© Tim Fuller Learn more at the Ballet Arizona web site: balletaz.com

HISTORY

Arizona is not yet one hundred years old. In 1912, when it became the 48^th state in the union, the territory sported acres of sand sprouting cactus, palms and citrus trees that thrive in the desert warmth. Today, the state bustles with five and a half million people. Recently, Phoenix, the state capital, was proclaimed the fifth largest city in the U.S.

Like its home state, Ballet Arizona is relatively new. This year the company is enjoying its 18^th season. The first attempt to form a statewide company was in the mid-1970's. Leslie Browne, of the pivotal ballet film, The Turning Point (1977), was an integral part of the company--her father, Kelly Brown, was artistic director. (Early in her career, Leslie added an “e” at the end of her last name.) Formerly a soloist with American Ballet Theatre, Kelly Brown ran a dance school in Phoenix. His daughter, Leslie, was featured as a guest soloist in the premiere gala performance at Symphony Hall in 1974, and Edward Villella and Violette Verdy were brought in as guest artists. Despite the auspicious debut, the company waned. (Kelly Brown died in 1981 at the age of 52.)
 

Eventually, in 1986, three struggling companies that had been operating in the state (two based in Phoenix, and one in Tucson, the second largest city in Arizona) combined to form Ballet Arizona. The first official artistic director, Jean-Paul Comelin, produced numerous works and established a foundation. (Earlier in his career, he had danced with the Paris Opera Ballet and the London Festival Ballet, as well as the National Ballet of Washington and the Pennsylvania Ballet in the U.S.) Comelin left Ballet Arizona in 1989 to work with Ballet du Nord in his native France.

The next permanent artistic director developed the company further. A native of Chile, Michael Uthoff came to Ballet Arizona in 1992 after twenty years as artistic director of the Hartford Ballet in state of Connecticut. (Formerly, he was a dancer with the Joffrey Ballet.) Under Uthoff's direction, Ballet Arizona developed a repertoire of 19^th - century classics as well as major 20^th - century works and new creations set on the company. Ben Stevenson staged his version of Cinderella, Frederick Franklin, Giselle, and Uthoff choreographed Coppelia and Romeo and Juliet. George Balanchine's Apollo, Serenade, The Four Temperaments and Rubies, as well as Antony Tudor's Lilac Garden, Paul Taylor's Esplanade, Kurt Jooss's The Green Table and Ernst Uthoff's Carmina Burana were added to the repertoire. (The late Ernst Uthoff was Michael's father. He defected from Germany after the rise of the Third Reich and settled in Chile, where he co-founded the Chilean National Ballet.) Modern works added to Ballet Arizona's repertoire included Victoria Marks's Dancing to Music and David Berkey's Sentinel. Original works were commissioned by Neta Pulvermacher (Young Fresh/Green Grass), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Transitions), Peter Pucci (Trio for the End of Time) and Moses Pendelton (Opus Cactus.) Uthoff choreographed original works as well: Ask Not..., set to music of the 60's, Alice in Wonderland, featuring music by Bach and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dia de Muertos, inspired by the lore of Arizona's neighbor, Mexico, with music by Mexican composer, Eugenio Toussaint.

IB ANDERSEN

The current artistic director, Ib Andersen, assumed his position in 2000. Born in Copenhagen in 1954, he was accepted into the School of the Royal Danish Ballet at age seven. At sixteen, he was invited to join the Royal Danish Ballet and at age twenty he was elevated to principal dancer. In 1980, George Balanchine invited him to join the New York City Ballet. Within his first three months with the NYCB, Andersen had to learn thirty-five ballets. He was so adept at the Balanchine style, the legendary choreographer created principal roles for Andersen in Ballade, Mozartiana and Davidsbundlertanze. Jerome Robbins is another noted choreographer who created roles for Andersen.

Upon retiring from the New York City Ballet in 1990, Andersen traveled the world staging Balanchine ballets, as well as works by Bournonville, Fokine, Robbins and others. In fact, he had staged Apollo for Ballet Arizona during Uthoff's tenure. In addition, he has been commissioned to choreograph works in Denmark, Slovenia, Belgium, Norway, Japan, Canada and the United States.
 

Andersen attributes his affiliation with Ballet Arizona to “chance.” A couple of years before he was hired by the company, he happened to move to Scottsdale, a suburb of Phoenix. Also a painter, he was drawn to the light of this part of the world. (He has commented that in Denmark, they think it's great when it doesn't rain.) A freelancer, he could be based anywhere. He heard through the grapevine that Ballet Arizona was seeking a new artistic director, so he contacted the company to relate his interest. He wanted to find a way to stay in southwest U.S.

Under his direction, Ballet Arizona continues its mission to combine classical and contemporary works. Anderson choreographed his own productions of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet, and he invited Olga Evreinoff to work with him to re-stage Swan Lake. Paul Taylor's Company B was added to the company's repertoire, as well as Balanchine's Allegro Brillante, Concerto Barocco, Duo Concertante, Prodigal Son and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. (Andersen's association with Balanchine is apparent as the company has incorporated many Balanchine works in its repertoire. A George Balanchine 100^th Birthday Festival is scheduled for June 2004). Contemporary choreographer Dwight Rhoden was commissioned to set two new works on the company, Skinny Puzzle and Scarlet Symphony, and Andersen has created new works on the company as well: Amoroso, Indigo Rhapsody, 2B and Suenos.
ib@balletaz.org

Arizona has attracted artistic directors from other countries, as well as dancers from all over the world. Currently, the company employs 30 dancers representing many countries of origin, including the USA, Taiwan, Argentina, Cuba, Japan and the Ukraine.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Ballet Arizona is proud of its extensive education and outreach program which serves to familiarize children, as well as the general public, with ballet. Cultivating an appreciative audience is a goal of the company. Dancers travel to schools around the state and present lecture/demonstrations about professional dance training, the history of dance and ballet, the construction of costumes and footwear, and styles of ballet. There is even a program where young people are guided to choreograph their own work. In addition, youth and adult groups are invited to visit the Ballet Arizona studios where they can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of classes and rehearsals. Plus, a series of free outdoor concerts every autumn serves to introduce this art form to the public at large.
 

The Education and Outreach director, Andrew Needhammer, ARAD, RAD RTS, was a principal dancer with Ballet Arizona. Originally from Canada, he was hired by Michael Uthoff in 1992. In addition to his position with Ballet Arizona, Needhammer is the Ballet Director for Phoenix Dance Academy, a local school, and he is a Registered Teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance. As Ib Andersen's assistant, he teaches the 232 children who have auditioned to appear in the annual holiday production of The Nutcracker.
andrew@balletaz.org

CODA

It's the middle of winter in Phoenix, Arizona and hundreds of wide-eyed children are filing into Symphony Hall to partake in a holiday tradition--The Nutcracker. Donned in lightweight fabrics and short sleeves, they marvel at a storybook winter with Victorian-era styles and snow. For many, this is their initial foray into ballet. Ballet Arizona lures them in with a winter fantasyland, and hopes to keep them coming for generations with quality performances.