Ballet San Jose
Encyclopedia
Ballet San Jose in San Jose, California
, USA
, was founded in 1986 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year old Cleveland Ballet
which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet
company for a moderate, shared investment. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet ceased operations, and over half the dancers, the headquarters
, and artistic director/choreographer Dennis Nahat moved to San Jose to continue operations there. The company was originally known as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, but in July 2006 shortened its name to simply Ballet San Jose.
, there is a resident company of 44 dancers from 14 countries in four continents, with a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballet
s. Performances at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts are accompanied by the Symphony Silicon Valley
. The Ballet is now a 'fully owned' resident company serving all of Silicon Valley
.
The company's mission is to provide the San Francisco Bay Area
with theatrically produced ballet and professional dance education in a manner that honors the vision of the artists, meets the highest technical and artistic standards, contributes to the fulfillment of the cultural needs of the community, and is accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley has developed a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballets. The Company includes dancers from Argentina
, Canada
, China
, Cuba
, Denmark
, France
, Germany
, Japan
, Russia
, Venezuela
, Vietnam
, and the United States. The repertoire includes ballets by Balanchine
, Bournonville
, de Mille
, and many others, in addition to Nahat's many ballets created especially for the company. The company performs classic ballets such as The Nutcracker
and Swan Lake
, as well as more modern ballets such as Blue Suede Shoes, based on Elvis Presley
's songs.
In 2008, the Company performed an 8-city tour of China. Called the "Goodwill Tour From Silicon Valley," it represented the first international tour of the Company since its move from Cleveland.
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was founded in 1986 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year old Cleveland Ballet
Cleveland Ballet
The Cleveland Ballet was founded in 1972 by Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath as a dance school, the School of Cleveland Ballet. They subsequently recruited professional dancers who by 1975 were previewing performances around Cleveland. The company first performed at the Hanna Theatre November 16, 1976...
which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
company for a moderate, shared investment. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet ceased operations, and over half the dancers, the headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
, and artistic director/choreographer Dennis Nahat moved to San Jose to continue operations there. The company was originally known as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, but in July 2006 shortened its name to simply Ballet San Jose.
, there is a resident company of 44 dancers from 14 countries in four continents, with a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballet
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
s. Performances at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts are accompanied by the Symphony Silicon Valley
Symphony silicon valley
Symphony Silicon Valley is the professional symphony orchestra of San Jose and the South Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded in 2002 following the demise of the San Jose Symphony, the orchestra debuted to rave reviews and standing ovations on November 23, 2002 at the San Jose Center...
. The Ballet is now a 'fully owned' resident company serving all of Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
.
The company's mission is to provide the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
with theatrically produced ballet and professional dance education in a manner that honors the vision of the artists, meets the highest technical and artistic standards, contributes to the fulfillment of the cultural needs of the community, and is accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley has developed a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballets. The Company includes dancers from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and the United States. The repertoire includes ballets by Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
, Bournonville
August Bournonville
August Bournonville was a Danish ballet master and choreographer. August was the son of Antoine Bournonville, a dancer and choreographer trained under the French choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, and the nephew of Julie Alix de la Fay, née Bournonville, of the Royal Swedish Ballet.August was...
, de Mille
Agnes de Mille
Agnes George de Mille was an American dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Agnes de Mille was born in New York City into a well-connected family of theater professionals. Her father William C. deMille and her uncle Cecil B. DeMille were both Hollywood directors...
, and many others, in addition to Nahat's many ballets created especially for the company. The company performs classic ballets such as The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
and Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, as well as more modern ballets such as Blue Suede Shoes, based on Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's songs.
In 2008, the Company performed an 8-city tour of China. Called the "Goodwill Tour From Silicon Valley," it represented the first international tour of the Company since its move from Cleveland.
Principals
- Maximo Califano
- Karen Gabay
- Maria Jacobs-Yu
- Alexsandra Meijer
- Ramon Moreno
- Maykel Solas
Soloists
- Heather Aagard
- Willie Anderson
- Hao Bo
- Rudy Candia
- Tiffany Glenn
- Daniel Gwatkin
- Peter Hershey
- Jeremy Kovitch
- Beth Ann Namey
- Mirai Noda
- Anton Pankevitch
Corps de ballet
- Shannon Bynum
- Shuai Chen
- Damir Emric
- Junna Ige
- Shaina Leibson
- Harriet McMeekin
- Brieanna Olson
- Kaleena Opdyke
- Seth Parker
- Robert Raney
- Keira Schwartz
- Cynthia Sheppard
- Sarah Stein
- Akira Takahashi
- Mallory Welsh
- Jing Zhang
Apprentices
- Simon Ito
- Francisco Preciado
- Cameron Schwanz
- Lahna Vanderbush
Education
Today, over 485 students study at the Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley School. http://www.balletsanjose.org/School.htm The Ballet School's free Education Outreach programs are dedicated to serving young audiences and at-risk children in the San Jose region.External links
}- Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley Mission and Background, Ballet San Jose, September 25, 2000
- private Boeing 747SPBoeing 747SPThe Boeing 747SP is a modified version of the Boeing 747 jet airliner which was designed for ultra-long-range flights. The SP stands for "Special Performance". Compared with its predecessor, the 747-100, the 747SP retains its wide-body, four-engine layout, along with its double-deck design, but...
used for Ballet San Jose group tours beginning in 2007- history of Boeing 747SP airframe 21992 observed displaying Ballet San Jose livery
- JetPhotos.net image of Ballet San Jose Boeing 747SP - December 2007 at San Jose International Airport (as N747FU) after Cleveland tour
- Airliners.net image of Ballet San Jose Boeing 747SP - June 2008 at San Jose International Airport (re-registered as N747A) after China tour