Program Book

Malpaso Dance Company’s Face the Torrent (Photo: Rose Eichenbaum)

David Gonzalez

The Frog Bride 3.17

Malpaso Dance Company 3.20

Festival Ballet Theatre

The Sleeping Beauty 3.23 & 24

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7275.36

WELCOME IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO AN AWARD-WINNING SEASON AT THE BARCLAY.

This season, Irvine Barclay Theatre has managed to do the nearly impossible.

We’ve curated a season with artists who, collectively, have garnered an extraordinary number of high caliber awards and nominations.

117 Grammy nominations; 49 Grammy Award wins; 21 Tony nominations; 12 Tony Award wins; 18 Emmy nominations; 4 Emmy Award wins, 5 Oscar nominations. Plus, there’s even one Pulitzer Prize and one Royal Knighthood.

It’s a season steeped with top-notch artists, including Broadway luminary Sutton Foster, Hawaiian music legend Henry Kapono, and country music star Kathy Mattea. The expanded Jazz@theBarclay, and our signature Contemporary Dance series feature first-class talent from across the nation and around the world.

As always, we are indebted to all who help us maintain the Barclay as a unique community resource: our staff and our Board of Directors; our public partners—the City of Irvine and UCI; and you, the audience. I especially want to thank our 2018–2019 season sponsor, City National Bank, for its enthusiastic support. We look forward to working together to make Orange County an even better place to live.

Please check out the Barclay patron guide, available in the lobby. There is a lot to discover in the new year. We hope you’ll join us.

Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. President, Irvine Barclay Theatre

Board of Directors CHAIR Ken Rohl Founder ROHL LLC Ramona Agrela Associate Chancellor University of California, Irvine Francisco J. Ayala Community Leader

Stephen Barker Dean, Claire Trevor School of the Arts University of California, Irvine Karen Cahill Community Leader

Michelle Grettenberg Deputy City Manager City of Irvine Farrah N. Khan Councilmember City of Irvine Jennifer Klein Community Leader

Liza Krassner Manager of Facilities and Academic Programs University of California, Irvine Anthony Kuo Councilmember City of Irvine

Jeff Lefkoff Associate Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor University of California, Irvine Danielle Oakley Partner, O’Melveny

William Parker Professor Emeritus Physics and Astronomy University of California, Irvine Penelope Parmes Parmes Law, Inc.

Gary Singer Senior Advisor RSI Holding LLC Venus Soltan Attorney at Law

Julia Stannard Vice President/Private Banker City National Bank Lynn O’Hearn Wagner Community Leader

Greg Rohl ROHL VP of Marketing ROHL LLC

HONORARY Donald P. Wagner Mayor City of Irvine

Mickie L. Shapiro Community Leader

Howard Gillman, Ph.D. Chancellor University of California, Irvine IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 3

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3/17

DAVID GONZALEZ

THE FROG BRIDE March 17, 2019 | Cheng Hall This performance is presented without an intermission.

David Gonzalez

Writer, Performer, Producer

Lenard Petit Director

Daniel Kelly Piano

Antoine Beux Violin

Jeramiah Peay Stage Manager

Matyas Keleman Video Design

David Lander Lighting Design

The Frog Bride team is deeply grateful to the estate of Sergei Prokofiev and to the Guggenheim Museum for their generous contributions to The Frog Bride.

Five Melodies for Violin and Piano

by Sergei Prokofiev Wassily Kandinksy paintings used in The Frog Bride.

Blue Mountain Sketch for Composition II Small Pleasures Several Circles Dominant Curve

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 5

ABOUT THE SHOW When a frog talks, listen. It’s a voice from the wet, murky swamp—half land, half water—where anything can happen.

I first heard The Frog Bride story from poet Robert Bly, then I read several versions of it in collections of Russian fairy tales. In this yarn, the qualities of innocence, wonder, loss and discovery are clothed in the characters of princes, frogs, witches, and one very enchanted young lady. Yes, he marries a frog, but that is just the beginning of the adventure. The Frog Bride has everything I love in stories: great characters and settings, a truly troublesome problem, a quest, and the unearthing of wisdom.

Prokofiev’s Five Melodies for Violin and Piano was chosen for its beauty, its emotional power and complexity, and because the movements are just the right length.

Kandinsky’s paintings were selected from the Guggenheim Museum’s collection for their sheer lyrical beauty, but also to reflect the artist’s evolution as one of the founders of abstract art.

Enjoy!

David Gonzalez

ABOUT DAVID GONZALEZ David Gonzalez is a professional storyteller, poet, playwright, musician and public speaker. He is a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department, and is the proud recipient of the International Performing Arts for Youth Lifetime Achievement Award for Sustained Excellence. Mr. Gonzalez was named a Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for The Frog Bride. David has created numerous productions, including the critically acclaimed ¡Sofrito! with The Latin Legends Band; and MytholoJazz, both of which enjoyed sold-out runs at the New Victory Theater. Sleeping Beauty was co-commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Brooklyn College, and The McCallum Theatre. David was a featured performer at the National Storytelling Festival and appeared for three seasons at the Royal National Theatre in London. The Man of the House was commissioned by and premiered at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2013.

Mr. Gonzalez’s work, Double Crossed: The Saga of the St. Louis, toured nationally, including a run at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As If the Past Were Listening was in Lincoln Center Institute’s repertory for three seasons. Finding North, commissioned by the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, ran at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. He co-wrote Mariel, an Afro-Cuban musical, which won the Macy’s New Play Prize for Young Audiences. David is also the librettist for Rise for Freedom! produced at the Cincinnati Opera, and wrote and produced Jimi and Mr. B, a musical commissioned by the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center. His poems for The Carnival of the Animals, with classical piano virtuoso Frederic Chui, premiered in 2008. David was the host of New 6 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

York Kids on WNYC for eight seasons. He earned his doctorate from New York University’s School of Education and has worked as a music therapist with handicapped children for many years. David performed his poetry project, City of Dreams, at colleges, festivals and theaters throughout the country. He is also the artistic director of Crisalida Communications, a company which helps arts and civic organizations create effective community outreach programs.

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID GONZALEZ What is your artistic background?

My uncle, Jose, made me a puppet theater when I was seven, and my mother sewed red velvet curtains for it. My first show was a musical (I sang all the roles) about a boy’s adventure in Central Park. In high school, I graduated from air-guitar to real guitar, and music has been at the center of my life ever since. Jazz artists John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, Wes Montgomery, Charles Mingus and many others showed me possibilities of musical and artistic achievement I had never before dreamed of. I fell in love with the sound of jazz and began serious study.

From an early age, I was drawn to human service work, so quickly my creative life moved into the field of music therapy, for which I received bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. Music therapy brings the art of the musician to the needs of the handicapped—often in creative collaboration, improvisations, songwriting, jam sessions, movement, poetry and, yes, storytelling. I began working with stories in my sessions with emotionally troubled kids, helping them to create spontaneous operas and musical myths, where they could express themselves within a rich and accepting musical relationship. Those wonderful years of hard work, mostly in special education settings, is the “wind beneath my wings.”

Together with my “kids,” I lived first-hand the real power of art to touch, inspire and heal—it’s no wonder my artistic mission is to join great music and world myths onstage.

One of the greatest pleasures in my life has been the opportunity to collaborate with brilliant musicians such as Larry Harlow, Yomo Toro, DD Jackson, Mark Dresser, Lisa Sokolov, Andrew Cyrille, Daniel Kelly, Christian Howes, Bobby Sanabria, John DiMartino, Marvin Sewell and many others.

I never went to theater school and have no formal training— I’ve learned by watching and doing, always paying very close attention to the audience, observing their responses, making sure that they are journeying with me to the glorious places where myth and music lead us.

What inspires you to tell stories?

Stories saved me. There was a time in my life (I was about 22) when I felt very confused about the “big picture”—I just couldn’t figure out what was important. Lucky for me, I was introduced to Joseph Campbell and Robert Johnson, two of the best storytellers and story-thinkers that ever spun a yarn.

I read everything they wrote. Suddenly and completely, I saw how stories could be a comfort and an inspiration, and how stories join people. This is perhaps the main thing—that we gather together for storytelling, and then the stories and the storytellers shower us with their gifts. About this time, I attended a storytelling circle around a campfire deep in the Maine Woods. The storyteller, Karen Seiber, lit us up with her voice, language and gestures. I remember thinking, “That is what I want to do—to bring people on a journey like that!”

