METROPOLITAN CLASSICAL BALLET
ANNOUNCES 2005-2006 SEASON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 20, 2005

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Artistic Directors, Paul Mejia and Alexander Vetrov today announced the 2005 -2006 season for Metropolitan Classical Ballet. It will consist of four repertory productions all to be presented at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and a full-length The Nutcracker at Texas Hall in Arlington. In keeping with what has become a tradition with the company, the season will offer a variety of Russian works, elegant and stylish works by Paul Mejia, significant works by the celebrated George Balanchine and others.

Highlights of the company's ninth season include two world premieres: a work by Alexander Vetrov to music by Mozart and a work by Paul Mejia set to music by Lowell Liebermann. The season will also feature a work by Vladimir Vasiliev, one of the most renowned and distinguished choreographers in Russia, and a work by Anatoly Emelianov, company dancer/choreographer. Renowned musicians such as violinist Eric Grossman, composer/pianist Lowell Liebermann and pianist Alexei Melentiev, from the Bolshoi, are scheduled to perform throughout the season. Additionally, the Metropolitan Classical Ballet Orchestra conducted by Ron Spigelman will perform during the season.

Metropolitan Classical Ballet is valued not only for its original repertoire but also for the great technique and strong artistic personalities of its dancers. New additions to the company include four dancers from Russia and two new apprentices bringing the number of resident dancers to twenty.

The 2005-2006 SEASON REPERTOIRE:

FIRST REPERTORY PROGRAM (SEASON PREMIERE)
September 13, 2005 - 8:00 p.m.
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall

World Premiere: New work by Alexander Vetrov
Music by Amadeus Mozart

Markitenka, Pas de Six
Choreography by Arthur Saint-Léon
Music by Cesare Pugni

Four Temperaments
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Paul Hindemith

George Balanchine commissioned Paul Hindemith to write the music for Four Temperaments, a chamber piece for string orchestra and piano. The ballet was recognized immediately as a work without precedent in choreographic history.

SECOND REPERTORY PROGRAM (WINTER REPERTORY)
January 16, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall

Cross Winds
Choreography by Anatoly Emelianov
Music by Frederic Chopin

Anatoly Emelianov, principal dancer with Metropolitan Classical Ballet, is an accomplished choreographer whose original, innovative and inspired works have received great acclaim. Cross Winds will be his first work to be premiered by the company.

Le Spectre de la Rose
Choreography by Michel Fokine
Music by Carl Maria von Weber

Le Spectre de la Rose premiered on April 19, 1911 by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, Theatre de Monte Carlo, Monaco. Choreography is by Michel Fokine, one of the most influential Russian choreographers of the 20th century. The music (Invitation to the Dance) is by Carl Maria von Weber, who has been referred to as the Father of German Romanticism.

World Premiere: Album For The Young
Choreography by Paul Mejia
Music by Lowell Liebermann

Lowell Liebermann is one of today's most frequently performed and commissioned composers. This marks the second time Mr. Liebermann will have performed with the company.

THIRD REPERTORY PROGRAM (SPRING REPERTORY)
April 24, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall

Les Noces
Choreography by Paul Mejia
Music by Igor Stravinsky

Bonjour Brel
Choreography by Eddy Toussaint
Lyrics by Jacques Brel

Eddy Toussaint's Bonjour Brel is set to the music and lyrics of Paris icon, Jacques Brel. Set in Paris where two lovers meet, the romantic pas de deux follows their relationship from grief and anguish to playfulness.

Magic Sounds
Choreography by Vladimir Vasiliev
Music by Jean-Philippe Rameau

In March 1995, Vladimir Vasiliev was appointed the General and Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Theatre by a decree of the First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin.

FOURTH REPERTORY PROGRAM (SEASON FINALE)
June 3, 2006 - 8:00 p.m.
The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall

Concerto Barocco
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach

Hamlet
Choreography by Paul Mejia
Music by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky

Hamlet is a fantasy overture composed by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky in 1869. It was one of three Tchaikovsky compositions inspired by William Shakespeare, along with Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest. Paul Mejia became intrigued by all three of Tchaikovsky's fantasy overtures because of the musical impression of each story as a whole, in terms of their emotional and psychological impact. Mejia challenged himself as a choreographer to bring these great compositions to life.

Walpurgis Night
Choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky
Music by Charles Gounod

THE NUTCRACKER (full length)
Texas Hall, on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington
December 16, 2005 - 8:00 p.m.
December 17, 2005 - 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
December 18, 2005 - 2:00 p.m.

The Nutcracker has been delighting audiences for years and has become a tradition in America. Alexander Vetrov's wonderful version influenced by the Bolshoi with colorful sets, glorious costumes, and Peter Tchaikovsky's wonderful score is no exception. This marks the ninth year the company has performed the holiday favorite.

Programming and casting for all productions is subject to change without notice.

Subscribers have the option of purchasing tickets to The Nutcracker at Texas Hall at a savings of 10%. In addition to low ticket prices, subscribers receive priority seating, ticket exchange privileges and invitations to private receptions and preview parties.

Founded in 1997, Metropolitan Classical Ballet has become one of the leading dance companies in Texas. It performs in the prestigious Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth four times a year and presents its annual production of The Nutcracker at Texas Hall, on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington. The company has twenty full-time dancers and maintains an internationally acclaimed repertoire of classical and contemporary works, ranging from full-length story ballets to new works by contemporary choreographers. Metropolitan Classical Ballet's administration office and state of the arts studio are located in Arlington, Texas.

Season subscriptions are available now at Metropolitan Classical Ballet's administration office located at 500 West Abram in Arlington, or by calling (817) 465-4644. Individual tickets will be available beginning August 1, 2005 through Bass Performance Hall Ticket Office at (817) 212-4280, toll free at (877) 212-4280, or on the web at www.basshall.com. Individual ticket prices are $10, $20, and $30 and may also be purchased through Metropolitan Classical Ballet. Group discounts are available. Tickets to The Nutcracker are available only through Metropolitan Classical Ballet.

Metropolitan Classical Ballet gratefully acknowledges its season sponsors: American Airlines, WRR Classical 101, and the law firm of Hill Gilstrap.

-END-

Media Note: Further information may be obtained by contacting Judy Puder at (817) 465-4644. Information can also be found on Metropolitan Classical Ballet's website: www.mcballet.org