Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre

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Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
BRAVO
 FALL 2018 DANCE SEASON

Bill T. Jones/
Arnie Zane
Company
OCTOBER 27, 2018

BALLETMET
The Nutcracker
NOVEMBER 24-25, 2018

Too Hot to Handel
DECEMBER 1, 2018          The 2018–2019 Dance Season is made
                            possible by the Lear Corporation
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
ENGAGED
        IN THE ARTS.

COMMITTED
        TO CULTURE.

IMPACTING
  OUR COMMUNITY.
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
  proudly supports the Michigan Opera Theatre
   as part of our mission to assist organizations
 creating a lasting, positive impact on our region.

 CFSEM.org                    313-961-6675
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
Contents                                                                                       Fall 2018

       bravo
                                                                                                                                        Dance Season

                                             ON STAGE
         The Official Magazine
      of Michigan Opera Theatre
                                             FEATURE STORY: ‘Tis the Season for Holiday Performances.......... 6
                                             Profiles from the Pit: All About that Bass................................................ 7
  Erica Hobbs, Editor                        Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company............................................................. 8
  Jocelyn Aptowitz, Contributor
                                             BalletMet’s The Nutcracker.........................................................................14
  Publisher:                                 Too Hot To Handel..........................................................................................20
  Echo Publications, Inc.
  Royal Oak, Michigan
  www.echopublications.com                   MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE
  Tom Putters, President
                                             Boards of Directors and Trustees............................................................... 4
  Physicians’ services provided by           Welcome.............................................................................................................. 5
  Henry Ford Medical Center.                 MOTCC: A Winter Fantasy...........................................................................19
  Steinway is the official piano of the      Administration and Staff..............................................................................24
  Detroit Opera House and Michigan           Michigan Opera Theatre Contributors...................................................25
  Opera Theatre. Steinway pianos are
  provided by Steinway Piano Gallery
                                             General Information......................................................................................29
  of Detroit, exclusive representative
  for Steinway and Sons in Michigan.

  Comet Interactive is the official
  media production company of the
  Detroit Opera House.

  Michigan Opera Theatre is a nonprofit
  cultural organization, whose activities
  are supported in part by the Michigan
  Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs,
  the National Endowment for the Arts,
  and other individuals, corporations, and
  foundations. Michigan Opera Theatre is
  an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Michigan Opera Theatre                                   www.MichiganOpera.org                                                       BRAVO • Fall 2018            3
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2018-2019
                                                          July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

R. Jamison Williams          Margaret Allesee               Marianne Endicott            Nora Moroun                 DIRECTORS EMERITUS
   Chairman                  Pernilla Ammann                Paul E. Ewing                Peter Oleksiak              Shelly Cooper
                             Lee Barthel                    Jennifer Fischer             Charlotte Podowski          Marjorie M. Fisher
Wayne S. Brown               Richard A. Brodie              Barbara Frankel              Sara Pozzi                  Jennifer Nasser
 President and CEO           Elizabeth Brooks               Herman Frankel               Paul Ragheb                 Audrey Rose
                             Robert Brown                   Dean Friedman                Ruth Rattner                William Sandy
Enrico Digirolamo
  Chair, Finance             James Ciroli                   Richard G. Goetz             Bernard Rubin               Richard Webb
  Committee                  Françoise Colpron              John P. Hale                 Ankur Rungta
                             Joanne Danto                   Devon Hoover                 Terry Shea
Cameron B. Duncan            Julia Donovan Darlow           Danialle Karmanos            Matthew Simoncini
  Treasurer                  Ethan Davidson                 Barbara Kratchman            Richard Sonenklar
                             Kevin Dennis                   Thomas M. Krikorian          Lorna Thomas
C. Thomas Toppin             Shauna Ryder Diggs             Alphonse S. Lucarelli        Jesse Venegas
   Secretary                 Sonal Dubey                    Donald Manvel                Ellen Hill Zeringue
                             Michael Einheuser              Ali Moiin

                                     BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2018-2019
                                                          July 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

Kenn and Liz Allen           Douglass Diggs and             George Johnson               Daniel and Margaret         Christopher and Susan
Robert and Margaret           Shauna Ryder Diggs            Jill Johnson                  Pehrson                     Wilhelm
 Allesee                     Enrico and Kathleen            Ellen Kahn                   Brock and Katherine         R. Jamison and Karen
Sarah Allison                 Digirolamo                    Peter and Danialle            Plumb                       Williams
Daniel and Pernilla          John and Debbie Dingell          Karmanos                   Charles and Charlotte       Joan Young and Thomas
 Ammann                      Mary Jane Doerr                Stephanie Germack Kerzic      Podowski                    L. Schellenberg
Lourdes V. Andaya            Dilip and Sonal Dubey          Michael and Barbara          Sara Pozzi                  Mary Lou Zieve
Harold Mitchell Arrington    Cameron B. Duncan                Kratchman                  Waltraud Prechter           Ellen Hill Zeringue
Beverly Avadenka             Michael Einheuser              Thomas and Deborah           Paul and Amy Ragheb
Lee and Floy Barthel         Kenneth and Frances              Krikorian                  John and Terry Rakolta      TRUSTEES EMERITI
Mark and Caprice Baun         Eisenberg                     Melvin A. Lester             Ruth F. Rattner             Marcia Applebaum
Ginny Berberian              Marianne Endicott              Linda Dresner Levy and       Roy and Maureen Roberts     Agustin Arbulu
Debra Bernstein-Siegel       Alex Erdeljan                    Edward Levy                Patricia H. Rodzik          Marvin A. Frenkel
Joseph and Barbra Bloch      Fern R. Espino and              Mado Lie                    David and Jacqueline        Preston and Mary Happel
John and Marlene Boll         Thomas Short                  Arthur and Nancy Liebler      Roessler                   E. Jan and Pat Hartmann
Gene P. Bowen                Paul and Mary Sue Ewing        Stephan and Marian           Audrey Rose                 Robert and Wally Klein
Richard and Gwen Bowlby      Margo Cohen Feinberg             Loginsky                   Dulcie Rosenfeld            William and Marjorie
Betty J. Bright               and Robert Feinberg           Mary Alice Lomason           Carolyn L. Ross              Sandy
Richard and Joanne           Oscar and Dede Feldman         James and Marion LoPrete     Bernard and Donna Rubin     Roberta Starkweather
 Brodie                      David and Jennifer Fischer     Alphonse S. Lucarelli        Anthony and Sabrina         Paul and Janet Victor
Elizabeth Brooks             Marjorie M. Fisher             Denise Lutz                   Rugiero                    Amelia H. Wilhelm
Robert and Geraldine Ford    Carl and Mary Ann              Donald Manvel                Ankur Rungta and
 Brown                        Fontana                       Florine Mark                  Mayssoun Bydon             FOUNDING MEMBERS
Wayne S. Brown and           Elaine Fontana                 Ronald and Zvezdana          Hershel and Dorothy         Mr.† & Mrs.† Lynn A.
 Brenda Kee                  Barbara Frankel and Ron          Martella                    Sandberg                    Townsend, Founding
Charles D. Bullock            Michalak                      Jack Martin and Bettye       Donald and Kim Schmidt       Chairman
Thomas and Vicki Celani      Herman and Sharon                Arrington-Martin           Alan Schwartz               Mr. & Mrs.† Avern L. Cohn
Michael and Mary Chirco       Frankel                       Florence McBrien             Mark and Lois Shaevsky      Dr. & Mrs. John H. DeCarlo
James and Elizabeth Ciroli   Dean and Aviva Friedman        Benjamin Meeker and          Arlene Shaler               Dr. † & Mrs. David DiChiera
Gloria Clark                 Barbara Garavaglia               Meredith Korneffel         Terry Shea                  Mr.† & Mrs.† Aaron H.
Avern and Lois Cohn          Yousif and Mara Ghafari        Eugene and Lois Miller       Matthew and Mona             Gershenson
Thomas Cohn                  Richard and Aurora Goetz       Phillip D. and Dawn Minch     Simoncini                  Mr. & Mrs. Donald C.
Françoise Colpron            Carolyn Gordon                 Monica Moffat                Sheila Sloan                 Graves
William and Kelly Connell    Reva Grace                     Ali Moiin and William        William H. Smith            Mr.† & Mrs.† John C. Griffin
Peter and Shelly Cooper      Samuel and Toby                  Kupsky                     Phyllis F. Snow             Mr. & Mrs. Harry L. Jones
Joanne Danto and Arnold       Haberman                      Donald and Antoinette        Anthony L. Soave            The Hon.†& Mrs.†Wade H.
 Weingarden                  Alice Berberian Haidostian       Morelock                   Richard A. Sonenklar and     McCree, Jr.
Helen Daoud                  John and Kristan Hale          Manuel and Nora Moroun        Gregory Haynes             Mr. Harry J. Nederlander
Julia D. Darlow and John     Eugene and Donna               E. Michael and Dolores       Mary Anne Stella            Mr. E. Harwood Rydholm†
 C. O’Meara                   Hartwig                         Mutchler                   Ronald F. Switzer and Jim   Mr. & Mrs. Neil Snow
Jerry and Maureen            Doreen Hermelin                Allan and Joy Nachman         F. McClure                 Mr. & Mrs. Richard
 D’Avanzo                    Derek and Karen Hodgson        Irving Barbara Nusbaum       Lorna Thomas                 Strichartz
Lawrence and Dodie           Devon Hoover                   Juliette Okotie-Eboh         C. Thomas and Bernie        Mr.† & Mrs.† Robert C.
 David                       Alan and Eleanor Israel        Peter Oleksiak                Toppin                      VanderKloot
Ethan and Gretchen           Una Jackman                    Linda Orlans                 James G. Vella              Dr.† & Mrs.† Sam B. Williams
 Davidson                    Don Jensen and Leo             Graham and Sally Orley       Jesse and Yesenia           Mr.† & Mrs.† Theodore O.
Kevin Dennis and Jeremy       Dovelle                       Richard and Debra             Venegas                     Yntema
 Zeltzer                     Kent and Amy Jidov               Partrich                   Marilyn Victor
Karen V. DiChiera            Gary and Gwenn Johnson         Spencer and Myrna            Inge Vincent
                                                              Partrich

