A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Three Sizzling World Premieres
by Djuric, Cavanaugh and Monihan (New music premieres by Barbara Kolb and Elaine Bearer, live performance by the Dan Moretti Trio.)

Providence - Festival Ballet Providence artistic director Mihailo Djuric will present the finale of the Company’s hit 25th Anniversary Season with a spectacular all-Rhode Island production May 2-4 at VMA Arts and Cultural Center. Performances are Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2:30 PM.

As the centerpiece of the season’s fourth production, Mr. Djuric has chosen to revive co-founder Christine Hennessy’s triumph, A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a tribute to her creative excellence in leading the company from its founding through it’s maturity. This piece premiered to great acclaim May 12, 1990 as part of the company’s 13th Anniversary season.

Elizabeth DeFanti, daughter of Festival Ballet Providence co-founders Christine Hennessy (1936-1997) and Winthrop Corey, returned in January to Providence to re-stage Ms. Hennessy’s magical "Dream" on Festival Ballet Providence.

Based on the 16th century tale of William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream features an enchanting forest scene, with giant trees and wild flowers rising through the mist through which a silver moon shimmers and fairy creatures of the night work their mischievous magic upon "foolish mortals". This ballet features Mendelsohn’s score and some of Shakespeare’s most beloved characters, including Puck, Bottom, Titania, Oberon, Lysander and Hermia. Company members Tatiana Berenova and Jennifer Ricci will alternate as Titania, Pavel Homko and Gleb Lyamenkoff will alternate in the roles of Oberon and Lisander, Jaclyn Ricci will dance Puck, and Piotr Ostaltsov will appear as Bottom.

The remainder of the program is devoted to thrilling new works commissioned by Festival Ballet Providence. Choreographed by three of Rhode Island’s most creative forces in dance, these exciting premieres bring an edge and spark to the stage, giving audiences an exciting new perspective to dance as an art form.

Cadence Dance Project founder Colleen Cavanaugh has choreographed I Corpi Celesti, a richly woven 14-minute contemporary ballet in two movements for soloist and four couples. Festival Ballet Providence veteran Jaclyn Ricci will be the featured dancer in this piece that is metaphorically about Gallileo’s pursuit of his own personal truth, despite the prevalent dogma and religious belief of the time. Music is in part "Lacrymosa" by Uzbecki composer Dimitri Yanov-Yanovsky as recorded by the Kronos Quartet, and in part newly composed music collaboratively created by Providence composer Elaine Bearer and Ms. Cavanaugh, recorded for strings and voice. Bearer’s premier is inspired by the creative spirit of Galileo and his daughter, Maria Celest. (See program notes).

The second commissioned premiere, Swing Shift, has been created by ballet crossover specialist Audrey Monahan who’s jazzy and sexy new work looks at the couplings and re-couplings one night at a steamy dance club. Jennifer Ricci and Gleb Lyamenkoff star as a barmaid and piano player with a steamy cast that bumps and grinds it’s high-energy way from opening set-ups to last call. With five movements, this passionate love story features Mr. Lyamenkoff performing double-duty as dancer and pianist.

Festival Ballet Providence artistic director Mihailo Djuric has choreographed "toDAY", the final premiere with music created collaboratively with Composer-In-Residence Barbara Kolb. The music reflects the inner, sultry moods of the late Billie Holliday’s singing, and her own inner struggles with depression, drugs and alcohol. Mr. Djuric has previously used Ms. Kolb’s music to create Extremes for the 1996 MacDowell Celebration. Principal couple Tatiana Berenova and Gleb Lyamenkoff are joined by Davide Vittorino and Eivar Martinez in an impressively athletic and emotional work. Music will be provided as a live performance by the Rhode Island-based Dan Maretti Trio. Ms. Kolb is currently in the second year of a three-year Meet The Composer/New Residencies grant, in partnership with Festival Ballet Providence, the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and WaterFire Providence. (See program notes).

Join Puck, the Wood Sprites and Fairies for the mischief and revelry of Shakespeare’s great romantic comedy, and experience the new voices of Rhode Island choreography. See ballet as you have never imagined! For the Saturday May 3rd performance, also take in the spectacle of Barnaby Evans’ WaterFire Providence.