I often choose to tell stories that are at first intriguing and confusing—tales that perplex me. By working on them, by exploring their situations and uncovering the story’s characters, I come to understand the deeper meanings hidden within the tale. This helps me sharpen my insight into myself and enriches my life.

What is the inspiration behind The Frog Bride?

There is something in Ivan’s (the protagonist) dilemma and the choices that he must make that I relate to. When I first heard the story, I immediately sensed it was like a dream that I could have dreamed. Maybe there is a little bit of Ivan in all of us. Ivan is like a seed that has fallen into the ground— he cannot see himself and knows not what he will become.

Fortunately, the swamp soil is rich and wet, the sun is high, and the adventure has begun—but things are not what they seem, and there is danger ahead. The Frog Bride is a magical story about the journey of a lifetime—how a boy becomes a man.

How does Sergei Prokofiev’s music support the story?

Sometimes I like to think that the story actually supports the music. Prokofiev’s score is so profoundly beautiful that there are times, within the show, where all else stops, and the music carries on functioning to extend the language that I am speaking onstage, leading us into a further dimension. These quiet interludes are moments when the music takes hold and reveals itself.

The various movements of Five Melodies for Violin and Piano propel the story. Prokofiev’s genius for knowing, and making available in gorgeous sound, the full range of human feeling lends The Frog Bride emotional depth, honesty and passion. Violinist Christian Howes and pianist Daniel Kelly have incorporated motifs from Prokofiev into their new compositions on modern electric instruments, giving new sonorities and character to classical music.

Why did you choose the abstract art of Wassily Kandinsky in the piece?

Many years ago, I saw a retrospective show of Kandinsky’s paintings at Centre Pompidou in Paris. The exhibit began with his early paintings, where trees were trees, people were people and landscapes were landscapes. Gradually, as I moved from painting to painting, and as Kandinsky’s work moved toward abstraction, my mind opened to the freedom, beauty and power of modern art. I think I spent five hours there.

Since that day, I’ve been a huge fan. I knew that I wasn’t going to speak over Prokofiev’s music, and that I wanted a visual experience to complement it and add to the mood of the story.

Kandinsky, a fellow Russian master, with his strangely beautiful and evocative paintings, was the obvious choice.

For a long time, I have been fascinated by the juxtaposition of music and painting. This “collaboration” of Prokofiev and Kandinsky brings a certain Russian intensity and intelligence to the work and, since there is no specific spoken narrative along with the paintings, the audience is free to make any associations they wish—the imaginative journey of the piece becomes more individual, more personal.

What was the development process like for you and your artistic team?

I checked The Frog Bride folder in my computer and found that the first draft was dated 1994! Over the years, I’ve been refining the script and, with the generous help of friends and arts institutions, we’ve gradually been able to bring the story to its final stage. The Frog Bride began, as most of my pieces do, with me, a microphone and an auditorium filled with kids.

I told and re-told the tale many times in schools, libraries and community centers. Once I felt good about the text, I searched for the music, then I made five short films of five Kandinsky paintings. With these basic elements, Christian Howes, Daniel Kelly, Lenard Petit and I traveled up to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), where we stitched the music, video and story together and played before our first live audience. We received a standing ovation, so I knew we were on to something. Last year, the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) gave us the opportunity to re-mount the show for an audience of fifth graders and to work on the video element. We’ve added the talents of video artist Matyas Kelerman. In the true spirit of the piece, Matyas and I actually spent an hour wading hip-deep in a funky swamp to film the perfect settings for the tale to unfold. Lighting designer David Lander came in to see our rehearsals and workshops to get a sense of the relationship between the video and the onstage drama before he created his beautiful lighting design.

Recently, our director, Lenard Petit, has been researching the theory behind the charm of traditional Japanese Zen rock gardens and has used some of those ideas to gather the varied theatrical elements we are employing into a simple, balanced and graceful whole.

Artist Representation: Holden & Arts Associates, Inc. Sarah Saltwick ss@holdenarts.org www.holdenarts.org

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 7

The

Arts

Impact

Health & Wellness Health and well-being, for individuals and communities, is about being able to flourish and grow. The arts play a strong role, leading to better care, cost savings, and a better quality of life. As our understanding of healing, prevention, and next-generation practices and therapies evolve, it is clear that the arts offer promise in new and surprising ways.

Diversity & Equity The pursuit of equity seeks to improve conditions by addressing systems that can create equal opportunities for all. The arts bridge divides, open dialogues, and create understanding— and all three of those tools are essential in working toward diversity, access, equity, and inclusion.

Education Studies repeatedly show the positive effects on students when the arts are part of a well-rounded education. And learning doesn’t stop just when school does—at our best, humans are ceaselessly curious and constantly learning. The arts are a gateway to endless new ideas for exploration.

Technology & Innovation Arts and technology have always had a symbiotic relationship.

Enhancing technological development with principles from creative and design processes drives innovation, and in turn new technologies are adapted and transformed by artists to create new art forms that challenge our world views and provide new ways of interacting with art.

Content courtesy of

Read more at www.americansforthearts.org/socialimpact 8 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

For more information, contact Lori Grayson, Director of Development: grayson@thebarclay.org | 949.854.4186

3/20

MALPASO DANCE COMPANY AN ASSOCIATE COMPANY OF JOYCE THEATER PRODUCTIONS

March 20, 2019 | Cheng Hall This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.

Sponsored by:

An Anonymous Fund of the Orange County Community Foundation

Executive Director and Co-Founder

Fernando Sรกez

Artistic Director and Co-Founder

Osnel Delgado

Associate Artistic Director and Co-Founder

Daileidys Carrazana

Ballet Master

Dailys Bacallao

Stage Manager

Producers

Diana Rosa Hernandez

Ilter Ibrahimof, Sunny Artist Management, Inc. Barbara Frum, Sharing Spaces, Inc. Joyce Theater Productions Production and Company Manager

Steven Carlino

Lighting Supervisor

Manuel Da Silva DANCERS

Dunia Acosta

Esteban Aguilar

Maria Karla Araujo Fernando Benet

Daileidys Carrazana Osnel Delgado Manuel Durรกn

Beatriz Garcia

Armando Gomez Abel Rojo

Lisbeth Saad

This engagement was made possible, in part, by Joyce Theater Productions, a producing initiative of The Joyce Theater Foundation and Sunny Artist Management that supports select projects from inception to premiere and subsequent tours.

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 9

PROGRAM

Indomitable Waltz ​(2016)

Choreography: Aszure Barton Assistant to the Choreographer: Jonathan Emanuell Alsberry Music: Balanescu Quartet “Waltz” by Alexander Balanescu

“The Young Conscript and the Moon”

by Alexander Balanescu

“​Love Scene” by ​Alexander Balanescu “​String Quartet No.2: 2. II” by Michael Nyman (By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. publisher and copyright owner.)

Nils Frahm “Circling” by ​Nils Frahm

(Courtesy of Erased Tapes Records Ltd. ISRC: GBWZD1506503)

“04:33” by Nils Frahm

(By arrangement with Downtown Music UK, Ltd obo Manners McDade Music Publishing)

Lighting Design: Nicole Pearce Costume Design: Fritz Masten Dancers: Dunia Acosta

Esteban Aguilar Maria Karla Araujo Fernando Benet Daileidys Carrazana Manuel Durán Abel Rojo Lisbeth Saad

Indomitable Waltz was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from: the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, ​the Executive Director’s Fund at The Joyce Theater Foundation,​ and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

It was co-commissioned by DANCECleveland and the Cleveland Foundation.

A technical residency was generously provided by Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach State College for the U.S. premiere of ​Indomitable Waltz by Aszure Barton.

INTERMISSION

10 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Ocaso​ (2013)

Choreography: Osnel Delgado Music: Autechre: “Parallel Suns”

Kronos Quartet: “White Man Sleeps, Track 2” Max Richter: “Sunlight” Lighting Design: Matt Miller Costume Design: Osnel Delgado Dancers: Osnel Delgado, Beatriz Garcia PAUSE

Face the Torrent​ (2017)

Choreography: Sonya Tayeh Assistant to the Choreographer:

Austin Goodwin, Chelsea Thedinga

Music: “Seed/Stem/Calyx,” written and recorded

by Colette Alexander with The Bengsons

Lighting Design: Nicole Pearce Costume Design: Karen Young Dancers: Dunia Acosta

Esteban Aguilar Maria Karla Araujo Daileidys Carrazana Fernando Benet Manuel Durán Beatriz Garcia Abel Rojo

Face the Torrent was commissioned by The Music Center, and was created, in part, during the Vivienne Jones Residency at Jacob’s Pillow, as well as during a 2017 creative residency provided by DANCECleveland. *Please note that all casting is subject to change*

Photo: Rose Eichenbaum

Aszure Barton’s Indomitable Waltz

ABOUT THE COMPANY Malpaso Dance Company. ​In the six short years since

its establishment in 2012, Malpaso Dance Company has already become one of the most sought-after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile.

Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso is committed to working with top international choreographers while also nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography. The company tours with 11 dancers and is led by its original three founders; resident choreographer and Artistic Director Osnel Delgado, Executive Director Fernando Sáez, and dancer and co-founder Daileidys Carrazana.

For more information, visit w ​ ww.malpasodance.com

Fernando Sáez ​(​Founder and Executive Director) ​ graduated from the School of Performing Arts at the Superior Institute of Arts (ISA) in Havana in 1988. He is also an actor and founder of Estudio Teatral de Santa Clara, was the head of the sociocultural development project in Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio, from 1993 to 1997, and has served on the staff of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba since 1998. He is also a member of the Fundation’s board of directors.

Daileidys Carrazana ​(​Founder, Associate Artistic Director

and Dancer) graduated from the National Ballet School in Havana in 2003. She was a member of Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011, before founding Malpaso with Osnel Delgado ​Wambrug​. Daile has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jan Linkens, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz and Isidro Rolando, among others.

Osnel Delgado ​(Founder, Artistic Director and

Choreographer, ​Ocaso) danced with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011, before founding Malpaso.

He has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvarnström, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando and George Cespedes, among others. Delgado has created works for Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Rakatan and Ebony Dance of Cuba.

Delgado is a 2003 graduate of the National Dance School of Havana, where he is also a professor of dance studies.

Aszure Barton​ ​(Choreographer, ​Indomitable Waltz)​, an award-winning Brooklyn-based choreographer, was born and raised in Canada. She has created many works for her own company, Aszure Barton & Artists, in addition to works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bolshoi Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, The English National Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, The National Ballet of Canada, Bayerisches Staatsballett, and Ballet du Rhin, among many others. Other work includes choreography for the Broadway revival production of The Threepenny Opera directed by Scott Elliott (translation by Wallace Shawn) and over a dozen international film projects. Aszure is an official ambassador of contemporary choreography in Canada and has received numerous accolades, including Canada’s prestigious Arts & Letters Award. Her works have been performed on prestigious stages, including Palais Garnier, The Kennedy Center, The Stanislavsky Theatre and Sadler’s Wells. For more information, log on to w ​ ww.aszurebarton.com​.

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 11

The Wild Party (City Center Encores!/ Dir. Leigh Silverman); Iphigenia in Aulis (Classic Stage Company / Dir. Rachel Chavkin), Kung Fu (Signature Theatre / Dir. Leigh Silverman), The Last Goodbye (Old Globe / Dir. Alex Timbers); The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova, Dir. Anne Kauffman); Moulin Rouge! (Dir. Alex Timbers); Kylie Minogue/Aphrodite Tour; Florence and The Machine; the BRIT Awards; The Voice; American Idol; Miley Cyrus/Gypsy Heart Tour. Tayeh has received many accolades for her versatile work, including two Emmy nominations, a Drama Desk nomination, the Lucile lortel Award and Obie Award for Outstanding Choreography.

For more information, visit: s​ onyatayeh.com

Dunia Acosta ​(Dancer) graduated from the Regional Dance School Manuel Muñoz Cedeno in Bayamo, Cuba in 2009.

She was a member of Danza Libre de Guantánamo from 2010 to 2013 before joining Malpaso.

Esteban Aguilar​ (Dancer). Before joining Malpaso in

February 2016, Esteban studied dance at ISA (Superior Institute of Arts) and was a member of Danza Fragmentada Company (2002–2014). He has worked with choreographers Aszure Barton and Osnel Delgado.

Maria Karla Araujo ​(Dancer) graduated from the National School of Dance in Havana in 2009. Before joining Malpaso Dance Company, she worked with Ebony Dance Company and Ballet Rakatan, also based in Havana.

Fernando Benet ​(Dancer) is a graduate of the José María Heredia Art School in Santiago de Cuba. Before joining Malpaso in February 2016, he taught modern dance at the Alfredo Velázquez Dance School in Guantánamo (2013–2015) and was a member of Danza Libre Company (2013–2016). He has worked with choreographers Aszure Barton and Osnel Delgado.

Photo: Nir Arieli

Manuel Durán ​(Dancer) is a 2009 graduate of the Regional Dance School Manuel Muñoz Cedeno in Bayamo, Cuba. He was a member of Danza Libre of Guantánamo from 2010 to 2013 before joining Malpaso.

Sonya Tayeh ​(Choreographer, ​Face the Torrent)​is a New

York City-based choreographer and director. Since paving her professional career, her work has been characterized as a blend of powerful versatility and theatrical range. Selected credits include: You’ll Still Call Me By Name (Commissioned

by New York Live Arts); Martha Graham Dance Company/ Lamentation Variation Series; Foresight/Hindsight (Commissioned by Cape Dance Festival); Hundred Days (New York Theatre Workshop/ Dir. Anne Kauffman); The Skin Of Our Teeth (TFANA/ Dir. Arin Arbus); Andrew Lippas’

12 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Beatriz Garcia ​(Dancer) is a graduate of the ​Superior Institute of Arts (2016) and the N ​ ational Ballet School in Havana (2008). She was a member of Danza Teatro Retazos until 2014. She has worked with choreographers Isabel Bustos, Miguel Azcue, Irene Kalbusch, Pepe Hevia, ​Trey McIntyre, Aszure Barton, Sonya Tayeh and Ohad Naharin, among others.​She joined Malpaso in June 2014.

Armando Gomez ​(Dancer)​was born in 1994 in Camagüey, Cuba. He graduated as a ballet dancer and teacher from the Arts Academy Vicentina de la Torre in 2013. He was a member of the En Dedans Contemporary Ballet from 2013 to 2016 and Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba from 2016 to 2017.

He joined Malpaso Dance Company in 2017.

Abel Rojo​ (Dancer) graduated from the National School of

Modern Dance in 2010. He has been a member of companies such as Danza Contemporánea de Cuba (2010–2014), DanzAbierta (2015–2016), and the theater ensemble El Ciervo Encantado (2014–2015). He has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela and Susana Pous, among others. He joined Malpaso in July 2016.

Lisbeth Saad​ (Dancer) graduated from the National

Ballet School as a dancer and dance instructor in 2000.

She performed with Codanza Dance Company from Holguín, Cuba for eight years, and was a member of Danza Contemporánea de Cuba from 2010 to 2016, before joining Malpaso in February 2016. Lisbeth has worked with choreographers Juan Cruz, Pedro Ruiz, Rafael Bonachela, Isidro Rolando, Maricel Godoy and George Céspedes, among others.

Diana Rosa Hernandez ​(Stage Manager) graduated from the National School of Arts with a degree in acting in 2008.

She is a member of​​Teatro Espontáneo de La Habana and the Mefisto Teatro. Hernandez worked in HavanaBama theater company, a collaboration​​between the University of Alabama and Cuba. She joined Malpaso in March 2014.

Matt Miller ​(Lighting Designer, O ​ caso) is based in Brooklyn, New York. He has spent his career lighting for dance, theater, live music, corporate and industrial events, galas, symphonies, festivals, and much, much more. Matt has worked with such companies as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Arc3design, Yeager Design, Microsoft, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jessica

Photo: Rose Eichenbaum

Dailys Bacallao​ (Ballet Master) graduated from the National Ballet School in 2007 and the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana as a ballet teacher in 2015. She was a dancer with Danza Espiral Dance Company in Matanzas, Cuba from 2008 to 2014. She was a professor at the National Ballet School and is currently a teacher at the Superior Institute of Arts in Havana.

Steven Carlino ​(Production and Company Manager)​ ​is an artist, writer and performer who assists other artists in producing their own work. In New York City, he worked with the late, magnificent Fred Ho and the Afro-Asian Music Ensemble, the experimental theater collective, Mabou Mines, and for ten years toured as the production manager for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. More recently, he has worked with Aszure Barton & Artists in Los Angeles and has toured Europe with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Carlino has toured the U.S. with Malpaso Dance Company since 2015.

Sonya Tayeh’s Face the Torrent IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 13

Lang Dance, Madison Square Garden, Gallim, HMS Media, Square Enix, Xbox, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the Chicago Dancing Festival, Music Theatre Wichita, The New Victory Theater, The Plagiarists theater company, and the Chicago Children’s Choir. Matt has toured extensively—domestically and internationally—with a number of world-renowned dance companies. During his time with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, he designed over 30 new works. He also acted as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department during the company’s participation in DanceMotion USA. He holds a BFA in Lighting Design and a BA in Theatre Arts from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. Matt is a proud member of United Scenic Artists 829.