  4   BRAVO • Fall 2018                                      www.MichiganOpera.org              † Deceased           Michigan Opera Theatre
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
WELCOME

T                                                                    M
         his season marks our first without our beloved                        ichigan Opera Theatre has been presenting
         founder David DiChiera, whose passing in September                    some of the world’s best dance companies
         marked the end of a distinguished and notable era for                 for decades. And, like opera, we strive to offer
Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT). Among his many visionary               a balance between exciting new works and beloved
acts, he determined in the mid-1990s that the newly-                 classics. This fall, we are excited to present two
formed Detroit Opera House would also serve as a venue               productions that do just that: The Bill T. Jones/Arnie
                        for dance. Since that time, numerous                                  Zane Company and BalletMet’s
                        dance presentations have taken                                        The Nutcracker.
                        place in Detroit under the auspices of                                     While founded in the early
                        MOT, making it one of the few opera                                   1980s, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie
                        companies in the nation to also offer a                               Zane Company makes its Detroit
                        dance program.                                                        Opera House debut in October.
                             For more than 25 years, the                                      The company, known for pushing
                        MOT dance program has grown                                           boundaries, will present A Letter
                        dramatically, including presentations                                 to My Nephew, a powerful,
                        by companies such as American                                         multimedia performance about
                        Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American                                  Jones’ nephew Lance T. Briggs,
Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, Joffrey Ballet, Dance               who struggled with illness and addiction.
Theatre of Harlem and numerous others. For the past three                On a personal level, I have known Bill since 1992
years, our organization has partnered with the University            when I hired him to make his stage directing debut
Musical Society (UMS) with an expressed goal of working              with Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars at Boston Lyric
collaboratively to present exceptional dance performances            Opera. He is a charismatic and born leader who
in Southeast Michigan, including the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane        champions diversity of all sorts, be it by race, age or
Company this fall and the Martha Graham Dance Company,               body type.
closing our dance series in April.                                       Later in the fall, Metro Detroit favorite BalletMet
    For our dance-lovers who are single ticket holders, we           returns for a traditional production of Tchaikovsky’s
invite you to join us for the rest of our dance series with a        The Nutcracker Thanksgiving weekend. Accompanied
subscription. As a special offer, you may return tonight’s           by live reindeer, treats and crafts, as well as the
ticket to have its value applied toward a subscription for the       Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, the performance is
remaining dance season. Please visit the box office or give          a great way to open the holiday season.
us a call at (313) 237-7464.                                             The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is the first of
    I am pleased to acknowledge the generosity of the                our dance series celebrating modern dance through
following for their support of our dance program:                    generations of the movement. It continues in March
    • Lear Corporation, 2018-19 Dance Season Sponsor                 with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, celebrating
    • Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan,                  its 60th anniversary with a program that continues to
       principal supporter of the MOT/UMS Dance Initiative           inspire and empower. The dance series concludes in
       for Southeast Michigan                                        April with one of the earliest and most iconic modern
    • Joanne, Marvin and Betty Danto Family Foundation,             dance companies in the country: the Martha Graham
       annual supporter of MOT dance series                          Dance Company.
    As we approach the holiday season, we look forward                   Last but not least, we are excited to present a
to three annual traditions for you to consider. Beginning            special program this February featuring ballet legend
Thanksgiving weekend, MOT will present Tchaikovsky’s                 Alessandra Ferri, ranked supremely as one of the few
The Nutcracker, performed by a popular audience favorite,            “prima ballerina assolutas” in the world. With The
BalletMet. December marks our 17th annual performance                Art of the Pas de Deux, she joins present and former
of Too Hot to Handel, a beloved jazz gospel version of               American Ballet Theatre principals, including Herman
Handel’s Messiah. Under the baton of Suzanne Mallare                 Cornejo and Jeffrey Cirio, for an evening of romantic
Acton, the work is performed by Rackham Choir and                    duets, just after Valentine’s Day!
members of the MOT Orchestra, joined by jazz artists from                As you enjoy your performance, we invite you to
the metro Detroit area. In addition, we will also present            join us for other productions in the season as we bring
A Winter Fantasy, featuring our Michigan Opera Theatre               you some of the greatest dancers in the world!
Children’s Chorus singing holiday music.
    Finally, as we mourn the passing of David DiChiera, join
us as we celebrate his spirit through the performances that
will take place here at the David DiChiera Center for the            Stephen Lord
Performing Arts.                                                     Principal Conductor, Michigan Opera Theatre

Best wishes,

Wayne S. Brown
President and CEO, Michigan Opera Theatre

Michigan Opera Theatre                                www.MichiganOpera.org                               BRAVO • Fall 2018       5
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
FEATURE STORY                                                               BY JOCELYN APTOWITZ AND ERICA HOBBS

