NBT

NEVADA BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS GEORGE BALANCHINE’S MASTERPIECE BALLET, JEWELS,

October 13 & 14 at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet West join NBT for this historic presentation

Sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels

“The work is simple and complex, thought-provoking and crowd-pleasing, deeply traditional and utterly modern.”

-Roslyn Sulcas, The New York Times

2012-2013 season subscriptions on sale now; single tickets for Jewels on sale August 16

LAS VEGAS, NV (Monday, July 23, 2012) – NBT will launch its 2012-2013 inaugural season at its new performance home, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, with George Balanchine’s three-part masterwork, Jewels, joined by internationally renowned ballet companies Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet West. Set to live music, this full-length ballet will be presented on Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, October 14 at 1 pm at The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue . Tickets range from $35 - $128 (plus fees) and can be ordered by calling The Smith Center Box Office at (702) 749-2000 or by visiting www.nevadaballet.org.

Premiering on April 13, 1967 at the New York State Theater by New York City Ballet, this unique, gemstone-inspired ballet became a box office sensation and garnered national press attention when it premiered. Currently performed by ballet companies all around the world, NBT’s groundbreaking presentation will comprise the artistry of three accomplished companies - each performing one act – marking the first time that this famous triptych ballet has been executed by three different ballet companies within a single performance.

“Our Las Vegas premiere of Jewels represents an historic milestone for our company and for the cultural life of this city,” said Beth Barbre, Executive Director & CEO of NBT. “We are immensely proud to inaugurate our first full season in Reynolds Hall with one of the most beautiful dance works ever made, performed to live orchestra. We are grateful to The Balanchine Trust and Van Cleef & Arpels for helping us make this magnificent production a reality.”

After visiting New York jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, Balanchine was inspired to create an abstract ballet inspired by the beauty of jewels – specifically Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. Known for his unique ability to marry music with movement, Balanchine chose Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky to reveal the essence of each jewel, thus giving each act its own distinctiveness - the romantic "Emeralds," the jazzy and neoclassical "Rubies," and the classically inspired "Diamonds.” In addition, Balanchine used each of the three ballets to further explore the countries in which he had lived and which shaped his development: France (Emeralds), Russia (Diamonds) and America (Rubies).

“We welcome Nevada Ballet Theatre into the family of companies that will present George Balanchine's ballet Jewels,” said Barbara Horgan, Founding Trustee of The George Balanchine Trust. “Mr. Balanchine loved the American West. He envisioned that the heart of America 's West would embrace Dance, and its audiences would embrace their own interpretation of his works. The George Balanchine Trust is honored by the commitment that Nevada Ballet Theatre has made to produce Mr. Balanchine's Jewels".

About Jewels

Emeralds
Music: Gabriel Fauré, Pelleas et Mélisande and Shylock

Performed by Ballet West

Comprised of two leading couples, three soloists and a corps de ballet of ten women; old word elegance, romance. Includes fluid movement; reminiscent of 19^th century France . Music is slow, but the dancing is not; female dancers wear long tulle skirts (what is known as the romantic tutu); a ballet that suggests lovers meeting, parting and meeting again.

Emeralds Sponsored by Beano Solomon

Rubies

Music: Igor Stravinsky; Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra

Performed by NBT

American inspired work in three movements; includes a leading couple, a soloist and a corps de ballet of men and women; upbeat and jazzy. Classic Balanchine choreography: quick movements, jutting hips, flexed feet and quick prances. Dancers perform in dynamic ruby-red costumes.

Diamonds

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; Symphony No. 3 in D Major

Performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet

Russian inspired; includes five movements; female and male leads, group of soloists and a large corps de ballet. Classical choreography represents imperial style, reflective of Balanchine’s origins. Female dancers perform in classic white tutus. Adjectives used to describe this ballet: purity, light, life.

Principal support for PNB’s performances with NBT is provided by Glenn Kawasaki. Special thanks to Raisbeck Engineering, Principal Sponsor of PNB’s 2012-2013 season tours.

About George Balanchine (1904-1983)

Born in St. Petersburg , Russia , George Balanchine is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. He came to the United States in late 1933 and founded The School of American Ballet in 1934 and the New York City Ballet in 1948 along with Lincoln Kerstein. A major artistic figure of the twentieth century, Balanchine revolutionized the look of classical ballet. Taking classicism as his base, he heightened, quickened, expanded, streamlined, and even inverted the fundamentals of the 400-year-old language of academic dance. His ballets are now performed by all the major classical ballet companies throughout the world.

ABOUT BALLET WEST (Emeralds)

Ballet West boasts a rich and varied repertoire, elegant and versatile artists, and an American style and legacy that is as dynamic, expansive and unexpected as the Rocky Mountain region it represents. Ballet West was established in 1963 by Willam F. Christensen, the company’s first artistic director. Prior to founding Ballet West, Christensen, along with his brothers Lew and Harold, established the oldest ballet company in the western United States , the San Francisco Ballet, where he created the first full-length American productions of Coppélia, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Since Ballet West’s inception, the Company has had five artistic directors – its founder Willam Christensen, Bruce Marks, John Hart, Jonas Kåge and currently Adam Sklute, a former dancer, Ballet Master and Associate Director of The Joffrey Ballet. Since 2007, Sklute has further energized and expanded Ballet West’s remarkable repertoire with works by the most renowned choreographers of today. He has also introduced historical masterpieces from the great Ballets Russes and continues to preserve Ballet West’s classical legacy.

ABOUT NEVADA BALLET THEATRE (Rubies)

Under the artistic direction of James Canfield, Nevada Ballet Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Las Vegas and the largest professional ballet company and dance Academy in the state. Committed to the highest artistic standards, this classically-based company is at home in an eclectic repertory, moving easily from the classics to the high-energy contemporary ballets. The mission of Nevada Ballet Theatre is to educate and inspire statewide, regional and national audiences and vitally impact community life through professional company productions, dance training and education and outreach. Nevada Ballet Theatre is the resident ballet company of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

ABOUT PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET (Diamonds)

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States , was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers annually presents more than 100 performances of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia , Taiwan , Hong Kong , Canada , and throughout the United States , with celebrated appearances at Jacob's Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC . PNB’s acclaimed production of Nutcracker features choreography by Kent Stowell with sets and costumes by renowned author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

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