Eglevsky Ballet Presents “Danses Nouveau”, An Evening Of Classical and Contemporary Dance As 2023-24 Season Opener

01 October '23 – Bethpage, NY • On November 7th, Eglevsky Ballet will present "Danses Nouveau", an evening of classical & contemporary dance at the Madison Theatre on the campus of Molloy University.  The program represents a new era for Eglevsky Ballet having the professional company in residence. New  neo-classical works and contemporary ballets by internationally renowned choreographer Amy Hall  Garner, Bradley Shelver (Artistic Director, Joffrey Concert Group), Gabrielle Lamb (Artistic Director,  Pigeonwing), and Maurice Brandon Curry, the Executive Artistic Director of Eglevsky Ballet will be paired  with works from the classical ballet canon. Tickets are $40 and $15 for students and are available at the  Madison Theatre box office and https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1181983 . 

"This is the best part of the new Eglevsky Ballet," says Curry. "For so long, our company has been known  just for its performances of "The Nutcracker" at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. However, we do  so much more than the one annual holiday performances at Tilles. This is a wonderful opportunity to  showcase the professional dancers we have for this season."  

The first piece on the program, "In Flights of Fancy", is choreographed by Maurice Brandon Curry, Executive  Artistic Director of the Eglevsky Ballet, to music by his friend, British composer Oliver Davis. "The piece  is a celebration of neo-classical movement with the energy driven by the music and the dancers. I am  excited by the way the dancers have embraced this piece." 

Amy Hall Garner's new work is entitled "Opulent Solace" to music performed by the Kora Jazz Trio. Ms.  Hall Garner's work has taken her all over the world. This year alone, Ms. Garner has a new work premiering  for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and New York City Ballet, which demonstrates the diversity of  her work. "Amy choreographed a ballet for our students five years ago and it was the hit of our Annual  Student Workshop Performance. It was the hit of the evening and plans were made for the next time we  would work together. Unfortunately, time was interrupted by the pandemic, but now in the midst of her  wildly successful career, she has made her way back, triumphantly to Eglevsky Ballet. We are excited for  audiences to see this work."  

The program will also feature "Upwelling", a ballet choreographed by Gabrielle Lamb, artistic director of  Pigeonwing Dance in New York CIty. Guest performances by The Joffrey Concert Group under the direction  of Bradley Shelver will complete this exciting program. 

Tickets are $40 and $15 for students and are available at the Madison Theatre box office and  https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1181983 .

Key Biographies for Performances 

Amy Hall Garner is an internationally known choreographer based in New York City creating works in  the ballet, modern, and theatrical genres. She is a native of Huntsville, Alabama, and a graduate of The  Juilliard School. Her work has been commissioned by New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance  Theater, Miami City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BalletX, Ailey II,  ABT Studio Company, Collage Dance Collective, Works & Process at the Guggenheim Museum, and The  Juilliard School, among others. She created a new children's ballet titled Rita Finds Home for The Joffrey  Ballet and reimagined Baltimore School for the Arts' new production of The Nutcracker. Garner is the  resident choreographer at Carolina Ballet. She coached Grammy Award winner Beyoncé, providing  additional choreography for The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. Her theatrical choreography credits include  The Color Purple (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Choir Boy (Yale Repertory Theatre), and Dreamgirls  (Paramount Theatre). Awards and fellowships include participating in Ailey's New Directions Choreography  Lab supported by the Ford Foundation, receiving the Joffrey Ballet's Winning Works Award, a Virginia B.  Toulmin Fellowship through the Center for Ballet and the Arts–National Sawdust Partnership, and a Hearst  Choreographer in Residence at Princeton University. Garner is an adjunct professor at New York  University's New School on Broadway at Tisch School of the Arts. 

Gabrielle Lamb is a Princess Grace Award-winning choreographer based in NYC, where she directs  Pigeonwing Dance. Her work has also been presented by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet, Whim W'him  (Seattle), Ballet Collective (NYC), Ballet Austin, Ballet Memphis, and the Sacramento, Milwaukee, and  Kansas City Ballets. 

Ms. Lamb, a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, has won choreographic competitions at Hubbard Street Dance  Chicago and Milwaukee Ballet, as well as the Banff Centre's Lee Award and a NY City Center Choreography  Fellowship. In 2018 she was Grand Prize Winner of the S&R Foundation's Washington Award. In 2018 and  2019 she was selected to create for the American Ballet Theatre Choreographic Incubator. 

A native of Savannah, GA, she trained at the Boston Ballet School and was a longtime soloist at Les Grands  Ballets Canadiens. In 2009 she was invited by Christopher Wheeldon to join his company Morphoses in  NYC. Her performing repertoire also included new creations by Mauro Bigonzetti, Pontus Lidberg, and Shen  Wei, as well as leading roles in works by Ohad Naharin, George Balanchine, and Nacho Duato. She was  described by DANCE Magazine as "a dancer of stunning clarity who illuminates the smallest details– qualities she brings to the dances she makes, too".  

Bradley Shelver is a Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer and Author. He has danced with Ailey 2, Elisa  Monte Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, The Francesca Harper Project, Limón  Dance Company, Phoenix Dance Theater (UK) and in projects with Bill T. Jones /Arnie Zane, Lar Lubovich  Dance, The Universal Ballet, Radio City Music Hall and in productions with the Mark Morris Dance Group  and is in his 14th season with The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He has created works for; Graham 2, Big  Muddy Dance, Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, Ailey 2, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Austin, Lustig Dance Theater,  Compania Rio Danca, Cape Dance Company, Cedar Lake 2, Dance Lab New York, as well as creating works  for the Royal Danish, Central Ballet School, Royal Swedish Ballet Schools, Joffrey Ballet School, The Ailey  School, Boston Conservatory and Long Island University. From 2013-2016, he was the Artistic Director of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble. He is currently the Artistic Director of The Joffrey Concert Group in NYC .  He is on faculty for many prestigious dance conservatories worldwide including The Ailey School, Joffrey  Ballet School, STEPS on Broadway to name a few. He is an Adjunct Ballet Professor at Montclair State  University and has taught the companies of Matthew Bourne's, "Adventures in Motion Pictures", The Lion  King on Broadway, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Elisa Monte Dance (Emerge 125). As an  author, his book, "Performance Through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton", is available worldwide. 

ABOUT THE COMPANY 

Over 60 years ago, legendary dancer André Eglevsky envisioned a classical ballet school and company on  Long Island that would equal, if not, rival, the artistic endeavors offered in New York City. Today, Eglevsky  Ballet is growing and expanding its artistic profile. Currently led by Maurice Brandon Curry, the seventh  Artistic Director in the company's history, Eglevsky Ballet is the only professional ballet company on Long  Island. The academy is the preeminent center for dance education on Long Island. 

Eglevsky Ballet continues its annual tradition of "The Nutcracker," the largest production on Long Island.  The repertory has expanded to include a new full-length "Cinderella" as well as new works by emerging  and established choreographers. The company also boasts a full-time professional training program at  their studios located in Bethpage. Young dancers from Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as Queens and  Brooklyn travel to the 10,000 square feet state-of-the-art facility to participate in a pre-professional  training program or avocational classes based upon their ability. The faculty is led by Mr. Curry and  includes former members of New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Bolshoi Ballet, Frankfurt  Ballet, and artists who have achieved acclaim not only as performers, but educators.

Photo credits: Chazz McBride Photography

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