Tickets for 7:30 PM Friday, 7:30 PM Saturday and 2:30 PM Sunday are now on sale, with prices ranging from $12 to $40. Advanced reserved tickets may be purchased by contacting Festival Ballet Providence at 401.353.1129, clicking here to order online, or through Ticketmaster outlets at 401.331.1122. The VMA box office (Telephone : 401.272-4862) will be open the week of the performances from 10 AM to 5 PM for additional ticket sales, noon to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday. Half-price student rush tickets are available for each production one hour before curtain.

Festival Ballet Providence’s 2003 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 3 World Premieres is supported in part by the generous support of season television sponsor NBC10, GLAD WORKS, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, VMA Arts & Cultural Center and the McAuliffe Group.

Festival Ballet Providence
825 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906
401.353.1129
info@festivalballet.com

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Please respond if you would like digital photographs emailed to you, or hard copies sent by regular mail.

Attend rehearsals and interview choreographers: Writers, photographers and editors are encouraged to visit our Providence studios to observe rehearsals and to interview Ms. DeFanti, Mr. Djuric, Ms. Cavanaugh, Ms. Monahan, Ms. Kolb and Ms. Bearer and any of the dancers in the production. The press is also invited to visit the theater during the week of April 28 cover stage rehearsals. Please make arrangements prior to your visit by calling Mark Fleisher, 401.353.1129. To arrange interviews, please also call Mr. Fleisher.

The Festival Ballet Providence and the Festival Ballet Providence Center for Dance Education are together a not-for-profit arts organization whose EIN is 05-0377245 and whose Rhode Island Corporate ID number is ND-27-137.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Synopsis

The King and Queen of Fairyland, Oberon and Titania, are quarreling over the changeling Indian boy. Oberon sends his sprite Puck through the forest to fetch a strange flower, the juice of which – when dropped in the eyes during sleep – brings love for the first living thing seen upon waking. Oberon plans to use this magical liquid to spite Titania. Meanwhile, a happy pair of lovers, Lysander and Hermia, and their two unhappy friends, Helena and Demetrius, have strayed into the forest. Helena’s love for Demetrius is, at present, unrequited for he desires Hermia. Oberon has watched these confused mortals and sends Puck with some of the flower’s juice to charm Demetrius into falling in love with Helena.

Oberon, in the meantime, drops some of the charm into his queen’s eyes and causes her to be awakened by a peasant named Bottom on whom Puck, to heighten his master’s revenge, has fixed an ass’s head. On waking, Titania falls in love with Bottom. But Puck, for all his cleverness, has complicated the affairs of the mortal lovers by charming the wrong man, Lysander, into falling in love with Helena. Oberon commands Puck to create a fog, under cover of which all is put right. Titania, released from her spell, is reconciled to her king and the mortal lovers are happily paired off. Bottom, restored to human form but with dream-like memories of what happened, goes on his puzzled way and Puck induces the fairies to sleep.

Christine Hennessy
(1936 – 1997)
Choreographer of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

"slight, tiny, exquisitely proportioned, as delicately articulated as a flowering branch. She (Hennessy) has enormous extensions, yet the effect is not one of power, as much as of light evocation."
- Agnes DeMille

Christine Hennessy was a world-renowned ballerina, an extraordinary teacher and choreographer, and a successful and giving artistic director.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she began taking ballet lessons at the age of 3. She trained with Lidia Pettine and then went on to study in New York with such distinguished teachers as Mme. Maria Swoboda and Anatole Vilzak, and also at the Ballet Russe School. At the age of 16 she was chosen to join the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she spent 4 years rising from the corps de ballet to first soloist. After a season as ballerina at the Bremen Opera House in Germany, she spent 4 years as the ballerina of the American Festival Ballet, an international dance troupe that originated in Rhode Island. She subsequently returned to Ballet Russe for a season, then toured South America and the Near East with the Festival Ballet. She also appeared as the ballerina of the New York City Opera and starred in two films made in Europe – The Nutcracker and Four plus Four. After a season with the Joffrey Ballet in New York where she danced La Fille Mal Garde, she joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It was with this company that she won the gold medal in 1968 for "best interpretation by a female dancer" at the International Festival of Dance in Paris, France. Christine was known not only for her solid classical technique, but also for her vivid and masterful interpretation of the dramatic roles she danced.

