The Nutcracker – December 17 & 18!

The Ballet Guild presents the 43rd annual production of The Nutcracker on Saturday, December 17, 2:00pm & Sunday, December 18, 2:00pm. Our wonderful guest artists from New York City Ballet, Jennie Somogyi and Ask la Cour, as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, will be available for photographs at the Nutcracker Tea & Cocktail Party following the Saturday performance. Other guest artists include Lucius Kirst from the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company and Claire Davison from the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School of ABT.  The performances are held at Baker Hall, Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University. Tickets are $27-$35, and can be purchased by clicking the link below or calling (610) 758-2787. Join us for this beloved holiday classic!

Click for ticket information – Zoellner Arts Center

Nutcracker Tea Party – Get Tickets Now!

The Nutcracker Tea Party & Cocktail Party will be held on Saturday, December 17th, immediately following the 2:00pm performance of The Nutcracker at Zoellner Arts Center! Jennie Somogyi (seen in this photo) and Ask la Cour, guest artists with the New York City Ballet, will be appearing in costume as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier, and will be available for photos with cast members and guests! Many other cast members will be appearing for photos as well. Ms. Somogyi will be autographing 3 pairs of pointe shoes for the raffle, and there will be beautiful baskets, tickets, overnight vacation opportunities raffled to lucky winners, together with party food, drink, and live holiday music! Tickets are available for $15/person through Zoellner’s website or at the Ballet Guild office. Join us for this wonderful holiday event!

Click for ticket information – Zoellner Arts Center

Fabulous Master Class with Juan Carlos Penuela!

The Ballet Guild hosted a fabulous master class this past Sunday, lead by Juan Carlos Penuela of Ballet Hispanico and Alvin Ailey dance companies! Ballet Guild students as well as other Lehigh Valley dancers participated in the two hour class, followed by a 1/2 hour question and answer session. Mr. Penuela is currently the official ballet master of the annual International Ballet Festival of Colombia in South America and with Ballet Hispanico Company and School. Look for photographs of the class in the gallery section of our website, and be sure to join us for future master classes scheduled in 2012!

Sign Up Now – Penuela Master Class This Sunday!

There is still time to sign up for this Master Class on Sunday, November 6, 12:00-2:00pm with a 1/2 hour question and answer session immediately following! Juan Carlos Penuela has danced with the Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pennsylvania Ballet, Maximum Dance Ballet Gamon, Alvin Ailey, and is currently the official ballet master of the annual International Ballet Festival of Colombia in South America and with Ballet Hispanico Company and School. The master class is for upper intermediate/advanced ballet students with at least 4 years of training. Limited space available – reserve now.

$35 – Non BGLV students, $30 – Registered BGLV students, $5 – Observers

Click here for Juan Carlos Penuela Master Class Registration Form

Rehearsal Update for Saturday 10/29!

Due to the weather, the Nutcracker rehearsals for Saturday, October 29, 2011 have been changed as follows:

12:30-1:30pm Angels – rehearsal WILL be held

1:30-2:30pm Polichinelles – rehearsal WILL be held

2:30-4:30 Party Scene – REHEARSAL CANCELLED

4:30-5:30 Battle Scene – REHEARSAL CANCELLED

Ballet Guild Dancers in Hub Willson’s Photo Exhibition!

“Sky Dancers” is an exhibition of photographs by Hub Willson depicting the movement of student dancers from professional dance companies in the Lehigh Valley, including several dancers from the Ballet Guild. Hub has been photographing the arts in the Lehigh Valley for 40 years, and has worked with the Ballet Guild for 25 years, documenting all of our major productions. The gallery show is at the Baum School of Art from October 26-November 18th. Come out and see these stunning photographs and our beautiful dancers!

New Logo for Ballet Guild Nutcracker!

The Ballet Guild has a new logo for The Nutcracker 2011, designed by our very own instructor, Elisabeth Holowchuk! Not only is Elisabeth a soloist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, she owns her own company, “Stylish Ink”, and draws all of the custom designs for her products. Look for the Bethlehem Moravian Star on the Nutcracker’s hat, and the hidden mouse at his feet. Our new logo can be found on the posters advertising The Nutcracker 2011, as well as t-shirts for all cast members. Any non-cast members interested in ordering their own Nutcracker t-shirt may contact the Ballet Guild.

Elisabeth Holowchuk, Soloist with Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Begins Teaching at Ballet Guild!

The Ballet Guild is excited to announce that Elisabeth Holowchuk, soloist with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, will begin teaching weekly at the Ballet Guild in November 2011. Ms. Holowchuk has danced in several BGLV productions, including The Nutcracker (Snow Queen & Sugar Plum Fairy) in 2008 and The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Ballerina) in 2010. She was trained at the School of American Ballet, has been a member of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet since 2001, and was promoted to the rank of Soloist in 2008. She also owns the design company Stylish Ink, and recently created the Ballet Guild’s 2011 Nutcracker logo! We are pleased to welcome her to the Ballet Guild!

Announcing Nutcracker 2011 Guest Artists!

The Ballet Guild is proud to announce that the guest artists for the 2011 Nutcracker public performances will be Jennie Somogyi, principal dancer with New York City Ballet (seen in this photo as the Sugar Plum Fairy at NYCB), and Ask la Cour, soloist with New York City Ballet, dancing the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier! Charles Askegard, principal dancer with New York City Ballet, will dance the role of Cavalier at the school performances. Returning to our production this year will be Lucius Kirst, courtesy of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of the American Ballet Theatre, together with his partner, Michaela DePrince, also of the JKO School of ABT. Joining them, and new to our production, will be Jesse Sani of Ballet X, a Nazareth native and graduate of the Lehigh Valley Performing Arts School. Our guest artists will join a cast of nearly 75 Ballet Guild dancers for a truly spectacular performance! Click for ticket information – Zoellner Arts Center.

Welcome to Our New Website!

The Ballet Guild is proud to unveil its new website! Some of the new features which we hope will aid our existing students as well as prospective students are the ability to view class information and pay online, “student information” access for rehearsals and updates which is password protected for the students, photo and video galleries of Ballet Guild performances and classes, and daily “blogs” to update everyone on the most recent events at the Ballet Guild. Take a few minutes to navigate the website, find your photos in the galleries, and learn more about Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley!