BalletX

Christine Cox Founder, Artistic & Executive Director

Tara Keating Associate Artistic Director

Matthew Neenan Founder

“ E X P LO S I V E ,

AT H L E T I C D A N C E T H AT

L E AV E S T H E A U D I E N C E

S P E E C H L E S S …”

THE DANCE JOURNAL

“…fresh, touching, musical, original.”THE NEW YORK TIMES

“…FULLY 3-DIMENSIONAL DANCING THAT

YOU FEEL AS YOU WATCH.”

THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Edgy. Experimental.

Eccentric. BalletX is nothing if not

innovative.” PHINDIE

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

“…mysterious,

SEXY, funny, and surprising.”

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

“…TECHNICALLY BRILLIANT…” THE BOSTON GLOBE

BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet, unites distinguished choreographers with an out-standing company of world-class dancers to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace. Founded in 2005 by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, and now under the direction of Cox as Artistic & Executive Director, BalletX challenges the boundaries of classical ballet by encouraging formal experimentation while preserving rigorous technique. The company is committed to producing new works of the highest quality and integrity that bring the combined visions of choreographers and dancers to life and cultivate in audiences a collective appetite for bold, new dance. Since the company’s founding in 2005, BalletX has expanded its repertoire with over 60 world premieres by internationally renowned artists including Trey McIntyre, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Jo Stromgren, Cayetano Soto, Jodie Gates, Jorma Elo, Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Adam Hougland, Matthew Neenan, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Amy Seiwert, Gabrielle Lamb, Joshua L. Peugh, James Gregg, Olivier Wevers, Tobin Del Cuore, and Mauro Astolfi, among many others. Firmly rooted in ballet technique, these contemporary pieces challenge BalletX’s dancers with the innovative possibilities of ballet in the 21st century. With three annual performance series in Philadelphia, BalletX has reached diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds as the Resident Dance Company of The Wilma Theater. Now recognized worldwide for its unique repertoire, the company participates in growing numbers of national and international tours, including performances at prestigious venues and festivals such as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts, The Joyce Theater and New York City Center in New York City, Vail Dance Festival in Colorado, Laguna Dance Festival in California, Dance Salad in Texas, Halcyon Stage in Washington, DC, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, DANCECleveland in Ohio, Ballet EXPO in South Korea, and Festival de Ballet in Colombia. BalletX’s distinctive contribution to the American dance community has been recognized and supported in recent years by generous grants from the William Penn Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Shubert Foundation, The Jerome Robbins New Essential Works (NEW) Program, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Engaging Dance Audiences (a program of Dance/USA), Barra Foundation, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and PECO, among others.

A B O U T T H E C O M PA N Y

Christine Cox co-founded BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, with Matthew Neenan in 2005. The BalletX team has produced more than 60 world premiere ballets by 33 renowned and emerging choreographers to date, reaching more than 68,000 dance patrons. Under her leadership as Artistic & Executive Director, the company has performed at

prestigious national stages including The Joyce Theater, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and Vail Dance Festival. Cox has committed BalletX to expanding dance’s vocabulary for all audiences, promoting initiatives that make contemporary ballet accessible and welcoming, including the company’s audience engagement program, The X-Process, and in-school educational outreach initiative, Dance eXchange. In addition, Cox led a TEDx talk in December 2016 that was subsequently published on YouTube, building a bridge to help audiences understand the art form more fully. As an arts leader, Cox has served on review panels for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Philadelphia Arts & Business Council. For her work as a choreographer, educator, and performer, Christine has been recognized with two Rocky Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, as well as fellowships from the Independence Foundation and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Cox was a full-time company member with the Pennsylvania Ballet from 1993 until her retirement from the stage in 2006.

FOUNDER, ARTISTIC & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CHRISTINE COX

Tara Keating began her training at the age of seven at the Pioneer Valley Ballet in Northampton, Massachusetts. She then attended The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy, where she received a BFA in Dance. While there, she was awarded the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship and the Most Outstanding Dance Major award from the National Dance Association. She has

danced professionally with American Repertory Ballet, “Tharp!” and as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Throughout her career she has originated roles in world premieres by such renowned choreographers as Jorma Elo, Jodie Gates, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Helen Pickett, Septime Webre, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. In 2005, she became a founding member of BalletX, and danced in nearly every performance until her retirement in 2012. She has staged numerous ballets on BalletX, and has set Neenan’s work on Pennsylvania Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Nevada Ballet Theatre, SUNY at Purchase College, and Bucknell University. Tara was the Producing Director in 2006 and 2007 for Shut Up & Dance, an annual benefit for MANNA, created by the dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet. She was also the recipient of a 2002 City Paper Choice Award. She is on faculty at University of the Arts, and is a guest teacher at various schools in the region. Tara served as BalletX’s Artistic Coordinator and Ballet Mistress from 2011 to 2013, and was named Associate Artistic Director in February 2014.