In 1978 Christine, together with then husband Winthrop Corey, returned to Rhode Island and founded the Festival Ballet of Rhode Island. Their vision in creating both a company and school was to develop the talents of local dancers and increase the visibility, status, and standards of dance for Rhode Island audiences. This was especially apparent through their highly successful outreach program, Discover Dance, designed to serve children, seniors, and other special agencies and groups throughout the state who were unable to afford the cost of regularly scheduled performances. Christine and Winthrop also drew dance masters, such as Arthur Mitchell, then Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the great American choreographer Agnes de Mille, to Rhode Island to work with their students. Christine, herself, also choreographed and received critical acclaim for her Midsummer Night’s Dream, to EJ with Love, Romeo and Juliet and Concerto in C.

In 1994, Rhode Island College awarded Christine an honorary doctorate in fine arts. Until her death in 1997, she continued to be the driving force behind Festival Ballet and served as an inspiration for the many dancers that were fortunate enough to have studied with her.

Elizabeth DeFanti
Re-staging Christine Hennessy’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Ms. DeFanti, daughter of Christine Hennessy and Winthrop Corey, founders of Festival Ballet of Rhode Island, was born in Winnipeg, Canada. She began her classical dance training in Rhode Island with her parents and subsequently studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. As a member of Festival Ballet, Ms. DeFanti was noted for her principal roles in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Eaters of Darkness. In 1993, she joined the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet where she danced soloist roles and received critical acclaim for her portrayal of "Maria" in The Nutcracker. She made guest appearances with the Mobile (Alabama) Ballet, the Seacoast Ballet in New Hampshire, and with the Worcester Youth Ballet. In 1994 she performed in Charleston, South Carolina’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival where she received praise for her portrayal of "Kitri" in the wedding pas de deux of Don Quixote and "Juliet" in the balcony pas de deux of Romeo and Juliet. She also appeared as a principal dancer in two nationally broadcast television commercials. Returning to Rhode Island, Ms. DeFanti assumed the role of Artistic Director of Festival Ballet for the 1997-98 Season. She also assumed ownership of The Dance Center, School of Festival Ballet and taught extensively in the school.

In May of 2001 she graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in Psychology. While at Brown, she was involved in several research projects and was awarded a grant with which she studied attention and memory in Alzheimer patients. Ms. DeFanti currently resides in Manhattan with her husband Adam. She is pursuing a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology at Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Ms. DeFanti is extremely pleased to carry on the legacy of her mother by staging this production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Audrey Monahan, Swing Shift
Guest Choreographer

With extensive training in ballet and jazz in New York, Boston and Rhode Island, Audrey has excelled in her career as a performer, choreographer and instructor. In the 1980’s she danced professionally with the New York City Metropolitan Opera’s touring troupe and was a principal dancer with the Jeremy Anderson Dancers. Working as an independent jazz dancer, Audrey has performed in various club, theater and commercial venues.

Currently she teaches both jazz and ballet, conducts master classes, works as an independent choreographer and coaches dancers and recording artists in movement and performance skills.

Swing Shift notes

The club scene and story line of "Swing Shift" portrays the timeless, tireless game of men looking for women looking for men. The inspiration came from a selection of contemporary, campy interpretations of period swing music. Taking the various musical queues, the jazz choreography also plays with and weaves together a stylized blend of old school and new school jazz dancing.

The high spirited, high energy, warp speed glimpse into the club scene takes the audience through an evening at a lively city club, from setup to last call -- with a lot of fun and frolic in between -- capturing the characters and character of the nightlife's flirting and deserting game.

I Corpi Celesti/ The Celestial Bodies

Notes from the Composer

The concept of this piece was a dynamic collaboration between the choreographer, Colleen Cavanaugh, and the composer, Elaine. L. Bearer. This work was inspired by Galileo’s life, work and the words of his daughter, Celeste. It is about the astonishment, joy and terror of discovery experienced by each of us as we pursue our own life path. Galileo built the first telescope and through it observed that the universe was not structured according to the theology of the day. Relying on experimentation as well as logic, Galileo proved his observations. His results challenged the worldview of his era, and as a result he was persecuted as part of the Catholic Inquisition. How terrifying to discover that the universe was not as believed? How lonely to be persecuted for a discovery?