Manuel Da Silva ​(Lighting Supervisor) was born in

Caracas, Venezuela and raised in South Florida, where he developed a passion for theater and the arts at a young age.

Manuel attended The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he received his BFA in Lighting Design and Technology. Now a New York City-based lighting designer, Manuel has worked with several Off-Broadway theater companies, including designing the world premiere of La Tía Julia y el Escribidor (Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter) at El Repertorio Español. Manuel has also had the opportunity to display his work at the Gilbert Hemsley Lighting Portfolio Review and the National Design Showcase East. Additionally, Manuel is a lighting designer at Arc3design, where he works on a great variety of projects, spanning special events, architecture and dance.

Jonathan Emanuell Alsberry ​(Assistant to the Choreographer, ​Indomitable Waltz) is a dancer, educator, creator and coach. Born in Normal, Illinois, he began dancing with his mother, Lyndetta; and went on to graduate from The Chicago Academy for the Arts. In 2006, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Juilliard School.

Alsberry, a.k.a “Jojo,” is now a dancer, rehearsal director and creative collaborator with Aszure Barton & Artists and has assisted Ms. Barton in over a dozen creations. He toured with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Hell’s Kitchen Dance, as well as with Evolution with Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo. Alsberry has performed as a principal dancer with The Metropolitan Opera, The Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Opera Theater. In 2007, he joined the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and is also a performer and rehearsal director with the company.

Nicole Pearce​ (Lighting Designer, I​ ndomitable Waltz, Face the Torrent). Previously with Aszure Barton: six works (Aszure Barton & Artists, Hubbard Street, and Nederlands Dans Theater). Selected dance with Mark Morris, Jessica Lang, Robert Battle, Andrea Miller, Sonya Tayeh, John Heginbotham, Brian Brooks, Alexander Ekman, Kyle Abraham and Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa; and companies, 14 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

including Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, Finnish National Opera, Gallim, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Jessica Lang Dance, Dance Heginbotham, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Selected New York theater credits includes work with directors: Edward Albee, Leigh Silverman, Trip Cullman, Pam MacKinnon, Jade King Carroll and Ed Sylvanus Iskandar. With companies, including The Cherry Lane, The Play Company and LAByrinth Theater Company. Upcoming projects include work with Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, the National Symphony Orchestra, Dance Heginbotham, and American Ballet Theatre. ​www.nicolepearcedesign.com

Fritz Masten​ (Costume Designer, ​Indomitable Waltz) ​has designed costumes and sets for theaters internationally.

To learn more, go to ​fritzmasten.com

Karen Young ​(Costume Designer, ​Face the Torrent)​​has designed costumes for numerous dance and video art works in New York and internationally. In addition to designing Wendy Whelan’s​ Restless Creature and several works for the Brian Brooks Moving Company, her design work for dance is included in the repertoires of the Martha Graham Dance Company, Kyle Abraham, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Morphoses, Pam Tanowitz, Elisa Monte and Larry Keigwin, among many others. Costume design for video art includes: David Michalek’s ​Slow Dancing; Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 5 and ​Cremaster 1; and Eve Sussman’s ​89 Seconds at Alcázar and ​The Rape of the Sabine Women. Other recent projects include: Third Rail Projects’ highly acclaimed immersive shows, ​Then She Fell and ​The Grand Paradise; Doug Elkin’s ​The Weight of Smoke for the Paul Taylor Dance Company; and Alejandro Cerrudo’s ​Sleeping Beauty for Ballett Basel. www.​karenyoungcostume.com Joyce Theater Productions​ (JTP) is the in-house

producing entity for The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., formed to create original work for The Joyce’s own stage, and for worldwide touring. The program also includes fiscal and administrative management to select companies that may require infrastructure beyond project-based creations.

Originally founded in partnership with Sunny Artist Management, Inc. (SAM) in 2014, JTP has since supported projects with Daniil Simkin, Wendy Whelan/Brian Brooks, Arthur Pita/James Whiteside, Maria Kochetkova, and the L.A. Dance Project, and maintains an ongoing relationship with Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company.

Worldwide Representation: Sunny Artist Management Inc. Ilter Ibrahimof, Director ilter@sunnyartistmanagement.com www.sunnyartistmanagement.com

18–19 Season Sponsor

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THE SLEEPING BEAUTY March 23 & 24, 2019 | Cheng Hall This performance will include a 20-minute intermission.

Photo: Dave Friedman

3/23

Choreography

Marius Petipa Direction

Salwa Rizkalla Music

Peter I. Tchaikovsky

Scenery & Prop Design & Construction

Sergei Iourov

Made in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Provided by Santa Barbara Artists Management.

Lighting Design & Production Supervisor

Costume Coordinators

Artistic Assistant

Social Media

Don Guy

Elizabeth Farmen Marci Goedl Natasha Miroshynk Hanna Przylvdzka-Karacic Salwa Rizkalla

Costume Design & Construction

Willa Bouwens-Killeen Donna Dickens Kaye Michel Barabara Vieuretta

Willa Bouwens-Killeen Ann Drew Marcie Taylor

Graphic Designer

Marianne Hales

Production Coordinator

Chris Schmidt

Company Photographers

Dave Friedman Skye Schmidt

Casting is subject to change. The taking of photographs or use of recording devices is strictly prohibited.

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 17

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

SYNOPSIS Act I

Prologue

The grand celebration of Princess Aurora’s 16th birthday begins, and the atmosphere is festive with dancing.

Princess Aurora performs the famous “Rose Adagio” with four princes who have come to seek her hand in marriage.

As the beautiful Princess dances with her admiring suitors, an old woman arrives and hands her a bouquet of flowers.

Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle hidden in the bouquet.

As the Princess appears to die, the evil Fairy Carabosse throws off her cape to reveal herself, then vanishes before the eyes of the astonished guests. The Lilac Fairy reminds everyone that Aurora is not dead, but only asleep—the beginning of the spell that will last 100 years.

Guests arrive at the opulent palace of King Florestan XXIV to celebrate the christening of his long-awaited first child, Princess Aurora. All the fairies of the kingdom are invited to bestow their special gifts on the newborn—the Fairy of Serenity, Benevolence, Generosity, Happiness, Temperament and, the most powerful and beautiful of all, the Lilac Fairy.

The joyful gathering is suddenly interrupted by a clap of thunder announcing the arrival of the evil Fairy Carabosse.

Furious at the King’s failure to invite her to the ceremony, she places a curse on Princess Aurora, vowing that on her 16th birthday she will prick her finger and die. The Lilac Fairy stops Carabosse from repeating her curse and declares that the spell will be only partly true. The Princess will prick her finger, but she will not die. Instead, she and the Court will fall into a deep, long sleep. After 100 years, a handsome prince will awaken her with a kiss.

Act II

It is one hundred years later. Prince Florimund is hunting in the forest. As night arrives, the Lilac Fairy appears and tells the Prince of the hidden castle, the century-long spell, and the sleeping Princess who can only be awakened by the kiss of a prince who loves her. The Lilac Fairy shows him a vision of Princess Aurora. Enchanted by her beauty, the Prince falls in love with the Princess. When the vision vanishes, the Prince pleads with the Lilac Fairy to lead him to the hidden palace and the sleeping Princess.

Act III

Photo: Dave Friedman

On the way to the castle, Carabosse tries to stop the Prince; but he defeats her and arrives at the palace with the Lilac Fairy. The Prince finds Aurora, awakens her with a kiss and declares his love for her. The King and Queen are overjoyed to give their blessings, and the magnificent wedding feast begins. Among the guests who’ve come to congratulate the royal couple are fabled storybook characters—the Jewels, The White Cat and Puss-in-Boots, the Enchanted Princess and Bluebird, as well as Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. In honor of their guest, Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund dance the famous wedding pas de deux. The ballet ends with the royal princesses dancing a glorious mazurka while the entire court surrounds the happy, royal couple…and they all live happily ever after.

18 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

CASTING Prologue: The Court of King Florestan XXIV King Florestan XXIV �������������������� Donald Davison

The Queen ���������������������������������������� Willa Bouwens-Killeen Cattalabutte ������������������������������������� Chuck Johnston Princess Aurora (as child) ������� Angelina Jones

Court Ladies & �������������������������������� Elizabeth Albe, Tamara Alfaro, Michelle LeBlanc, Bella Riggione Gentlemen AJ Abrams, Greyson Hanson, Joseph Hetzer, Evan Strand The Lilac Fairy �������������������������������� Tara Ghassemieh

Fairy of Serenity ���������������������������� Lily Turner (3/23), Sophia Johncox (3/24)

Fairy of Benevolence ������������������ Sadie Lee (3/23), Anjoulie Kempton (3/24) Fairy of Generosity ���������������������� Bianca Wajack (3/23), Tess Lethen (3/24) Fairy of Happiness ����������������������� Bella Do (3/23), Sami Santos (3/24)

Fairy of Temperament ��������������� Tiffany Tornay (3/23), Athena Skiathitis (3/24) Carabosse ������������������������������������������ Sayat Asatryan

Court Children �������������������������������� Elizabeth Bancroft, Lily Bogdanovich, Natalie Ho, Chloe Im, Kotone Matsuzaki, Marla Murase, Bebel Thanaritiroj, Madeliene Wells (3/23) Madison Chen, Clara Han, Ayu Hayashi, Angelina Jones, Michelle Lu, Caroline Robbins, Dana Smith, Anna Yang (3/24)

Lilac Fairy’s Attendants. ����������� Emma Chen, Yuma Kainuma, Rachel Lee, Megan Liao, Audrey Weber (3/23) Ashley Do, Adiya Marcus, Leilah Prevost, Haruna Shirai, Towako Wunsch (3/24) Elise Cho, Ashley Chung, Francesca Darmiento, Callista Do, Hailey Holcomb, Gianna Pritchard, Megan Suhr (3/23, 3/24)

Carabosse’s Attendants ������������� Madeleine Huang, Annabella Luo, Sophia Ly, Eva Rutherford, Rochelle Tran (3/23)

Samantha Bailey, Atrin Jafari, Lucy Lee, Alexa Swift, Tess Valenta (3/24)

Audrey Chiou, Emma De Felippo, Ashley Jiang (3/23, 3/24)

Act I – 16 Years Later: Court of King Florestan XXIV Princess Aurora ����������������������������� Beckanne Sisk The Four Princess ������������������������ AJ Abrams, Greyson Hanson, Joseph Hetzer, Evan Strand

Villagers ��������������������������������������������� Cierra Roberts, Aisha Vaughan, Lee Zucker-Murray (3/23) Simone Carroll, Skyla Jin, Hailey Van (3/24) Anna-Marie Leach, Riley Louis, Bailey Stenstrom, Sophia Wilhelm, Lana Zylstra (3/23, 3/24)

Garland Waltz ��������������������������������� Chamonix Bas, Iris Chow, Kiera Lai, Tracy Xing, Emma Zucker-Murray (3/23)

Avery Le Blanc, Sydney Madolora, Cassidy Nguyen, Lauren Van, Emma Weston (3/24)

Lei Lei Chen, Alexia Jones, Brando Speech (3/23, 3/24)

Princess Aurora’s Friends ������� Tamara Alfaro, Jacqueline Blom, Sophia Johncox, Anjoulie Kempton, Tess Lethen, Amanda Luyks, Sami Santos, Athena Skiathitis (3/23) Tamara Alfaro, Natalie Burkley, Bella Do, Nicole Frias, Anjoukie Kempton, Tiffany Tornay, Lily Turner, Bianca Wajack (3/24) IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 19

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

INTERMISSION

Act II – 100 Years Later: Forest Near the Enchanted Castle Prince Florimund ������������������������� Chase O’Connell Nymphs ��������������������������������������������� Annaliese Bancroft, Natalie Burkley, Bella Do, Sadie Lee, Lily Turner (3/23) Sophia Johncox, Anjoulie Kempton, Bella Riggione, Athena Skiathitis, Tiffany Tornay (3/24) Tamara Alfaro, Jacqueline Blom, Nicole Frias, Tess Lethen, Amanda Luyks, Sami Santos, Bianca Wajack (3/23, 3/24)

Act III – The Wedding: Court of King Florestan XXIV Polonaise Attendants ����������������� Gianna Pritchard (3/23, 3/24) Elise Cho, Francesca Darmiento, Megan Suhr (3/23) Ashley Chung, Callista Do, Hailey Holcomb (3/24)

Polonaise ������������������������������������������� Emma Chen, Yuma Kainuma, Sophia Koo, Rachel Lee, Megan Liao, Yaya Liu, Paisley Thanaritiroj, Audrey Weber (3/23) Ashley Do, Sophia Koo, Yaya Liu, Adiya Marcus, Leilah Prevost, Haruna Shirai, Paisley Thanaritiroj, Towako Wunsch (3/24) Gold Jewels........................................ Jacqueline Blom, Nicole Frias, Tiffany Tornay (3/23) Jacqueline Blom, Nicole Frias, Anjoulie Kempton (3/24) Ruby Jewels....................................... Tess Lethen, Amanda Luyks, Athena Skiathitis (3/23)

Tess Lethen, Amanda Luyks, Bianca Wajack (3/24) Diamond Jewel ������������������������������� Sadie Lee

The White Cat ��������������������������������� Sami Santos (3/23), Megan Yamashita (3/24) Puss-In-Boots ��������������������������������� AJ Abrams

The Bluebird ����������������������������������� Joseph Hetzer

The Enchanted Princess ����������� Sophia Johncox (3/23), Lily Turner (3/24) Little Red Riding Hood �������������� Anjoulie Kempton (3/23), Bella Do (3/24) The Wolf ��������������������������������������������� Evan Strand

The Lilac Fairy �������������������������������� Tara Ghassemieh

Grand Pas de Deux ����������������������� Beckanne Sisk & Chase O’Connell

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FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

ABOUT FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE Festival Ballet Theatre is Orange County’s premier, accomplished professional ballet company. Our mission is to enrich Orange County’s artistic and economic vitality, to inspire love and appreciation for dance, and to invigorate ballet by:

• Presenting a season of exhilarating classical and contemporary performances • Providing a nurturing environment for dancers and choreographers • Offering stimulating educational outreach programs.

With reverence for classic masterpieces and a focus on developing future tours de force, Festival Ballet Theatre is committed to presenting the best of dance, enriching lives, and developing a new generation of audiences and artists.

Festival Ballet Theatre is a well-established nonprofit arts organization founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla. Boasting a roster of impressive, up-and-coming southern California talent, the company’s productions spotlight internationally acclaimed guest artists from prestigious companies.

Aspiring to the peak of artistic excellence for over three decades, Festival Ballet Theatre at once attracts the best in professional dance to its home base while exporting its impeccably trained dancers as artistic ambassadors to the nation. Arts Orange County named Festival Ballet Theatre Outstanding Arts Organization of the Year in 2001.

For more information on Festival Ballet Theatre, visit www.FestivalBallet.org.

ABOUT SOUTHLAND BALLET ACADEMY Southland Ballet Academy (SBA) is the official school of Festival Ballet Theatre. Founded in 1983, SBA cultivates, trains and inspires an appreciation for classical ballet from beginner to professional dancer. Since opening its doors as a ballet studio, SBA and director Salwa Rizkalla have secured a national and international reputation and have played a prominent role in grooming world-class dancers. SBA has grown from a modest one-room facility to eight state-ofthe-art studios in two Orange County locations — Fountain Valley and Irvine. SBA’s International Summer Intensive program is a favorite destination for dancers who enjoy classes taught by world-renowned artistic directors, ballet

masters and choreographers. The Intensive culminates in the Inspired Young Dancer Performance that gives the young dancers an opportunity to refine their performance abilities on stage.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Salwa Rizkalla Artistic Director Salwa Rizkalla has been firmly committed to developing the art of ballet and the future of dance in Orange County. For more than 30 years, Ms. Rizkalla has presented the finest classical and contemporary repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to world-premiere contemporary works through Festival Ballet Theatre.

During her professional dancing career, Ms. Rizkalla graced the stage in leading roles in well-known classical ballets as well as in contemporary pieces. She had the privilege of working under the direction of world-renowned choreographers Leonid Lavrovsky and Serge Lifar. As a young dancer, Ms. Rizkalla trained in the Russian Vaganova method and studied with ballet masters of the Bolshoi and the Kirov. As the culmination of her training, Ms. Rizkalla completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ballet Pedagogy.

She established Southland Ballet Academy in 1983 and debuted Festival Ballet Theatre in 1988. In addition to teaching and directing, Ms. Rizkalla was a faculty member of several area institutions.