‘Tis the Season for
Holiday Performances
C
           hestnuts roasting on an                                                                Dec. 9, at Detroit’s Most
           open fire, turkey with all                                                             Holy Redeemer Church
           the fixings and wishing for                                                            Dec. 15 and at the
           a white Christmas: every                                                               Macomb Center for the
family has its holiday traditions. At                                                             Performing Arts Dec. 22.
Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT),                                                                     The performances are
holiday traditions span both dance                                                                part of MOT’s
and opera, with The Nutcracker, Too                                                               commitment to making
Hot to Handel and A Winter Fantasy.                                                               opera more accessible
This year, MOT will add to its holiday                                                            throughout the region.
roster a production of Amahl and                                                                     The opera tells the
the Night Visitors, an inspiring opera                                                            story of a miraculous
offering a different perspective on the                                                           encounter between
Nativity story that will be performed                                                             Amahl, a poor boy with a
in select locations throughout Metro                                                              lame leg, and the Three
Detroit.                                                                                          Kings, on their journey to
    MOT’s holiday season opens                                                                    bestow gifts to the newly-
Thanksgiving weekend with                  a jazz gospel rendition of Handel’s                    born Christ child.
BalletMet’s The Nutcracker for three       Messiah. A uniquely Detroit tradition,        “Amahl and the Night Visitors is a
performances Nov. 24-25. The ballet        the concert features Rackham Choir       beautiful and ideal opera for children,
follows Clara, a young girl who dances     and members of the MOT Orchestra         because the entire work is seen
through a fantasy land of sweets and       performing with renowned soloists        through the eyes of a child,” said MOT
fairies with her nutcracker prince.        Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke and         Director of External Affairs, Arthur
With its familiar music and fairytale      Karen Marie Richardson alongside         White. “All the beauty, magic and
setting, The Nutcracker is the most        all-star Detroit jazz legends Marion     wonder are revealed in this story of
performed ballet in the United States      Hayden, Alvin Waddles, and Dave          faith and love.”
and has been an annual MOT tradition       Taylor.                                       The work was originally
since 2002.                                    “Too Hot to Handel brings together   commissioned as a way to bring opera
    The traditional production features    Detroit’s greatest classical and jazz    to mass audiences. Specifically, the
colorful Victorian costumes, dazzling      musicians and powerhouse singers         first production of the opera was
sets, more than 122 characters on          to inspire new audiences every year,”    aired on television by NBC on Dec.
stage and Tchaikovsky’s classic score      said Rackham Choir Artistic Director     24, 1951 and viewed by an estimated
performed live by the MOT Orchestra.       Suzanne Mallare Acton. “It’s truly a     five million people—the largest
The event will also feature the return     community celebration, and it remains    audience to ever see a televised
of a series of complementary family        one of the most uplifting holiday        opera. The production was an instant
activities, including live reindeer,       events in Detroit.”                      hit, and became an annual tradition
photos with Santa and the Nutcracker,          Acton also leads another MOT         performed by the NBC Opera
holiday-themed crafts and treats           tradition: A Winter Fantasy, performed   Theatre from 1951 until 1966. This
before the show. Children will also        Dec. 2 by the Michigan Opera Theatre     new production of Menotti’s popular
be able to meet the characters on          Children’s Chorus. Founded in 2007,      family offering brings the tradition
stage during the Sugar Plum Parade         the MOTCC, with children ranging         of holiday operas back to Detroit
following the performance.                 from 8-16 years old, performs opera as   audiences.
    “The Nutcracker weekend at the         well as music from different cultures         Music, performance and art have
Detroit Opera House is a magical           and traditions. A Winter Fantasy will    always been part of holiday traditions,
time of year at MOT,” said Dance           feature holiday music as well as a       an expression of the joy, forgiveness
Coordinator Kim Smith. “With the           silent auction, showcasing some of       and love felt throughout the season.
theater decorated in Christmas trees       the region’s best young talent.          It is a time to enjoy favorite annual
and lights, in addition to family-             Though the Detroit Opera House       experiences while also embracing
friendly performances and activities, it   is the traditional venue for MOT’s       new ones. With a program spanning
is the perfect way to begin the holiday    holiday series, it isn’t the only        dance, opera, jazz, gospel and more,
season.”                                   place where the company will be          MOT’s holiday series offers a variety
    MOT’s holiday series continues         performing. MOT will present             of experiences, both old and new, to
Dec. 1 with the 17th annual                Amahl and the Night Visitors at          celebrate the season.
performance of Too Hot to Handel,          the Grosse Pointe War Memorial

6   BRAVO • Fall 2018                               www.MichiganOpera.org                               Michigan Opera Theatre
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
PROFILES FROM THE PIT:
ALL ABOUT THAT BASS

Clark Suttle             B    eing of French heritage, it is fitting
                              that Clark Suttle’s bass is named
                         “Marie Antoinette.” It is even more
                                                                       began his career as a conductor. He
                                                                       was associate conductor of Phoenix
                                                                       Symphony and Music Director and
                         so since the instrument was made in           Conductor for Monterey Symphony for
                         France in 1865 and had its head cut off.      13 years and was recently conductor
                         Though the bass was refurbished in            for Rochester Symphony in Michigan.
                         1970, Clark jokes he has planned to sell      He also held directing and conducting
                         it on and off for the past few decades        positions at the University of Michigan,
                         when it gets temperamental.                   Richmond Symphony, Buffalo
                             “But right before I go to sell it, it     Philharmonic and Phoenix Ballet.
                         starts playing beautifully again,” he said.       “The path of a musician is often a
                         “I’ve played it so long, it is seasoned to    varied one, and we do many things
                         me.”                                          in our careers,” he said. “I returned to
                             The bass was a gift from his parents      Michigan for family reasons and was
                         when he was 16 years old, a few               asked to be a substitute bass for MOT
                         years after he had begun playing the          in 2000. I took the audition in 2001, and
                         instrument and at the onset of a path as      the rest is history.”
                         a professional musician. Originally from          In addition to performing, Clark also
                         Livonia, Clark continued his studies in       works as a music editor for Luck’s Music
                         Michigan, earning both a bachelor’s and       Library in Madison Heights, where he
                         master’s degree in music within the           prepares all new editions for Luck’s and
                         scope of five years at the University of      Tempo press. Outside of music Clark
                         Michigan.                                     enjoys tall ships, model building, history,
                             Though he is a bassist, Clark             road biking and composing music.

