Pauline Adamek
City Ballet of Los Angeles (CBLA) continues its mission to reflect the diversity of its city and bringing ballet to new audiences with its winter program, The Nutcracker Swings, a twist on the holiday favorite set in 1942 Los Angeles during WWII to be presented on Friday evening December 21st at 8:00pm and Saturday, December 22nd at 1:00 p.m. at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Hancock Park.
The Nutcracker Swings is CBLA’s tribute to the classic tale of the Nutcracker. Set in 1942 in Hancock Park, Los Angeles during WWII, the audience will be swept away to another world while dancers swing to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and Duke Ellington. In this version of the classic family ballet, Maria, the heroine falls for the leading man, Jim, a WWII hero who gives Maria the Nutcracker doll, which kicks off a whirlwind journey of Christmas Wonder.
Under the artistic direction and founded by former American Ballet Theatre dancer and Los Angeles native Robyn Gardenhire, CBLA began as a school in 2000 and then as a professional company in 2001. CBLA has worked since its inception to become a dance institution of and for Los Angeles – offering training at low or no cost to children from the economically depressed Pico Union District, introducing ballet to thousands of elementary school students throughout Los Angeles, and developing a company that reflects the diversity of its city and bringing ballet to new audiences.
Devoted to bringing ballet training to underprivileged children, Gardenhire has formed a relationship with the prestigious Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, allowing her older students to study at the school on Saturdays, while CBLA provides training for students seeking a solid ballet background before they enter the high school.
Providing Los Angeles with its own ballet company unique and representative of its multicultural community, CBLA presents work that is a mixture of classical and contemporary dance theater, examining nontraditional themes and blending music from all over the world. In keeping with the tradition of classical dance, CBLA preserves the standards of excellence in its presentation of art of dance and presents quality artistic programming and training to all dancers and audience members from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
City Ballet of Los Angeles is a young and exciting Company that presents work that is classical in it’s foundation but pushes the limits of the body and mind, taking its audience on a journey of music dance and art that will have you always wanting more. Going into its 13th year, CBLA has matured and built a repertory of over fifteen Ballets, full length and rep, with music ranging from J.S. Bach to cutting edge Jazz. The dancers of the company are classically trained, athletes and from a range of different ethnic backgrounds.
Artistic Director Robyn Gardenhire has been influenced by the likes of Pina Bausch and George Balanchine. Ms. Gardenhire has choreographed over a dozen ballets for CBLA as well as other Dance Companies, Film, Television and Theater. Ms. Gardenhire is a former member of Joffrey II, Cleveland Ballet, Karol Armitage, American Ballet Theater and Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Project. Ms. Gardenhire is the founder of City Ballet of Los Angeles School that provides training to students that are economically and socially at a disadvantage starting at age three and up. The school and company have been awarded Durfee Foundation, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, and California Arts Council grants and have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Pointe Magazine and Dance Magazine.
INFO:
Nutcracker Swings
Wilshire Ebell Theater
743 Lucerne Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90005
Two performances only!
December 21 and 22, 2012
Show times:
Fri Evening 8:00pm
Sat afternoon 1:00pm
Tickets:
VIP $100.00 – (06:30 – 07:30 includes pre-show cocktail hour and orchestra seat)
Orchestra: $50.00
Mid Orchestra: $40.00
Back Orchestra $30.00
Loge & Balcony $25.00
Children 3yr. and under $10.00
On opening night, the Friday, December 21st performance, $100 VIP Benefit tickets are available which include a pre-performance cocktail reception and a preferred orchestra seat.
To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit their official site or email cblatickets@CityBalletofLA.org.
For VIP tickets, Group sales and for additional information, please call (323) 292-1932.
Discounted tickets are also available by phone for groups of 10 or more.
