“Daring and original, with a broad grounding in classical ballet and modern dance.”
-The New Republic
ABOUT THE EVENING
Five years ago, James Sewell Ballet came to WMPAC for a summer conservatory, where they spent two weeks bringing new work to light and fostering the growth of young dancers from the community. That first conservatory sparked the vibrant partnership between James Sewell Ballet and WMPAC that continues to this day. Big Sky’s greatest assets–time and space– are revelatory for working dancers, allowing them to pursue new projects and bring their art to its fullest form. For the evening performance, expect classic JSB works with inventive twists, and brand new choreography that is sure to amaze, mixed in with some of our local Big Sky talent pool.
A Minneapolis native, James Sewell Sewell moved to New York and studied at the School of American Ballet with David Howard, and began performing with ABT II. He was a lead dancer with Feld Ballets/NY for six years and has performed as a guest artist with the New York City Ballet, Zvi Gottheiner and Dancers, and Denishawn. He has choreographed more than 70 ballets for companies in the United States and around the world. Projects include the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, the New York State Council on the Arts grant to create “Independence In Dependence” for Feld Ballets/NY; “Aida” (1998) for the Minnesota Opera and 11 other opera companies; James Sewell Ballet’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors” (1995); “Musical Toys” (1996) and “Nutcracker: The Untold Story” (1997) for the Minnesota Orchestra; and “She Loves Me” (2005) and “1776” (2007) for the Guthrie Theater.
James Sewell Ballet was founded in New York City by James Sewell and Sally Rousse and brought to Minnesota in 1993. Combining their expertise, vision and chutzpah they envisioned a close-knit company of dance artists willing to both challenge their physical limits and expand their notions about ballet. Over two decades later, critically acclaimed JSB performances move and delight audiences across the country. The embodiment of the original vision is a professional company of dancers performing innovative work that explores the technical boundaries of ballet.
James Sewell Ballet 6x, Volo by Diavolo, Monica Bill Barnes