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TARA KEATING

5

P R E S E N T E R T E S T I M O N I A LS

“BalletX is simply and wonderfully unique - from their thrilling performances on the stage to their meaningful community work, they represent what contemporary bal-let can be in the 21st century.”Damian WoetzelArtistic Directors, Vail Dance Festival

“BalletX is one of my favorite companies in the nation to work with, both as a choreographer and as a presenter. They are a compelling company that has a wide breadth of sophisticated international repertory and exquisite dancers. I have presented the company twice at the Laguna Dance Festival in California, and each time they bring the audience to their feet with stunning dancers, diverse programming, and a fantastic vision, all in one!”Jodie GatesArtistic Director, Laguna Dance Festival

“Our engagement with BalletX far exceeded expectations. They were wonderful in the community, generous and warm with their teaching/sharing. The performance… what can I say? The variety of the program was right on. Their performance helped further strengthen our con-nection with our dance audience, especially the trust they put in us to bring companies that they may not have otherwise heard of.”Aimee M. PetrinExecutive Director, Portland Ovations

“It was wonderful to have your talented company in Ak-ron. The performance was remarkable and the audience certainly loved it. The rousing and continuous [standing] ovation was followed by many emails and phone calls praising BalletX.”Pamela YoungExecutive Director, DANCECleveland

“Within the first 8 bars I knew this was a clean, technical-ly stunning, articulate company - the rest of the evening I could sit back and smile, comfortable and confident in the knowledge that this sharp engaging ensemble of performers was going to deliver a memorable evening of dance for the Hope and Holland communities.”Mary Linda GrahamDorothy Wiley Delong Professor of Dance, Hope College

“The quality of the performance coupled with the fresh originality of such intriguing and new choreography led to an evening that enchanted audience members. This was a marvelous performance truly enriching the lives of a nearly sold out house filled with community members and students.”Dr. Paula RubensteinCoordinator of Cultural Affairs, Westchester Community College

BEAUTIFUL ONCECOMPANY PREMIERE: July 12, 2017 CHOREOGRAPHY: Jodie GatesMUSIC: Ryan Lott, performed by Son Lux and yMusicDANCERS: 10 TIME: 23 minutes“Gates’ Beautiful Once is beautiful now” The Philadelphia Inquirer

BIG ONESCOMPANY PREMIERE: February 10, 2016 CHOREOGRAPHY: Trey McIntyre MUSIC: Amy Winehouse DANCERS: 10 TIME: 30 minutes“It’s funny, touching, poignant, stirring.” The New York Times

CREDOCOMPANY PREMIERE: August 8, 2016 CHOREOGRAPHY: Matthew NeenanMUSIC: Haydn, Kevin Puts DANCERS: 10 TIME: 26 minutes“The dancing was intense and connected, solemn and joyful at the same time.” Broad Street Review

GRAN PARTITAPREMIERE: November 19, 2014 CHOREOGRAPHY: Jorma EloMUSIC: Alban Berg, Mozart, Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach DANCERS: 10 TIME: 25 minutes“Fresh and raw...” The Dance Journal

MALASANGRECOMPANY PREMIERE: February 18, 2015 CHOREOGRAPHY: Cayetano SotoMUSIC: La Lupe DANCERS: 7 TIME: 13 minutes“The movement vocabulary has a rich consistency that is sure to trap you.” Broad Street Review

ON THE MYSTERIOUS PROPERTIES OF LIGHTCOMPANY PREMIERE: February 10, 2017 CHOREOGRAPHY: R. Colby DamonMUSIC: Harold Budd, Kronos Quartet, Homayun Sakhi, Emilie Levien-aise-Farrouch, Ay-KherelDANCERS: 8 TIME: 32 minutes“Damon brings a fresh, comic sensibility” The Dance Journal

TO U R I N G R E P E R TO I R E

SCHACHMATTCOMPANY PREMIERE: April 26, 2017 CHOREOGRAPHY: Cayetano SotoMUSIC: Rina Ketty, Michel Le Grad, Jack Constanzo, Mona Bell, Maria Teresa, Perez Prado, Los PanchosDANCERS: 10 TIME: 20 minutes"[Schachmatt is] truly dreamy. It has the feeling of decades passing in a dance hall." The Philadelphia Inquirer

