, her work has been presented at the Vancouver International Dance Festival, Dancing on the Edge, the Chutzpah Festival, Romp!, and Dances for a Small Stage. She was the inaugural recipient of the Performing Arts Commission at the 2004 Vancouver Arts Awards and won the prestigious 2006 Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award for which she created the work, Winter Journey, at the Banff Centre.  In 2009, she received a Fellowship Initiative Grant from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, to develop new choreography on the dancers of Ballet BC.

In addition to his many original scores, Stu Goldberg arranges, orchestrates, programs, records and mixes scores for other composers which have appeared in 100s of feature films, television movies and episodes, specials, Oscar, Emmy and Olympics telecasts. He produces, arranges, records and mixes many artists for their CD albums. As a recording artist, he continues to produce and record his own CDs, which are released on his Dedication Records label.

Inspired by Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, a new ballet by David LaHay will explore the tragic love and passionate interplay of Shakespeare's Romeo, Juliet, Lady Capulet and Tybalt. "We'll focus on the young lovers and their whirlwind romance against the backdrop of a family feud that sees them finally united forevermore," he says.

Rounding out the program is Sir Anton Dolin's interpretation of the charming Peasant pas de Deux from Act I Giselle. A dance usually performed on stage for visiting nobility as a testament to the love of dancing, this is arguably the greatest of the Romantic ballets.

"It is always exciting to find those ballets that not only delight and move our audiences, but also challenge our dancers and allow them to find themselves in the dances," concludes LaHay. "With three new dancers this season, the look of Ballet Kelowna will change and it will be a wonderful journey to share in their development. Watching our dancers being a part of the creation process and bringing their own unique abilities, interpretations and personalities into play is a privilege. During the live presentation, the audience becomes a partner in the dance."

The tour begins in Kamloops October 13 and includes stops in Osoyoos (Oct 15), Summerland (Oct 16), Grand Forks (Oct 22), Nakusp (Oct 23), Kelowna (Oct 29-30) and Vernon (Nov 20). For complete Season Tour information, including Venue and Ticket info, visit http://www.balletkelowna.ca/performances-highlights/seasonal-tour.

Ballet Kelowna's mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through the energy and artistry of ballet. Capturing the entertainment interest of all members of the family, Canada's Ballet Kelowna performs to sold out audiences. Ballet Kelowna enhances the image of ballet, making the art form more inviting, fun and personally meaningful.  Proudly "made in Kelowna" this boutique "inno-classical" ballet company is a dedicated community partner. For more information, please visit http://www.balletkelowna.ca.