Houston Ballet Makes Joyce Debut 10/11-16

The Joyce Theater Foundation will present Houston Ballet, performing for the first time on the Joyce's intimate stage, from October 11 - 16, 2011. This debut season will feature works by Christopher Bruce and Ji?í Kylián in addition to the East Coast premiere of ONE/end/ONE by Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo. Houston Ballet, one of the world's leading ballet companies, is the first recipient of The Joyce Theater Foundation's annual Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance, a $25,000 commissioning grant established for the purpose of supporting the creation of medium scale works by large ballet companies, many of whom rarely perform in New York. Elo's ONE/end/ONE was created through this commission.

Tickets for this week-long engagement are $10-$59 ($26 - $44 for Joyce Members) and are available through JoyceCharge at www.Joyce.org or by calling 212-242-0800. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street, in Chelsea.

Under the leadership of artistic director Stanton Welch since 2003, internationally acclaimed Houston Ballet takes the Joyce stage with a powerhouse program of 21st century ballet that includes the New York premiere of a new work by celebrated Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo entitiled ONE/end/ONE, the first commissioned work supported in part by the Nureyev prize. Set to Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, the athletic and humorous, yet restrained choreography and title reflect the music's three sections - an allegro, an adagio and a rondeau. Other works featured on this eclectic program include the East coast premiere of Christopher Bruce's Hush, a Commedia Dell Arte peek inside the life of a traveling circus family, featuring a cast of six and set to the eclectic music of Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma. Houston Ballet commissioned Hush in 2006, and the work has since entered the repertoire of London's Rambert Dance Company. And Falling Angels, Ji?í Kylián's work, part of the Black and White ballets created in 1989 with 8 female dancers dressed in black leotards. Influenced by minimalism and surrealism, based on ceremonial ritual music from Ghana and set to the music of Steve Reich's Drumming, this work exhibits the dancers' versatility and excellence in both percussive movements and classical lines creating an exciting unpredictability.

Jorma Elo, who has created pieces for American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and New York City Ballet, among others, is currently the resident choreographer at Boston Ballet. He trained at the Finnish National Ballet School and The Kirov Ballet School. From 1978-1984, he danced with Finnish National Ballet, with Cullberg Ballet from 1984-1990, and in 1990 he joined Netherlands Dance Theatre. Mr. Elo worked with renowned choreographers such as Hans van Manen, Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Ji?í Kylián and William Forsythe. In 2005, he was awarded the choreographic prize at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition.

Christopher Bruce was appointed Houston Ballet Associate Choreographer in 1989. Since then he has set ten works on the company. In April 1994, Mr. Bruce assumed the artistic directorship of The Rambert Dance Company(he isn't the artistic director anymore), Britain's most prestigious contemporary dance troupe. During his career, he has choreographed for a wide range of productions including musicals, plays for the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, operas, television, and video. Although his productions have been mounted throughout the world, Mr. Bruce has developed special relationships with a number of companies, including Houston Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theater, Royal Danish Ballet, Cullberg Ballet, English National Ballet and Gulbenkian Ballet.

Born in Prague, Ji?í Kylián joined Germany's Stuttgart Ballet (Germany) under John Cranko in 1968. In 1973 he was invited by the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in Den Haag / NL as a guest choreographer where he made a successful debut with Viewers - the first of more than 60 choreographies he was to develop specifically for the NDT. Appointed NDT's Artistic Director in 1975, Ji?í Kylián achieved his international breakthrough with Sinfonietta in 1978, set to music composed by his compatriot Leoš Janá?ek. In April 1995, Ji?í Kylián celebrated 20 years directing the NDT by mounting the large-scale dance production Arcimboldo, which involved all the dancers of NDT I, NDT II and NDT III. On that occasion, he received one of the Netherlands' highest honors, becoming Officier in de Orde van Oranje Nassau. Ji?í Kylián retired from the position of the Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater in August 1999. However, with respect to the future development of the company, he maintains the essential roles as a resident choreographer and as NDT's Artistic Adviser.

Houston Ballet, making its Joyce Theater debut for a one-week engagement from October 11 - 16, will perform as follows: Tuesday - Wednesday at 7:30pm; Thursday - Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Dance Chat, a free post-performance talkback with members of Houston Ballet, will take place on Wednesday, September 12. This enlightening discussion is open to all patrons attending that evening's performance. Tickets range in price from $10-$59 ($26 - $44 for Joyce Members) and are available through JoyceCharge at www.Joyce.org or by calling 212-242-0800. Please note: Tickets prices are subject change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street, in Chelsea.