For Immediate Release                                               Contact:

April 5, 2006                                                                  Cindy Reynolds

                                                                                    Media Relations

                                                                                    (714) 541-8314, ext. 19

Saint Joseph Ballet presents

New Dance at Saint Joseph Ballet

Saint Joseph Ballet opens its doors and offers a performance to the community

            Santa Ana, Calif. (April 5, 2006) – On Friday May 5, Saint Joseph Ballet opens its doors to the Santa Ana community with New Dance at Saint Joseph Ballet.  As part of the Imagination Celebration Festival, Saint Joseph Ballet students and Alumni Dance Company join Backhausdance to present an evening of new works in Saint Joseph Ballet’s Studio Theatre.  Performers’ ages range from early teens to early thirties and the performance will appeal to audiences of all ages. 

            The performance will begin at 8:00pm and is open and free to the public.  Seating is limited, and advance reservations are recommended.  Please call (714) 541-8314 ext. 851 to make reservations.  Saint Joseph Ballet is located at 1810 North Main Street in Santa Ana. 

            “Presenting this project helps fulfill a desire that Saint Joseph Ballet be recognized as a center where the community can access public performances and other cultural activities,” said Artistic Director Melanie Rios Glaser.  We are working to contribute to the cultural landscape in Santa Ana by sharing our knowledge and resources and making contemporary dance more available.  Youth from low-income neighborhoods in Santa Ana get to be part of a creative process, and the quality dance they are helping to create and perform is unique.  It is also terrific that these kids and young adults are able to perform alongside a professional dance company.”

            Artistic Director Melanie Rios Glaser has created a new work, by leaps and bounds, to be performed by the Saint Joseph Ballet Alumni Dance Company.  Established just this year, the Alumni Dance Company will help Saint Joseph Ballet further its mission and increase its presence in the community while providing a meaningful way for alumni to connect with one another, stay involved with the organization and continue kindling their passion for dance. 

            In addition, excerpts from a compelling new commission by New York choreographer Nami Yamamoto will be performed by current Saint Joseph Ballet students.  In her new piece, a howling flower bloomed in my eye, she exposes a poignant beauty through her kind and often humorous perception of humanity.  Originally from Japan, Yamamoto has a background in modern dance as well as Japanese Traditional Theater. 

            Also on stage will be Backhausdance, a local dance company known for its eclectic and dynamic vocabulary.  Choreographer and Artistic Director Jennifer Backhaus will present eXit and Stepping Back Towards Tomorrow, showcasing her company’s diverse style through two very different explorations of space and confinement.  Over the past year, Backhausdance has been in residency at Saint Joseph Ballet.  In addition to rehearsing at Saint Joseph Ballet three mornings a week, Artistic Director Jenny Backhaus and members of Backhausdance are part of the Saint Joseph Ballet faculty.  “Not only do our students get to see professional dancers rehearsing, they get to work with professional artists who are teaching here as well as performing,” said Rios Glaser.

            Supporting sponsors for New Dance at Saint Joseph Ballet are Steadfast Companies and the Fieldstone Foundation.  This project is also funded in part by a grant from Arts Orange County and the Orange County Community Foundation.  The Imagination Celebration is presented by Arts Orange County and the Orange County Department of Education.

            Founded in 1983, Saint Joseph Ballet’s mission is 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.  Students who participate are offered up to nine years of continuous and progressively challenging artistic, academic and family service programs.  Since its inception, Saint Joseph Ballet has touched the lives of more than 50,000 youth, giving them the tools and skills to build a future for themselves, their families and their community. 

###