NOBA Announces the 2010-2011 Season of Dance Visionaries

After celebrating a successful 40th Anniversary season of sold-out performances and artistic triumphs, the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) launches its 2010-2011 season of dance with six distinctive companies driven by visionary voices in the history of dance: Moses Pendleton, Alwin Nikolais, Alonzo King, Trey McIntyre, David Parsons and Angel Corella. For the second consecutive season, NOBA returns to the newly renovated Mahalia Jackson Theater of Performing Arts to present the large-scale theatrical production Botanica, by MOMIX; Trey McIntyre Project and Preservation Hall Jazz Band in NOBA's second commissioned world premiere; Parsons Dance in a live music collaboration with East Village Opera Company; and the inaugural US tour of Spain's Corella Ballet. In a continued partnership with The NOCCA Institute, NOBA presents a pioneering voice of modern dance theater in the Alwin Nikolais Centennial as well as the sophisticated, contemporary LINES Ballet in the intimate, beautiful Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall.

The season kicks off on October 22 and 23 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater when the dancer-illusionists of MOMIX return to New Orleans for two nights with Botanica, Moses Pendleton's brand new full-evening exploration of nature. Featuring grand puppets, projections and larger than life props by Michael Curry (The Lion King), the company creates a vivid landscape and breathtakingly beautiful fantasyland that is surreal, playful and enchanting. A local favorite, MOMIX first appeared in New Orleans in 1993 and has returned many times since, always performing for sold out houses.

Before Moses Pendleton, there was the creative genius Alwin Nikolais, who is celebrated as the father of multimedia theater. On November 19 and 20 NOBA is honored to join community partners NOCCA and Tulane University in presenting three performances of the international Alwin Nikolais Centennial at NOCCA's Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall. Nikolais was a trailblazing choreographer, composer, costume, set and lighting designer who created stunning works of grand illusion. Performed by Ririe Woodbury Dance Company, the production will feature the world premiere of the reconstruction of Nikolais' famous work, Temple (1974), made possible through a nationally competitive grant process of the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces.

On January 21 and 22 at Lupin Hall NOBA partners with NOCCA to present the return of the incomparable choreographer Alonzo King and his celebrated, contemporary LINES Ballet, marking the dynamic company's first return to New Orleans since 1994. Famous for blending music and dance styles from many cultures, King creates gorgeous ballets that are dazzling and sophisticated. The program includes Scheherazade, the legend of the Arabian Nights, masterfully reimagined by King. Featuring the famous music of Rimsky-Korsakov and arranged for Eastern musical instruments by tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, this modern interpretation was commissioned by the principality of Monaco for the 100th anniversary celebration of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes.

Then on February 4, NOBA returns to the Mahalia Jackson Theater with the groundbreaking Trey McIntyre Project and the company's follow up to Ma Maison, the NOBA-commissioned dance project originally initiated in 2008. In response to Ma Maison's overwhelming success, McIntyre has continued his collaboration with Preservation Hall Jazz Band (PHJB) Creative Director Ben Jaffe to create a new companion piece commissioned by NOBA and once again featuring the live music of New Orleans' own PHJB. Due to critical acclaim, TMP and PHJB have taken Ma Maison on a world-wide tour, and the work is slated to be performed at the Hollywood Bowl in August.

In 2006, Parsons Dance opened NOBA's Main Stage season, donating all of their services as the first company to be presented after Hurricane Katrina. On April 16 at the Mahalia Jackson Thater, the popular troupe returns with the full-evening, highly-theatrical and not-to-be-missed dance/rock opera Remember Me, a collaboration with New York's Grammy-nominated East Village Opera Company (EVOC). Featuring costumes by Project Runway's Austin Scarlett, lighting by Tony Award-winning designer Howell Binkley, brilliant digital projections and a hip soundtrack of classic arias performed by the lead vocalists of EVOC, the always innovative David Parsons transforms a tragic tale of star-crossed love into a "wholly new and visually arresting" (Broadwayworld.com) evening of high-voltage dance.

The season closes at the Mahalia Jackson Theater on May 14 when Corella Ballet Castilla y León, a brand new classical ballet company from Spain led by American Ballet Theatre's star principal dancer Angel Corella, kicks off its inaugural US tour in New Orleans. To ballet fans all over the world, Angel Corella is the Spanish-born superstar known for his technical precision, bravura dancing and intoxicating charisma. Today, this extraordinary dancer adds artistic director to his title with the debut of his new company of 45 stunning dancers.

NOBA season ticket buyers save up to 20 percent off the single ticket price by purchasing a season ticket package. The Grand Plus Series package of all events ranges from $154 to $490, while the Grand Series package, which includes all four performances at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts, ranges from $68 to $424. The flexible Build-a-Series package allows season ticket holders to design their own season package and starts at $51. Discounts are also available for students with a valid ID. Single ticket prices for MOMIX, Trey McIntyre Project, Parsons Dance and Corella Ballet are $20-$125. The single ticket price for Alwin Nikolais Centennial is $40, and the price for LINES Ballet is $65.