SHOW MECOMPANY PREMIERE: August 4, 2015 CHOREOGRAPHY: Matthew Neenan MUSIC: Brooklyn Rider DANCERS: 10 TIME: 24 minutes“Imaginative, poetic, full of unexpected twists, and often difficult to parse.“ The New Yorker

SLUMPCOMPANY PREMIERE: February 12, 2014 CHOREOGRAPHY: Joshua L. Peugh MUSIC: Klezmer Juice, Yma Sumac, Ella Fitzgerald DANCERS: 8 TIME: 14 minutes“[Slump is] a comedy of frivolous, sexually provocative manners...” Dallas Morning News

THE LAST GLASSPREMIERE: July 21, 2010 CHOREOGRAPHY: Matthew NeenanMUSIC: Beirut DANCERS: 10 TIME: 24 minutes“[Matthew Neenan’s The Last Glass] creates a world both social and psychological, public and private, and it connects ballet to the lan-guage of today movingly.” The New York Times

TO U R I N G R E P E R TO I R E

U P C O M I N G C O M PA N Y P R E M I E R E S

TREY MCINTYREWORLD PREMIERE: March 7, 2018

DARRELL GRAND MOULTRIEWORLD PREMIERE: March 7, 2018

PENNY SAUNDERS & ROSIE LANGABEERWORLD PREMIERE: July 11, 2018

MATTHEW NEENANWORLD PREMIERE: July 11, 2018

ANDREW MCNICOLWORLD PREMIERE: July 11, 2018

For more information contact Lois Welk lwelk@balletx.org

“Ms. Cox has good grounds for pride: In 10 years, BalletX has

presented more than 50 world premieres, many other works

by living choreographers, and collaborated with more than

200 artists...Few companies can match such a record...”The New York Times

S U G G E S T E D P R O G R A M PA I R I N G S

PROGRAM A: Schachmatt Credo Big Ones or Beautiful Once

PROGRAM B: Credo Gran Partita Big Ones

PROGRAM C: Gran Partita On the Mysterious Properties of Light The Last Glass

PROGRAM D: Show Me Malasangre Big Ones or Beautiful Once

SUNSET, o639 HOURSPREMIERE: July 9, 2014 CHOREOGRAPHY: Matthew NeenanSET DESIGN: Maiko Matsushima MUSIC: Composed by Rosie Langabeer DANCERS: 10 MUSCIANS: 4 TIME: 80 minutesA truly unique performance experience choreographed by Matthew Neenan, Sunset, o639 Hours includes original live music composed by Rosie Langabeer. Neenan uses his unique ability to bring stories to life through movement to convey the love, loss and bravery of pilot Edwin Musick’s 1938 inaugural airmail flight across the Pacific. On stage, the 10 company dancers and 4 live musicians seamlessly embody the story’s many characters. This transformative ballet has left tearful audiences cheering on their feet.Matthew Neenan’s “fresh, touching, musical, original” choreography “creates a coherent, poetic realm of the imagination.” The New York Times

LARGE SCALEPRODUCTIONS

LARGE SCALEPRODUCTIONS

BEASTS PREMIERE: November 18, 2015 CHOREOGRAPHY: Nicolo Fonte SET DESIGN: Mimi Lien MUSIC: Henrik Schwarz, Joby Talbot, Ella Fitzgerald, Ólafur Arnalds, Pete Townshend, Bryce Dessner, Pink Martini, Ólafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Ott, Patti Smith, Debussy DANCERS: 10 TIME: 80 minutesIn Beasts, Nicolo Fonte explores the sociological concept of nature and nurture, melding a variety of dance styles and societal themes. Featuring sets designed by MacArthur Fellow Mimi Lien, and supported by music as varied as the questions it poses, this evocative ballet explores the animal instincts that drive us and the emotions that keep us human.“Wonderful, wonderful - and yet again - wonderful. [Beasts] was so good, I wanted to see it again while it was still happening.” The Philadelphia Inquirer

BEAUTIFUL DECAYPREMIERE: July 10, 2013 CHOREOGRAPHY: Nicolo Fonte MUSIC: Antonio Vivaldi, Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds DANCERS: 12 TIME: 76 minutesThis ballet explores the aging body with a multi-generational cast of dancers. The musical selections evoke the passage of time, and an impressive set by MacArthur Fellow Mimi Lien allows the dancers to move through different stages of life. Beautiful Decay gets at the truth of the human experience, in 2 acts. “…the sheer professionalism of all 12 performers, and the emotional impact of the evening, are undeniable.” The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Our first full-length ballet by a visiting choreographer moved me in ways that words cannot express.” Christine Cox

*Contact Lois Welk, lwelk@balletx.org, regarding all special requirements.