Many arts organizations have recognized her service. The Orange County Music and Arts Administrators and Orange County Performing Arts Center jointly recognized her with the Orange County Arts Educator of the Year Award for Secondary Dance (2003); Youth America Grand Prix awarded Ms. Rizkalla Outstanding Teacher accolades since its inception; and Arts Orange County recognized Ms. Rizkalla with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award (2014).

The Orange County Register named Ms. Rizkalla one of OC’s 100 Most Influential People in 2017.

Ms. Rizkalla has been honored to impact the lives of hundreds of students and their families through her teaching. She is proud to be a dedicated educator, an energetic promoter of the arts, and an active participant in the cultural life of her community.

Board of Directors & Guild Chairs Festival Ballet Theatre Board of Directors Salwa Rizkalla, President Lisa Yamashita, Vice President Willa Bouwens-Killeen, Treasurer

Cathleen Hunter, Secretary Ghada Anis, Member Tom Lydon, Advisor

Guild Chairs Teri Schmidt, Grants Chair Ann Drew, Volunteer Chair Jan Kempton, Boutique Chair

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 21

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

GUEST ARTISTS

Chase O’Connell

(Appears courtesy of Ballet West, Adam Sklute, Artistic Director)

Chase O’Connell was born in Fredericksburg Virginia. He started his professional training at 13 at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. He then went to the Royal Ballet School in London for 2 years on scholarship. After Royal he was offered a temporary contract with the Paris Opera Ballet Company. He then joined Ballet West II in 2012 and was promoted to Principal in 2015. He has performed Principal roles in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Adam Sklute’s adaptation of Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Symphony in C (Second Movement), Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free, Jiri Kylian’s Petit Mort, Overgrown Path and Forgotten Land.

Beckanne Sisk

(Appears courtesy of Ballet West, Adam Sklute, Artistic Director)

Beckanne Sisk was born in Longview, Texas and studied at Longview Ballet Theatre until the age of 14. She then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend The Rock School for Dance Education’s RAPA program for four years. She joined Ballet West II in 2010 and was promoted to principal artist in 2015. She has performed leading roles in Anna Marie Holmes’ Don Quixote; John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet; Adam Sklute’s adaptation of Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

Sisk was featured in Breaking Pointe, a reality TV series on the CW. Beckanne competed in Youth America Grand Prix and was a New York City finalist from 2006 to 2010. In 2006, she was a bronze medalist and, in 2008, was first runner-up in the Discount Dance Model Search. She received the Jerome Robbins Scholarship Award in 2007 and won the Princess Grace Dance Fellowship Award in 2012 along with the bronze medal at the Beijing International Ballet Competition.

COMPANY DANCERS

AJ Abrams is a native of Long Beach, California. He trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and School of American Ballet. At 19, he began his professional career at Ballet Austin. His credits with Ballet Austin include original works by Stephen Mills, including Hamlet, a featured role in the ballet Touch and The Taming of the Shrew. He performed a solo role in Septime Webers’ Fluctuating Hemlines and principal roles as the Sugar Plum Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Albrecht in Giselle and the principal male in Balanchine’s Who Cares? Mr. Abrams has appeared in a music video for Florence and the Machine. He is currently a member of the Luminario Ballet of Los Angeles. This is AJ’s eleventh season with Festival Ballet Theatre.

22 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Sayat Asatryan was born in Yerevan, Armenia and trained in Russia at the Voronezh Ballet School and the St. Petersburg Ballet Academy, where he received a comprehensive arts and humanities education, earning a master’s degree in dance and the arts.

Additionally, he has completed a Certified Performing Arts Executive Program at The University of New Orleans, focusing on the management aspects of the performing arts, marketing, strategic planning and curating. He has been dancing professionally in the United States and throughout the world for over 25 years. He was a principal ballet dancer with the Moscow Kremlin Ballet and guest artist with the Bolshoi Ballet, touring internationally throughout South America, Europe, Japan and the U.S. Currently, he enjoys teaching and choreographing for Encinitas Ballet Academy and continues his training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Pedagogy Institute.

Mr. Asatryan has performed with Festival Ballet Theatre on numerous occasions.

Donald Davison, a southern California native, enrolled in his first dance studio at 15 years of age. He started training in the commercial styles of hip-hop, jazz, lyrical and contemporary before shifting the focus of his discipline to classical ballet. Donald has attended the San Francisco Ballet School for their summer and year-round programs under scholarship and received a traineeship with Ballet Austin. Throughout his career, Donald has professionally danced with Anaheim Ballet, San Diego Ballet, the San Diego Opera and California Ballet. His repertoire includes: The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet (as Tybalt) and Septime Webre’s Fluctuating Hemlines, among others.

Tara Ghassemieh began her training in Huntington Beach, California, at Orange County Dance Center. She has garnered many honors, titles and awards, including first all-around soloist at Showstoppers Nationals; finalist at Youth America Grand Prix in New York City; Teen Miss Dance of America 2004 for Dance Masters of America; and National Training Scholar for American Ballet Theatre. At the age of 16, Tara was offered a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT and an apprenticeship with Washington Ballet.

She has performed numerous ballets with ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House, including Le Corsaire, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. She performed on Broadway in Movin’ Out and was a featured actress on Law and Order SVU, CSI and Gossip Girl. Tara is a guest artist with ballet companies nationwide. She teaches contemporary dance at Southland Ballet Academy. This is her eighth season with Festival Ballet Theatre.

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

Greyson Hanson began his classical ballet training at the age of nine and transitioned into many other dance styles by the age of 12. Throughout his youth, he was an award-winning competitor in a variety of dance competitions. He is currently attending UCI, where he is double majoring in dance and exercise sciences. Greyson has received scholarships for his academic achievements and his artistry as a dancer. He has been accepted into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and was awarded the William J. Gillespie Scholarship in Ballet Studies. Greyson started performing with Festival Ballet Theatre in 2015. He has danced in Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

Joseph Hetzer, a California native, started his classical training at South Bay Ballet in 2012. He went on to attend the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and the USC Marshall School of Business to further develop his artistic and administrative ambitions. While in school, he was mentored by William Forsythe, Desmond Richardson, Zippora Karz and a number of other notable individuals who have helped strengthen his technique and artistry. He trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School, Jacobs Pillow Ballet Program, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. Joseph prides himself on his work ethic, his ability to learn choreography fast, and his professional attitude inside and outside of the studio.

Charles Johnston. A native of California, Charles Johnston has called Festival Ballet Theatre his home since 1994. He has since danced all the lead character roles in the Company’s classical repertoire. Johnston continues to work as guest artist and has performed character roles with ABT, New York City Ballet and The Royal Ballet. A former teacher of dance

and drama, he has studied with Frederic Franklin in New York; Michael Panaieff in Los Angeles; and Lila Zali, founder of the former Ballet Pacifica, in Orange County. Festival Ballet Theatre has been honored to present Mr. Johnston for over two decades.

Evan Strand grew up in Huntington Beach, California and trained at Southland Ballet Academy. Evan has been pursuing acting. His acting credits include: Zoot Suit at the Mark Taper Forum; The Reddi-wip Milkman in Hairspray Live! on NBC; a gueststarring role in Grey’s Anatomy. His acting, dancing and singing have taken him to Japan, China, Australia, Romania and London. Joining FBT/SBA for their 30th anniversary is an absolute pleasure. Thank you Salwa and the entire FBT/SBA family for being such a strong foundation in my work.

Megan Yamashita attends the University of Southern California. She has been at Southland Ballet Academy, under the direction of Salwa Rizkalla, since the age of three. Some of her accomplishments include garnering second place in the Junior Division at the 2007 Youth America Grand Prix in Faenza, Italy. She was a semifinalist in classical as well as non-classical dance at the 2008 Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards, with honorable mention in classical dance. Yamashita is a grand prize winner of 2008 Orange County Performing Arts Center’s “Tomorrow’s Stars at the Center” in classical dance discipline.

2018– 2019 FBT TRAINEES Festival Ballet Theatre is proud to present the members of FBT Trainees, a junior company of student dancers with outstanding potential.

Through FBT Trainees, Festival Ballet Theatre secures a talented base of dancers, offers performance opportunities “at home” and nurtures the stars of the future to a professional career in dance.

