Dance In California
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Dance In California
California is rich in dance history. In classical ballet, California is home to the oldest professional ballet company in the United States. The San Francisco Ballet, founded as the San Francisco Opera Ballet in 1933, predates both American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. Barbara Crockett founded the Sacramento Ballet in 1954 and hosted the first festival for the Pacific Western Region of Regional Dance America in 1966. In modern dance, Ruth St. Denis established her second school in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles in 1940 while Lester Horton created the Horton Dance Group in 1934, also in Los Angeles. Anna Halprin, Ann Halprin founded the San Francisco Dancers’ Workshop in 1950 and continues to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area in also home to Alonzo King's Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Lines Ballet and ODC/Dance, Oberlin Dance Collective. __TOC__ Timeline 1910-1920 * Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts Founded (1915) * Martha Graha ...
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San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. Tamara Rojo has been its director since December of 2022. It is among the world's leading dance companies, presenting more than 100 performances annually, with a repertoire that spans both classical and contemporary ballet. Along with American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet has been described as part of the "triumvirate of great classical companies defining the American style on the world stage today." History Founding: Christensen brothers Willam Christensen, Harold Christensen, and Lew Christensen made up the famed trio of brothers considered by many to have done more than anyone else to establish ballet in the United States. Born into an artistic and musical family, the three brothe ...
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Oakland Ballet
The Oakland Ballet Company is a non-profit ballet company based in Oakland, California. OBC was founded in 1965 by Ronn Guidi, an Oakland native, and gained recognition through its historical reconstructions of ballets from the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev; the mounting of classic works of Americana; and the creation of innovative contemporary choreography. Noted revivals by Oakland Ballet include works by choreographers Kurt Jooss, Michel Fokine, Charles Weidman, and Antony Tudor and the first re-staging of works by Bronislava Nijinska in the United States. Championing American masterpieces as well, Oakland Ballet has presented Eugene Loring's "Billy the Kid", Ruthanna Boris's "Cakewalk", and Agnes de Mille's "Fall River Legend". Along with Guidi's own repertoire of choreography, Oakland Ballet has produced works by local choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Carlos Carvajal, Margaret Jenkins, Alonzo King Alonzo King, born in Georgia to civil-rights activists Slate ...
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Jodie Gates
Jodie Gates is a professional American dance director and choreographer. She is known for her career as a principal ballet dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and Ballet Frankfurt. In 2005, Gates founded the non-profit presenting organization, Laguna Dance Festival. In 2013, Gates was appointed Vice Dean of the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at the University of Southern California, and oversaw the founding artistic vision of the Kaufman School. Currently, she is a professor of Dance and the Founding Director at University of Southern California's Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Performing career Jodie Gates’ performing career began under the directorship of Robert Joffrey. Gates danced professionally with the Joffrey Ballet company from 1981 to 1995, where she worked with a host of renowned choreographers, including Alonzo King, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, Martha Clarke and Mark Morris. Throughout her ballet career Gates danced with the Penns ...
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Maia Wilkins
Maia Wilkins is an American ballerina. She was a principal dancer for the Joffrey Ballet from 1991 until 2008. She was the principal of Sacramento Ballet School and is currently the Associate Director of Ballet at Northern California Dance Conservatory. She used to teach ballet and re-stages Joffrey and Arpino works for the Arpino Foundation. Early life Wilkins was born at home in Truckee, California and had her primary pre-professional training with Maggie Banks (former Principal with American Ballet Theatre) in Reno, Nevada. Wilkins moved to New York when she was 15 to continue her professional training at the Joffrey Ballet School. Wilkins joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1991. Career After joining the Joffrey Ballet, Wilkins became a leading dancer (Joffrey is officially an unranked company). She went on to dance the lead in many of Joffrey and Arpino's works. She has appeared in both ''Save the Last Dance'' and '' The Company''. The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised her danci ...
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Isadora Duncan
Angela Isadora Duncan (May 26, 1877, or May 27, 1878 – September 14, 1927) was an American-born dancer and choreographer, who was a pioneer of modern contemporary dance and performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. Born and raised in California, she lived and danced in Western Europe, the U.S., and Soviet Russia from the age of 22. She died when her scarf became entangled in the wheel and axle of the car in which she was travelling in Nice, France. Early life Angela Isadora Duncan was born in San Francisco, the youngest of the four children of Joseph Charles Duncan (1819–1898), a banker, mining engineer and connoisseur of the arts, and Mary Isadora Gray (1849–1922). Her brothers were Augustin Duncan and Raymond Duncan; her sister, Elizabeth Duncan, was also a dancer. Soon after Isadora's birth, her father was investigated and charged following the collapse of the family’s bank, which coincided with a larger reorganization of San Francisco’ ...
