Aspen Santa Fe Ballet to Play the Joyce Theatre, 10/16-21

JEAN-PHILIPPE MALATY (Executive Director) was born in the Basque region of France. After receiving his baccalaureate in dance, he accepted scholarships to study at Mudra, Maurice Béjart’s school in Brussels, and at John Cranko’s ballet academy in Stutt­gart. Invited by acclaimed instructor David Howard to study in New York, Jean-Philippe traveled to America under Howard’s tutelage. Jean-Philippe’s performance career began with Joffrey II. He also danced as a guest art­ist with Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. While still in his twenties Jean-Philippe seg­ued from the stage to an administrator role. A key member of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s start-up team, Jean-Philippe has been central to developing the company’s unique hybrid business model. He directs operations in two locations, overseeing a $3.2 million budget that he allocates to two schools, an esteemed presenting series, and an award-winning folk­loric outreach program. Jean-Philippe’s first love is teaching and when his schedule per­mits, he conducts master classes at schools and universities. In 2010, The Joyce Theater Foundation recognized Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for its contribution to the field of dance, honor­ing Jean-Philippe and Artistic Director Tom Mossbrucker with The Joyce Theater Foundation Award. In 2012, the Denver Bonfils-Stanton Foundation granted Jean- Philippe a Livingston Fellowship in recogni­tion of his significant leadership role in Col­orado’s non-profit sector. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Jean-Philippe is proud to have forged a company alive with American ideals of en­ergy, invention, popularity, and eclecticism.

ALEJANDRO CERRUDO (Choreographer). Born in Madrid, Spain, received his training at the Real Conser­vatorio Professional de Danza de Madrid. After becoming a professional dancer in 1998, Cerrudo’s dance career has been shaped and enriched by various dance companies including Vic­tor Ullate Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and, since 2005, by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2008 Cerrudo was named Hubbard Street Choreographic Fel­low and became the company’s first Resident Choreographer in 2009. Cerrudo has creat­ed several works for Hubbard Street and for the company’s unique collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Ned­erlands Dans Theater. Cerrudo’s works are performed by dance companies around the U.S. and the world, including Germany, Den­mark, The Netherlands and Australia. Always dancing and constantly creating, Cerrudo was honored with an award from The Boomerang Fund for Artists in 2011.

NORBERT DE LA CRUZ III (Choreographer), born in the Philippines and raised in Los Angeles, CA, began his artistic journey at 13 years of age. He trained at the Gabri­ella Axelrad Foundation, studied at The LA County High School for the Arts, American Ballet Theatre NYC, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Lines Ballet, Northwest Professional Dance Project, Netherlands Dans Theatre Dance Course, and graduated from The Juilliard School in 2010 with a BFA in dance. Norbert has danced professionally with Aszure Barton & Artists, Balletto Teatro di Torino, Gallim, Sydney Skybetter & Asso­ciates, Lustig Dance Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and is now a current company mem­ber with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. As an emerging choreographer and perform­ing artist, Norbert was awarded the Jerome Robbins Foundation’s NEW Essential Works Grant, the finalist winner of Hubbard Street 2’s National Choreographic Competition, and has recently received the 2012 Princess Grace Foundation Award under choreogra­phy - premiering his first commission with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. He continues to pur­sue his passion in choreography and move­ment invention and thrives to continue danc­ing with a high emphasis on his artistry as a means to manifest progressive change in the dance world.

JORMA ELO (Choreogra­pher). Finnish-born Jorma Elo is one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world. Elo, who was named Resident Choreographer of Boston Bal­let in 2005, was singled out as a “talent to follow” by Anna Kisselgoff in her 2004 Year in Review for The New York Times. It was an astute observation. He has since created numerous works in the US and internation­ally, including Slice to Sharp for New York City Ballet, Glow-Stop and C. to C. (Close to Chuck) for American Ballet Theatre, Dou­ble Evil for San Francisco Ballet, Carmen for Boston Ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Vienna State Opera Ballet, Pur ti Miro for National Ballet of Canada, 10 to Hyper M for Royal Danish Ballet, and Offcore for Finnish National Ballet. His From All Sides debuted in 2007 for Hubbard Street Dance Chica­go, to a commissioned score from Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in- Residence, Mark Anthony Turnage, and the piece was conducted by Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen. Elo trained with the Finnish Na­tional Ballet School and the Kirov Ballet School in Leningrad. Prior to joining Nether­lands Dance Theater in 1990, he danced with Finnish National Ballet from 1978 through 1984 and Cullberg Ballet from 1984 to 1990. For Boston Ballet, Elo has created six world premieres: Sharp Side of Dark (2002), Plan to B (2004), Carmen (2006), Brake the Eyes (2007), In On Blue (2008), and Le Sacre du Printemps (2009). Elo has received com­missions from Netherlands Dance Theatre 1, Basel Ballet, Houston Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Stockholm 59° North, Alberta Ballet, Sta­atstheater Nurnberg, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Ballet X. He is also a skilled designer of costumes, lighting and video effects for his ballets. The 2005 Helsinki International Bal­let Competition awarded Elo a choreograph­ic prize and he is the recipient of the Prince Charitable Trust Prize and the Choo-San Goh Choreographic Award in 2006. Dance Maga­zine (April, 2007) featured Elo on their cover with a corresponding article, Pointe Maga­zine named him a Dance VIP of 2006, and Esquire Magazine named him a “Master Art­ist” in 2008.