AIRFARES:
Competitive airfares are available on Qantas, V Australia and Delta Airlines.
Please contact Renaissance Tours for further information.
TOUR PRICES INCLUDE:
• Accommodation in centrally located 4-star hotels with private facilities and daily breakfast (B)
• Meals as per itinerary (L= Lunch, D=Dinner) including special Welcome and Farewell Lunches
• A-reserve tickets to 6 ballet performances
• Comprehensive sightseeing including local guides and entrance fees as per itinerary
• Lectures and talks with your tour leader throughout
• Comprehensive tour notes
• Gratuities for local guides and drivers
• Porterage (1 piece per person) where available. Airport porterage NOT included.
DO NOT INCLUDE: • Transfers on arrival / departure
• Drinks with meals, except Welcome and Farewell Meals
• Items of a personal nature, including telephone, laundry, taxies etc.
• Airport porterage
• Travel insurance
AMERICAN BALLET THEATER Launched in 1939, American Ballet Theatre is today recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. ABT annually tours the United States, performing for more than 600,000 people, and is the only major American cultural institution to do so. It has also made more than 15 international tours to 42 countries.
Under the direction of Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith from 1940 to 1980 ABT’s aim was to develop a repertoire of the best ballets from the past and to encourage the creation of new works by gifted young choreographers. In addition to all the great full-length ballets of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, ABT has also commissioned works by all of the great choreographic geniuses of the 20th century: George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille and Twyla Tharp, among others.
From 1980 until 1990 Mikhail Baryshnikov was artistic director, followed by Jane Hermann and Oliver Smith (1990 – 1992). In October 1992, former American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Kevin McKenzie was appointed Artistic Director. McKenzie, steadfast in his vision of ABT as "American," is committed to maintaining the Company's vast repertoire, and to bringing the magic of dance theater to the great stages of the world.
For further information, visit www.abt.org
NEW YORK CITY BALLET New York City Ballet was the idea of Lincoln Kirstein. He envisioned an American ballet where young native dancers could be trained and schooled under the guidance of the world's greatest ballet masters to perform a new, modern repertory, rather than relying on touring groups of imported artists performing for American audiences. When he met George Balanchine in London in 1933, Kirstein knew he had found the right person for his dream. However it was not until after World War II that the foundations of today’s NYCB were finally realised and, in 1948, Balanchine invited the 30-year-old Jerome Robbins to join the nascent company as Assistant Artistic Director.
NYCB currently performs for 23 weeks of the year in the New York State Theater of the Lincoln Center as its resident ballet company. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center has been NYCB's permanent annual summer home since 1966.
Currently, the Company has approximately 90 dancers, making it the largest dance organization in America. It has an active repertory of over 150 works, principally choreographed by Balanchine, Robbins and Peter Martins. The School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, is based in the Rose Building at Lincoln Center with an enrollment of over 350 aspiring dancers from nearly every state in the USA and around the world.
For further information visit www.nycballet.com
American Ballet Spectacular!
New York and Washington D.C.
07 - 19 June 2010 (13 days)
Tour Leader: Elizabeth Zimmer
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to discover the ballet and dance scene in the USA, featuring the spring seasons of the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet in New York, followed by Ballet Across America II at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
In 2010 ABT celebrates its 70th anniversary, the Lincoln Center turns 50 and the NYCB returns to the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater (formerly the State Theater). Both companies are pulling out all stops to create blockbuster seasons which will feature classic works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Sir Frederick Ashton and Kevin McKenzie, contrasted with recent works and world premieres by Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Mauro Bigonzetti and Melissa Barak. There is also an opportunity to see a new take on a Marsha Graham classic at NY’s other centre of dance, the Joyce Theater.
Following its successful debut in 2008, the Kennedy Center’s biennial Ballet Across America returns in 2010 with a wonderful line-up of companies from across the USA: Tulsa Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses, Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Ballet Arizona, the Joffrey Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and North Carolina Dance Theatre.
Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses, Fool's Paradise
ITINERARY:
Mon 07 June Depart Australia / Arrive New York
Depart Australia on Qantas, Delta or V Australia flights to New York via Los Angeles. Arrive New York late in the afternoon.
Tue 08 June New York
Welcome to the Big Apple! Today’s coach tour will introduce you to Downtown and Midtown Manhattan. It will begin with Wall Street and the surrounding Financial District, continue to Battery Point and make a stop at Ground Zero, one of the sites of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Drive through TriBeCa, home to contemporary galleries, chic cafés, designer boutiques and the downtown hip. In the Midtown district see Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Broadway Theater District, St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden.
Enjoy a welcome lunch with Elizabeth Zimmer on a cruise along the Hudson and East Rivers, with breathtaking views of Manhattan skyscrapers and some of the world’s most celebrated landmarks.