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Colburn School
The Colburn School is a private performing arts school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Founded in 1950, the school is named after its principal benefactor, Richard D. Colburn. History The school was established in 1950 as a preparatory arm of the USC Thornton School of Music. It was originally located across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, in a warehouse that had been converted into extra USC practice rooms, rehearsal halls, and dance studios. It later broadened its mission and changed its name to the Community School of Performing Arts. In 1980, it finalized its split with USC and branched out on its own. In 1985, the school received a significant endowment from Richard D. Colburn and was subsequently renamed in his honor. The school moved from its original location near the USC campus to its current location ...
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San Francisco Ballet School
San Francisco Ballet School was founded in 1933 as part of the San Francisco Operatic and Ballet School when Gaetano Merola, the founder of the San Francisco Opera, perceived a need for an institution where dancers could be trained to perform in opera productions. History Under the direction of founding ballet director, Adolph Bolm, the San Francisco Operatic and Ballet School opened in 1933 and offered classes in ballet, tap, modern, and interpretive dance. The school was located in the William Taylor Hotel, with affiliate branch schools in nearby Bay Area locations Berkeley, Burlingame, Marin County, San Mateo, and Oakland. After Bolm left in 1937, new Opera ballet mistress Mildred Hirch added a fencing master during her year-long direction; Willam Christensen, previously director of the Oakland Branch School, became SF Opera ballet master and full school director in 1938. As San Francisco Opera Ballet expanded its touring schedule, it became increasingly difficult for ...
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HomeLA
HomeLA is a Los Angeles site-specific dance and performance project started by the choreographer and dancer Rebecca Bruno. The project functions on the donation of people's homes as temporary venue spaces. The dance troupe seeks to view dance in domestic spaces, varying from the typical arenas that are viewed for performances. The interventions occur over a few days and the events happen irregularly every few months. Bruno worked in partnership with the LA-based Pieter Performance space to publicize the first event and early portions of the archive reside at Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA) where it can be accessed by the public. Events The first installment of HomeLA happened over the course of a weekend at the home of Chloë Flores and Tim Lefebvre in their custom-built compound in Mount Washington, Los Angeles. Artist Flora Wiegmann swam laps in the home's outdoor pool entitled, ''Swimming Laps.'' Jill Stein's ''ZZA Sduai Airbara'' was an installation that occurred ...
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Placer Theatre Ballet
Placer Theatre Ballet is a Pre-professional youth ballet company in Placer County, California, USA, that produces two full length ballet's each season. Important people * Shea Wing, Artistic Director Current * Pat Colgate, Artistic Director 1999-2011 Performances * The Nutcracker, 1999 * Alice in Wonderland, 2000 * The Nutcracker, 2000 * The Nutcracker, 2001 * Festival of Great Ballets, 2002 * The Nutcracker, 2002 * Alice in Wonderland, 2003 * The Nutcracker, 2003 * Performing Arts Center Gala, 2004 * The Nutcracker, 2004 * Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (ballet), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 2005 * The Nutcracker, 2005 * Alice in Wonderland, 2006 * The Nutcracker, 2006 * Cinderella (Prokofiev), Cinderella, 2007 * The Nutcracker, 2007 * Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (ballet), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 2008 * The Nutcracker, 2008 * Alice in Wonderland, 2009 * The Nutcracker, 2009 * Cinderella (Prokofiev), Cinderella, 2010 * The Nutcracker, 2010 * Coppelia (b ...
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Folsom Lake Civic Ballet
Folsom Lake Civic Ballet is the official dance company for Folsom, California Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 72,203 residents at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. History The Nisenan tribe of Ind ..., USA. It is primarily a pre-professional ballet, and most performers are auditioned from the Folsom dance school Hawkins School of Performing Arts although adult dancers are invited as 'guest artists'. External linksNEW NAME - Stages Northern California of Performing ArtsFolsom Lake Civic Ballet's WebsiteHawkins' School of Performi ...
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The Sacramento Ballet
Sacramento Ballet is a performing arts organization in Sacramento, California. It is the largest ballet company in California's capital city. History The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. During Ms. Crockett's tenure as Company Director, Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional ballet companies. Through community support, the formation of the Ballet Guild, and grants from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ballet grew to become a resident company of professional dancers. In 1986, having accomplished her goal of making Sacramento Ballet a professional company, Ms. Crockett retired as Company Director. Tenure of Ron Cunningham In 1988 Ron Cunningham was engaged as Artistic Director, and was joined by his wife Carinne Binda the following year. They became Co-Artistic Directors in 1991. Sacramento Ballet is known for Cunni ...
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Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley
Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016. History The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet company for a moderate, shared investment. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet ceased operations, and over half the dancers, the headquarters, and artistic director/choreographer Dennis Nahat moved to San Jose to continue operations there. The company was originally known as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, but in July 2006 shortened its name to simply Ballet San Jose. In 2003, the company gained benefactor and current chairman of the board John Fry, co-founder of Fry's Electronics.with a 1 million dollar contribution. Fry helped the company survive the dot-com crash and continued to support the company until he closed it in 2016. Over the years Fry became personally involved and Bal ...
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