Derek Weller             M     ichigan Opera Theatre bassist
                               Derek Weller has been playing
                         with the MOT Orchestra for 32 years,
                                                                       for Derek. He frequently performs with
                                                                       the Detroit Symphony as a substitute
                                                                       and has gone on several tours
                         serving as principal for 31 of them.          with them. He is also the associate
                         But his history as a musician began           principal of the Carmel Bach Festival,
                         much earlier.                                 a period ensemble based in Carmel,
                             Derek was introduced to music             California. He says he typically plays on
                         singing in the boys choir at his church,      the outside edge of the orchestra pit on
                         eventually learning the piano and             a stool.
                         beginning bass lessons in fifth grade.            “It allows me to have an excellent
                         As his musical training progressed,           view of the stage,” he said. “I enjoy
                         Derek began spending summers at               being close to world class artists on
                         the Interlochen Center for the Arts,          stage and this has shaped my musical
                         eventually transferring full-time             life.”
                         to graduate high school from the                  Outside of music, Derek enjoys
                         Interlochen Arts Academy.                     cooking, fine dining, tea from China,
                             Decades later, Derek now teaches          Taiwan and Japan, biking, running,
                         bass at the school, in addition to being      cross-country skiing, swimming,
                         a professor of bass at Eastern Michigan       yoga and bird watching. He recently
                         University and giving private lessons at      celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary
                         his studio in Ann Arbor.                      with MOT violinist Anna Bittar-Weller.
                             But performing remains a passion

Michigan Opera Theatre               www.MichiganOpera.org                                 BRAVO • Fall 2018    7
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
Michigan Opera Theatre and New York Live Arts
                                               present

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company
                                                 October 27, 2018

                                                                                                            The 2018–2019 Dance Season is made
                                                                                                              possible by the Lear Corporation

                                                                                                               Presented in partnership with
                                                                                                                 University Musical Society

                                   Bill T. Jones                               Janet Wong
                           Co-Founder & Artistic Director               Associate Artistic Director

                                                            Featuring

                                                           The Company
                        Vinson Fraley, Jr., Barrington Hinds, Chanel Howard, Shane Larson, Penda N’diaye,
                        Marie Lloyd Paspe, Christina Robson, Carlo Antonio Villanueva and Huiwang Zhang

                                                       Music performed by
                             Nick Hallett (music director/performer) and Matthew Gamble (baritone)

                                                        Production Staff
                              Hillery Makatura, Lauren Libretti, Veronica Falborn and Justin Johnson
                                                                In
                                                    A Letter to My Nephew
                                            Conceived and Directed by Bill T. Jones
                        Choreography by Bill T. Jones with Janet Wong and the Current and Original Cast
                                          Original Score Composed by Nick Hallett
                                                     Décor by Bjorn Amelan
                                               Lighting Design by Robert Wierzel*
                                                  Costume Design by Liz Prince
                                                Projection Design by Janet Wong
                                               Sound Design by Samuel Crawford
                                  *Denotes Member of the United Scenic Arts Union (USA)

8   BRAVO • Fall 2018                               www.MichiganOpera.org                                   Michigan Opera Theatre
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
BILL T. JONES DANCE
 PROGRAM NOTES                                               Arnie Zane Company merged with                               Doris Duke Performing Artist Award,
     In the fall of 2015 when I had just                     Dance Theater Workshop to form New                           recognized as Officier de l’Ordre des
 started working on the second part of                       York Live Arts of which Bill T. Jones is                     Arts et des Lettres by the French
 the Analogy Trilogy about my nephew                         the Artistic Director and Janet Wong is                      government in 2010, inducted into the
 Lance, we received an invitation to                         the Associate Artistic Director.                             American Academy of Arts & Sciences
 perform in France. Instead of bringing                          The repertory of the Bill T. Jones/                      in 2009 and named “An Irreplaceable
 a pre-existing work, I decided to use                       Arnie Zane Company is widely varied                          Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage
 this opportunity to make a site-specific                    in its subject matter, visual imagery                        Coalition in 2000. His ventures into
 piece. My complicated relationship                          and stylistic approach to movement,                          Broadway theater resulted in a 2010
 with my nephew would be a point                             voice and stagecraft and includes                            Tony Award for Best Choreography
 of entry to reflect on the moment                           musically driven works as well as                            in the critically acclaimed FELA!, the
 at hand. Our country had erupted in                         works using a variety of texts. Some                         new musical co-conceived, co-written,
 protests that summer, and we were                           of its most celebrated creations are                         directed and choreographed by Mr.
 going to a Europe that was struggling                       evening length works including Last                          Jones. He also earned a 2007 Tony
 with the refugee crisis. It seems that,                     Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/The                              Award for Best Choreography in Spring
 from the very beginning, the work rubs                      Promised Land (1990, Next Wave                               Awakening as well as an Obie Award
 against the conscience of this era. The                     Festival at the Brooklyn Academy                             for the show’s 2006 off-Broadway run.
 night of the opening in Paris was also                      of Music); Still/Here (1994, Biennale                        His choreography for the off-Broadway
 the night of the Bataclan attack.                           de la Danse in Lyon, France); We Set                         production of The Seven earned him a
     A Letter to My Nephew is my                             Out Early… Visibility Was Poor (1996,                        2006 Lucille Lortel Award.
 attempt to bring together two                               Hancher Auditorium, Iowa City, IA);                              Mr. Jones began his dance training
 impulses: the social/political and the                      You Walk? (2000, European Capital of                         at the State University of New York at
 deeply personal. Some of the elements                       Culture 2000,Bolgna, Italy); Blind Date                      Binghamton (SUNY), where he studied
 on stage - the style of movement, the                       (2006, Peak Performances at Montclair                        classical ballet and modern dance.
 characters in the street, the walking                       State University); Chapel/Chapter                            After living in Amsterdam, Mr. Jones
 motif, the house music – came from                          (2006, Harlem Stage Gatehouse);                              returned to SUNY, where he became
 my trying to imagine a world that my                        Fondly Do We Hope… Fervently Do                              co-founder of the American Dance
 nephew might have inhabited, and to                         We Pray (2009, Ravinia Festival,                             Asylum in 1973. In 1982 he formed
 reference a demimonde that I did not                        Highland Park, IL); Another Evening:                         the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company
 know personally but knew it through                         Venice/Arsenale(2010, La Biennale                            (then called Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane &
 him. The work is conceived as a kind of                     di Venezia, Venice, Italy); Story/Time                       Company) with his late partner, Arnie
 postcard sent from uncle to nephew                          (2012, Peak Performances); and A Rite                        Zane. Mr. Jones is currently Artistic
 from wherever we are at the moment.                         (2013, Carolina Performing Arts at the                       Director of New York Lives Arts, an
                                                             University of North Carolina-Chapel                          organization that strives to create a
 COMPANY HISTORY                                             Hill). The Company is also currently                         robust framework in support of the

 O     ver the past 36 years the Bill T.
       Jones/Arnie Zane Company has
 shaped the evolution of contemporary
                                                             touring Body Against Body an intimate
                                                             and focused collection of duet works
                                                             drawn from the Company’s 36-year
                                                                                                                          nation’s dance and movement-based
                                                                                                                          artists through new approaches to
                                                                                                                          producing, presenting and educating.
 dance through the creation and                              history.                                                     For more information, visit http://www.
 performance of over 140 works.                                                                                           newyorklivearts.org/.
 Founded as a multicultural dance                            BILL T. JONES (Artistic Director/Co-
 company in 1982, the company                                Founder/Choreographer: Bill T. Jones/                        ARNIE ZANE (Co-Founder/
 was born of an 11-year artistic                             Arnie Zane Company; Artistic Director:                       Choreographer) (1948-1988) was a
 collaboration between Bill T. Jones                         New York Live Arts) is a multi-talented                      native New Yorker born in the Bronx
 and Arnie Zane. Today, the company                          artist, choreographer, dancer, theater                       and educated at the State University
 is recognized as one of the most                            director and writer, has received major                      of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton.
 innovative and powerful forces in the                       honors ranging from the Human                                In 1971, Arnie Zane and Bill T. Jones
 modern dance world. The company                             Rights Campaign’s 2016 Visibility                            began their long collaboration in
 has performed its ever-enlarging                            Award, 2013 National Medal of Arts                           choreography and in 1973 formed
 repertoire worldwide in over 200                            to a 1994 MacArthur “Genius” Award                           the American Dance Asylum in
 cities in 30 countries on every major                       and Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.                           Binghamton with Lois Welk. Mr. Zane’s
 continent. In 2011, the Bill T. Jones/                      Mr. Jones was honored with the 2014                          first recognition in the arts came as

 Music credits: “The Greatest Love of All” written by Linda Creed and Michael Masser. Used by permission of EMI Gold Horizon Music Corp; EMI Golden Torch Music Corp. “Walk 4
 Me” composed by Robbie Tronco, arranged by Peter Rauhofer and Paul Alexander. Published by Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP) in the US and Canada, o/b/o Campbell Connelly
  & Co, Ltd. (PRS). “Bad Boy/Having a Party” written by Sam Cooke, Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller. Used by permission of ABKCO Music Inc. and Legs Music, Inc. “Coffee Pot
  (Time for the Percolator)” by Curtis Alan Jones. Used by permission of Cajual Entertainment. “Work This Pussy” by JP Wilkerson. Used by permission of Jean Philippe Wilkerson.
                             “JoanCome Kiss Me Now” by Thomas Ravenscroft. “Parlez Moi d’Amour” by Jean Lenoir. “Ima Read” written by Zebra Katz.

