Stars of the New York City Ballet gear up for performance March 31

Top dancers from The New York City Ballet and dance scholarship students from the University of South Carolina will perform works by George Balanchine, Columbia native Ulysses Dove and Alexi Ratmansky, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet.

"Ballet Stars of New York" will begin at 7 p.m. March 31 in the Koger Center for the Arts. The School of Music's Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Donald Portnoy, will provide accompaniment.

Joining the symphony will be guest artists Mary Rowell, who will play the electric violin, and pianist Cameron Grant.

The ballets to be danced are "Red Angels" by Dove, "Allegro Brillant" and "Serenade" by Balanchine, "Middle Duet" by Ratmansky, and "After the Rain" by Estonian choreographer Arvo Part.

Dove's "Red Angels," an abstract ballet noted for its intense color, sound and movement, is choreographed to "Maxwell's Demon," written by contemporary composer Richard Einhorn and dedicated to Rowell.

Grant will be the featured artist in "Allegro Brillant," which premiered in 1956. "Serenade" is the first original ballet Balanchine created in the United States, with music by Tschaikovsky.

"After the Rain" will feature dancer NYCB principal Wendy Whelan, who was part of the New York City Ballet's original cast of the ballet, which premiered in 2005. The avant garde work is noted for its intricate lifts and turns and a pas de deux.

Ratmansky's "Middle Duet," which he created for the Kirov Ballet, is his second work to be included in the New York City Ballet's repertory.

In addition to Whelan, the University of South Carolina performance will feature NYCB principals Albert Evans, Maria Kowroski, Craig Hall and Ashley Bouder. The "Ballet Stars of New York" also will include performances by dance scholarship students Susan Dabney, Sarah Coats, Lindsay Shatzer, Carolyn Bolton, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, Caroline Privette and Ben Hankinson, as well as 20 other students in the University's dance program.

The March 31 performance marks the second consecutive year that dancers from the NYCB have performed to benefit USC's Dance Program, which began offering bachelor's degrees in dance in fall 2005. Last year, the stars performed to a sold-out audience.

Tickets for the March 31 concert are $15 for students and $25 for adults. They can be purchased at the Carolina Coliseum box office or via phone at 251-2222. Proceeds from the performance will go toward student scholarships in dance performance and dance education.

In addition to the performance, supporters of dance are invited to a seated dinner gala co-chaired by Sherri Greenberg and Victoria Hollins and featuring the NYCB stars. The dinner is planned immediately after the performance at the Koger Center. The Eddie Helms Orchestra, featuring vocalist Mason Wells, will provide entertainment. Tickets are $300 per person.

For tickets to the dinner and for more information about "Ballet Stars of New York" or the USC dance program, contact Susan Anderson at 7-7264 or SusanEA@gwm.sc.edu. Go to the dance program's Web site at www.cas.sc.edu/dance/ for additional information about the program and upcoming concerts.

Anderson, director of the University's dance program, credits associate director of dance Stacey Calvert and her ties to the New York City Ballet with bringing the dancers and symphony guest artists to Columbia. Calvert, a Columbia native, studied at the School of American Ballet in New York before joining the NYCB and performing as a soloist.

Anderson said 40 students are enrolled as dance majors this year, the second year for the academic program, and she credits the strong pool of dance majors, in part, to last year's "Ballet Stars of New York" benefit performance.

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