​***UPCOMING  EVENT***

AMERICAN REPERTORY BALLET RETURNS TO HUNTER COLLEGE’S KAYE PLAYHOUSE

First New York engagement under the leadership of Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel 
 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - American Repertory Ballet (ARB) returns to Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse with its popular and dynamic triple bill, Movin’ + Groovin’

on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. 

This performance marks the company’s first New York engagement under the leadership of Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel. Since his appointment in July 2021, Stiefel has transformed ARB into an inventive and eye-catching company.    
Originally premiered in New Brunswick in June of 2022, the critically celebrated program features 
Ja’ Malik’s Moving to Bach, set to Bach’s Sonata for Violin Solo No.1; Caili Quan’s Circadia, set to an eclectic array of music ranging from Boban Markovi Orkestar, The Teskey Brothers and Gabriella Smith; and Claire Davison’s Time Within A Time, set to the music of Fleetwood Mac. 
"Movin’ + Groovin’ is a vivid example of ARB's commitment to commissioning and fostering the presentation of diverse makers, movements and modalities in ballet and dance,” says ARB Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel. “Ja' Malik, Caili and Claire infuse their work with singular vocabularies and points of departure, creating an exhilarating and special evening of dance. With all three choreographers either calling or having called NYC their home, it seems ideal that what they made exclusively for ARB be shared with New York audiences at the Kaye Playhouse.”
 
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
American Repertory Ballet’s Movin’ + Groovin’  will be performed on Saturday, March 25 at 7:30pm at the  Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College located at East 68th Street between Park & Lexington Avenues. The venue is accessible by the 6 and F trains.
Tickets start at $25. For more information, visit www.hunter.cuny.edu/kayeplayhouse or call (212) 772-4488. 
The performance runs approximately one and a half hours, including two intermissions. 
Following its New York appearance, ARB will bring Movin’ + Groovin’ to Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center on April 1.  
 
CHOREOGRAPHER AND REPERTORY DETAILS

Ja’ Malik

Artistic Director of Madison Ballet, Ja’ Malik has been called a “choreographer to watch” by The New York Times. Describing his piece Moving to Bach, Malik says:  “I was inspired by both the dancers of ARB and Bach’s beautiful Sonata for Violin Solo No. 1. This work for five dancers illustrates the ever evolving world of exhilarating physicality, in both a direct relation and counter relation to the rhythmically serene and sometimes explosive score by Bach.” 
Malik previously danced with North Carolina Dance Theater (now Charlotte Ballet), BalletX, and Ballet Hispanico, in addition to working with Camille A. Brown (For Colored…at the Public Theater), Juel D. Lane, and College Dance Collective among others. With a deep connection to music, Malik’s choreography draws on his own personal life experiences as well as the world around him to create physically emotional works that allow both dancers and audiences to experience a connection through the language of movement. 
Caili Quan

Caili Quan is a New York-based choreographer who danced with BalletX from 2013-2020. Her piece for ARB is inspired by how the body is affected during sleep. “Sleep gives us a place to recover, but it is also where our minds choose memories to keep. It also allows us space to reminisce and dream,” she says. “The music for the work is an eclectic mix that made me want to move, but also felt like a soundtrack to our dreams."
Quan has created works for The Juilliard School, Vail Dance Festival, and others. Mahålang, a short documentary that wove familial conversations of her Chamorro Filipino upbringing on Guam with scenes from BalletX's Love Letter, was shown at the Hawai’i International Film Festival, CAAMFest, and the Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center.
Claire Davison
Featuring six songs from the legendary band Fleetwood Mac, Time Within A Time reflects on recent years and how it might feel to return to a place, such as a theater, studio, workplace - or to each other. The piece is also greatly inspired by the band’s personal stories, highlighting founding member Peter Green. “The ARB dancers are a dream to work with: talented, eager, passionate, and willing to play. And, the music of Fleetwood Mac is unbeatable.”  
 
Davison currently dances with American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Her choreographic credits include One of Us(2019) for Boulder Ballet, Por Ti for Kaatsbaan Cultural Park’s 2021 Summer Festival and Kitchen Dances (2023) for Ballet Co. Laboratory. In 2021, Davison was selected as a choreographer for New York Theatre Ballet’s Lift Lab, and she participated in ABT’s 2019 and 2022 Incubator programs.

ABOUT AMERICAN REPERTORY BALLET 
Led by Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel, with Artistic Associate Gillian Murphy, American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is New Jersey’s preeminent ballet company, presenting classical repertory alongside new and existing contemporary work. ARB is a founding resident company of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center and also performs in major venues across New Jersey and beyond for an annual audience of more than 30,000. Founded in 1954 as the Princeton Ballet Society, ARB has been designated a “Major Arts Institution” by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. The company has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and other major foundations and leaders in the field as a prominent force in the field of dance. Princeton Ballet School, ARB’s official school, attracts talent from around the world while providing opportunities for local students of all ages, such as through its award- winning DANCE POWER program. For more information, visit arballet.org