   A Letter to My Nephew is produced by New York Live Arts. The creation of new work by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Company is made possible in part by the company’s
  Partners in Creation: Anonymous, Anne Delaney, Zoe Eskin, Eleanor Friedman, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen, Suzanne Karpas, Ellen Poss, Carol
                                       Tolan, Jane Bovingdon Semel, in memory of Linda G. Shapiro, Slobodan Randjelović & Jon Stryker.

Support for New York Live Arts is provided by Con Edison, the Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Harkness
  Foundation for Dance, The Harnisch Foundation, the Alice Lawrence Foundation, the Samuel M. Levy Family Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Mertz Gilmore
Foundation, Metropolitan Capital Bancorp, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the National Performance Network, the New England Foundation for the Arts, New York Community Trust,
  Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Scherman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Stavros Niarchos
                                                      Foundation, the Theatre Development Fund and the Wege Foundation.

Public support for New York Live Arts is from Humanities New York, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the
                    City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Michigan Opera Theatre                                                   www.MichiganOpera.org                                                     BRAVO • Fall 2018           9
Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company - OCTOBER 27, 2018 The Nutcracker - Michigan Opera Theatre
BILL T. JONES DANCE
a photographer when he received a          NICK HALLETT (Composer) has been            in dance at The University of The
Creative Artists Public Service (CAPS)     a collaborator of the Bill T. Jones/        Arts as a director’s full scholarship
Fellowship in 1973. Mr. Zane was the       Arnie Zane Company since 2014.              recipient. While studying at The School
recipient of a second CAPS Fellowship      His scores include all three evenings       of Dance, she worked with noted
in 1981 for choreography, as well as       of the Analogy Trilogy, A Letter to         choreographers: Mark Haim, Helen
two Choreographic Fellowships from         my Nephew, and Fishkill/Movements           Simoneau, Mark Caserta, Tommie
the National Endowment for the Arts        1-45. Additional dance scores               Waheed Evans, Wayne St. David, Netta
(1983 and 1984). In 1980, Mr. Zane was     include Variations on Themes from Lost      Yerushalmy and Bobbi Jene Smith
co-recipient, with Bill T. Jones, of the   & Found: Scenes from a Life and Other       as well as performed in the works of
German Critics Award for his work,         Works by John Bernd, directed by            Robert Battle, Troy Powell, and Benoit
Blauvelt Mountain. Rotary Action, a        Ishmael Houston-Jones and Miguel            Swan Pouffer. Chanel participated
duet with Mr. Jones, was filmed for        Gutierrez, which received the 2017          as a School of Dance Ambassador
television, co-produced by WGBH-TV         “Bessie” for Best Revival. Whispering       at The Montpellier Danse 30 Festival
Boston and Channel 4 in London.            Pines 10, an opera co-authored with         in Montpellier, France and studied
                                           artist Shana Moulton, premiered at The      with Ballet Preljocaj’s Professional
PERFORMER PROFILES                         Kitchen in 2010, toured internationally,    Training Program in Aix En Provence,
                                           and recently launched as an online          France. She represented UArts School
VINSON FRALEY, JR. (Dancer) hails          video series and exhibition at the          of Dance at the National College
from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his        New Museum. In 2007, Hallett struck         Dance Festival 2015 and made her
training at the age of 14 under the        up a collaboration with artist Joshua       independent artist debut presenting
direction of Lynise and Denise Heard.      White, founder of the Joshua Light          her choreography at the Center for
Vinson studied at Tisch School of          Show, as Music Director to his live         Performance Research in Brooklyn,
the Arts at New York University and        performances (including at NYU              NY in 2017. Chanel earned her B.F.A.
was most recently a company dancer         Skirball), and composer of original         in Dance with honors in May 2018
for Abraham.In.Motion. Vinson has          scores to son-et-lumière presentations,     and has most recently joined the Bill
been fortunate enough to work with         including at NYC’s Hayden                   T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company
many choreographers and instructors        Planetarium/AMNH. www.gutcity.com           this year.
including Rashaun Mitchell, Cora
BosKroese, Gus Solomons Jr., Cindy         BARRINGTON HINDS (Dancer) is from           SHANE LARSON (Dancer) was born
Salgado, Sean Curran and many more.        West Palm Beach, Florida. He began          and raised in Minnesota, where
Vinson joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie      his training at the School of Ballet        he received his training at the St.
Zane Company in 2017.                      Florida under the direction of Marie        Paul Conservatory for Performing
                                           Hale. Hinds holds a B.F.A in dance          Artists. He graduated from New York
MATTHEW GAMBLE (Baritone) has              from SUNY Purchase College and              University’s Tisch School of the Arts,
established himself as an artist of        has worked professional with VERB           with a B.F.A. in Dance and a minor
rare versatility, with recent and future   Ballets, Northwest Professional Dance       in Child and Adolescent Mental
engagements including debuts with          Project, and the national tour of Twyla     Health Studies. During his time in
the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the      Tharp’s Broadway show, Movin’ Out.          New York City, he has branched out
Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen,          In 2011, Hinds was a finalist for the       to collaborate with punk musicians,
Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival,         Clive Barnes Award for young talent         filmmakers, improvisational music
Princeton Festival, Ravenna Festival       in dance. He has worked with leading        ensembles, and site-specific visual
(Italy), Budapest Summer Festival,         choreographers including Laurie             artists. He also had the opportunity
Pacific Chamber Music Festival and a       Stallings, Edgar Zendejas, Sarah Slipper,   to study at the Salzburg Experimental
collaboration as the Baritone Soloist      Helen Pickett, Thaddeus Davis, and          Academy of Dance in Austria, where
with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane          Cherylyn Lavagnino to name a few.           he was exposed to the expanse of the
Company in the development of two          Hinds recently danced with Stephen          European contemporary dance scene.
new works: Analogy/Lance, and A Letter     Petronio Company. Hinds is also a           With a new outlook on the limitless
to My Nephew, with engagements             freelancer in commercial TV & print         possibilities and pathways of the body,
in Singapore, Macau, France, Italy,        work and is a choreographer and             he hopes to continue the exploration
Boston, Wyoming, North Carolina            teacher. Mr. Hinds joined the company       of dance with a sense of newness and
and many others into 2019. Matthew         in 2017.                                    discovery. Shane joined the Company
has studied with Joan Dornemann                                                        in 2015.
at IVAI in New York, Martina Arroyo’s      CHANEL HOWARD (Dancer)
Prelude to Performance, at Highlands       Originally from Georgia, Chanel             PENDA N’DIAYE (Dancer) a native
Opera Studio with Richard Margison,        Howard began her dance training with        of Denver, CO, ignited her love for
and noted coach Ira Siff. Roles include    DanceMakers of Atlanta, under the           dance at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance
Mozart’s Count Almaviva, Papageno          direction of Lynise and Denise Heard.       Theater. She has danced with Kyle
and Don Giovanni, Mr. Ford in Verdi’s      While attending Dekalb School of            Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, David
Falstaff, multiple Puccini roles. Mr.      the Arts, Chanel participated in the        Dorfman Dance and Forces of Nature
Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium,          National High School Dance Festival         Dance Theater. Penda received her
and Smirnov in William Walton’s The        where she received the 2014 young           B.F.A. in dance from NYU Tisch School
Bear.                                      choreographer award. Thereafter,            of the Arts which led her to study
                                           she moved to Philadelphia to major          abroad in Salzburg, Austria at Salzburg

