Back in 2010 we had to come up with a name for the abandoned church building that Scott King and I bought. The New Orleans Fringe Festival was going to perform there, even before the building had electricity or water. The name of the church had been Holy Trinity, but it was no longer a…
On October 24th, 2014 at 8:00pm the houselights dimmed, the band began to play. The first piece on the evening’s program was The Fun Police, a contemporary ballet choreographed by Donna Crump. Five dancers in black and white stalked and flew about the stage accompanied by a tenor sax and jazz violin. Twenty minutes later the dancers were…
Up until the 20th century, a ballet was almost always a full-length, multi-act extravaganza based on an entertaining and exotic storyline. The plots were taken from mythology (most 17th and 18th century ballets), legends and fairy tales (La Bayadere-1877; The Sleeping Beauty- 1889; The Nutcrakcer-1892), or the supernatural (La Sylphyde-1832; Giselle-1841; Swan Lake-1846). Although these…
Multi-award-winning choreographer, dance educator, and former dancer with Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, on Broadway, and dance companies in Chicago and in Greece, Christian Denice is known across the dance world for his inimitable style and superb artistry. Just now he is heading up the summer dance intensive at the University of North Carolina School…
Once a season begins, planning starts right away for the next one. In fact, we’re putting finishing touches on our plan for the 2025/2026 Season, and we’ll share that with you in the next blog. I’m unaware of any classes or self-help books that tell you how to plan a ballet season, and back when…
At a donor reception last weekend Artistic Director Diogo de Lima and I presented a few videos. We premiered the Ballet’s first promotional videos for the 2025/2026 Season (our 12th), along with a work performed by one of the guest choreographers who will be joining us. We also showed a half-hour video I put together…
We’re so excited that we have a new website. Thanks to Sideways Designs for the great new look!
How do you follow the frothy fun of “Follies of 1915?” If you’re Marigny Opera Ballet, you do something that challenges and stretches the ability of your dancers and choreographers. No performing arts group in the region takes the risks involved in presenting original material that Director Dave Hurlbert and his team do. And that’s…
The Q&A with Lauren Guynes Dancer, Follies of 1915 Lauren Guynes returns to her third season with the Marigny Opera Ballet as Violet in Follies of 1915. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she choreographed and performed with the Repertory Dance Company. Guynes continues to…
The Q&A with Kellis McSparrin Oldenburg Choreographer, Follies of 1915 Currently in her fourth season dancing with the Marigny Opera Ballet, McSparrin Oldenburg serves as a dancer, choreographer and rehearsal director. She has choreographed two works for the company in past seasons — “Ain’t She Sweet?” (March 2016) and “Tells” (January 2018). As a choreographer,…
The award winning production from 2016 is back for a three performance run beginning Friday, March 23 at Marigny Opera House “To dance the title role is an immense challenge.” In her third season with Marigny Opera Ballet, Gretchen Erickson choreographed “Silk and Smoke,” one of three jazz ballets that premiered in January and plunged…
Two composers new to Marigny Opera Ballet make their debuts in Jazz Ballets, opening Thursday (January 25) for a three-performance run. Russell Welch and Rex Gregory join Nutria (Byron Asher, Trey Boudreaux and Shawn Myers) whose work on last season’s Wary Heat will be reprised in Jazz Ballets. RUSSELL WELCH, COMPOSER “Silk and Smoke” (Choreography:…
A holiday celebration of three dances opens December 1 When you start out with a vision of each dance as a cocktail, it doesn’t take long for things to get merry. And, that’s just what Company Director Dave Hurlbert has in mind. He’s envisioned Marigny Opera Ballet’s second production of the season as pure…
The score for the Book of Saints, composed by Tucker Fuller, is a cantata for soloists and chorus. The lyrics are poems, prayers and historical accounts illustrating the lives of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Sebastian and St. Francis of Assisi. Unfortunately, they could not be included in the performance program booklets, but are listed here…
Dancing the Lives of Sts. Teresa, Sebastian and Francis By the time the avant-garde opera “Four Saints in Three Acts “opened in 1934, Gertrude Stein had expanded its cast to more than 20 saints and added an extra act. Prepping for the Friday October 6th opening of his Book of Saints ballet, producer and librettist…
A winning mix of past season favorites, new works and newcomers In 2014 the Marigny Opera House became home to the city’s only professional resident dance company offering a full season of performances. Now, three seasons later, Marigny Opera Ballet continues to raise the bar for regional dance companies. Capping three successful seasons of sold-out…