Galileo published his diaries as dialogues between three men. The text of I Corpi Christi is taken directly from these dialogues. Through three whispering voices Galileo speaks to us: Tell me what you believe (Ditem quello che voi credete), stars can be born (generabili), the stars, the celestial bodies (i corpi celesti), and finally, I am sure, they are motionless (starebbe ferma). The music is a string trio. Recordings of live voices and instruments were loaded into the computer and reconstructed into other shapes and sounds, as though peering through a telescope at a new vision of the universe.

Voices in the recording are: Ms. Bearer, Steven McCloy, and William Beeman. The instrumentalists are Charles Sherba, Consuelo Sherba and Natasha Farny.

Colleen Cavanaugh, I Corpi Celesti
Guest Choreographer

Colleen Cavanaugh danced professionally in New York and Europe before returning to her native Rhode Island to complete a medical degree from Brown University. She choreographed for and directed Cadence Dance Project for four years and is now working as an independent choreographer, making ballets for regional companies and college dance programs. Cavanaugh received a Rhode Island State Council on the Art fellowship in choreography as well as several project grants. Two of her ballets were selected and presented by Ballet Builders in New York City, a showcase for contemporary ballet. Her choreography has been presented in New England, New York and Europe.

Elaine Bearer
(Composer for I Corpi Celesti)

Elaine Bearer studied composition at Julliard while in high school, and attended Carnegie Tech while playing in the Pittsburgh Symphony. In Paris, she worked with Nadia Boulanger. Ms. Bearer received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School with studies under Ludmila Ulehla and Mario Davidovsky. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including Meet the Composer and National Endowment for the Arts. Bearer’s works have been performed in cities including Paris, New York, St. Louis, San Francisco, Boston, Providence, and Cambridge, England. She is also a biomedical scientist and professor at Brown University. CDs of Ms. Bearer’s works are available under the Albany Label.

Program notes for "toDAY"
By Barbara Kolb

The life of Billie Holiday (1915-1959), revered by many as the greatest jazz singer of all time, was afflicted with torment. Due to circumstances of her time, namely social injustice and prejudice toward people of color, the possibilities for a black, female singer to gain recognition and success were negligible. Known amongst her colleagues as "Lady Day", a name given by her long-time partner, Lester Young, a prominent saxophonist, Billie’s inimitable approach to phrasing combined with the unique quality of her voice encompassed a wholly original artistic vision, propelling her to legendary fame well before her untimely death at age 44.

Despite the continual support and devotion of colleagues who tried desperately to engage her in clubs throughout the U.S., she was banned as drugs and alcohol slowly and persistently took over her life.

There are those artists who live for their art – an expression which has become prosaic over time – but Billie literally could not live without it. She was obsessed with the desire to sing and when that was taken away, she lost all hope and fell deeper and deeper into an abyss with no return.

While some resolution has been achieved regarding society in Billie’s era, new conflicts have arisen and the issues continue. Circumstances and faces may change, still conflict and strife remain – in time and through time.

"toDAY" is both a dedication and a reflection on the present through looking back to the past.

Barbara Kolb
Composer-In-Residence for "toDAY"

Born and educated in Connecticut, Barbara Kolb has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Vienna, two Guggenheim Fellowships, and Institute of Arts and Letters award, and seven National Endowment for the Arts grants. In addition, Ms. Kolb became the first American woman to win the Rome Prize in Music Composition (1969-1971).

Ms. Kolb’s music is characterized by interwoven, impressionistic textures, and freely atonal and deeply expressive harmonic language. Many of her works have drawn upon ideas and images, having their sources in literature or the visual arts.

Ms. Kolb has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, IRCAM (Paris, France), the Fromm Foundation, Koussevitzky Foundation, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, among others. She has held posts at Brooklyn College Temple University, the Eastman School of Music, and The New School in New York City. She was also a clarinetist in the Hartford Symphony for six years.

Ms. Kolb relocated to Providence in March of 2001 as Composer in Residence for a three-year residency funded by a Meet The Composer New Residencies grant. During the residency, Ms. Kolb is working with Waterfire Providence, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Festival Ballet Providence, to create new music to entertain, teach and inspire the community.

