Ca Dance Laguna Dance Festival 2009

Jodie Gates Announces

Laguna Dance Festival 2009

www.lagunadancefestival.org

Cox

Emily Wagner and Tara Keating, BalletX, photo by Gabriel Bienczycki.

.

(Laguna Beach, CA…..August 10, 2009)  Jodie Gates, artistic director of CaDance, presenter of the Laguna Dance Festival, announced today what she said will most certainly be “the most exciting season” to date of the festival. Gates, the UCI professor of dance and former Joffrey ballerina, has curated the festival for five years.  The annual Festival kicks off on September 19 with a free performance at Main Beach in Laguna and continues through October 4 with classes, gallery-specific dance installations, and performances through October 4, 2009

The performances are scheduled for October 2, 3 and 4 at The Artists’ Theatre in Laguna Beach with the Stars of Dance performance on Saturday, October 3 followed by a high energy Gala at Laguna Art Museum.  Tickets are available online at www.lagunadancefestival.com  or by phone at 949.715.5578.  Tickets prices are $50 general admission and $40 for seniors and students. Discounted tickets are available now, online, for a limited period.

For the second year, students with a valid I.D. will be able to purchase tickets for $10 each at the box office, as long as supplies last, beginning one hour before each performance.

This is the fourth season for this exciting and critically acclaimed dance festival, founded by Gates after moving to Laguna Beach in 2004. She currently is a Professor of Dance at the University of California, Irvine.

The 2009 Festival will mark a first for Gates. Not only will she have curated  and presented a roster of exceptional dance talent this year, but she will add choreography to this basket of skills honed over her 28 year career in dance. The new work, Le Baiser Inevitable to Ravel’s Bolero, was commissioned by BalletX and premiered in Philadelphia last month.

In addition, several companies will be making their Orange County debut including Philadelphia-based BalletX and Ballet West, from Salt Lake City.

Support for the 2009 Festival has been received from the Festival’s host hotel, Inn at Laguna, The Lodging Establishments of Laguna Beach, the City of Laguna Beach, the Pacific Life Foundation, the Festival of Arts Foundation, Ocean Real Estate, Riveria Magazine, and The Laguna Beach Independent.

Performances and Classes

Opening Day: A Taste of CaDance

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, at 4:00 p.m.

Main Beach, Laguna

FREE

Work on your tan and enjoy a free sample of all the Festival has to offer at an outdoor concert with students from Laguna Beach High School, Sage Hill School, and the Orange County High School for the Arts. Be sure to stay for the FREE dance class following the performance

OPENING NIGHT! BalletX, Ballet West, and Breed.

Friday, October 2, 2009, 8 p.m., Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach

Catch three hot companies in one night, Ballet X, Ballet West, and Breed playing a triple billing that goes from classical ballet to hip-hop.  In their first appearance on the West Coast, The Philadelphia Inquirer says of BalletX  that “The clever and sometimes humorous choreography, soothing music, dramatic lighting and gorgeous bodies hit all the right notes.”  Ballet West prompts The Kansas City Star to write, “The verve and polish of this Salt Lake City-based company will long stay in the mind.”  Known for their creative approach to hip and urban street dance choreography, Breed is one of Southern California’s hottest hip hop companies.

There will be a pre-performance talk one hour before the performance.

Celebrate the Stars of Dance!

Saturday, October 3, 2009, 6:00 p.m. Performance & 8:00 p.m. Gala Dinner

Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach;

Gala at Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach

This Gala evening has it all: San Francisco Ballet ballerina Tina LeBlanc, New York City Opera’s  Griff Braun, BalletX, Ballet West, Breed, dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet, Sacramento  Ballet, Rachel Bowman, and the UCI Etude Ensemble.

Get tickets today, this Gala always sells out quickly!

Stars of Dance

Sunday, October 4, 2:00 p.m., Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach

Be sure to take advantage of this golden opportunity to see local and international artists the same evening on the same stage. You will enjoy styles ranging from classical to contemporary with premier dancers from Tina LeBlanc to hot contemporary company BalletX, Backhausdance,

dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, and more.  Don’t miss some of the most thrilling performances of the Festival season.

There will be a pre-performance talk one hour before the performance.

CLASSES

Dancing Hands Workshop

Saturday, September 26, 2009 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Congregational Neighborhood Church

340 St. Ann’s Drive

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

FREE

Children will blend movement and painting at a freeform interactive dance class taught by Laguna Dance Festival artistic director and former Joffrey Ballet star Jodie Gates. A creative dance class with live music, fusing improvisational movement, ballet technique, and the art of drawing.

Hip Hop Class

Saturday, October 3, 2009 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Laguna Beach High School Dance Studio

625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Learn from a dancer with one of the hottest Hip Hop companies in Southern California. You will learn the latest and greatest urban beats and moves taught by a professional performer who danced with Breed in this year’s Festival.

Tina LeBlanc Master Class

Sunday,  October 4, 2009

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Laguna Beach High School Dance Studio

625 Park Avenue

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

A rare opportunity to learn from one of the most celebrated ballerinas in the nation. Internationally known, former San Francisco Ballet star Tina LeBlanc teaches a ballet class on how to approach roles in dance. Don’t miss this one!