10   BRAVO • Fall 2018                              www.MichiganOpera.org                                Michigan Opera Theatre
BILL T. JONES DANCE
Experimental Academy of Dance and
Springboard Danse in Montreal. She
has had the honor to expand her body
of work with award winning artist and
photographer, Carrie Mae Weems in
addition to performance artist, Nick
Cave. Ms. N’diaye has shared her love
for dance with students at Alvin Ailey
Dance Theater, Steps on Broadway,
Peridance, and Steffi Nossen Dance. In
2017, Penda began her own YouTube
talk show, “Glowing Up with Penda”.
Ms. N’diaye join the company in 2017.

MARIE LLOYD PASPE (Dancer) is a
native of Singapore and Philippines
                                                Some of the world’s most creative
who grew up in Mississauga, ON,
Canada, and Bellingham, MA. She
                                                minds suffer from one of the most
received her early dance training from
Jessica Wilson at MetroWest Ballet
                                                devastating conditions —
and graduated summa cum laude
from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program
                                                bipolar disorder.
in 2016, studying dance performance
and business administration. Paspe
performed on tour with Carolyn
                                                Our scientists and research participants are committed to
Dorfman Dance, and worked with                  finding answers and effective personalized treatments.
choreographers Renee Jaworski,
Peter Chu, Jae Mann Joo, Omar
Carrum, Rami Be’er, Martin Harriague,           Join us. Be a source of hope.
and Manuel Vignoulle. In 2015, she
studied abroad in Israel at Kibbutz             Right now, gifts are being matched up to $5 million.
Contemporary Dance Company’s
International Dance Program, where
she also premiered her first work. She          PrechterProgram.org
attended Springboard Danse Montreal
in 2017, performing works-in-progress           734-763-4895
by Peter Chu and Eva Kolarova.
Currently she teaches pilates and
dance, collaborates/choreographs,
and freelances commercial modeling.
Paspe is incredibly grateful to begin
her first season with the Bill T. Jones/
Arnie Zane Company.

CHRISTINA ROBSON (Dancer),
originally from Tewksbury,
Massachusetts, received her
early dance training from Tammy
IversAspell and graduated Summa
Cum Laude from Roger Williams              CARLO ANTONIO VILLANUEVA                  Cunningham Trust. Now based in
University in 2009 under the direction     (Dancer) is a Pilipinx-American artist,   New York, Carlo has recently worked
of mentor Kelli Wicke Davis. Since         born and raised in New Jersey. He         on performance projects with Abby
relocating to New York City, she has       received his primary movement             Zbikowski and Walter Dundervill. He
had the opportunity to perform with        training from Scott Chandler and          also makes work collaboratively with
The Sean Curran Company, David             TJ Doucette while touring with the        his friend and creative partner, Miriam
Dorfman Dance, Monica Bill Barnes          Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps of       Gabriel (mimiandcarlo.com). Carlo
and Company, Alexandra Beller, Heidi       Concord, CA. He went on to receive        joined the Company in 2015.
Henderson, Third Rail Projects, and        his BFA summa cum laude from Mason
DeganitShemy. Christina became a           Gross School of the Arts, studied         HUIWANG ZHANG (Dancer) a dancer,
member of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane     Dance abroad at the Jerusalem             choreographer, and screen dance
Company in 2015.                           Academy of Music and Dance, and           artist originally from Jiujiang, China,
                                           continued his training in classes and     received his early dance training from
                                           workshops provided by the Merce           Beijing Dance Academy and later

