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Inna Heasley
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Wilma Theater
BalletX
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Philadelphia, PA

BalletX opens new dance season at The Wilma Theater

by Inna Heasley
October 20, 2008
Wilma Theater
265 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.546.7824

Featured Dance Company:

BalletX
BalletX (mail)
P.O. Box 22713
Philadelphia, PA 19110-2713
215-280-4824
www.balletx.org

New works by Matthew Neenan and Zane Booker coming to Philadlephia!
Contemporary ballet company BalletX
opens its second season at The Wilma Theater with new works by co-artistic director Matthew Neenan and guest choreographer Zane Booker, Thursday-Sunday, November 6-9, 2008. Tickets: $30 General, $25 Student/Senior. Buy tickets at the Wilma Theater Box Office, 265 S. Broad Street, by phone 215-546-7824 and at www.WilmaTheater.org. For more information visit www.BalletX.org.

Show times:
Thursday-Saturday, November 6-8, at 8:00 PM
Saturday-Sunday, November 8-9, at 2:00 PM

Following its first successful season at The Wilma Theater, BalletX debuts highly anticipated new works by Matthew Neenan, co-Artistic Director of BalletX, and Zane Booker, guest choreographer.

Neenan will premiere STEELWORKS, a ballet in two movements. The full company piece is set to the music by Anna Clyne, a young composer from London who is now based in New York. Neenan found his inspiration in Clyne's "outside-the box" music score (Steelworks and Paintbox), layered with voices, cello, street noises, flute and percussion.

STEELWORKS follows the score with its own experimental fresh movements. "I would like to take away from the abstract a bit and bring out the individuality in the dancers by separating them in smaller groups and letting them explore themselves," Neenan says. "Clyne's music is so original and unpredictable, it encouraged me to experiment with the intimate space of The Wilma. We will get out of the stage box and see what else is happening in this place."

BalletX is delighted by its first collaboration with Philadelphia native Zane Booker[link text here]. Booker founded The Smoke, Lilies and Jade Arts Initiative. He is a resident artist of Philadanco, and has danced with Netherlands Dance Theater and Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak.

Booker premieres GISELLE'S ROOM, a contemporary dance work for six dancers, exploring our attraction to the unattainable. Why is the unattainable so alluring? How does it play itself out in our lives? For his piece Booker chose New York Requiem, a musical composition by Meredith Monk, which, he felt, is a wonderful match for storytelling and character creation.

"In my favor, the company is a group of wonderful mature artists, so the character building process will be really interesting and full," Booker says. He further comments: "I am excited about working with a homegrown ballet company because I feel connected to their mission. The icing on the cake is that I love dancers with classical technique that can move like modern dancers. And the level of the BalletX dancers is world class."

Also on the bill, DUET FROM CALI, a short new piece created by Neenan specifically for BalletX's appearance at The Second International Festival de Ballet (presented by Incol Ballet) in Cali, Colombia just last spring. The Duet, danced by Rosalia Chann and Matthew Neenan, is performed to Mozart's Adagio for String Quintet.

BalletX welcomes dancers Colby Damon and Avichai Scher (both based in New York), who join company members Rosalia Chann, Tara Keating, Ja' Malik, Anitra Nurnberger, Meredith Rainey and Emily Wagner for the Fall 2008 Series.

BalletX will continue its three-show 2008-2009 season at The Wilma Theater on April 4-11, 2009, bringing to Philadelphia a new commissioned work by Edwaard Liang, a renowned choreographer who has danced with Nederlands Dans Theater 1, New York City Ballet and has recently choreographed for Pacific Northwest Ballet.

This presentation was made possible by support from The William Penn Foundation.
Additional support was provided by The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

BalletX is a Philadelphia-based contemporary dance company that seeks to expand
the vocabulary of classical ballet for all audiences.

BalletX | P.O. Box 22713, Philadelphia, PA 19110-2713 | www.BalletX.org
BalletX dancers Rosalia Chann and Matthew Neenan

BalletX dancers Rosalia Chann and Matthew Neenan

Photo © & courtesy of Gabriel Bienczycki

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