It's Gala Time!

I hope everyone is getting as excited as we are for the Global Dance Stars Gala! It's right around the corner and this exclusive event is one you're not going to want to miss. Dancers are coming from all around the globe to perform at the Ohio Theater on August 18th. This global celebration is perfect timing with the Olympics going on as well! We'll have dancers from the New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Northern Ballet of England, Tom Gold Dance, and Broadway!! But don't worry, the BalletMet company dancers that you all know and love will be right alongside them as well. Not to mention this will be the first performance of the season to see the new additions to the company! With this being the dancers' first week back, they've all been pretty busy with rehearsals. I, for one, can't wait to see this performance they've all been working towards! It's going to be a great kick off to the season, with a program pulling from both classical and contemporary repertory... there's bound to be something that everyone will enjoy!

We have New York City Ballet soloists performing a pas de deux from Balanchine's Agon (one of my personal favorites), as well as Gershwin's 3 Preludes. We'll also get a glimpse of David Nixon's Cleopatra, by Northern Ballet Dancers. The Houston Ballet will bring a pas de deux from Madame Butterfly, a favorite from former BalletMet Artistic Director Stanton Welch. We're even bringing some tap dancing to the stage! Coming from Broadway, Marshall Davis Jr. will perform two numbers that are bound to get your feet tapping too :) And for all you classical ballet lovers, the famous Black Swan Pas de Deux will be performed by the National Ballet of Canada dancers. In addition, BalletMet will bring back to the stage Pulses, Chords, and Passion, a crowd pleaser that premiered last season in Jazz Moves Columbus.

In addition to this being a wonderful display of dance around the world, let's not forget that this event will also serve as a send off for our beloved Artistic Director, Mr. Gerard Charles. What a perfect celebration to end on after 22 years of association with BalletMet. I know everyone is going to miss seeing him and those red boots around here. We're wishing him the best of luck at the Joffrey Ballet! There will be an exclusive post-performance party, Celebration of Stars, in which he will be recognized. It's also an opportunity to meet the internationsl guest artists you watched perform. Tickets to this event are seperate from the performance.

As always, visit our website for more details and ticket information on this event. And make sure to keep a lookout for event updates on Twitter and Facebook! Hope to see you all there, it's going to be a hit for sure.

-Alyssa-