On the way back to the hotel drive through colourful Chelsea, the heart of New York’s avant-garde art world. (BL)
Optional evening performance at the Joyce Theater of the world premiere of Anne Bogart’s recreation of American Document, Martha Graham’s classic 1938 work that used iconic American documents like the Declaration of Independence to comment on the political experience in America. Taking its inspiration from Graham’s original aesthetic, this new piece will use movement and text to offer fresh insights into contemporary politics and the American experience.
Wed 09 June New York
In the morning stroll to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Joan Weill Center for Dance, the largest dedicated space for dance in the USA. The tour takes in the studios and school facilities. Afternoon at leisure.
After an early dinner, attend an evening performance by the American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House of three works premiered by ABT over the past half-century, featuring choreography by Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp and Alexei Ratmansky. (BD)
American Ballet Theater
Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director
The Brahms-Haydn Variations (Tharp/Brahms)
A ballet for thirty dancers, this work by Twyla Tharp was given its world premiere by ABT in Washington DC in 2000.
On the Dnieper (Ratmansky/Prokofiev)
In 2009 Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky joined ABT as Artist in Residence. Ratmansky chose Sergei Prokofiev’s On the Dnieper as the inspiration for his first ABT commission.
Fancy Free (Robbins/Bernstein)
This 1943 ballet transformed Jerome Robbins’ career and brought Robbins and Leonard Bernstein together for the first time, which later led to the hit Broadway musical On the Town based on Fancy Free . This collaboration eventually led to West Side Story (1957), a Broadway monument and Hollywood classic.
Thu 10 June New York
Transfer to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with more than 2 million works of art the largest and finest art museum in the USA. After the orientation tour the day is free to explore the museum and its special exhibitions on your own. (B)
Optional evening performance by the American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House of 4 works created by Sir Frederick Ashton for ABT:
Birthday Offering (music by Alexander Glazunov)
Thais pas de deux (music by Jules Massenet)
Awakening pas de deux (from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty)
The Dream (music of Felix Mendelssohn, arranged by John Lanchbury)
Fri 11 June New York
Mid-morning tour will take you to Central Park and the Upper East and West Sides. Drive past the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum and Dakota building, home of the former Beatle, John Lennon.
Continue on to Harlem, associated with black culture, but also crime and poverty for much of the twentieth century, which is now experiencing a social and economic renaissance. (B)
Optional evening performance by the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater:
Allegro Brillante (choreography by George Balanchine; music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky)
New Work (tba) by Christopher Wheeldon
Chaconne (choreography by George Balanchine; music by Christoph Willibald Gluck)
Sat 12 June New York
A day to further explore New York on your own.
Late afternoon, experience ballet from the other side of the footlights. Join a New York City Ballet dancer who will share insights into the life of a dancer and discuss the performances you have seen. Also learn about the fascinating history of both NYCB and its home, the David H. Koch Theater.
Evening performance by the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater of works by Christopher Wheeldon, Mauro Bigonzetti and George Balanchine. (B)
New York City Ballet
Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief
After the Rain (Wheeldon/Pärt)
Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain is a ballet of bold movements and heartfelt emotion. Part I is danced to the first movement of Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, with three couples. The colours and mood shifts dramatically in Part II, a pas de deux danced to Part’s Spiegel im Spiegel. The ballet is short in length – lasting about 22 minutes – but rich in invention and feeling.
Work TBA (Bigonzetti/Moretti)
Following a number of highly successful collaborations, NYCB has commissioned not only a new work from the young Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti but also a new score by Bruno Moretti, his long-time collaborator.
Who Cares? (Balanchine/Gershwin) Who Cares? is choreographed to 16 songs Gershwin composed between 1924 and 1931, including “I Got Rhythm”, “The Man I Love”, “Embraceable You” and “My One and Only.”
Sun 13 June New York
Today is free for shopping and sightseeing. (B)
Optional matinee performance by the New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater:
Interplay (choreography by Jerome Robbins; music by Morton Gould)
New Work (tba) by Melissa Barak (new score by young American composer Jay Greenberg)
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (choreography by George Balanchine; music by Brahms, orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg)
Mon 14 June New York
Enjoy a final day at leisure in New York before an early dinner and the American Ballet Theater’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, starring ABT stars Gillian Murphy and Jose Manuel Carreño. (BD)
American Ballet Theater
Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director
The Sleeping Beauty (McKenzie/Tchaikovsky)
The timeless fairy tale of a beautiful princess, an evil sorceress, and a century of sleep awakened by a prince’s kiss, set to the famous score by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.
This new production (June 2007) of The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed after Marius Petipa, has additional choreography and staging by Kevin McKenzie, Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov. The production features scenery by Tony Walton, costumes by Willa Kim with additional costume designs by Holly Hynes, and lighting by Richard Pilbrow and Dawn Chiang.
