FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               Contact:

April 27, 2004                                                    Cindy Reynolds

                                                                        Communications Manager

                                                                        (714) 541-8314 ext. 19

Saint Joseph Ballet Presents

Presence

Dance organization to premiere new works choreographed by

National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellow, Mark Haim

and New York Foundation for the Arts Choreography Fellow, Seán  Curran.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (April 27, 2004) – The dancers of Saint Joseph Ballet return to the Irvine Barclay Theatre to perform in the 2004 Concert, Presence, June 3-6, 2004.  The Annual Concert will showcase 79 spirited dance students, ages 9-18 and will premiere two new dances created for Saint Joseph Ballet by nationally celebrated choreographers.

Presence – to convey a sense of happiness that transcends age, 28 dancers perform a new work about happiness and joy, and how happiness can often be found in the simplest of things.  “We are always kids at heart, no matter what age.  Kids are the closest things to happiness we have,” Haim said.  As a choreographer, Haim is interested in the human aspects of dance – the kind of person performing, what they bring to the piece and the love they bring to the art.  While creating this piece, Haim recorded interviews with students, parents and staff about what makes them happy.  Composer and Musician Alan Terricciano used this material to create an original score that includes a collage of the interviews as well as choral music to be performed live by the Orange County Women’s Chorus.  Haim has choreographed for the Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet Frankfurt, Joffrey Ballet, and the Limón Dance Company, among others.  Haim is a Julliard School graduate and was named a National Endowment for the Arts Choreographers Fellow.

Trabajar es Alabar (To Work is to Pray) – celebrating the service we all provide in our work, Seán Curran created a delightful new piece for 51 dancers that is about approaching our work with a sense of play, prayer and reverence.  Curran collaborated with the dancers to find a common language and create a unique movement vocabulary that has been described as “spicy and delicious”.  The live music that accompanies this piece includes original compositions and arrangements in styles including gospel, jazz, Caribbean and Irish Folk, and is composed, arranged and performed by Gregory Jones of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles.  Curran established his dance career as a principal with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and was a cast member of the Off-Broadway percussion extravaganza Stomp for four years.

            Lighting Design by James F. Ingalls who designs for Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Mark Morris, the Metropolitan Opera and Director Peter Sellers; Scenic Design by Kate Edmunds of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre; and Costumes Design by Jennifer Vaughn, who has created for the Olympics, HBO’s Against the Grain, television and Charles Schultz’ ice show, among others.

Performances of Presence will take place Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinee performances at 2:30 p.m.  Tickets are available through the Irvine Barclay Theatre Box Office by calling 949-854-4646 or on-line at www.thebarclay.org, or through Ticketmaster by calling 714-740-7878.  All seats are reserved.  Prices are $15 for general seating and $35 for benefit seating, which supports Saint Joseph Ballet’s year-round programs for at-risk youth.

The 2004 Concert Chairs are Socorro and Ernie Vasquez, Joan and Don Beall, Carleen and Chuck Haggerty, Ginnie and Rich Hunsaker and Yvonne and Damien Jordan.

Founded in 1983, Saint Joseph Ballet has impacted more than 40,000 youth with its mission to empower low-income youth from diverse backgrounds to strengthen self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of accomplishment through dance, academic and family programs.  Saint Joseph Ballet offers students up to nine years of continuous and progressively challenging artistic, academic and family service programs.  Youth who enter Saint Joseph Ballet with few resources leave with the tools and skills to build a future for themselves, their families and their community. 

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