Top Row (left to right): Anjoulie Kempton, Lily Turner, Moorea Pike 2nd Row: Tamara Alfaro, Emily Eckert, Sophia Johncox, Tiffany Tornay 3rd Row: Tatum Backer, Athena Skiathitis, Bianca Wajack, Tess Lethen Not Pictured: Silvi Lybbert

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 23

2019 INTERNATIONAL AUG 5 -16

SUMMER INTENSIVE Official School of Festival Ballet Theatre

714.962.5440

SouthlandBallet.com

AUGUST 16, 2019 F E S T I V A L B A L L E T. O R G

24 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE

SPECIAL THANKS TO FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE DONORS

Festival Ballet Theatre gratefully acknowledges the generosity of individuals, businesses and foundations for their contributions to our programs.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE $10,000+ Anonymous Salwa & Sabri Rizkalla Technique, Inc.

UNDERWRITER $5,000 – $9,999 Anonymous Bobbi Cox James Carter Lisa Ann & Tom Lydon CHOREOGRAPHER $2,500 – $4,999 Anonymous Lisa Yamashita

PRINCIPAL $1,000 – $2,499 Anonymous Lydia Ringwald Michelle Kimura Stephen Tornay Teri & Chris Schmidt Tiana Dinh SOLOIST $500 – $999

Anonymous Abril & George Turner Diana Casey Diane & Wayne Kopit Karen and Thomas Hersh Luke Aucoin Insurance

ARTIST $250 – $499 Anonymous Willa Bouwens-Killeen Wendy and Daniel Harrigan The Kempton Family Dione Knowles & Steven Liu MaryAnn Pelino-Carroll Kim Tang & Danh Kuennemann Karen & Matt Weidner APPRENTICE $100 – $249 Anonymous

For information or to join our list of donors, please visit FestivalBallet.org or call 714.962.5440 To make a donation, please send a check payable to: Festival Ballet Theatre, 9527 Garfield Avenue, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.

Festival Ballet Theatre is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal ID #33-0283147.

SPECIAL THANKS TO FESTIVAL BALLET THEATRE SPONSORS

Festival Ballet Theatre appreciates the generous support of its corporate partners.

Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SLEEPING BEAUTY VOLUNTEERS

Festival Ballet Theatre thanks all of the parents and volunteers who are integral to the success of this presentation of The Sleeping Beauty. We appreciate all the time and energy you have put into fundraising, costumes, donations, marketing and development. Your efforts are truly priceless in allowing Festival Ballet Theatre to provide this holiday tradition.

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 25

Southland Ballet Academy Official School of Festival Ballet Theatre

Dedicated to Excellence Year-long classes offered for ages 3-adult

BALLET POINTE BOYS CLASS CHARACTER CONTEMPORARY JAZZ SUMMER INTENSIVES

FOUNTAIN VALLEY STUDIO 714.962.5440 IRVINE STUDIO 949.552.9905

SouthlandBallet.com

26 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

The City of Irvine plays an invaluable role in the successful operation of Irvine Barclay Theatre.

We thank the City for its generous support.

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 27

Annual Fund for

THANK

EXCELLENCE

YOU

Irvine Barclay Theatre gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of our donors who help support the “big talent” in our “small hall.” Gifts to the Annual Fund for Excellence assist the Barclay in presenting an international roster of performers while keeping tickets reasonably priced. They also support our ArtsReach programs provided to the schools at little or no cost and “family-friendly” programming on stage. The Barclay’s mission also embraces making its beautiful facilities available to diverse community organizations, UCI, and other educational institutions.

Thank you to all of our generous donors listed here for their contributions during the previous 12 months! If you would like to join the ranks of those who make it all possible at the Barclay, you may make a donation online at www.thebarclay.org or call 949.854.4607.

PUBLIC PARTNERS

City of Irvine University of California, Irvine SEASON SPONSOR

City National Bank

BRAVO BARCLAY PRESENTING SPONSOR $10,000+

An Anonymous Fund of the Orange County Community Foundation Drs. Francisco and Hana Ayala Bruce and Karen Cahill Haskell & White LLP The Hiland Foundation HumanKind Philanthropic Fund Bill and Carolyn Klein Jennifer Klein Liza and Stuart Krassner Toni and Terry McDonald National Endowment for the Arts Danielle Oakley William and Janice Parker Family Fund Penelope Parmes Gregory and Mishel Rohl 28 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

Rohl LLC – Kenneth and Helene Rohl Venus Soltan Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund Frank Wagner and Lynn O’Hearn Wagner Worah Family Foundation BRAVO BARCLAY PARTNER $5,000 – $9,999

Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails Roland and Jacquelynn Beverly Carol and Les Elliott Gartley Charitable Foundation Fund Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa Jewish Federation and Family Services, Orange County Lugano Jewelers Jerry and Whitney Mandel Salwa and Sabri Rizkalla Western States Arts Federation Judy and Wes Whitmore Charlie and Ling Zhang

BRAVO BARCLAY BENEFACTOR $2,500 – $4,999

Anonymous Chuck and Janet Henze Heritage Pointe Tom Nielsen Chiyo and Stanton Rowe Gary and Melanie Singer Linda I. Smith Foundation

BRAVO BARCLAY PATRON $1,000 – $2,499 Richard and Eva Bergstrom Reynolds C. Bish Douglas Bradley Tom and Paula DeMars Gary Fabian and Deb Solon Arlene and Steven Fienberg Bill and Marjorie Fleming Douglas and Kathleen Forde Eleanor Jaffy Ken and Patricia Janda Yvonne and Damien Jordan Jack and Joy Kayajanian Robert Kazer and Jill Richter Jeffrey Lewis and Susan Sutter Music & Arts Peter and Alexandra Neptune Christopher and Lynne Ramsey Frank and Deborah Rugani Nancy Smith Diane Stovall Gayle Widyolar

Kristi Willette Charles and Marilyn Wright Majid and Sohaila Zarrinkelk

ENCORE CIRCLE ENTHUSIAST $250 – $999 Oscar R. Aguirre Richard Alexander AmazonSmile Foundation Scott Arbuckle Diane and Dennis Baker John W. Ballantyne Robert and Delphi Ballinger Lindy Balmer Betty Barry Linda Berquist Scott and Cheryl Berry Suzanne Boras Leia Bowers Ellen Breitman and Brien Amspoker Clifford and Jennifer Cheng Karen and Bruce Clark Susan De La Parra Bob and Burnetta Denham Joan M. Donahue Don and Debra Drysdale Jonathan Franklin Julie Garn Ramya Harishankar and Harish Murthy Dave and Peggy Kelleher Vicki and Richard Lee Leslie Levine Pablo Martinez

Duane and Kathleen Mauzey Nancy and Mike Meyer Greg and Laura Mickelson Julie Nakata Orange County Community Foundation PayPal Giving Fund Yvette Pergola Melissa Pietenpol Dorcas Preston William Redmond Stephen M. Rochford Joel B. Rothman Nancy Lee Ruyter Jeff and Linda Schulein Dorothy J. Solinger Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Sally Kurnick The Saywitz Company Angelo and Marilyn Vassos Kathy Vickers and Jeremy Freimund John and Judy Vinke Michael Voronel Mary Watson-Bruce Kurt and Ellen Youngs

Cathy Chang Nancy Chase Cyndie Chen Denise Chilcote Susie Clausen Mary Cobb Richard and Jewel Colfer Michael and Diane Coon Alice C. Coons Kathleena Cordano Josef Cowan Anahid Crecelius Madeleine and Alan Crivaro Toby Curry Vivian Daniel Charles Davison Pamela Deily Donald Delaney In Memory of Irene DeNoia Nancy Dewsbury Steve Dickler Maria Dona Ann Donat Don and Linda Dressler Roger du Plessis Scott and Monica Duggan Lenore Duncan Toni Dwyer Penny Emmons Peggie Fariss Byron Fennema Cathie Fields Ruby Foo Roberta Fox Mark A. Franzen Keri Fujii Margaret Gates Michael Gelormino Conrad and Linda Giedt S. Glass Family Anneke Glore Ben and Sandie Goelman Kevin Gomez Kathleen Green Sanjiv and Geeta Grover Cary Hairabedian Ilene Harker Carole S. Harrison Ken Hartline Karl and Doretta Haushalter Richard and Sara Hess Matt Hoffman Dan and Nicole Honigman Michael Hornyak Charles Hunter

