PRINCETON, NJ Restaurant Dining Guide Announcement

American Repertory Ballet Announces its Annual Gala 2015: The Dream March 21

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - On March 21, 2015, American Repertory Ballet will hold its annual Gala performance and reception, The Dream, in downtown New Brunswick, NJ. The performance will begin at 6:00pm at Crossroads Theater, and the reception will begin at 7:00pm across the street at the Heldrich Hotel. The reception will include a gourmet dinner, dancing to the music of The Kenny i Orchestra, auctions, and more. Free valet parking will be provided. Princeton Ballet School students ages 12-18 years can enjoy a Junior Gala party with dinner, dancing and silent auction, also at the Heldrich Hotel.

The Dream Gala will honor 30 years of Gala Leadership and Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts, the 2015 recipient of the Audrée Estey Award for Excellence in Dance Education.

Since the organization’s first Gala in 1985, this signature fundraising event continues to celebrate and showcase the three branches of the organization: New Jersey’s preeminent professional ballet company; its official school, Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest non-profit dance schools in the country; and ARB’s Access & Enrichment programming, with performances by scholarship recipients from the organization’s signature DANCE POWER residency in the New Brunswick school district. Over the past 30 years, Gala leaders and volunteers have included board members, Princeton Ballet School parents, and friends of the organization.

The following names represent 30 years of American Repertory Ballet Gala Leadership:

Shirley Abelson, Andrea Bradley, Dorothy Cummings, Lisa de Ravel (2015 Gala Co-Chair), Hedy Disimoni, Jennifer Faber, Jane Factor, Cherie Finn, Linda Gecha, Lynne Harwood, Wendy Heiser, Debbie Lescroat, Karen Lewis, Nancy MacMillan, Diane Melodia, Polly Moles, Jo-Ann Munoz, Nora Orphanides, Kimberlee Phelan, Victoria Piersol, Rosalie Puzio, Dina Robinson, Anna Salvadore, Tracey Simon, Joyce Stahl, Elly Stevens, Carol Washington, Barbara Wineski, and Mary Anne Young.

“Three decades of past gala chairs demonstrates a true community commitment to the growth of American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School,” says ARB Executive Director and Gala 2015 Co-Chair Vanessa Logan. “We could not be more grateful to those who laid the foundation and to those whose continued hard work has kept this Gala as ARB’s primary fundraiser, which helps underwrite: the creation of new works for the professional company, scholarships for Princeton Ballet School students, and the organization’s continued community engagement throughout the state of New Jersey.”

Princeton Ballet School’s partnership with Rider University’s Westminster College of the Arts began twenty years ago when Princeton Ballet School Director Mary Pat Robertson and then Chair of Rider University’s Fine Arts Department Dr. Patrick Chmel negotiated a collaboration agreement. The collaboration has since thrived under the leadership of Dr. Kim Chandler Vaccaro, Associate Professor of Dance/Director of the Rider University Dance Program, tenured faculty member at Rider, and long-time teacher at Princeton Ballet School.

“Princeton Ballet School’s partnership with Rider University has proved incredibly fruitful,” says Princeton Ballet School Director Mary Pat Robertson. “The collaboration has come to include a fall residency with American Repertory Ballet, an annual Choreographic Competition, and hundreds of happy alums who have taken class at Princeton Ballet School as part of the dance studies at Rider. It has allowed both organizations to extend the reach and scope of their programs, and of our mutual appreciation of the place that the arts have in education.” Patrick Chmel, Kim Vaccaro, and Donna Jean Fredeen, Provost of Rider, will be in attendance at The Dream Gala.

This year, the Junior Gala will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. Through this unique annual event, young Princeton Ballet School students form a committee and learn valuable skills in event organization, marketing, communication, and public speaking.

“I have facilitated the Junior Gala Committee for all ten years of the event,” says The Dream Gala co-chair Lisa de Ravel. de Ravel is a former ARB dancer and Princeton Ballet School faculty member who now serves as Dean of Students and Alumni Relations Corodinator. “Every year I am impressed with the sense of initiative and mature responsibility that Princeton Ballet School students have exhibited in their roles as committee members. It has been a joy watching these young dancers work towards a fabulous party, year after year!”

For more information and to RSVP, please contact: Kristine Farmer, Development Coordinator, 732-249-1254, ext. 11 or kfarmer@arballet.org

Not to be missed:

Firebird

Diaghilev Revisited

Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 8:00pm

The Theatre at Raritan Valley Community College

118 Lamington Road

Tickets: $25, $35

www.rvccArts.org, 908.725.3420

Subscribers' packages are available for many Theatre series. Senior citizen, student and group discounts are also available.

American Repertory Ballet's Annual Gala 2015, The Dream

Saturday, March 21, 2014

Performance: 6:00pm, Crossroads Theatre

7 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

Reception: 7:00pm, The Heldrich Hotel

12 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ

For more information and to RSVP, please contact: Kristine Farmer, Development Coordinator, 732-249-1254, ext. 11 or kfarmer@arballet.org

Physical Therapy: Dealing with Sports Injuries

and American Repertory Ballet On Pointe event

Friday, March 27, 2014 at 5:15pm

ARB’s Princeton studios

301 North Harrison St., in the Princeton Shopping Center above McCaffrey’s Supermarket

Free and Open to the public

About American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School

American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization comprises: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent professional classical and contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB’s Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program. The performing company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th centuries alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. Its rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields, Melissa Barak, Patrick Corbin, Trinette Singleton, and ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. 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.  ARB was voted the Jersey Arts People’s Choice for “Favorite Dance Company” in 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Under the direction of Mary Pat Robertson, Princeton Ballet School currently serves approximately 1,200 students, starting at age three, and includes a large open enrollment division for adults. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton and offers classes in ballet, modern dance, jazz,  hip-hop, CardioBallet, and CoMBo - Conditioning for the Mind and Body.  Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West and on Broadway.

The Access & Enrichment wing of American Repertory Ballet reaches out to the community not only through its DANCE POWER program and signature On Pointe series, but also with free programming, master classes, residencies, lecture demonstrations and School Time Matinees throughout the state.  In 1984, American Repertory Ballet partnered with the New Brunswick Board of Education to create DANCE POWER.  Today, it’s the longest-running uninterrupted arts/community partnership in New Jersey. The legendary Gregory Hines was DANCE POWER’s Honorary Chair for 18 years before his untimely passing in 2003. In 2001, Mr. Hines endowed a scholarship at Rutgers University that earmarks annual funds for a DANCE POWER student to attend the university.