Ballet San Jose
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Ballet San Jose in San Jose, California, USA, was originally founded in 1986 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year old Cleveland Ballet which offered to the dancers added performing exposure, and each city a ballet company for a moderate, shared investment. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet ceased operations, and over half the dancers, the headquarters, and artistic director/choreographer Dennis Nahat moved to San Jose to continue operations there. The company was originally known as Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, but in July 2006 shortened its name to simply Ballet San Jose.
As of 2005, there is a resident company of 33 dancers from 12 countries in four continents, with a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballets. Performances at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts are accompanied by the Symphony Silicon Valley. The Ballet is now a 'fully-owned' resident company serving all of Silicon Valley.
The company's mission is to provide the San Francisco Bay Area with theatrically produced ballet and professional dance education in a manner that honors the vision of the artists, meets the highest technical and artistic standards, contributes to the fulfillment of the cultural needs of the community, and is accessible to as wide an audience as possible.
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[edit] History
In 1983, a group of eighteen local community leaders and citizens formed a committee to identify a nationally-ranked, artistically mature ballet company that the South Bay could adopt as its own. After a two-year search, the group offered a partnership to the Cleveland Ballet, then ten years old and known internationally for its combination of strong classical training and theatricality. Cleveland Ballet co-founder (with Ernie Horvath) and artistic director Dennis Nahat further refined the vision of two communities sharing a single artistic resource. San Jose Cleveland Ballet was founded as a co-venture in 1986, offering to the dancers added performing exposure and to each community a great company for a moderate, shared investment.
During the years of the co-venture the Company expanded artistically and became recognized as one of California's most innovative ballet companies and one of the top six ballet companies in the country. When the Cleveland partner ceased operations in the fall of 2000, the San Jose partner decided to preserve the Company, by moving its headquarters to San Jose. With a tremendous outpouring of community, foundation, and business support, Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley was born.
[edit] Artistic Vision
One of the few contemporary ballet directors who choreographs a significant body of work for his own company, Dennis Nahat guides the company and ballet school. A Broadway performer and choreographer, City Center Joffrey Ballet dancer and principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, Mr. Nahat has built a "dancer’s company" that attracts first-rate performers from around the world. Mr. Nahat says, "I create ballets for my dancers to bring out the best in them and to expand in them what they do not know they possess. We pride ourselves in having a company of great diversity that is uniquely unified by a common artistic vision. Daily training brings the performers together in the language they all know best: dance."
[edit] The Company
Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley has developed a repertoire of over 120 traditional and modern classical ballets. The Company includes dancers from Argentina, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Venezuela, Vietnam, and the United States. The repertoire includes ballets by Balanchine, Bournonville, de Mille, and many others, in addition to Nahat's many ballets created especially for the company. The company performs classic ballets such as The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, as well as more modern ballets such as Blue Suede Shoes, based on Elvis Presley's songs.
[edit] Education
Today, over 485 students study at the Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley School. [1] The Ballet School's free Education Outreach programs are dedicated to serving young audiences and at-risk children in the San Jose region.