BOOKING BalletXContact Lois Welk, lwelk@balletx.org

Engaging repertoire for your audiencesWith a company of world-class dancers and a unique repertoire of works by diverse and distinguished choreographers, BalletX presents dynamic program-ming that showcases contemporary ballet for today’s dance patrons. The company’s repertoire includes works for up to 10 dancers and features a wide range of musical selections ranging from Bach to Beirut. Full evening-length performances and abbreviated performances can be designed for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Technical Requirements:≥ Even wood floor, preferably sprung (must not be concrete floor)*≥ Marley dance flooring covering entire dance surface≥ Minimum stage dimensions 40 ft. wide by 32 ft. deep≥ House sound system with sufficient amplification and speaker coverage of entire auditorium, as well as a minimum of two stage monitors with independent control≥ Computer for audio playback (Mac running QLab is highly preferred) or CD player, appropriately patched into house system≥ Boombox or portable speaker with aux cable and adequate volume for company classes≥ Minimum 4 hour tech time (not including set up of lighting and floor)

For specific performance requirementsContact Jason Pizzi, Production Manager, at 267-252-3264 or jasonpizzi@gmail.com.

*BalletX’s Portable Dance Floor is available to rent for outdoor or non-traditional performance venues. Floor rental fee will be added to engagement fee.

P R O G R A M I N F O R M AT I O N

OUTREACH & WORKSHOPSIn addition to engaging audiences with stunning new work, BalletX enriches the dance-going experience with education and outreach programs that strive to ignite expression and build enthusiasm for the arts in audiences of all ages.

Dance eXchangeCHILDREN AGES 5-12

Dance eXchange, launched in 2014, is an educational outreach program that expands BalletX’s reach in the community. Based on the award-winning meth-odology of the National Dance Institute in New York City, Dance eXchange takes BalletX teaching artists and live musicians into the classroom, where they use dance to build students’ self-confidence and set goals for personal standards of excellence. This program can be adapted to accommodate ages 5-12, and requires a live musician supplied by the presenter.

Inside the Mind of a DancerALL AGES, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

Inside the Mind of a Dancer is a unique lecture and demonstration designed for participants to experience the perspective, insights, and mindset of a profes-sional ballet dancer through creative thinking, basic ballet technique, and expression through movement.

Master ClassesINTERMEDIATE THROUGH ADVANCED BALLET TRAINING

Master Classes offer students the opportunity to learn classical ballet technique while exploring contemporary expression led by motivating teachers from the Bal-letX artistic staff in a traditional ballet class environment.

BalletX Repertoire WorkshopsINTERMEDIATE THROUGH ADVANCED BALLET TRAINING

Led by the BalletX dancers and artistic staff, participants are led through a classical ballet warm-up before learning signature BalletX repertoire, where the students are exposed to the company’s methodology as well as the nuances and inflections of each choreographer’s voice.

Choreographic WorkshopsBEGINNER THROUGH ADVANCED BALLET TRAINING

Uniquely tailored to the age and training level of each group, these workshops invite dancers to discover and develop their own artistic identities through fun and innovative exercises designed to inspire creativity in a supportive environment.

Representation:

Lois WelkPHONE: 607-329-0467 EMAIL: lwelk@balletx.org

C O N TAC T S A N D AC C E S S

BalletX Contact Information:

Artistic and Executive Director: Christine CoxPHONE: 215-917-1513 EMAIL: cox@balletx.org

Associate Artistic Director: Tara KeatingPHONE: 908-425-7296 EMAIL: tkeating@balletx.org

Marketing and PR Specialist: Josh OlmsteadPHONE: 215-893-9456 ext. 128 EMAIL: jolmstead@balletx.org

Production Manager: Jason PizziPHONE: 267-252-3264 EMAIL: jasonpizzi@gmail.com

View Presenter Information and Technical Riders at:www.BalletX.org/presenters

View Repertory and Videos at:www.BalletX.org/repertory

“...a place of choreographic

innovation.”THE NEW YORKER

“...a powerhouse of talent and technique…”

DANCETABS

“...a place of choreographic

innovation.”THE NEW YORKER

“...one of the country’s primary producers of new ballet.”THE DENVER POST

“...edgy works, well-balanced

theatricality, and flawless dancers…”thINKingDANCE

“...superb dancers…”

THE BOSTON GLOBE

“Wacky, eccentric and fabulous…”

THE NEW YORK TIMES

“...a powerhouse of talent and technique…”

DANCETABS

“Inventive, musical, surreal, not to be missed”

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

BalletX.org1923 Washington Ave.PhiladelphiaPennsylvania19146