NOBA is the Central Gulf region's premiere presenting and service organization dedicated solely to the art of dance. NOBA's dynamic Main Stage season annually features a diverse array of world-class companies and artists. Each year NOBA provides concerts, classes, workshops and lectures to more than 25,000 area dance enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, NOBA's nationally recognized award-winning education programs provide the youth of our community access to quality arts programs with over 3,000 free dance classes and workshops annually at ten sites throughout the Greater New Orleans area. Season tickets are currently on sale, and single tickets for NOBA events go on sale September 7. For more information on the upcoming season or to purchase season tickets, call NOBA at 504-522-0996, Ext. 201 or visit www.nobadance.com. Single tickets may be purchased by calling NOBA at 504-522-0996 or Ticketmaster at 504-522-5555; individual ticket sales are also available online at www.nobadance.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

American Airlines is the official airline of the New Orleans Ballet Association and the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel is the official hotel.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which believes that a great nation deserves great art; a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans (ACNO); a Community Arts Grant made possible through the City of New Orleans as administered by ACNO; a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the NEA. The Alwin Nikolais Centennial has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius. Scheherazade is funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation.
The calendar of events:

§ MOMIX - October 23 & 24, 8 pm at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

§ Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebrating 100 years of Nikolais | Performed by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company - November 19, 8 pm & November 20, 2 pm & 8 pm at NOCCA's Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall (Co-presented with The NOCCA Institute)

§ Alonzo King's LINES Ballet - January 21, 8 pm; January 22, 2 pm & 8 pm at NOCCA's Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall (Co-presented with The NOCCA Institute)

§ Trey McIntyre Project - February 4, 8 pm at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

§ Parsons Dance with the East Village Opera Company - April 16, 8pm at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

§ Corella Ballet Castilla y León - May 14, 8pm at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

About the Companies

MOMIX
October 22 & 23, 8 p.m.
Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

MOMIX blooms in Botanica, the new work from the fertile and whimsical imagination of artistic director Moses Pendleton. With grand puppets, projections and larger than life props by Michael Curry (The Lion King), this company of dancer-illusionists creates a vivid landscape and otherworldly fantasyland that is surreal, playful and enchanting.

"The mad and marvelous troupe had all the mesmeric power of a magic show." -The Toronto Globe and Mail

Alwin Nikolais Centennial Celebrating 100 years of Nikolais (1910-2010)
Performed by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
November 19, 8 p.m. | November 20, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall, NOCCA Co-presented with The NOCCA Institute

Before Moses Pendleton and MOMIX, there was the creative genius Alwin Nikolais! Celebrated as the father of multimedia theater, Nikolais was a trailblazing choreographer, composer, costume, set and lighting designer who created stunning works of grand illusion. In partnership with The Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is now the home for the Nikolais repertoire that spans over sixty years. In honor of the Alwin Nikolais Centennial, the company performs a program of legendary masterworks, including Crucible (1985), Tensile Involvement (1955) and the premiere of the restored mixed-media spectacle Temple (1974).

"The magic of these productions can delight theatergoers of all ages. Lovers of Harry Potter's wizardry will be enchanted by that of Alwin Nikolais." -The New York Times

The Alwin Nikolais Centennial has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.

LINES Ballet
January 21, 8 p.m. | January 22, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Freda Lupin MemoriAl Hall, NOCCA Co-presented with The NOCCA Institute

The sleek, San Francisco-based LINES Ballet, led by brilliant dancemaker Alonzo King, brings its exquisitely refined contemporary ballet to the intimate NOCCA stage. Famous for blending music and dance styles from many cultures, King creates gorgeous ballets that are dazzling and sophisticated. The program includes Scheherazade, the legend of the Arabian Nights, masterfully reimagined by King. Featuring the famous music of Rimsky-Korsakov and arranged for Eastern musical instruments by tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, this modern interpretation was commissioned by the principality of Monaco for the 100th anniversary celebration of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes.

"Scheherazade...was extremely beautiful, a visual feast, an evening of dreams..." -Monaco-Matin

"Alonzo King is the real deal." -San Francisco Chronicle

Scheherazade is funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Community Connections Fund of the MetLife Foundation

Trey McIntyre Project with Preservation Hall Jazz Band
February 4, 8 p.m.
Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts
Special NOBA commissioned world premiere

The wildly popular Trey McIntyre Project returns with its own brand of "fresh and forward thinking dance." (Washington Post) In 2008, NOBA commissioned the dynamic choreographer Trey McIntyre to create a new work to New Orleans jazz music. The result was the company's critically-acclaimed collaboration with Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the world premiere of Ma Maison. As an encore, McIntyre once again teams up with PHJB creative director, Ben Jaffe, to create a companion piece to Ma Maison. This one-night only world premiere event will reunite the sensational TMP on stage with New Orleans' own PHJB.

"McIntyre appears to be a choreographic genius of Balanchinian proportions." -Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Parsons Dance with the East Village Opera Company
April 16, 8 p.m.
Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

The phenomenal Parsons Dance returns with the full-evening dance/rock opera Remember Me, a collaboration with the Grammy-nominated East Village Opera Company. Featuring costumes by Project Runway's Austin Scarlett, lighting by Tony Award-winning designer Howell Binkley, brilliant digital projections and a hip soundtrack of classic arias performed by the lead vocalists of EVOC, the always innovative David Parsons transforms a tragic tale of star-crossed love into a "wholly new and visually arresting" (Broadwayworld.com) evening of high-voltage dance.

"Parsons enters the realm of pop spectacle with a vengeance!" -Village Voice

Corella Ballet Castilla y León
May 14, 8 p.m.
Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts

To ballet fans all over the world, Angel Corella is the Spanish-born superstar of American Ballet Theatre known for his technical precision, bravura dancing and intoxicating charisma. Today, this extraordinary dancer adds artistic director to his title with the debut of his new company, Corella Ballet Castilla y León. Founded in 2008 as Spain's only classical ballet company, Corella, along with his company of 45, brings a stunning program to launch their first American tour in New Orleans.

"Angel Corella deserves to be congratulated for his marvelous resurrection of ballet in Spain." -Ballet.com (London)