Richmond Ballet Hosts Special Preview Performance Before International Debut in London

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Richmond Ballet will make their international debut by traveling to London to perform at the Royal Opera House Linbury Studio Theatre in Covent Garden this month. The trip will mark the first time in its 54-year history that the company will perform overseas. Ballet lovers have the opportunity to preview the works that will be performed in London in a special program being held in Richmond, June 6-9, in the Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre.

“The entire community is proud of the Richmond Ballet for all of their great contributions to the area, and we are especially proud that they will represent Richmond internationally,” said Mayor Jones. “I encourage Richmonders and visitors from the region to attend the special preview performances in a show of pride and support for the Richmond Ballet upcoming London debut.”

Made in the U.S.A.: Traditions and Innovations features four ballets choreographed in America, including two works commissioned by the company as part of its ambitious, ongoing mission to nurture the creation of new works and expand the American ballet repertoire. 

The program opens with Valse Fantaisie, George Balanchine’s joyful tribute to the classical style, with waltz music by Glinka – a whirlwind of continuous movement by one man and five ballerinas. John Butler’s After Eden exemplifies this prolific and versatile choreographer’s trademark combination of classic and contemporary styles through a stunning dance narrative of Adam and Eve after the fall from the Garden of Eden. Ershter Vals was created for Richmond Ballet by award-winning Chinese-American choreographer Ma Cong. Inspired by both Hollywood’s World War II films and the sounds of Klezmer music; its poignant imagery celebrates the triumph of the human spirit. Swipe, the thrilling climax to the program, comes from one of today’s leading American choreographers, Val Caniparoli. Another Richmond Ballet commission, Swipe is an exhilarating fusion of classical and contemporary dance set to a genre-bending electro-remix of Londoner Gabriel Prokofiev’s String Quartet No.2.  

For more information on the Richmond Ballet, ticket information, or the tour performance schedule, please visit: www.richmondballet.com.

PRESS CONTACTS:                                                                     
Pearl Wise-Crawley, 804-344-0906 x285, pwisecrawley@richmondballet.com