Dance In California
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Dance In California
California is rich in dance history. In classical ballet, California is home to the oldest professional ballet company in the United States. The San Francisco Ballet, founded as the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1933, predates both American Ballet Theater and New York City ballet. Barbara Crockett founded the Sacramento Ballet in 1954 and hosted the first festival for the Pacific Western Region of Regional Dance America in 1966. In modern dance, Ruth St. Denis established her second school in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in 1940 while Lester Horton created the Horton Dance Group in 1934, also in Los Angeles. Ann Halprin founded the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop in 1950 and continues to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area in also home to Alonzo King's Lines Ballet and Oberlin Dance Collective. __TOC__ Timeline 1910-1920 * Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts Founded (1915) * Martha Graham attends Denishawn School 1920-1930 * San ...
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San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, and effective December 2022 under the direction of Tamara Rojo. It is among the world's leading dance companies, presenting more than 100 performances annually, with a repertoire that spans both classical and contemporary ballet. Along with American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet has been described as part of the "triumvirate of great classical companies defining the American style on the world stage today". History Founding: Christensen brothers Willam Christensen, Harold Christensen, and Lew Christensen made up the famed trio of brothers considered by many to have done more than anyone else to establish ballet in the United States. Born into an artistic and musical family, the three brothers st ...
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Oakland Ballet
The Oakland Ballet Company is a non-profit ballet company based in Oakland, California. OBC was founded in 1965 by Ronn Guidi, an Oakland native, and gained international recognition through its historical reconstructions of ballets from the legendary Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev; the mounting of classic works of Americana; and the creation of innovative contemporary choreography. Guidi founded Oakland Ballet Company on the same the principles that inspired the legendary dance troupe of Ballets Russes. Formed in Paris in the early 20th century under impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the Ballets Russes went on to redefine the art of ballet. Guidi studied under Raoul Pausé for many years, himself a former student of Ballets Russes dancer and choreographer Adolf Bolm, and thus inherited the Ballets Russes tradition of fusing classical training with unrestrained choreographic possibilities. Noted revivals by Oakland Ballet include works by renowned choreographers Kurt Jooss, Miche ...
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Jodie Gates
Jodie Gates is a professional American dance director and choreographer. She is known for her career as a principal ballet dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and Ballet Frankfurt. In 2005, Gates founded the non-profit presenting organization, Laguna Dance Festival. In 2013, Gates was appointed Vice Dean of the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California, and oversaw the founding artistic vision of the Kaufman School. Currently, she is a professor of Dance and the Founding Director at University of Southern California's Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Performing career Jodie Gates’ performing career began under the directorship of Robert Joffrey. Gates danced professionally with the Joffrey Ballet company from 1981 to 1995, where she worked with a host of renowned choreographers, including Alonzo King, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, Martha Clarke and Mark Morris. Throughout her ballet career Gates danced with the Penn ...
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Maia Wilkins
Maia Wilkins is an American ballerina. She was a principal dancer for the Joffrey Ballet from 1991 until 2008. She was the principal of Sacramento Ballet School and is currently the Associate Director of Ballet at Northern California Dance Conservatory. She used to teach ballet and re-stages Joffrey and Arpino works for the Arpino Foundation. Early life Wilkins was born at home in Truckee, California and had her primary pre-professional training with Maggie Banks (former Principal with American Ballet Theatre) in Reno, Nevada. Wilkins moved to New York when she was 15 to continue her professional training at the Joffrey Ballet School. Wilkins joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1991. Career After joining the Joffrey Ballet, Wilkins became a leading dancer (Joffrey is officially an unranked company). She went on to dance the lead in many of Joffrey and Arpino's works. She has appeared in both ''Save the Last Dance'' and '' The Company''. The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised her dancin ...
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Isadora Duncan
Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877 or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance, who performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the US. Born and raised in California, she lived and danced in Western Europe, the US and the Soviet Union from the age of 22 until her death at age 50 when her scarf became entangled in the wheel and axle of the car in which she was travelling in Nice, France. Early life Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco, the youngest of the four children of Joseph Charles Duncan (1819–1898), a banker, mining engineer and connoisseur of the arts, and Mary Isadora Gray (1849–1922). Her brothers were Augustin Duncan and Raymond Duncan; her sister, Elizabeth Duncan, was also a dancer. Soon after Isadora's birth, her father was found to have been using funds from two banks he had helped set up to finance his private stock speculations. Although he avoided prison time, I ...
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Colburn School
The Colburn School is a private music school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Dance Academy. It is located adjacent to the Museum of Contemporary Art and across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall. History The school was established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music. It was originally located across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, in a warehouse that had been converted into extra USC practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and dance studios. It later broadened its mission and changed its name to the Community School of Performing Arts. In 1980, it finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own. In 1985, the school received a significant endowment from Richard D. Colburn and was subsequently renamed in his honor. The school moved from its original location near the USC campus to its current location ...
