This week’s Dance First Spotlight is on the 5th Annual FAST FORWARD Contemporary Ballet!

Hammer Theatre Center – San Jose, CA
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 7:30pm

An evening of original choreography, emboldening dancers and pushing boundaries.  

Fast Forward provides the opportunity for award-winning and cutting-edge choreographers, both local and from around the country, to experiment. Choreographers Amy Seiwert, Duncan Cooper, Marika Brussel, Mariana Sobral, and Dalia Rawson are creating brand new works that push the boundaries of classical ballet. Set to music ranging from classical to singer-songwriters performing live, this program will treat you to a fast-paced evening of new contemporary ballet, often described by the dancers as their favorite program of the season.

Fast Forward gives the New Ballet’s Company Dancers the opportunity to dance to work that has been created specifically for them, allowing each dancer to grow as an artist and to be part of the creative process. Choreographers will discuss the new works during the program, providing context and insight to the dances and their inspiration.

Fast Forward will be presented on Saturday, April 2, 2022, at the Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA. 95113.

General Admission tickets are $10-$25 and VIP tickets are $250. For more information, please visit www.newballet.com or call the box office at 408-924-8501.

VIP Tickets include access to the VIP Lounge starting one hour before the show and at intermission, plus access to a post-performance Cast Party with the dancers, featuring sweet and savory bites and elegant wines.

Director and primary choreographer, Dalia Rawson founded New Ballet in 2016 and created Fast Forward in 2017, because as she describes, “I wanted to provide the opportunity for choreographers and dancers to experiment, explore, and push the boundaries of classical ballet.”

Rawson continues, “During a time when so many artistic ventures have been curtailed by the pandemic, the opportunity to create and perform new work allows artists to continue to grow. Your support of this program through ticket purchases helps keep the art of ballet moving forward.”

New Ballet in the News:
“Best Dance Company 2022” Silicon Valley Metro
“Amazing in every kind of way!” ABC 7 News

Choreographers:

Dalia Rawson: Director, Founder, and primary choreographer of New Ballet. From 1991 to 2006, Rawson performed a wide variety of leading roles as a dancer with Ballet San Jose. She began teaching at BSJ School in 2000, was named Ballet Mistress in 2007, Principal in 2012, and Director in 2014.

In 2013 Rawson was awarded a Fellowship from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet. An ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum, Rawson is also a member of the ABT Artistic Board of Examiners.

Amy Seiwert: Director of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, resident choreographer of Smuin Ballet, and 19 years dancing with the Smuin, LA Chamber and Sacramento Ballets. As a dancer with Smuin Ballet she became involved with the “Protégé Program” where her choreography was mentored by the late Michael Smuin, and became Choreographer in Residence there upon her retirement from dancing in 2008. Named one of “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, her first full evening of choreography was named one of the “Top 10” dance events of 2007 by the SF Chronicle.

From 2018 to 2020, Seiwert was Artistic Director with Sacramento Ballet. Twice Seiwert worked with dancers from New York City Ballet, participating in the NY Choreography Institute. Collaborations include works with visual designers Marc Morozumi and Matthew Antaky, composers Daniel Bernard Roumain and Mason Bates, media designer Frieder Weiss and spoken-word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph.

Seiwert was an Artist in Residence at ODC Theater from 2013-15, the first National Artist in Residence with the Joyce Theater in 2017, and worked in the repertory of Ballet Austin, BalletMet, Washington, Atlanta, Oakland, Sacramento, Colorado, Louisville, Cincinnati, Carolina, Oklahoma City, Dayton, Milwaukee and American Repertory Ballets, and Robert Moses KIN.

Duncan Cooper: Former Principal dancer at Dance Theater of Harlem, dancer with San Francisco Ballet, and guest artist at New York City Ballet, Washington Ballet and Royal Birmingham Ballet.
Cooper was the first recipient of The Lew Christensen scholarship for the most outstanding male dancer. In addition, he was the first student to be promoted from the school directly into the company where he spent 7 years.

Cooper joined The Dance Theater of Harlem as a principal dancer for 9 years and performed as a guest artist for the New York City Ballet, Washington Ballet, Royal Birmingham Ballet among many others. He has been a guest teacher for ABT JKO School & ABT 2, Boston Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Alonzo King’s Ballet School, Complexsions Contemporary Ballet Company, and others.

Currently Cooper is Grand Ambassador for Universal Ballet Competition and Head Ballet Faculty at REVEL Dance competition. Cooper has judged and taught with NYCDA, ADC/IBC and more. He founded Duncan Cooper Winter & Summer Workshops in 2022 pushing students to expand their artistic and technical boundaries.

Marika Brussel: Independent Contemporary Ballet Choreographer, UNCSA Choreographic Institute Fellow (2019).

Brussel is a contemporary ballet choreographer. Her work explored myths, plays, and personal stories such as Unraveling, a ballet about dementia. From Shadows: A ballet about homelessness, premiered in October 2017, to sold out audiences in San Francisco. Her ballet, Still Time For Impossible, looked at the climate crisis.

Brussel’s ballets have been commissioned by Kansas City Ballet, New Ballet Studio Company, ARC Dance, Columbia Repertory Ballet, Renverse Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet, and Ballet Theater of New Mexico. Her work at festivals includes Dancing in the Park, Oakland Dances, and West Wave. Brussel has held residencies at the Levydance, Dresher Ensemble Residency, Moving Arts SF, SAFEhouse Arts and at Keshet Makers Space. She has twice been part of ODC’s Pilot Project and a choreographer in Doug Varone’s Devices 5. Her awards include two Fleishhacker Opportunity Grants and The Classical Girl Grant. In 2019, she was the recipient of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Fellowship for Contemporary Ballet a 2020 fellow at LABA East Bay, and a 2021 fellow with The Peace Studio.

Mariana Sobral: Director of eMotion Arts Dance Co., former professional dancer and ABT Certified Teacher. Born in Argentina, her career as Soloist and Principal Dancer include “Giselle”, “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Coppelia,” “La Bayadere,” and “Who Cares?” among many others.

Upon moving to the USA, Sobral developed ballet programs and created award-winning choreographies for studios and companies throughout the Bay Area. Her work has been in the RAW Artist residence at SAFEhouse Arts, San Francisco Arts Movement, The DanceWright Project.

New Ballet was founded in March 2016 by local dancer, teacher, and choreographer Dalia Rawson, filling a void in downtown San Jose for a professional ballet school. Offering an additional focus on dancer health and child development, the organization provides ballet instruction as well as performances. With a certified teaching staff, New Ballet is one of only five schools designated as an American Ballet Theatre Certified School nationwide.

For more information, visit: https://newballet.com/