Santa Barbara's own contemporary ballet company

2536 Foothill Road Santa Barbara, CA 93105, (805) 450-7535 Ph.  (805) 682-6914 Fax
info@balletsantabarbara.org
  Wayang Blues  
Denise Woods and Carlos Fittante in Fittante's Wayang Blues
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 

Les Petits Ballets Santa Barbara, September, 2007

 
  Evenings: Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:00 PM (note early time)
and Saturday, Sept. 29 at 8:00 PM
Matinees: Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2:00 PM
at Santa Barbara's Center Stage Theater

Featuring Guest Artists
Carlos Fittante, dancer and choreographer
Stephanie Sivers, soprano
 
 

Featuring Choreography by:

  Brian Carey Chung Carrie Diamond  
  Carlos Fittante Lizabeth Skalski  
 

Music by:

  Gabriel Fauré Etta James  
  W.A. Mozart Maurice Ravel  
Featuring guest composer: José Luís Greco
 

The Dancers:

Featuring guest artist Carlos Fittante
       
With:
  Colleen Bialas Ellen O'Connell  
  Eduardo Cueto Christina Sanchez  
  David Eck Denise Woods  
 

The Musicians:

Featuring Stephanie Sivers, soprano
       
With:
  Norma LaTuchie, flute Hillary Shoap, viola  
  Hillary Schoap, viola Hilary Clark, cello  
  Eric Valinsky, piano  
 

Artistic Staff:

Carrie Diamond, Artistic Director
Eric Valinsky, Music Director
Carlos Fittante, Chirstina Sanchez, Artistic Associates
Patricia L. Frank, Lighting Designer
Ann Bruice, Costume Designer
 

Production Staff:

Gitte, Stage Manager
Clarice Hillebrand, Costume Construction
Giulia Miorelli, Costume Assistant
Claudia Orona, Wardrobe
Gabe Rives-Corbett & Tim Jenkins, Stagehands
 

The Program:

 
 
 
Rendezvous au jardin (World Premiere)

Choreography: Lizabeth Skalski
Music: Flute Quartet in A, K. 298 by W. A. Mozart
Costumes: Ann Bruice

Colleen Bialas, Ellen O'Connell, Denise Woods
Eduardo Cueto
 
  Rendezvous  
The company in Lizabeth Skalski's Rendezvous au jardin
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
The glories of the Rococo age are invoked in this witty ballet of manners, choregraphed for Ballet Santa Barbara by Lizabeth Skalski, Associate Director of the Main Street Ballet and former Associate Director of the New American Ballet Ensemble. The work is choregoraphed to selections from the flute quartets of Mozart, performed live, and features the costumes of Ann Bruice.

 
Interlude

Choreographed by Carlos Fittante and Carrie Diamond
Music: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn by Maurice Ravel
arranged by Eric Valinsky

Ellen O'Connell

Norma LaTuchie, flute
Nicole McKenzie, violin
Hillary Schoap, viola
Hilary Clark, cello
 
  Interlude  
Ellen O'Connell in Interlude
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
One of three short solos choreographed by our guest choreographers to different arrangements of Ravel's menuet

 
Ah, Love! Let Us Be True to One Another* (World Premiere)

Choreography: Brian Carey Chung
Music: Selected songs by Gabriel Fauré
Sung by: Stephanie Sivers with Eric Valinsky, piano
Costumes: Ann Bruice

Coleen Bialas, Christina Sanchez, Denise Woods
Eduardo Cueto, David Eck, Carlos Fittante

*the title is a line from Matthew Arnold's poem Dover Beach
 
  Ah Love!  
David Eck, Colleen Bialas, and Carlos Fittante in Chung's Ah Love!
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
Up-and-coming New York choreographer Brian Carey Chung has created a new work for Ballet Santa Barbara in a sensual contemporary balletic style never before seen from a local company. The work is choreographed to the songs of Gabriel Fauré to be sung live by Stephanie Sivers with accompaniment by Eric Valinsky.

 
Wayang Blues (West Coast Premiere)

Choreography: Carlos Fittante
Music: Songs sung by Etta James
Costumes: Ann Bruice
Set: Patricia L. Frank
Video Animation: David Bengali
Puppeteers: James Birch, Yuki Kawahisa, Carlos Fittante

The Cast

Mr. & Mrs.: Denise Woods and Carlos Fittante
The Young Couple: Ellen O'Connell and David Eck
The Bartender: Hylla Fischer
 
  Wayang Blues  
Denise Woods and Carlos Fittante in Fittante's Wayang Blues
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
Artistic Associate, Carlos Fittante has set his “Wayang Blues” on the Company, a compelling duet that truthfully and humorously portrays five decades of a marriage. Fittante skillfully combines dance-theater, Wayang puppetry and the music of Etta James.

 
Interlude

Choreographed by Lizabeth Skalski
Music: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn by Maurice Ravel
arranged by Eric Valinsky

Carlos Fittante

Norma LaTuchie, flute
Eric Valinsky, piano
 
  Interlude  
Carlos Fittante in Interlude
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
One of three short solos choreographed by our guest choreographers to different arrangements of Ravel's menuet

 
Eternity, Desire, and Other Predicaments (World Premiere)

Choreography: Carrie Diamond
Music: Dark Love by José Luis Greco
Costumes: Ann Bruice
Set Design: Ann Bruice
Danced by the Company

This ballet is made possible by a generous donation from Carol Skinner and family.
 
  Eternity  
Sanchez, Cueto, and Bialas in Diamond’s Eternity, Desire, and Other Predicaments
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
Loosely based on the classic 1987 Wim Wenders film, Wings of Desire, and featuring costumes by Ann Bruice, this piece is choreographed to the hauntingly beautiful music of José Luis Greco.

 
Postlude

Choreographed by Brian Carey Chung
Music: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn by Maurice Ravel
arranged by Eric Valinsky

Carlos Fittante

Hillary Schoap, viola
Eric Valinsky, piano
 
  Postlude  
Christina Sanchez in Postlude
Photo: ©2007 David Bazemore
 
One of three short solos choreographed by our guest choreographers to different arrangements of Ravel's menuet

 
  © 2006-2007 American Dance and Music, Inc.