Aspen Ballet director Jean-Philippe Malaty to offer master class to Durango ballet students

The renowned dance company representing the next generation of American contemporary ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB), will bring its fresh, fluid athleticism to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

In addition, Jean-Philippe Malaty, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet executive director, will lead a ballet master class open to intermediate and advanced ballet students ages 12 and older on Monday, Mar. 19, 6:30-8 p.m.

With its sophisticated repertoire and broad appeal, combined with a successful blend of entertaining and engrossing contemporary dance, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet is one of the great success stories in American dance today. ASFB is said to veritably explode on stage with collective energy and passionate enthusiasm infused with warmth, humor and athletic abandon.

For Durango, the company will perform the ASFB-commissioned workOVER GLOW, choreographed by Jorma Elo and premiered in 2011;Stamping Ground, choreographed by Jirí Kylián and premiered in 1983; and the ASFB-commissioned work Where We Left Off, choreographed by Nicolo Fonte and premiered in 2011.

In 1996, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s founder Bebe Schweppe was considered visionary for inviting Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty to create a ballet company that Aspen could call its own. Initially the company was known as Aspen Ballet Company, but a partnership in 2000 led to the creation of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. The company has called both Aspen and Santa Fe “home” ever since. Tapping into the vast artistic offerings in each of these communities, ASFB has strengthened the cultural fabric of both with its abundant and diverse dance offerings.

[Please note: complete biographies supplied by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet of all directors, dancers and choreographers follow this press release.]

As its own company tours the globe, ASFB presents many of the world’s leading dance companies at home in Aspen and Santa Fe throughout the year. The organization’s umbrella extends equally to education with a thriving dance school and an award-winning Mexican folk dance outreach program. The School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and the Ballet Folklórico serve more than 800 children in Colorado and New Mexico. In 2010, The Joyce Theater Foundation in New York City honored Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty for pioneering this innovative model for American dance.

“WOW is the word for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet,” wrote the Maui News. “Olympian athleticism, Nobel-Laureate inventiveness, this is a company that lives up to their reputation as one of the most promising and talented up-and-coming dance ensembles in America.”

A non-profit organization, ASFB’s mission is to cultivate and enhance an understanding and appreciation of dance by maintaining the highest standards of artistic excellence in performance, education and outreach.

Tickets for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, ($35/$45) are available on-line atwww.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or at the Ticket Office in Downtown Durango at 7th St. and Main Ave. All sales final.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6:30 p.m.
Pre-register for the Jean-Philippe Malaty ballet master class, to be held on the Concert Hall stage Monday, Mar. 19, 6:30-8 p.m., via email to Judy Austin, [email protected]. Cost is $15 and space is limited.

The Community Concert Hall is a not-for-profit, multi-use performance venue located on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Its ability to bring a diverse spectrum of shows to Southwest Colorado is made possible through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, and through financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.