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Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2008

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - Metropolitan Classical Ballet Artistic Directors Paul Mejia and Alexander Vetrov announced programming for the Company's 12th season which begins on October 27th, 2008 and runs through June 21, 2009. They have designed a repertory with an emphasis on simplicity, style and pure classical tradition, elements that give the Company its uniqueness. The repertory includes three programs to be presented at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and the full-length production of The Nutcracker to be presented at Texas Hall in Arlington. The Metropolitan Classical Ballet Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Ron Spigelman will accompany performances during the season. Celebrated musicians, pianists Gleb Ivanov and Alexei Melentiev and violinist Eric Grossman have been invited to perform in the Spring and Summer repertory programs. All three musicians are familiar faces with the Company.

In addition to the annual production of The Nutcracker, highlights include two world premiere works, one by each of the Artistic Directors. Non-resident principal dancer Anatoly Emileanov, will present his choreography The Time, music by Avro Part. Highlights also include the return of Paul Mejia's highly acclaimed Eight by Adler, Spanish Dances and his D Minor Sonata, as well as Alexander Vetrov's abridged creation of Yuri Grigovoich's epic ballet Spartacus, and his restaging of the great Russian classic, Paquita.

The 2008-2009 Season Overview

FALL REPERTORY

Bass Performance Hall

Monday, October 27 - 8:00 p.m.

Spartacus

Music by Aram Khachaturian

Libretto & choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Restaging by Alexander Vetrov

Eight by Adler

Music by Richard Adler

Choreography by Paul Mejia

The great epic ballet Spartacus, considered to be one of Grigorovich's greatest masterpieces, premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow in 1968. Later, Alexander Vetrov stared in the role of Crassus when he was at the time the leading male principal dancer at the Bolshoi. In 2004, Grigovovich granted Mr. Vetrov permission to create an abridged variation of the famous ballet, which premiered at Bass Hall in April 2004 to great acclaim. Paul Mejia's highly acclaimed ballet, Eight by Adler, based on eight Broadway favorites by Richard Adler has always enjoyed the reputation of being an audience favorite. Mr. Adler granted the right to use eight particular songs for Mr. Mejia's use in choreographing Eight by Adler. It premiered in 1984 at the Chicago City Ballet when Mejia served as co-artistic director with Maria Tallchief. It was last performed by Metropolitan Classical Ballet on June 26, 2004.

THE NUTCRACKER - FULL LENGTH

Texas Hall, the University of Texas at Arlington

Friday, December 19th - 7:30 PM

Saturday, December 20th - 2:00 and 7:30 PM

Sunday, December 21st - 2:00 PM

Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography by Alexander Vetrov

The annual production of The Nutcracker is a classical ballet in two acts, based on the cherished fairy tale The Nutcracker and The Mouse King written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816, and is set to music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Influenced by the Bolshoi, with choreography in part by Yuri Grigorovich, Alexander Vetrov's choreographic version has been pleasing audiences and garnering great critical acclaim since it was first presented in December of 2003.

SPRING REPERTORY

Bass Performance Hall

Wednesday, March 18, 8:00 PM, 2009

Mozart - WORLD PREMIERE

Music by Amadeus Mozart & Antonio Salieri

Choreography by Alexander Vetrov

Pianists Gleb Ivanov and Alexei Melentiev

The Time - METROPOLITAN CLASSICAL BALLET PREMIERE

Music by Avro Part

Choreography by Anatoly Emileanov

Spanish Dances

Music by Pablo de Sarasate

Choreography by Paul Mejia

Violinist Eric Grossman

Mozart, world premiere by Alexander Vetrov, is set to music by Mozart and Salieri and will be accompanied by two distinguished pianists, both familiar to Metropolitan Classical Ballet audiences, Gleb Ivanov and from the Bolshoi, Alexei Melentiev. It continues with Anatoly Emelianov's choreography The Time set to music of Estonian composer Avro Part. Anatoly is a principal dancer with Metropolitan Classical Ballet as well as artistic director and chief choreographer of the Crown of Russia Ballet Theater. He also choreographs children's roles for Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker. This will be the second of Mr. Emelianov's choreographic works to enter the Company's repertory. The program ends with Paul Mejia's dynamic Spanish Dances accompanied by the renowned and Internationally acclaimed violinist Eric Grossman who will play the music of Pablo de Sarasate.

SUMMER REPERTORY

Bass Performance Hall

Saturday, June 13, 8:00 PM, 2009

Piano Concerto # 1 - WORLD PREMIERE

Music by Sergei Rachmaninov

Choreography by Paul Mejia

Pianist Gleb Ivanov

D Minor Sonata

Music by Camille Saint-Saëns

Choreography by Paul Mejia

Pianist Gleb Ivanov

Violinist Eric Grossman

Paquita

Music by Leon Minkus

Choreography by Marius Petipa

Piano Concerto # 1, world premiere by Paul Mejia set to music by Sergei Rachmaninov, will be accompanied by Gleb Ivanov. It is the second collaboratioin of Mr. Mejia and Mr. Ivanov. The work will be followed by Mr. Mejia's D Minor Sonata set to the romantic music of French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns. The ballet will be accompanied by pianist Gleb Ivanov and violinist Eric Grossman. The well received world premiere work for three dancers was October 11th, 2004 at the Nancy Lee and Perry R Bass Performance Hall. Paquita, as we know it today, is a divertissement created out of a Pas de Trois and Grand Pas, which Marius Petipa choreographed when he restaged the 1846 ballet in 1881 during the last decade of his life. Considered to be one of the greatest choreographers of all time, Petipa elevated Russian ballet to international fame.

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

In addition to the public performances, special performances of a condensed version of The Nutcracker will be presented in December for students of the Arlington Independent School District and other area private schools as part of the Company's Children's Cultural Enrichment Program. For the fifth consecutive year, Metropolitan Classical Ballet and The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will bring the cherished story of Peter and the Wolf, music by Sergei Prokofiev, to the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall for eight performances on January 20 through the 23.

Season subscriptions and individual tickets 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 are $38, $25 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 administrative office located at 500 West Abram in Arlington or by calling (817) 465-4644. The Nutcracker tickets are available only through Metropolitan Classical Ballet. Group discounts are available. Subscribers have the option of adding The Nutcracker at Texas Hall at a savings of 10%. In addition to low ticket prices, subscribers receive priority seating, ticket exchange privileges, invitations to private receptions, preview parties and a subscription to Metropolitan Classical Ballet's E-newsletter, To The Pointe.

Founded in 1997, Metropolitan Classical Ballet is well recognized as a major creative force in the dance world today. Artistic Directors Paul Mejia and Alexander Vetrov are well recognized names in ballet. Mr. Mejia, a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet who danced principal roles in many Balanchine ballets, carries on Balanchine's style and artistic vision through his acclaimed choreography. Alexander Vetrov, former leading male principal dancer with the prestigious Bolshoi 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. Company dancers are valued for their superior technique and strong artistic personalities. Performances reach over 30,000 individuals each season. Located in Arlington, Texas, the Company's office and spacious state of the arts studios are unsurpassed in the North Texas area.

Metropolitan Classical Ballet 2008 / 2009 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 Maria Kudyakova at (817) 465-4644. Information can also be found on Metropolitan Classical Ballet's website www.mcballet.org