Michigan Opera Theatre                             www.MichiganOpera.org                              BRAVO • Fall 2018   11
BILL T. JONES DANCE
earned his M.F.A. in dance from the         GIRL: Linguistic Play, 2016), and David    Ailey II. Her designs have been seen
University of Utah. As a performer, he      Dorfman Dance (BAM Next Wave,              for DamageDance, The Umbrella
has worked with choreographers like         2013). La Medea, Crawford’s live multi-    Collective, The Staten Island Ballet,
Stephen Koester, Eric Handman, Sara         media collaboration with director Yara     and Ann Liv Young’s Elektra. She was
Pearson, Patrik Widrig, and toured          Travieso will premiere at PS122’s Coil     the lighting director with Martha
nationally and internationally as a         Festival in 2017.                          Graham Dance Company, where she
member of the China National Opera                                                     redesigned the classic, Errand into the
and Dance Drama Theater in Beijing.         HANNAH EMERSON (Producing                  Maze.
He attended Palucca Hochshule für           Associate) completed her B.F.A.
Tanz Dresden in Germany under the           in Contemporary Dance from the             HILLERY MAKATURA (Director of
direction of Prof. Katharina Christl.       University of North Carolina School        Production) graduated from Stephen
Currently, his own artistic practice        of the Arts in 2011. She moved to          F. Austin State University with a B.F.A.
discloses the relationship between          NYC shortly after being awarded the        in Theater. She has been touring both
linguistic expression and body              William R. Kenan, Jr. Fellowship at the    internationally and throughout the
perception in different sociocultural       Lincoln Center Institute. Choosing         U.S. since 2006. She has worked as
contexts. His work was presented in         to remain in the northeast, she has        production manager for The Actors
the Beijing Dance Festival 2016 and         held administrative positions at           Studio, Big Art Group, Theater Mitu
12 Minutes Max Salt Lake City 2017.         New York Live Arts and The Yard            and Trisha Brown Dance Company.
Huiwang Zhang joined the Company            while continuing to be artistically
in 2017.                                    involved in the dance community. Ms.       KYLE MAUDE (Producing Director)
                                            Emerson joined the Bill T. Jones/Arnie     graduated from Drake University with
                                            Zane Company in 2014 as company            a B.F.A. in Theatre. She has worked
COMPANY PROFILES                            manager before most recently moving        with Ballet Tech/Feld Ballets New York,
                                            in to the Producing Associate position     The Royal Ballet School of London,
BJORN G. AMELAN (Creative                   New York Live Arts.                        Buglisi-Foreman Dance, and Lesbian
Director) was the partner of the late                                                  Pulp-o-Rama! Ms. Maude joined the
fashion designer Patrick Kelly from         VERONICA FALBORN, (Production              Company in 2003.
1983 until Mr. Kelly passed away on         Stage Manager) is incredibly excited
January 1, 1990. Mr. Amelan moved           to be working with the Bill T. Jones/      LIZ PRINCE (Costume Designer)
to the United States to begin his           Arnie Zane Company. Other dance            designs costumes for dance, theater
collaboration with Bill T. Jones in 1993.   credits include The New York City          and film and has had the great pleasure
He has designed sets for the following      Ballet, School of American Ballet,         of designing for Bill T. Jones since
works by Bill T. Jones: Green and Blue      Trisha Brown Dance Company, Vail           1991. Her work has been exhibited
(1997) for the Lyon Opera Ballet; How!      International Dance Festival, Dances       at the New York Public Library for
Do! We! Do! (1999) for Bill T. Jones and    Patrelle, and NJ Ballet. She is a proud    the Performing Arts, 2011 Prague
Jessye Norman, in conjunction with          graduate of SUNY Purchase.                 Quadrennial of Performance Space
the Lincoln Center’s Great Performers                                                  and Design, Cleveland Center for
Show (1999), You Walk? (2000), The          JUSTIN JOHNSON (Sound Supervisor)          Contemporary Art, Rockland Center
Table Project (2001), Another Evening       is a sound designer and audio engineer     for the Arts and Snug Harbor Cultural
(2002), Verbum (2002), World Without/       originally from NYC, now based in          Center. She received a 1990 New
In (2002), Black Suzanne (2002),            Seattle. Over the last three years, he’s   York Dance and Performance Award
Reading, Mercy and The Artificial           designed over 15 shows, with much          (BESSIE) and a 2008 Charles Flint
Nigger (2003), Mercy 10 x 8 on a Circle     of his work being focused around           Kellogg Arts and Letters Award from
(2003), Chaconne (2003) and Blind           creating immersive sound designs           Bard College. She teaches costume
Date (2005) for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie     and pushing the boundaries of using        design at SUNY Purchase College and
Zane Dance Company. Mr. Amelan is           sound-interactive technology in            Manhattanville College.
the recipient of the 2001 New York          theatre. When he’s not working in
Dance and Performance “Bessie”              theatre, he’s an avid partner dancer       ROBERT WIERZEL (Lighting
Award for his designs of The Breathing      and enjoys traveling the world             Designer) has worked with artists in
Show and The Table Project.                 for blues and swing events. Past           theatre, dance, new music, opera and
                                            credits include: Kayfabe (The Ballard      museums, on stages throughout the
SAM CRAWFORD (Sound Designer)               Underground, Seattle), Astronaut           country and abroad. He has worked
completed degrees in English and            Love Show (Kraine Theatre,                 with choreographer Bill T. Jones and
Audio Technology at Indiana University      NYC), Cherubim (NYC Fringe) and My         his company since 1985. Projects
in 2003. A Move to New York City            Lingerie Play (Rattlestick Playwrights     include Blind Date, Another Evening/I
led him to Looking Glass Studios            Theater, NYC)                              Bow Down, Still/Here, You Walk?,
where he worked on film projects                                                       Last Supper at Uncle Tom’s Cabin/
with Philip Glass and Björk. His recent     LAUREN LIBRETTI (Lighting                  The Promised Land, How To Walk
sound designs and compositions have         Supervisor) Dance credits include          An Elephant, and We Set Out Early,
included works for the Bill T. Jones/       working with Jody Oberfelder, Kate         Visibility Was Poor. Other works with
Arnie Zane Company (Venice Biennale,        Weare Dance Company, Lori Belilove,        Bill T. Jones include projects at the
2010), Kyle Abraham (Pavement, 2012),       Isadora Duncan Dance Company,              Guthrie Theatre, Lyon Opera Ballet,
Camille A. Brown and Dancers (BLACK         Jose Limon Dance Company and               Deutsche Opera Ballet (Berlin),

12    BRAVO • Fall 2018                              www.MichiganOpera.org                                Michigan Opera Theatre
Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera,
the Welsh dance company Diversions,
and London’s Contemporary Dance
Trust. Robert has also worked with
choreographers Trisha Brown, Doug
Varone, Donna Uchizono, Larry
Goldhuber, Heidi Latsky, Sean Curran,
Molissa Fenley, Susan Marshall, Margo
Sappington, Alonzo King and Joann
Fregalette-Jansen. Additional credits
include national and international
opera companies, Broadway and
regional theater. Mr. Wierzel is
currently on the faculty of New York
University’s Tisch School of the
Arts and The Yale School of Drama.

JANET WONG (Associate Artistic
Director/Projection Design) was born
in Hong Kong and trained in Hong
Kong and London. Upon graduation,
she joined the Berlin Ballet where
she first met Bill when he was invited
to choreograph for the company.
In 1993, she moved to New York to
pursue other interests. Ms. Wong
became Rehearsal Director of the
Company in 1996, Associate Artistic
Director in August 2006 and Associate
Artistic Director of New York Live Arts
in 2016.
                                               STAFF                                            Meghan Boyce-Herzfeld, Justin Faircloth,
STAFF LISTS                                    Programming, Producing, and Engagement           Imma, Shantelle Jackson, Emily Ludwigsen,
                                               Kyle Maude, Producing Director                   Samantha Lysagth,
NEW YORK LIVE ARTS                             Hannah Emerson, Producing Associate              Denisa Musilova, Front of House Staff
                                               Veronica Falborn, Producing Associate/
Artistic Leadership                            Production Stage Manager                         Legal Services
Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director               Steph Marron, Rentals Coordinator                Lowenstein Sandler, PC, Pro-Bono Counsel
Janet Wong, Associate Artistic Director
                                               Production                                       Located in the heart of Chelsea in New York
Executive Leadership                           Hillery Makatura, Director of Production         City, New York Live Arts is an internationally
Kim Cullen, Executive Director/CEO             Ryan Naso, Technical Director                    recognized destination for innovative
                                               Lauren Libretti, Lighting Supervisor             movement-based artistry offering audiences
Board of Directors                             Kristiana Cowcer, Production Coordinator         access to art and artists notable for their
Stephen Hendel, Co-Chair                                                                        conceptual rigor, formal experimentation and
Richard H. Levy, Co-Chair                      Development                                      active engagement with the social, political
                                               David Archuletta, Chief Development Officer      and cultural currents of our times.
Helen Haje, Vice Chair
                                               Alexandra Burke, Individual Giving and Special   At the center of its identity is Bill T. Jones,
Slobodan Randjelović, Vice Chair
                                               Events Manager                                   world-renowned choreographer, dancer,
Alan Marks, Treasurer
                                               Lisa Willis, Institutional Giving Manager        theater director and writer. New York Live
Terence Dougherty, Secretary
                                               Bianca Bailey, Artist Services and Membership    Arts serves as the home base for the Bill
Alanna Rutherford, Acting Secretary
                                               Associate                                        T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and is the
Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, Ex-Officio
                                               Séverine Kaufman, Development Assistant          company’s sole producer, providing support
Bjorn Amelan                                                                                    and the environment to originate innovation
Sarah Arison                                   Finance                                          and challenging new work for the company
Colleen Keegan                                 Nupur Dey, Director of Finance & Human           and the NYC creative community. New York
Amy Newman                                     Resources                                        Live Arts produces and presents dance,
Randy Polumbo                                  Artlin Hawthorne, Finance Associate              music and theater performances in its 20,000
Matthew Putman                                 Lutz and Carr, Certified Public Accounts         square foot home, which include a 184-seat
Jane Bovingdon Semel                                                                            theater and two 1,200 square foot studios
Ruby Shang                                     Public Relations, Marketing & Design             that can be combined into one large studio.
Catharine R. Stimpson                          Bjorn G. Amelan, Creative Director               New York Live Arts offers an extensive range
Diana Wege                                     Tyler Ashley, Director of Communications         of participatory programs for adults and
                                               Charles O’Leary, Digital Media Coordinator       young people and supports the continuing
Board Emeritus                                 Mayadevi Ross, Communications Assistant          professional development of artists and
Derek Brown                                    Liliana Dirks-Goodman, Graphic Designer          commissions.
                                               Bill Katz, Artistic Consultant                   New York Live Arts
                                                                                                219 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011
                                               Audience Services                                +1 212 691-6500 / Fax: +1 212 633-1974
                                               Hannah Seiden & Eli Tamondong, Front of          www.newyorklivearts.org
                                               House Coordinators

Michigan Opera Theatre                                   www.MichiganOpera.org                                       BRAVO • Fall 2018      13
BalletMet

The Nutcracker                                                             November 24-25, 2018

       Artistic Director                  Executive Director         Rehearsal Director                    Rehearsal Director
        Edwaard Liang                         Sue Porter              Susan Dromisky                         Andres Estevez

     The 2018–2019 Dance Season is made
       possible by the Lear Corporation                                   BalletMet’s company dancers are members of the American Guild
                                                                          of Musical Artists, the union of professional singers and dancers
                                                                          who create America’s operatic, choral and dance heritage.