Dan Moretti - Sax/Flute for toDAY

"After several decades of cultivating his sound in every section of the jazz vineyard, Dan Moretti has emerged as a forceful, dynamic player and an outstanding conceptualist. That growth and maturation is evident throughout 'Latin Genesis'."
- Ken Franckling, UPI jazz columnist

Dan Moretti is a modern and eclectic saxophonist. His doubles include; flute, alto flute, clarinet, and bass clarinet. He attended The University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Music and The Union Institute in Cincinnati where he was awarded and B.S. degree for the double major of Arranging/Composition and Music Education. His two most influential teachers have been Jerry Bergonzi and Hal Crook.

He is a composer, producer, and audio engineer and has produced and recorded ten CD’s as a leader or co-leader. Dan has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, and India performing as a leader and sideman. His influences, ranging from jazz and classical to funk and Latin jazz, come from his experience performing and recording with artists across the spectrum of music like Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Mike Stern, Dave Samuels, Dave Liebman, Marvin Stamm, and The Crusaders just to name a few.

As an educator he has taught high school and college level, developed curriculum, and has been given various awards for jazz education. Dan is a Boosey & Hawkes Artist-Clinician, an endorser for Keilwerth Saxophones, Shure microphones, and Vandoren reeds. He is an Associate Professor in The Contemporary Writing and Production department at Berklee College of Music.

In addition to sharing the stage with legendary performers, Dan also spends a great deal of time in the studio. When not producing, he is recording his own solo work.

"Point of Entry" (Par 2006) featuring Mike Stern and Dave Samuels, "Saxual" (Par 2019) featuring Steve Khan and Mark Egan, "Dan Moretti & Brazilia" Live at Chan's (Brownstone BRCD 958) featuring members of Paquito's band, "December Solstice" (Soundworks Unlimited), and "Impressions" (Soundworks Unlimited) showcase Dan's distinctive style and bold sound. Dan's release, "That's Right" on the 1201 Music - Smooth Sounds label received national airplay and great reviews. "Once Through" a jazz quartet and "The Psychic Horns" a 7 piece Jazz/Latin/Funk band were both released on The Whaling City Sound label and have received national airplay and strong reviews.

The previous release "Latin Genesis", featured jazz legend, Dave Liebman with Don Braden, Oscar Stagnaro, Mark Walker, Pernell Saturnino, and Jorge Najaro on Whaling City Sound was #20 on the jazz airplay charts and was in the Grammy pool for 2003.

Dan's latest CD, "Stories", is a quartet/quintet recording of all original compositions which is currently being released nationally.

Dave Zinno – Bass for toDAY

Dave Zinno, a native of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has been playing professionally from the age of 16. After studying at Berklee College and the University of Rhode Island, Dave spent a year in Seattle, where he played with (among others) Dianne Schuur, and studied bass with Gary Peacock. He spent the next ten years in New York, studying and playing with Walter Booker, Jr., Jimmy Cobb, Junior Cook, John Hicks, John Medeski, and Larry Willis. He has performed on Broadway, in shows such as Sugar Babies and An Evening With Michael Feinstein. Currently based in Newport, Dave travels as far as Africa and South America to perform at jazz concerts, and has taught and toured throughout the south of France for nine years. These days, he teaches at Brown University and is well known in the Providence-Boston jazz scene where he plays with regional and national artists of international reputation.

Mauricio Zottarelli – Drums for toDAY

Coming from a musical family, Mauricio Zottarelli was born in Santos, SP, Brazil. He started playing percussion at a very early age, and moved to drumset while in his teens. During a 5 year period when he completed a degree in Computer's Science, he worked with many bands and acts around his city, being exposed to several different styles of music. After his college graduation in 1997, Mauricio worked actively as a studio and live performer in Brazil. In 1999, he received a scholarship from Berklee College of Music, where he majored in Professional Music, with emphasis in Performance, Film Scoring and Arranging. He has studied with John Ramsay, Rod Morgenstein, Larry Finn, Dave DiCenso, Yoron Israel, John Hazilla, and Casey Scheuerell. Mauricio has been busy playing and recording both in Brazil and in the United States with the Dig Trio, the Marc Rossi Group, Matthew Nicholl, Sal DiFusco, Joe Santerre, the Matt Chase Group, Michael Farquharson, James Peterson, Michael Graetzer, Sarah Brindell, Eunice Sim, Himen Blues, Altemar Dutra Jr., among others.