City Ballet of Los Angeles (CBLA) continues its mission to reflect the diversity of its city and bringing ballet to new audiences with its fall program, Then and Now, a mixed repertory featuring Behind the Red Door on Thursday, November 6, 8:00 p.m. at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles.
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.
Then and Now features a diverse and eclectic string of dance vignettes including Behind the Red Door, in part a tribute to John Coltrane’s landmark album Giant Steps. Coltrane’s work provides the backdrop for a story of a boy, a girl and a date that is as sweet as it is risqué, set in Paris in the 1950’s. This sexy cabaret features twelve dancers of CBLA accompanied by the Ralph Gibson Atman Ensemble. Atman performs the music of John Coltrane and the fabulous Ms. Sloan Robinson holds court as the Master of Ceremonies. This ballet noir is choreographed by CBLA Founder and Artistic Director, Robyn Gardenhire.
CBLA’s upcoming schedule includes The Nutcracker Swings in December and Peter and the Wolf Jump Cool in the spring.
To provide 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 untraditional 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 ethic 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 10th 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.
Single tickets are $25.00 in advance and $35.00 at the door. The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center is located at 4718 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90016. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit www.cityballetofla.org. For Group sales and information on season subscription tickets please call (323) 292-1932.
