By American Repertory Ballet
American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School will begin the summer with their Annual Faculty, Staff, and Open Enrollment Concert on June 2, 2012 at 6:30 PM. The concert will be held at Princeton Ballet School’s Princeton Location – 301 North Harrison Street, above McCaffrey’s Super Market – in Studio A.
Each year, this performance features works choreographed by various members of the ARB and Princeton Ballet School community, often featuring dancers from this community, too. This year, the showcase will feature choreography by Sharron Bolen, Alexis Branagan, Jannell Byrne, Gary Echternacht, Katie Moorhead, David Wes Sadowsky, Kathleen Smith, and Susan Tenney.
Susan Tenney, a faculty member at Princeton Ballet School for over 20 years, will present choreography that features American Repertory Ballet company dancers Samantha Gullace and Joshua Kurtzberg, young Princeton Ballet School student Cynthia Yank, and Tenney’s adult students Pam Pisani and Gary Echternacht from Princeton Ballet School’s Open Enrollment Program. “I am thrilled to share a brand new section of my multi-generational work-in-development ‘Je Me Souviens… I Remember…’,” says Tenney. Tenney’s choreography has been produced at the Limelight, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Touring Ensemble, Edinburgh International Theatre Festival, and Tanglewood.
Jannell Byrne will be presenting a modern dance work, danced by four American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Ballet School Trainee Program students to live piano accompaniment. Byrne, a graduate of The Juilliard School, has been teaching at Princeton Ballet School for over 20 years. She has also taught at Mercer County Community College, Princeton University, The College of New Jersey, and the Lawrenceville School. She has performed with DanceWorks and Teamwork Dance and is Director of Mercer Dance Ensemble.
Katie Moorhead, an American Repertory Ballet company dancer since 2011, will present an original solo. Moorhead graduated with honors from the Kirov Academy of Washington DC and has danced with Arts Ballet Theater of Florida, Janusphere Dance Company, Eglevsky Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, and many other independent choreographers.
Sharron Bolen, who currently works as a receptionist at Princeton Ballet School, was a devout student of Faculty Emeritus Alma Concepción, and a member of Concepción’s company Danza Español de Princeton. Bolen was awarded a grant to study dance at the Cudamani Summer Institute in July 2011 at Sanggar Cudamani in Pengosekan, Bali, Indonesia, where she learned one of the sacred Balinese dances she will present. Bolen will also present “Sevillanas”, a traditional folk/flamenco dance with fellow student Gary Echternacht of Titusville, NJ.
Kathleen Smith is ARB’s DANCE POWER Program Coordinator, a DANCE POWER Teaching Artist, and a Princeton Ballet School Faculty member. In addition, she is the official choreographer of Century Cloggers, based in East Brunswick, NJ. The Cloggers will perform two pieces that were recently performed at the annual ‘Garden State Stomp’ in Burlington, NJ.
Alexis Branagan is ARB’s Marketing and Development Associate. She trained intensively in ballet from a young age and earned a Certificate in Dance at Princeton University, where she founded the student dance group, Princeton University Ballet. "I was initially asked to choreograph a piece for the Trainees to perform at arts festivals in surrounding communities. At these events, the performance spaces – which could range from a large patch of grass to a small slab of plywood – often do not lend themselves well to classical ballet performance.” Branagan explains. “‘Drive’ is an upbeat piece that is athletic and technical, yet can showcase the dancers’ skill safely on a variety of surfaces. For this show, the floor will not be an issue! I’m excited to showcase it in one of Princeton Ballet School’s beautiful studios."
David Sadowsky, ARB’s Director of Educational Programming, is reviving a piece he choreographed in 2004 for his company David Wes Dance. David Wes Dance, which was called “Must See Dance” by the Boston Metro, has performed in Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York City. His duet, entitled “Sleeping” and danced to music by Teitur, will feature guest dancers from New York City. This will be the piece’s New Jersey premiere.
Princeton Ballet School’s Adult Open Enrollment Classes offer students ages 13 and older structured guidance in over seven different disciplines. The school offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced students different options to participate. Summer Session classes will run June 4, 2012 through July 26, 2012. You can find more information, schedules, and registration forms at http://www.arballet.org/PBS/Adult-Open-Enrollment-Classes.
About American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School
American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the newly launched On Pointe series.
The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. American Repertory Ballet has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council and was voted People’s Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008 and 2011.
Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Princeton Ballet School currently enrolls approximately 1500 students annually from age three through adult and is directed by Mary Pat Robertson. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton which are equipped with shock-absorbent floors, non-slip dance surfaces and pianos for live accompaniment. Many of Princeton Ballet School’s faculty members have performed professionally; others have attained graduate degrees in dance education and have won awards for their teaching. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as the American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, STREB, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and Momix.

