A New York Perspective, March, 2008

Ballet Santa Barbara presents
an evening of works originally premiered in New York
Featuring Benjamin Harkarvy's Premontion

Friday through Sunday, March 14-16, 2008
at Santa Barbara's Center Stage Theater
Opening Night Gala, Friday, March 14th, 7:00 p.m.

Featuring Choreography by:

Carrie Diamond Benjamin Harvarvy
Carlos Fittante Lizabeth Skalski

Music by:

Manuel De Falla Maurice Ravel
Erno von Dohnányi Kurt Weill
Sergei Prokofiev and more...

The Dancers:

Featuring guest artists Carlos Fittante
and Robin Gilbert Campos
Colleen Bialas Rachel Mann
David Eck Ellen O'Connell
David Fonnegra Jekyns Pelaez
Felicia Guzman Denise Woods

The Program:

Concerto Allegro (West Coast Premiere)

Choreography: Carrie Diamond
Music: Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev
Costumes: Jana Rosenblatt, reconstructed by Claudia Oroña

David Eck — Rachel Mann
David Fonnegra — Ellen O'Connell
Jekyns Pelaez — Colleen Bialas

Concerto Allergo

Rachel Mann and David Eck in Diamond's Concerto Allegro
Photo: ©2008 David Basemore

Concerto Allegro, an exuberant classical work for six dancers choregoraphed by Carrie Diamond, was originally performed at the debut season of the New American Ballet Ensemble.

Eden (West Coast Premiere)

Lovers discover Tantric ecstasy
Conceived by Islene Pinder
Choreography: Carlos Fittante
Music: Largo in C Major for piccolo recorder by Antonio Vivaldi
and Brazilian rhythmic Jazz ensemble, Uakti II
Costume: Angela Kostritzky-Haws
Masks: Jane Stein of New York
and Renu from the village of Singapadu, Bali

Featuring guest artists Robin Gilbert Campos and Carlos Fittante

Eden

Robin Gilbert and Carlos Fittante in Fittante's Eden
Photo: ©2008 David Basemore

New York guest artist and BSB artistic associate Carlos Fittante will dance with New York guest dancer, Robin Gilbert Campos in Fittante's Eden, a hynotic, sensual pas de deux. Mr. Fittante and Ms. Gilbert both danced in 1991 for Diamond's New York company, the New American Ballet Ensemble in Diamond's Sueños Castillanos.

Midnight Tangle

Choreography: Lizabeth Skalski
Music: Selections from Kleine Dreigroschenmusik by Kurt Weill
Costumes: Linda Hayes

Felicia Guzman and Jekyns Pelaez

Midnight Tangle

Felicia Guzman and Jekyns Pelaez in Skalski's Midnight Tangle
Photo: ©2008 David Basemore

This pas de deux about a romantic entanglement was set to excerpts from Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera by New American Ballet Ensemble’s associate director Liz Skalski. The West Coast Premiere was danced by exquisitely talented San Marcos High School students Kaitlyn Ezell and Shane Scopatz.

Premonition

Featuring Carlos Fittante, Artistic Associate and Guest Artist

Choreography: Benjamin Harkarvy
Music: Selections from Introduction and Allegro by Maurice Ravel
Costumes: Jana Rosenblatt

Carlos Fittante with Colleen Bialas, Ellen O’Connell and Robin Gilbert

Mr. Harkarvy created this work with the support of
the National Endowment for the Arts.

Harkarvy's Premonition

Carlos Fittante, Colleen Bialas, Aimee Lopez, Ellen O'Connell in Harkarvy's Premonition
Photo: ©2006 David Bazemore

A work for four dancers, choreographed by the late Benjamin Harkarvy, founder of Nederlands Dans Theater, director of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Dance Division of the Juilliard School. This is one of the two last works choreographed by the master, both of which were created for Diamond's New American Ballet Ensemble and which featured Carlos Fittante as well as Ms. Diamond. The dance presents the coming of age of four young people, doing so in a profoundly modern style, yet with a decided art deco influence, perfectly in keeping with the score by Maurice Ravel.

Serenade

Choreographed by Carrie Diamond
Music: Serenade in C major, Op. 10 by Erno von Dohnányi

First performed in 1986

Ellen O'Connell and David Eck

Serenade

David Eck and Ellen O'Connell in Diamond's Serenade
Photo: ©2008 David Basemore

Serenade, an early pas de deux choreographed by Carrie Diamond, is an introspective yet romantic look at a developing relationship of a young couple. It was originally premiered in New York by Ms. Diamond with the New American Ballet Ensemble.

Amantes

Choreographed and Danced by Carlos Fittante
Music: Juan Gabriel
Costume: Islene Pinder

Amantes

Carlos Fittante in Amantes
Photo: ©2006 BALAM

New York guest artist Carlos Fittante performed his Balinese-American fusion solo. Amantes (Lovers) is a sensual solo of indeterminate gender depicting a serenely beautiful masked figure who dances with questioning seductiveness.

Sueños Castellanos

Choreography: Carrie Diamond
Music: Concerto for Harpsichord by Manuel De Falla
Costumes: Jana Rosenblatt

Colleen Bialas, Robin Gilbert, David Eck, Denise Woods
Featuring Felicia Guzman, David Fonnegra, and Rachel Mann

Suenos Castellanos

The company in Carrie Diamond's Sueños Castellanos
Photo: ©2006 David Bazemore

Sueños Castellanos, originally choreographed by Carrie Diamond for the New American Ballet Ensemble, blends the striking formality of the neo-classical style with the intense sensuality of Spanish dance. In three movements, it is a joyous celebration of life and dance that showcases the company. The lenghty middle movement is a poignant, dreamlike memory of love and loss.