14   BRAVO • Fall 2018                                 www.MichiganOpera.org                                      Michigan Opera Theatre
THE NUTCRACKER
THE NUTCRACKER                                 as they begin their journey together to     company premieres to its repertoire and
                                               his home in the land of the Sugar Plum      produced 150 world premieres. It has
Act I                                          Fairy.                                      also developed DanceReach, a series of
It is Christmas Eve, a night of magic,                                                     educational and outreach programs that
when anything can happen. The newly            Act II                                      serve 25,000 people annually, as well as
fallen snow glistens on the rooftops           News that the Prince is finally returning   a scholarship program that provides full
and excitement is in the air. Herr             home reaches the land of the Sugar          tuition for talented underserved youth.
Drosselmeyer, a very old friend of             Plum Fairy, where people from all
the Stahlbaum family, passes by their          corners of the world — and the world of     WHO’S WHO
house and leaves an early present for          the imagination — come to greet Clara       Gerard Charles (Choreographer) was
the family. Inside the Stahlbaum house,        and her Nutcracker Prince. After hearing    born in Folkestone, England, trained at
Clara and Fritz wait as their family           the story of Clara rescuing the Prince,     the Royal Ballet School in London and
makes sure everything is ready for that        the Sugar Plum Fairy arranges a grand       danced professionally in Europe and
evening’s grand party. The guests arrive       celebration in Clara’s honor, filled with   North America. Upon retiring from the
and the fun begins. Of course, there is        many wondrous surprises, including          stage, he was Ballet Master for BalletMet
lots of dancing and many presents.             being reunited with the Spanish doll.       and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens before
                                               “This must be what it’s like,” Clara        returning to BalletMet as Associate
When Herr Drosselmeyer, who is also            thinks, “to be inside one of Godfather’s    Artistic Director. In 2001 he was named
Clara’s godfather, comes to the house,         inventions.”                                BalletMet Artistic Director, a position
magical things always happen. Every                                                        he held until joining the Joffrey Ballet in
year he creates delightful toys unlike         Sadly, the night comes to an end. Even      Chicago in July 2012.
anything else in the world. This year          though Clara wants to stay, it is time
he has some very special surprises for         to leave this enchanted land. Like a        Edwaard Liang (Artistic Director)Born
Clara and her family. Although Clara           wonderful dream, this magical night will    in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in Marin
loves the lifelike Spanish doll, and Fritz     stay with her forever.                      County, California, Mr. Liang joined
the exciting Chinese doll, they cannot                                                     New York City Ballet in 1993. In 2001,
be left for the children to play with.         Complete ballet notes are available at      Mr. Liang joined the Tony Award®
Instead, Drosselmeyer has another very         www.balletmet.org.                          winning Broadway cast of Fosse. His
special and unusual gift, a remarkable                                                     performance in Fosse was later televised
nutcracker that he gives to Clara.                                                         nationally on PBS’ Great Performances
Angered that he too cannot crack nuts          THE NUTCRACKER                              series — “Dance in America: From
with his teeth, Fritz regrettably breaks       Conceived and Created by Gerard             Broadway: Fosse.” In 2002, Mr. Liang
the nutcracker. Drosselmeyer is quick to       Charles and Robert Post                     was invited to become a member of
repair the nutcracker for Clara, but Fritz                                                 Nederlands Dans Theater 1. Mr. Liang
                                               Choreography by Gerard Charles
is still looking for trouble and finds a rat                                               has built an international reputation as
                                               Music composed by Peter Ilyitch             a choreographer. He has created works
with which to tease Clara.
                                               Tchaikovsky                                 for the Bolshoi Ballet, Houston Ballet,
Once all the guests leave the party,           Scenery for Act I designed by Peter         Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet,
the Stahlbaums go to bed. Clara is             Horne                                       San Francisco Ballet, Shanghai Ballet
awakened by a strange sound. Worried                                                       and Washington Ballet. He has won
                                               Scenery for Act II designed by Dan Gray     numerous awards for his choreography
that her nutcracker is alone downstairs,
she goes to find him and falls asleep on       Costumes Designed by Rebecca                including the 2006 National
the couch. Suddenly, mice surround her.        Baygents Turk, Aimee Greer, Lynn            Choreographic Competition. In 2013,
Drosselmeyer is acting very strangely          Holbrook                                    Mr. Liang was named Artistic Director
and her nightmare continues as the                                                         at BalletMet where he continues to
                                               Lighting Designed by David Grill
whole house transforms around her.                                                         choreograph new works for companies
                                               Children’s Choreography Staged by           both domestically and abroad. In 2017,
A menacing Mouse King orders his
                                               Darielle Eberhard, Daryl Kamer,             he received an Emmy® Award for his
minions to steal the nutcracker from
                                               Dmitri Suslov                               short dance film, Vaulted. In 2018, he
Clara. The Spanish and Chinese dolls
come to help her, but the marauding            Narrated by Roger Moore                     created a new ballet with Roberto Bolle
mice carry them off. Just when Clara                                                       for the opening of the World Economic
                                               Accompanied by the Michigan Opera           Forum Annual Meeting in Davos,
thinks all is lost, her nutcracker suddenly    Theatre Orchestra
comes to life and temporarily scares                                                       Switzerland.
the mice away. A huge battle between           Conducted by Peter Stafford Wilson
the toy soldiers and the mice follows.                                                     Sue Porter (Executive Director) was
The Mouse King is about to defeat the          ABOUT THE COMPANY                           named Executive Director in 2015,
nutcracker, but Clara saves the day. She                                                   having served on BalletMet’s Board of
discovers that by defeating the Mouse          BALLETMET, known for its versatility        Trustees since 1997, twice taking on
King, she has freed the Prince, who had        and innovative repertory, ranks among       the role of Board Chair. An attorney
been trapped in the nutcracker, and she        the nation’s largest dance companies,       for 30 years, Ms.Porter began her legal
understands that Drosselmeyer had a            and its Dance Academy ranks among           career in 1985 with Schottenstein, Zox
purpose in all the strange things he had       the largest professional dance-training     & Dunn LPA (now Ice Miller LLP) as an
done that night. Clara and her Prince          centers. Since its inception in 1978,       associate attorney and later partner
pass through a wondrous snowy land             BalletMet has added almost 200              in labor and employment law. She has

Michigan Opera Theatre                                  www.MichiganOpera.org                                BRAVO • Fall 2018    15
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