Robert Ingold Laurie Jacobsen Karen Kewell Jacoby Kimo Jarrett Christine Johnson Gail Judd Arlene Kato Judy Kaufman and George Farkas Bruce Kerr and Ann Patterson Paul Kuliev Dr. and Mrs. John LaGourgue In Memory of Dr. Martin Langer Robert Langer Tracy Laulhere Dean Laws Kim Smith Lazarus Robert E. Lee Sue Anne Lee Vicki Lee Hilary Lemansky Michael Leon Scott Lewis Neal Littlejohn Anne Llewellyn Lorraine Lopez Claire Mackay Bart Maeda Cory Mann Greg McCaffrey Michael and Susan McGuire Lauri and Mike Mendenhall Vivian Mendoza Tom Miller William Miller Jeff and Gail Mitzner David Moehring Lisa Monette Hiroko and Yoshiharu Moriwaki John and Margi Murray June Nelson Steven Nelson Gregory Newland John Newlander Rowell and Daisy Nueva Jane Olin In memory of Vera Ostroff Randall Pacheco Arneld Parker Mary Phillips Judith Posnikoff Lois Rake Elaine Ramsay Brad Rawlins Claudia Redfern Shane Reyna

Susan Rhodes and Goran Matijasevic Joe Risser Paul Ruiz Margaret Rumsfeld Keitha Russell Irene A. Sakioka Kazuhiko Sato Walter Scacchi and Christine Fluor-Schacci Louise Schwennesen Thelma Seki Trudy Vermeer Selleck Tully Seymour Joyce Shadburn Gordon Sheldall Robert Shephard Megan Silveira Cheryl Simpson Alison Singer Paul Spas Craig Springer William Spurgeon Steve Stauff Hugh Stevenson and Jan Burns Barbara Stirrat Robert Stopher Arthur Strauss – Neonatal Associates, Long Beach, CA Ingrid Strayer Richard and Jane Sungaila Rene Suzuki Janet Hennes Tapley Cindy Thomas Earleen Thomas Johanna Tilley Gary and Peranza Topjon Winnie Tse Tony and Nancy Vasek Emily Vogler and Daniel Flynn John Walker Robert Walters Mark and Lou-Ann Weltman Brian West Justin White Daphne Wong Valerie Wong George and Flo-Ree Woodruff Anu Worah Yata Household Patricia Yeckel Susan Yee Richard and Mary Yoo Andy Yurcho

NATIONAL CHOREOGRAPHERS INITIATIVE

David and Beverly Carmichael Cheng Family Foundation Concierge Podiatry Newport Beach Bobbi Cox Sophia and Larry Cripe Bronwynn Daniels Diane Diefenderfer Hanlon and David Hanlon Roger du Plessis Gale Edelberg and Bob Butnik Henry and Janet Eggers David Emmes and Paula Tomei Fran Farrer Cliff Faulkner and Shigeru Yaji Gilian Finley and Robert Labaree Roberta Fox Mary and Andrew Franklin Sandy and Don French Judith A. Gorski Gale A. Granger and Barbara S. Granger Dr. and Mrs. Denis Gray Dana Huff

Dr. Burton L. Karson Joanne and Dennis Keith Michael Kerr Robert Labaree and Gillian Finley Don and Grace Laffoon Dr. Martin G. Langer Kathryn Lynch and Robert McDonnell Molly Lynch and Alan Andrews Sharon McNalley Britt Meyer Nancy Meyer John Miller Ed Moen and Janek Schergen John and Marjorie Murray Mr. and Mrs. Mitsuhiko Nakano Carl Neisser Tom and Marilyn Nielsen Anne B. Nutt John and Charlene Pasko James Penrod Janice and Richard Plastino Dolly A. Platt, Ph.D.

Edward and Diana Putz Salwa Rizkalla, Festival Ballet Theatre Barbara Roberts Robinson Foundation Michelle Rohe Andrew Rose Geoffrey and Debbie Sampson Jack and Katy Schellerman Sally Anne and Don Sheridan Igal and Diane Silber Ann Sim Jackie Smiley Elizabeth Stahr Richard and Elizabeth Steele Fund Olivia Stroud Jennifer Szabo Karen and Gary Thorne Barbara and Jack Tingley Lynn Weiser Max and Peggy Weismair Mary Vensel White William Gillespie Foundation

ENCORE CIRCLE SUPPORTER $100 – $249 Michele and Richard Africano Ramona Agrela Steven and Alexandria Allan Debbie Aslanian Carol Bardia Stuart Baron George and Linda Bauer Vickie Becker Matthew Bell Scott and Gwen Beltran Sally and Paul Bender Richard H. Bigelow Stephen Biskar Annette Blaney Christopher Blank Scott Brinkerhoff Margaret and James Brumm Douglas T. Burch, Jr. Roland and Linda Bye James Byrne Harold and Eleanor Carpenter Natividad Castillo Terry Causey Keali’i Ceballos Joe and Barbara Chamberlain

As a partner in the annual National Choreographers Initiative, Irvine Barclay Theatre is also pleased to acknowledge all those who support this important contribution to American dance.

Betty B. and Roy Anderson Betsy Andrews and Alex Moad David Anderson Mrs. Alan V. Andrews Diane and Dennis Baker Ballet Barres West William H. Bardens Dr. Michael Bear Beau Corps Studio Helene Belisle Paul Blank Stacie Brandt Laurie and Bart Brown

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE | 29

For Your Information Ticket Services Order online 24/7 at www.thebarclay.org or www.facebook.com/IrvineBarclay/events

Call the Box Office at 949.854.4646 Monday through Friday from 10am until 6pm; Saturday and Sunday from noon until 4pm. On days of a performance, the Box Office generally remains open through the first half of a performance.

MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover accepted.

Late Seating To prevent disruption of a performance in progress, patrons who have not entered the theatre when the performance begins may be asked to wait in the lobby until there is a suitable interval.

Ushers Ushers are located at each auditorium entrance and at designated stations in the lobby. Please consult an usher if you need assistance. If you are interested in joining the usher staff, please contact the Patron Services Manager at: 949.854.4193; darling@thebarclay.org.

Public Parking Parking is managed by UC Irvine and is available for a fee.

The parking structure is located at the corner of West Peltason and Campus Dive.

Restrooms Restrooms are located on the main lobby level near the box office. For your convenience, diaper changing stations are located in both the men’s and women’s restrooms. Drinking fountains are located on either side of the main lobby staircase and on the second level.

Listening Devices Listening devices for amplifying stage sound are available at the concessions bar free of charge.

Staff

Jerry Mandel, Ph.D.

Mobile Phones, Pagers, Smart Watches and Electronic Alarms As a courtesy to all patrons, please turn these units to off or non-audible before the performance begins. Please adjust the light-up notifications and screen brightness of all devices to a dimmest setting.

Cameras and Recording Equipment The taking of photographs and use of any mechanical or digital recording devices are strictly prohibited.

Children Children are welcome. However, not all events are appropriate for small children. A paid ticket is required for everyone entering the theatre, including infants and children.

The box office can provide advice regarding an event’s suitability.

Theatre Tours Backstage tours of the Barclay are offered through the theatre’s ArtsReach program. For information, or to reserve tours for schools or community groups, please call 949.854.4193.

Irvine Barclay Theatre Online Get the latest information on what’s happening at Irvine Barclay Theatre by joining the Barclay’s E-list to receive email updates and special offers. Go to the Barclay’s website at www.thebarclay.org or email us at info@thebarclay.org.

Theatre Safety & Security To ensure the safety of our patrons and clients, IBT continually evaluates security measures for those entering our venue.

All patrons attending an event at IBT are subject to screening

by IBT staff. This may include, but is not limited to, a visual inspection, a bag inspection, metal detection and/or an interview. At this time, no large bags are permitted in the venue.

Follow us on social media

/IrvineBarclay

President

Gary Payne

Karen Wood

Karen Drews Hanlon

Lori Grayson

Ginny W. Hayward

Production & Facility Manager

Communications Assistant Program Book Editor

Development Associate

Chief Operating and Finance Officer Director of Programming, Board Liaison

Lu Bauer

Box Office Manager

Josh Roberts

Assistant Box Office Manager

Ingrid Strayer

Finance Assistant 30 | IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

General Manager

Jeff Stamper Tim Owens

Associate Production & Facility Manager

Robin Darling

Patron Services Manager

Guillermo Cornejo

Assistant Patron Services Manager

Director of Communications

Helena Danovich

Michelle Maasz Brouwer Marketing & Programming Associate Manager

Amber Power

Outreach Coordinator

Director of Development

Fatima Rizvi-Flores

T H E STO RY CRAFT TELLS We believe distinctive stories are what make life exceptional. At the House of Rohl, we pursue the discovery of timehonored craft that opens the door to stories unlike any other. Stories of place and provenance. Stories of dedication and

passion.

Stories

of

artistry

and

heritage. And the closer you look, the more you’ll see, the details of your own story of a life well crafted.

HOUSEOFROHL.COM

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Proud Supporter of the Arts and Irvine Barclay Theatre