ABT stars Gillian Murphy and Jose Manuel Carreño will lead the season’s first performance of The Sleeping Beauty on Monday evening, June 14.
Tue 15 June New York – Washington DC
Morning coach transfer from New York to Washington DC. After an early dinner at the Kennedy Center, attend the first performance of Ballet Across America II. (BD)
Houston Ballet Stanton Welch, Artistic Director
Falling(Welch/Mozart)
Set to Mozart's Salzburg Symphonies, Stanton Welch's playful, pure dance work is sprightly, intricate, and immediately inviting.
The Suzanne Farrell Ballet Suzanne Farrell, Artistic Director
Agon (Balanchine/Stravinsky) Agon is the Greek word for contest, and while without plot, the shifting relationships between the dancers in George Balanchine's revolutionary work fuse "formality and intimacy [to create] a charge both erotic and strenuous" (The New York Times).
North Carolina Dance Theatre Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Artistic Director
Shindig(Bonnefoux/traditional bluegrass)
This rollicking ballet by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, with live music by the Greasy Beans, is "a lively mix of toe shoes and bluegrass to set the audience cheering" (The New York Times).
Wed 16 June Washington DC
On a morning orientation tour, see some of the best known Washington institutions: the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and the White House. See also the Jefferson Memorial and the National Mall with the Korean Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
After lunch, join more than four million people each year, in a visit to the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. See Arlington House, the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, grave of American President John F. Kennedy, Memorial Amphitheater with the Tomb of the Unknowns and Sea of Graves. The visit is a journey through history as well as a powerful and memorable experience. (BL)
Thu 17 June Washington DC
Day at leisure to visit the Smithsonian Institute, the world’s largest museum complex and research organization. Tonight return to the Kennedy Center for the second performance of Ballet Across America II. (B)
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Peter Boal, Artistic Director
3 Movements(Millepied/Reich)
Benjamin Millepied's world premiere is danced with a whipped-up fierceness, its 16 dancers seemingly lit by cool fire. On one hand it's tricky and technically challenging, and on the other it brims with insouciance.
Ballet Arizona
Ib Andersen, Artistic Director
Work TBA
Formed in 1986 with an emphasis on commissioning innovative new works, Ballet Arizona under the leadership of Ib Andersen has become a provocative company that creates, performs, and teaches outstanding classical and contemporary ballet.
Morphoses Christopher Wheeldon, Artistic Director
Christopher Wheeldon Work TBA Based in New York, Christopher Wheeldon's company has already proven itself a world power with its mission to broaden the scope of classical ballet by emphasizing innovation and fostering creativity through collaboration.
Fri 18 June Washington DC Leave Washington behind and cruise to Mount Vernon where, resting on the banks of the Potomac River is the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799.
After a farewell lunch with Elizabeth Zimmer and fellow ballet-lovers, stop in Alexandria VA, with time to stroll the quaint cobblestone streets, visit shops, art galleries and historic sites.
Tonight return to the Kennedy Center for the last time to see the last performance of Ballet Across America II (BL)
Tulsa Ballet
Marcello Angelini, Artistic Director
Work TBA
Since its founding in 1956, Tulsa Ballet has remained constant in its artistic mission: combine the beauty and joy expressed by dance with the drama and entertainment of the theater. The company boasts repertoire that "has put this mid-American company in the international eye" (Dance Magazine).
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Tom Mossbrucker, Artistic Director
Red Sweet(Elo/Vivaldi and Biber)
A leader in the dance world and one of the largest dance presenters in the country, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet performs a commission by Jorma Elo.
The Joffrey Ballet
Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director
Age of Innocence(Liang/Glass and Newman)
Inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, Age of Innocence is a nostalgic work by former NYCB soloist and rising star Edwaard Liang investigating the sensations and emotions roused by an empty ballroom.
Sat 19 June Depart Washington DC Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast. (B)
Optional performances: 08, 10, 11, 13 June Please download the booking form for optional performances which are not included in the tour cost - click here.
YOUR HOTELS ****
New York - On the Ave
Washington DC - Hotel Sofitel
NB Hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.
Tour Leader
Elizabeth Zimmer
Elizabeth Zimmer, a native New Yorker, writes about dance, theatre, and books for The Australian and the free New York daily Metro, and contributes to many other publications. She served as the dance editor of New York’s Village Voice from 1992 until 2006, and reviewed ballet for the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1997 to 2005. Since 1972 she has reviewed dance in cities across North America, and taught writing and dance history at several universities, most recently at Rutgers. Since 1979 she has consulted for the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and regularly adjudicates choreography and performance for the American College Dance Festival Association.
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