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San Francisco Ballet School
San Francisco Ballet School was founded in 1933 as part of the San Francisco Operatic and Ballet School when Gaetano Merola, the founder of the San Francisco Opera, perceived a need for an institution where dancers could be trained to perform in opera productions. History Under the direction of founding ballet director, Adolph Bolm, the San Francisco Operatic and Ballet School opened in 1933 and offered classes in ballet, tap, modern, and interpretive dance. The school was located in the William Taylor Hotel, with affiliate branch schools in nearby Bay Area locations Berkeley, Burlingame, Marin County, San Mateo, and Oakland. After Bolm left in 1937, new Opera ballet mistress Mildred Hirch added a fencing master during her year-long direction; Willam Christensen, previously director of the Oakland Branch School, became SF Opera ballet master and full school director in 1938. As San Francisco Opera Ballet expanded its touring schedule, it became increasingly difficult for Chri ...
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Placer Theatre Ballet
Placer Theatre Ballet is a Pre-professional youth ballet company in Placer County, California, USA, that produces two full length ballet's each season. Important people * Shea Wing, Artistic Director Current * Pat Colgate, Artistic Director 1999-2011 Performances * The Nutcracker, 1999 * Alice in Wonderland, 2000 * The Nutcracker, 2000 * The Nutcracker, 2001 * Festival of Great Ballets, 2002 * The Nutcracker, 2002 * Alice in Wonderland, 2003 * The Nutcracker, 2003 * Performing Arts Center Gala, 2004 * The Nutcracker, 2004 * Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (ballet), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 2005 * The Nutcracker, 2005 * Alice in Wonderland, 2006 * The Nutcracker, 2006 * Cinderella (Prokofiev), Cinderella, 2007 * The Nutcracker, 2007 * Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (ballet), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 2008 * The Nutcracker, 2008 * Alice in Wonderland, 2009 * The Nutcracker, 2009 * Cinderella (Prokofiev), Cinderella, 2010 * The Nutcracker, 2010 * Coppelia (b ...
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Folsom Lake Civic Ballet
Folsom Lake Civic Ballet is the official dance company for Folsom, California, USA. It is primarily a pre-professional ballet, and most performers are auditioned from the Folsom dance school Hawkins School of Performing Arts although adult dancers are invited as 'guest artists'. Important people * Deirdre Hawkins - Artistic Director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ... * Ashley (principal) * Jesslyn (Apprentice) * Hannah (Apprentice) * Emily (Apprentice) * Tess (Apprentice) * Elaine (Apprentice) * Paxton (Apprentice) * Katherine (Trainee) * Amelia (Trainee) * Kate (Trainee) * Kaitlyn (Trainee) * Kaelyn (Trainee) * Halie (Trainee) * Ciara (Trainee) * Elise (Trainee) * Alexandra (Trainee) * Saya (Trainee) * Elizabeth onkey(Trainee) * Kendra (Trainee) Alumni External ...
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The Sacramento Ballet
The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. During Ms. Crockett’s tenure as Company Director, The Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional ballet companies. Through community support, the formation of the Ballet Guild, and grants from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ballet was able to grow and begin to hire a resident company of professional dancers. In 1986, having accomplished her goal of making The Sacramento Ballet a professional company, Ms. Crockett retired as the Company Director. In 1988 Ron Cunningham was engaged as Artistic Director, and was joined by his wife Carinne Binda the following year. The two became Co-Artistic Directors in 1991. The Sacramento Ballet is as well known for Cunningham’s world premieres of such works as Carmina Burana, The Rite of Spring and Bolero as it is for his classics, including ' ...
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Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley
Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016. History The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet company for a moderate, shared investment. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet ceased operations, and over half the dancers, the headquarters, and artistic director/choreographer Dennis Nahat moved to San Jose to continue operations there. The company was originally known as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, but in July 2006 shortened its name to simply Ballet San Jose. In 2003, the company gained benefactor and current chairman of the board John Fry, co-founder of Fry's Electronics.with a 1 million dollar contribution. Fry helped the company survive the dot-com crash and continued to support the company until he closed it in 2016. Over the years Fry became personally involved and Bal ...
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American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spring and a shorter season at the David H. Koch Theater in the fall; the company tours around the world the rest of the year. The company was scheduled to have a 5-week spring season at the MET preceded by a 2-week season at the Koch Theater beginning in 2020. ABT is the parent company of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and was recognized as "America's National Ballet Company" in 2006 by the United States Congress. History In 1939 Pleasant and Chase committed to the creation of "a large scale company with an eclectic repertory". The pair and a small group from Mordkin Ballet formed Ballet Theatre. Their new company's first performa ...
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