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Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2007

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Metropolitan Classical Ballet's 2006 - 2007 Season continues with a Spring Repertory program to be presented on March 10th at 8:00 PM at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. A combination of Bolshoi and Broadway, the performance consist of two works that span more than a century. One work by celebrated choreographer Marius Petipa, and one by Company Artistic Director Paul Mejia. Music Director Ron Spigelman will conduct the Metropolitan Classical Ballet Orchestra.

The evening will open with Alexander Vetrov's two-act staging of the great Russian classic, La Bayadère. Set in India, the masterpiece was choreographed by Marius Petipa. When first presented at the Maryinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, Russia on February 4th, 1877, it contained monumental processional scenes including a live elephant and a tiger. It was first performed by the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow on January 31st, 1904 and has been a staple in their repertory ever since. Mr. Vetrov and Nadia Gracheva danced the leads in the Bolshoi video production of La Bayadère. The romantic ballet which is based on ancient Indian dramatic literature, is a story of the noble warrior Solor's love for Nikiya, the bayadère or temple dancer and the Rajah's daughter Gamzatti. Marianna Ryzhkina, leading principal ballerina with the Bolshoi and a regular guest performer with Metropolitan Classical Ballet, will dance the role of Gamzatti.

Olga Pavlova in La Bayadère

The evening will conclude with Notes on My Life, an enthusiastic work by Paul Mejia set to a musical arrangement of a few of the Broadway tunes by the acclaimed composer Richard Adler. Premiered by the company in 2002, it was the first work created specifically for Metropolitan Classical Ballet by Mr. Mejia, and the second ballet that he and Richard Adler collaborated on. The first was Mr. Mejia's highly acclaimed Eight by Adler, which premiered in 1984 at the Chicago City Ballet. It was later filmed for PBS and won an Emmy Award for Suzanne Farrell. Mr. Adler will be attending the performance.

Individual tickets are $30, $20, and $10 and are available through Bass Performance Hall Ticket Office at (817) 212-4280; toll free at (877) 212-4280, or on the web at www.basshall.com. Tickets are also available through Metropolitan Classical Ballet's administration office located at 500 West Abram in Arlington, or by calling (817) 275-0598.

Programming and program order are subject to change without notice.

Founded in 1997, Metropolitan Classical Ballet is recognized as a major creative force in the dance world today. Co-artistic directors Paul Mejia and Alexander Vetrov are two of the most recognized names in ballet. Mr. Mejia, a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, carries on Balanchine's style and artistic vision though his acclaimed choreography. Alexander Vetrov, former principal dancer with the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet, has the distinction of being the recipient of the Honored People's Artist of Russia, the highest honor given by the Russian President. Mr. Vetrov still maintains close connections with the Bolshoi today. The Company dancers are comprised of twenty members who are valued for their superior technique and strong artistic personalities. Performances reach over 30,000 individuals each season. Four programs are presented at the prestigious Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, and the annual production of The Nutcracker is presented at Texas Hall, at the University of Texas at Arlington. Located in Arlington, Texas, the Company's office and spacious state of the art studios are unsurpassed in the North Texas area.

Metropolitan Classical Ballet's 2006 / 2007 Season is made possible in part by its generous sponsors: American Airlines, The University of Texas at Arlington, and the law firm of Hill Gilstrap.

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Media Note: Further information may be obtained by contacting the administration office at (817) 465-4644. Information can also be found on Metropolitan Classical Ballet's website www.mcballet.org. Images available by contacting Sharon Nolan at sknolan@charter.net